Page 57 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

“Youareuseful here. If Lily comes back, one of us needs to be here. I have my phone. I’ll keep checking in with you. If we don’t find her in the next thirty minutes, we need to call the police to see if they can help with the search.”

Patches followed me out into the night. I raised my arm to shield my eyes as the wind pelted the rain down on my face.

“Lily!” I yelled her name over and over, listening for a few seconds in between.

I moved away from the house, thinking if she was close, she would have run back inside at some point. I could either head toward the woods off to the left or the pond to the right. Patches ran toward the woods and stopped to bark at me.

If it was even a remote possibility, the dog was Lassie-ing the shit out of this, who was I not to follow? I didn’t have a clue about where to start, anyway. Large trees stood in front of me, their massive boughs swaying in the wind, the wood creaking, sounding like they might break. I was grateful to have the flashlight; it helped me keep an eye on Patches and avoid some of the worst tree roots poking up out of the ground.

“Lily!” My voice was swallowed up into the night. Could she even hear me? I swung the flashlight left to right, hoping to catch a sign she’d been this way.

In no time, my jacket and shirt stuck to my body, and the downpour made it hard to see more than a few feet in front of me. I worked to push down the panic that threatened to paralyze me. What if we didn’t find her? I’d never forgive myself.

Patches ran ahead and then back to me, barking incessantly. I walked as quickly as I could but was afraid to go too fast in case I missed her. With each passing step, the sickening feeling grew that she was out here, and possibly hurt.

The dog ran further ahead and stopped at the top of a hill. He looked down, barked, and then gazed back at me and barked again. This time, he stayed put. I ran. My feet slid out from under me and my knee crashed to the ground. I winced as it hit a rock. Not wasting a second, I shoved myself upright and started again, this time, taking care to watch my step.

I forced one foot in front of the other. Dread raked its fingers down my spine. I shivered as an unbidden thought beat unrepentantly against my brain; would it be too late if I didn’t find her soon?

Chapter Seventeen

Lily

Istared at the wallwith narrowed eyes. This wasn’t working. How else could I get out of here? In the darkness, it was hard to see how far the ravine stretched, but further down might be my only way out. I wrinkled my nose, considering my options. Maybe there was a spot nearby that wasn’t so steep or had rocks piled high enough that I could climb.

My muscles cramped as I stepped forward, forcing a yelp of pain past my lips. I rubbed my leg eventually getting it to straighten and flexed my foot to release the tight calf. After a few moments, I was able to walk with a slight limp.

I searched inch by inch, using my hands to guide me when there was barely enough light to see by. The ravine continued to stretch on without an end in sight. I nibbled my bottom lip, remembering a survival book I read and its suggestions on what to do if you became lost in the woods.

Picturing the page, I saw the words STOP. Grasping on to the familiar knowledge, a sense of calm fluttered through my body. STOP stood for Stop, Think, Observe, and Plan. I had to think about my situation logically. It would be best to stay where I was. I had nothing to reference the size of the ravine and if I wandered too far away it would make it harder for anyone to find me.

I wiped at the mud drying on the face of my watch and checked the time. I’d only been gone for about forty-five minutes. Angela would at least notice when I didn’t grab something for dinner and sound the alarm. I drew in a deep breath, satisfied in the knowledge that someone would come for me.

The storm had abated, and the rain had let up. Without the constant stream of water mixing with the dirt, I wondered if the spot where I fell might be easier to climb. I squared my shoulders, gave myself a pep talk, and walked back to face my nemesis, the wall. I was determined to succeed this time.

I shoved one hand into the wall and curled my fingers tightly into the mud before I jammed the tip of my sneaker into a space about a foot off the ground. For a moment, my grip held tight, and my shoe remained stuck in the squishy mud.