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“Wherever the bear is, the wolves are not far behind,” Steph said, gripping her hands together and squeezing periodically. “I guess I don’t know for sure whether she escaped but I didn’t hear a scream, and if anyone is going to escape that bear, it’s the person who created it!”

The small man gave his friend a mildly concerned look. He then slowly began to walk away from Steph, sighing.

She was not sure what it was, but at that moment, Steph’s stomach clenched. She could sense danger. At least, she thought she could. There was the possibility of it. It was as if she had exhausted her use to them as far as they were concerned. Shecouldn’t prove this was the case, but she felt it in the way they looked at each other and the way they moved around her.

“If you’re here to help,” Steph said, standing up. “Then we need to kill the cave lion and the cave bear!”

The two men stopped looking at each other and turned with benign interest to face Steph.

“I don’t know where the lion is,” Steph continued, studying the men’s faces for any flicker of a tell (there was none), “but I know where we can get the bear. If the bear topples and the lion topples, the other animals will fall into place. There will be balance.”

The two men looked at her.

“I’m a field biologist,” she said, again hearing how pathetic it sounded only when it came out. “It’s my job to know these things.”

She knew that most of what she said meant nothing to the men. It intrigued her as to what lie exactly they would tell in response.

“Our instructions from Kelvin were not to hurt the bear,” the smaller man said. This was completely believable. “However, if you know where we couldsubduethe creature, then you will need to lead us there.”

Steph stared at the floor. Looking anywhere but at the two men to give herself time to think. She hoped it gave the illusion of how troubling a decision it was to lead them there. Would Kelvin’s plan have worked better if she simply pointed to a place on a map and then been free? She supposed it was perhaps beneficial for her that they wanted her to guide them. She dreaded to think what would happen if they didn’t. Also, how could she suddenly come from nowhere wanting their help and then change her mind and walk off having pointed to a location on a map? No. She needed to feign some sort of reliance on them. A need for protection.

“Al right,” she said, raising her head. “I can show you the way. You’ll protect me though, right? If I lead you there?”

“Of course,” said the smaller man. “We wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

His facial expression reeked of deceit.

“Right, well,” he said. “We’d best get going then.”

“Can’t I finish my coffee?” replied the larger of the two as he took a sip from a mug on the side and instantly recoiled with a grimace.

The other man rolled his eyes.

“Fine but hurry up!”

FORTY-TWO

Apart from the general sound of the engine and the wheels going over the terrain, there was not much noise in the truck. It was as sleek inside as it looked outside. Steph was pleased that she had not been put next to the cave lion, which must have been in the hold in the back; something she knew but the two men didn’t know she knew. The grey leather seats were comfortable but seemed an unnecessary expense. Steph smiled. It was odd that a part of her dad’s frugality had rubbed off on her and chosen such a moment to make an appearance.

“So what are your names?” Steph asked, half eying the small arsenal strapped to the ceiling of the vehicle. The larger man also kept glancing up at the weapons, periodically touching one.

There was a moment’s hesitation from the smaller one before he replied, without looking back from the wheel,

“Kelvin said we are not to give names in case we get implicated in anything by mistake.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, just the line of work we’re in.”

The larger man sniggered drawing a scathing look from his partner.

Steph sunk deeper into the leather. She supposed it didn’t matter whether she knew the men’s names or not. Even if they had given her their names, she doubted they’d have been genuine.

She looked out the window. Davey had told Steph the signs to look out for that would let her know she was getting close. A tree that had snapped in the middle in a storm was, he said, the most obvious one. From there it was suggested she get them out the car and walking, using the excuse of not wanting to alert the bear as the reason to dump the truck.

They passed a small tree that, to Steph’s eyes at least, looked as if it had snapped in the wind. Was that the tree? Was that the landmark? It didn’t seem as obvious as Davey had suggested it would be. It wasn’t even snapped in the middle exactly. Should she suggest stopping now? But what if it was the wrong tree and they were too far out?

Steph’s concerns were quickly alleviated when they trundled past a huge pine that looked as if a giant had kicked the top down. It was an odd sight. The top of what was left of the trunk was splintered horribly but the branches below it still showed some greenery.