Page 35 of Trail to Trouble
“Come on,” he said.
He’d only taken a couple of steps before he stumbled again.
Hannah grabbed his upper arm. “Are you alright?”
“No, but we’ve got to move. Problem is, I can’t see very well right now. I know exactly where we are and how to get out of here without going back the way we came, but...”
“But what?” she asked, unable to hide the concern in her tone.
“It’s not a simple walk, especially since we’ll need to go off-trail, which is our fastest way out of here. Plus, I can’t see well right now. God, my head hurts,” he said as he swayed, barely able to catch himself.
She grabbed him by his upper arm.
“You’re going to have to guide my steps, which will slow us down. Maybe you should just go ahead. Get yourself back to the river and follow it. Conceal yourself inside the tree line. It won’t bring you back to the main camp that way, but within a mile or so, you’ll come upon a small town called Iron City. You can find help there.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“To stay safe. You have to. It’s okay. I’ll tuck myself in here and wait for you to send help.”
This would be for the best. Sure, he told her he couldn’t see, but what she didn’t know was that it took everything he had to hold himself together right now and stand before her. The pain he endured had him on the verge of passing out, and he didn’t want her to know that. He needed her to run to safety and not worry about him or have him slow her down. It was best for her if she’d just go.
“No. I’m not going without you,” her conviction let him know she wouldn’t.
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. The pain in his torso nearly sent him into shock, not to mention the bullet wound to his shoulder.
She placed her warm hand on his cheek. “I can’t do this without you. I’m scared. I just can’t,” her voice shook.
He opened his eyes and tilted his head forward. The throbbing in his temples was unbearable. Lightly, he touched his lips to her forehead. “Okay, we got this. Let’s move.”
After drawing in a shallow breath, he snatched up her hand and headed south. He’d snake them back to the river and then to Iron City. The nearest city to his uncle’s business with a police force.
Hunter willed his feet to move quicker, but he still feared he moved too slowly. His heart raced and his pulse pounded, but he thanked God that adrenaline took over the pain. Still though, he was cautious to make sure he picked up his heavy legs so as not to trip on the uneven earth below his feet. Hannah was a tremendous help, letting him know about exposed tree roots and rocky areas. He could see the trees and foliage, but it blurred together and the quicker he moved, the faster his pulse pounded, making his vision blur even more.
Heat scorched his skin. The increased pain and stinging throughout his body further distracted him from being able to pay attention to his footing. He fell, landing hard on his hands and knees. His right arm gave out, and he rocked back on his heels and cradled his right arm with his left. It felt like a knife stabbed him in the hip where he’d hit the protruding rocks as they tumbled over the edge of the waterfall. He pulled in a breath, hoping to soothe the pain, but all that did was sting his lungs and make his torso burn. He was a freaking mess. The right side of his body was useless.
“Are you okay? Can you get up?”
“You need to describe to me where we are.”
“What?”
A shot rang out. His body tensed.
“Oh, God,” Hannah exclaimed.
“Hannah, that’s close, but not too close.”
“How do you know?”
“I hunt and target shoot. I know. But if he heads this direction, it won’t take long for him to catch up. You need to tell me right now what you see. For the most part, I know where we are, but I need our exact location. Describe it in detail.”
He needed this detail from her because he was certain he would pass out any minute now and needed to give her good directions to save herself.
Hannah’s breaths came quicker.
“Hannah, just take a second. Calm down. Everything will be okay. Just tell me what you see.”
She drew in a long breath and squatted next to him. “There are fewer cedar trees now and more mixed hardwood, white pines, and hemlock.”
