Page 105 of Brambles and Bellflowers
Miles did not,in fact, wake me for the second shift, and when I opened my eyes, the fire had already gone out and the ground was cold.
My nose itched as I brushed Miles’s shirt back from my face. He’d slumped over me and his soft snores sounded over my head.
I’d slept in more annoying conditions before—so why had I woken up now?
The air was lifeless and still, and our surroundings were eerily calm. Probably a good thing, though, as most of the dangerous animals would be hibernating. Probably.
I was just tired… and cold.
My eyes drooped and I rubbed at them. I was exhausted, but the fire had to be rekindled or we were in very real danger of freezing to death tonight.
“Miles…” I moved to my knees—he fell forward without my support. However, he caught himself in his sleep and pressed his face into the bark of the tree we rested against. I pushed his chest. “Miles, the fire went out.”
I hoped he had more matches—I hadn’t even thought to ask earlier. Thankfully, the moon was bright enough to light our immediate surroundings.
He stirred—slowly at first. Then after a sleepy blink, he was fully alert.
“I fell asleep.” He glanced around, as if surprised by this fact.
“The fire is out,” I said again, glancing toward it, as I rubbed my arms in an attempt to stay warm.
He groaned, reaching into his pocket with stiff movements. “Sorry about that. Let me get it.”
But then he looked past me, freezing, as his attention remained riveted at some place over my head.
“Miles—” I began, my heart pounding. What did he see? But before I could speak further, he snapped toward me and grabbed my hand. I could barely follow what was happening as he pulled me to him and shoved me behind him.
“What’s that noise?” His question pulled me from my half-asleep state. He pulled out the knife and pointed into the darkness. “Something’s there!”
“W-what?” I asked. His fear was almost contagious, but he was not the only one with experience in the wild. I forced myself to remain calm and to ignore my rising heartbeat. “No, there’s not,” I told him. “Bears are hibernating right now. We’re fine.”
“What if it’s a ghost?” Miles’s voice shook. “What do we do? You should go see.”
My panic quieted as I lowered my hands and studied him.
His skin had turned pale, and his hands shook.
And he apparently didn’t think twice about sacrificing me to some unknown entity…
Jerk.
“That’s always a possibility.” I frowned in the direction he was pointing. One of us was going to have to be brave. And it certainly wasn’t going to be him. “If only there was someone present who could tell if a ghost was nearby. I guess there’s no choice but for us to be sitting ducks for a vengeful spirit’s murderous wrath.”
“I know!” he whined, missing my glare. “We need Bryce!”
We absolutely didnotneed Bryce. Not for this.
“What if…” Then his words trailed off, and he shot me a disapproving look. “That wasn’t nice!”
“What in the world was that?” I asked. What was this nonsense about relying on Bryce for ghostly needs? This better not have been a habit of his. I smacked his arm. “Why would there be a ghost here anyway?”
“It’s possible.” His wounded eyes caused my heart to clench painfully. “People die in the mountains all the time. Do you know how often people come here to hide or live?”
“Like who?”
He put the knife away, counting off on his fingers. “Criminals, people who get lost and never make it back to civilization, the homesteaders hiding from the government—”
“Isn’t this a state park?” I asked. “It doesn’t seem very discreet.”
