Page 26 of Little Girls Sleeping
A cool breeze blew through the house as Katie waited for the dog. Even though it caused goose bumps to prickle up her arms, it made her feel more energized, more awake, her mind focused.
Cisco padded obediently back into the kitchen to wait for his breakfast.
Katie fixed a pot of coffee and prepared a bowl for the dog. The aroma of the ground coffee percolating filled the house and somehow made it warmer and more inviting.
As she looked around at the calming hominess of the kitchen and the comfortable living room, she realized that the warm light of the morning hours smoothed out any anxious thoughts she had in the middle of the night. Light pushed away darkness. Light would ceaselessly drown the darkness at every opportunity if you knew where to look.
The fierce heat of the coffee helped to soothe Katie’s aches and pains as she reflected on last night’s party. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Chad being back in town. He was one of the few people who knew her well. He knew when to ask questions, and when to back away and let her decide whether she needed to talk. She didn’t know how deeply she felt about him and what the future would bring, but for now, she didn’t want any more complications with a relationship.
“Cisco, you ready for another adventure?”
The jet-black dog made a scrambling dash to the front door, wagging his tail like a helicopter propeller.
“Well, okay.”
Katie made herself some eggs and packed sufficient supplies for the road. She wanted to make sure she hadn’t overlooked anything, and decided to add some extra tools and her first-aid box. It was difficult to plan for the unknown, but she would rather have too much kit at her disposal than not enough.
As previously, she mapped her areas of search and set her GPS to get her to the correct location. She and Cisco drove down the familiar road, but instead of turning right, she made a left and slowly they began to climb. It had been one of her favorite areas to visit, camp, and hike growing up. The fond memories flooded her mind and kept her company until they arrived at a fork in the road.
She eased the Jeep to the curb and double-checked her directions. Once again there was a strong cell-phone signal and she didn’t foresee anything that would prevent them from taking the two main hikes she had mapped out.
She decided to make the extra effort to study the trails more closely on websites chatting about the area, to make sure there weren’t any treacherous spots or anything that was under reconditioning from the county parks department.
All areas clear.
She decided that she would drive as far as she could and park. There hadn’t been any vehicles for the past five miles, so she shouldn’t run into any unsuspecting hikers or campers.
She parked and exited the Jeep, changed into her most appropriate heavy-duty hiking boots, and re-inventoried her backpack.
Cisco’s energy had heightened since their previous adventure. He ran circles around the car and then nudged her to hurry up.
“What’s up with you, Cisco?”
The dog gave a deep bark.
“Okay, maybe we’ll get lucky today.”
She didn’t think so, but saying it out loud made her feel a bit more optimistic.
Her sore and stiff muscles loosened up the more she moved around, which in turn gave her more energy and momentum to forge ahead. She kept her small field notebook close so that she could update it when necessary with her exact movements.
After checking the compass, she headed out to the first search area.
The day was cooler than the last hike and there were fewer birds circling above, replaced by smaller birds chirping in the trees. The usual flies and other winged bugs seemed to have vanished from the area. The wind gusted slightly and then fell away to a steady stillness.
Katie maintained a moderate pace and kept a subtle watch on her breathing—slow and even. Everything considered, she felt great. She took an additional moment just to enjoy the sights and being able to roam the outdoors.
The denseness of the trees became more intense and darker, blocking out some of the sunlight as she moved down the easy trail. Hills and rocks became the norm and provided interesting interruptions in the landscape. The area would inspire most artists with its beauty and serene surroundings, which seemed to go on forever.
Katie stopped at an open, level area. As she performed a three-hundred-sixty-degree turn, her instincts alerted her with the delicate raised hairs on her neck that something was not right. It didn’t happen often, but she had honed her internal skills to never overlook anything.
She glanced down at Cisco; he seemed to have picked up on the fact that something was amiss as well. He had stopped his incessant sniffing and marking, and now stood completely still, tail down, head and ears straight forward. His eyes darted from one side to the other searching the wilderness.
Katie wasn’t sure if it was just the place—some type of electromagnetic energy—or whether there were wild animals near. She stood perfectly still and listened. The wind had stopped completely—she wasn’t sure when—and silence had taken over. It was pleasant at first, but the more you noticed it, the more a certain kind of sinister feeling swirled around it.
Glancing at her compass, Katie noticed that she was facing southeast. There was about a square mile she wanted to explore, the terrain easily navigated by any moderate-level hiker.
A screech owl cried out. It was an unusual sound early in the day, unless there were predators lurking about. Animal behavior and weather characteristics were the first indications of change, or something being wrong in the natural world.
