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A small chuckle comes from her, “I’m alive, asshole. I just can’t stand anymore…too dizzy…so tired.”

“I’m going to need you to stay awake, it’s a long drive back to Mallory’s.”

With closed eyes and signs of sleep overtaking Victoria, she quietly says, “Just throw me in the back seat.”

Poking her in the shoulder to wake her up, she opens one eye and scowls at me. “I’ve got a quad. You’re going to have to hold on.”

“What? You’ve got to be kidding me,” she groans, the sound becoming less hoarse over time. “I can barely keep my eyes open, Lennox. I’ll fall off the quad, and break my neck.”

I know she’s right, but I can’t just leave her here. I’m torn, again. I know what’s morally right, which is what Mal would want me to do, but every cell in my body is vibrating with the need to find Mallory, no matter what.

I look off in the direction of the ATV, then grimly slide my gaze back to Victoria. She may be fierce, but she’s still tiny, battered, bruised, and undoubtedly traumatized for the rest of her life. I can’t leave her, but I need to. The pull to save Mallory is unrelenting.

Victoria must see the war raging on my face. Lightly placing her palm on my arm, “Go,” she says. “Find her and save her. I’m alive, she may not be for much longer.”

“Vic, Mallory would never forgive me if I left you and something happened.”

“And I’d never forgive you if she died because you chose to stay here with me.”

Fuck.

“Maybe if you sit in front of me and?—”

Cutting me off, she says “You’re wasting fucking time! Now go, and let me fucking sleep.” There’s the maddening Victoria I know and am proud to call a friend. I don’t know why Graham has such a problem with her.

“I’ll call for backup as soon as I have service,” I tell her.

“I know. I’ll be here.” She smiles at me, half-heartedly and sad, unable to hide how scared she truly is.

Rising from the ground my heart thunders in my ears.I can’t leave her out here in the open. She’s vulnerable to anything and everything: the weather…animals…serial killers.

Kneeling again, I pick her up. “Do you want to go inside the cabin?”

“Sure,” she says wearily, resigned to her fate to sit here alone for who knows how long.

Making my way quickly across the yard and heading inside, “I’m sorry I have to leave you,” I say. Heading down the hall to one of the bedrooms that didn’t appear to have been slept in, I place her on the bed. Dust wafts up into the air, and guilt threatens to drown me. She’s still too exposed, weak, and unsafe. Worrying my bottom lip between my teeth, my eyes dart around the room, landing on the closet. Glancing back to her, “Ain’t no fucking way you’re putting me in the closet, Lennox.”

“It would be the safer place for you, Vic. You know it.”

“Fuck off, stop worrying about me, and go find Mallory.”

Huffing out my exasperation, I drag my hands down over my face, recomposing myself. “Okay, it takes me maybe forty minutes to get back to Mallory’s. I may get service before I?—”

My radio rapidly clicks three times, whatever I was going to say evaporates from my mind as I wait. The clicking comes again and then I hear my uncle’s quiet voice. “She’s here,” he whispers.

Then, there’s nothing.

Complete radio silence.

Victoria and I lock eyes, “Go, go, go!” she yells.

Nodding, I turn towards the door. Pausing, I turn back to her. “Can you shoot?”

“What?”

“A gun, can you shoot one?”

“Sure, point and fire, right?”