Page 30 of Obscurity

Jason’s hand found hers, the gesture appearing romantic to outside observers while actually serving as a silent signal that he’d seen something too.

Someone was paralleling their route, staying just out of sight but close enough to monitor their progress.

Her throat tightened as she waited for what might happen next.

Before she could figure out who—or what—was in the woods, a cry filled the air.

Olive jerked her gaze toward the sound to see what the commotion was about.

A woman near Tevin stumbled, her ankle turning on loose rock before she sprawled on the ground.

Everyone nearby clustered around her to make sure she was okay.

Olive glanced once more at the woods before turning back to the situation in front of her.

“It’s probably just twisted,” Tom said as he examined the woman’s ankle. “Can you put weight on it?”

The woman tried to stand but winced. “I don’t think I can make it all the way to the festival grounds.”

“We’ll get you some ibuprofen and wrap it up,” Tom said. “You should be fine. We’ll help you get there. That’s what your Grayfall family is here for.”

Her Grayfall family? Interesting word choice.

Everyone paused as Tom found a first-aid kit and wrapped her ankle.

As they did that, several people pulled out their lunches. They’d each been handed a paper bag before they’d left, and Olive wasn’t sure what was inside.

She pulled hers out and found a sandwich with a single slice of processed cheese and a piece of lettuce.

She squinted. Was this it?

There was also a store-bought prepackaged brownie and a small bag of peanuts.

She skipped the sandwich and went right for the peanuts.

Hopefully this wasn’t reflective of how the food would be for the rest of the weekend. If so, they were going to have a lot of very unhappy people at the festival.

Several others murmured their disapproval around her as they munched on their meager meal and rested against nearby logs and boulders. The break did feel nice.

However, Olive continued to keep her eyes wide open for trouble. Who had been in the woods with them? Were they still there?

When Tom was done tending to the woman with the hurt ankle, Max turned to the rest of the group. “I know some of you are still eating, but we need to keep moving.”

As the group reorganized and began walking again, Olive saw Tevin watching something in the forest. Then he looked in her direction and gave her a nod.

He knew what she knew.

They weren’t alone out here.

Whoever had been in the woods wasn’t gone. They were still there.

And they were watching.

CHAPTER 18

The trail began to descend, offering a small amount of relief for their weary muscles.

“Not much longer.” Max’s voice carried forced enthusiasm. “Just another few miles to paradise.”