King of the Wilds - Tasha Black Page 0,2

and it wouldn't be the last. When Miranda really got in the groove, she tended to completely zone out.

She folded up her tablet and tucked it into the pocket of her jacket.

When she turned off the single lightbulb that dangled over the table the cabin was plunged into total darkness.

A little shiver of fear ran down her spine and she shook her head at her own silliness.

“You’re a capable woman, not a frightened construction worker,” she scolded herself as she felt her way to the door and headed outside.

Once she was out, she was thankful that the moonlight illuminated her surroundings enough for her to see where she was going.

If she had thought the nighttime would be quieter in the forest than the day, she was dead wrong. It seemed to be even louder than before. The shadowy trees echoed with the cries of birds and cicada songs.

She headed across the mossy forest floor back to the muddy path that led up through the woods to the dirt lot across the site where she’d left her car.

The light from the nearly full moon overhead was enough to let her see where she was going, but she still found herself wishing for the flashlight on her phone.

She honestly felt a real sense of separation anxiety over the lack of the device that sometimes felt like an extension of herself. Thankfully, she’d be back at her car soon. If she remembered correctly, it was no more than a twenty-minute walk back.

The blister on her right heel burned painfully with every step. She was half-tempted to take off her shoes. But she shuddered at the thought of all the nasty little creatures that might be scuttling around underfoot.

She walked on, hoping it would go numb soon.

Bats squeaked and flew overhead. Presumably, they were eating some of the plentiful mosquitoes. She’d doused herself liberally with a moisturizing lotion that claimed to act as an insect repellent. But she was beginning to doubt its claims as she slapped at yet another pesky bite. At this rate, she would be eaten alive soon, bats or no bats.

At least her path was starting to look familiar. That was good.

She squinted her eyes in the darkness. There was something in the trees, a small building, its roof glinting a little in the moonlight.

Funny, she didn’t remember seeing any buildings on the way down here.

She took a few more steps toward it and almost began to cry.

It was the cabin again. She must have gone in a complete circle somehow.

She let out a long breath and felt sorry for herself for a count of ten.

Then she inhaled, ready to find her way home.

The path back to the car wasn’t that complicated. She had obviously just been lost in thought and made a wrong turn somewhere along the way. Or maybe it was that things looked a little different in the darkness.

But she wasn’t helpless. She would find her way back.

This time, when she had gotten about five minutes away from the cabin, she saw a second path branching off from the first that she hadn’t noticed before.

It was narrow, and she didn’t really remember taking a narrow path to get here. But she had probably just been distracted with her phone buzzing every two seconds.

She headed into the trees on the tighter path. Assuming this was the right trail, she should be back at the car within fifteen minutes.

She was already picturing the frozen mac and cheese she planned to stick in the microwave when she got home, and the crisp, cold diet ginger ale with condensation running alluringly down the can.

A sudden burst of light in the darkness roused her from her fantasy.

She blinked and looked around, but it was already gone.

That was odd. Maybe she was just getting lightheaded. It had been a while since her last meal, and she didn’t function well on low blood sugar.

She kept walking, picking up the pace a little. It would probably be best to get to the car as soon as possible. She needed to get home.

The night air was cooler but still heavy with moisture. A bead of sweat rolled down her spine.

A tiny light appeared before her again. This time, it glowed long enough that she was sure it was there.

Then another light appeared.

And another.

The first light winked out and more appeared, further down the path.

They were too big to be fireflies.

Miranda rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was losing her mind.

You haven’t had anything to eat or