Wilderness Target

“How about you, Clarissa?” Ezra turned to face her. “I don’t hear much protest from you.”

With everyone looking at her, Clarissa felt suddenly self-conscious. “I’m just glad to be here.” She focused on her food, dipping her spoon into the alleged beef enchiladas.

As she listened to the friendly banter, turmoil tied her stomach in tight knots. Could she hope that Max’s men had given up and gone back down the mountain? She couldn’t finish this journey with the others and go back to Discovery, where Max would be waiting. She wasn’t so sure she could make it on her own to the town Ezra had mentioned, but she had to try. If only she could get some specific instruction and directions.

After dinner, Ezra helped everyone pitch a small, single-man tent, except for Jan and Ken, who had a bigger tent to share. Clarissa said her good-nights and crawled into her sleeping bag. The cool night air came through the unzipped mesh windows.

Outside her tent, Ezra and Leonard talked in low tones until their voices faded, and she heard the unzipping of tent doors. The night quieted, but her mind raced with all that had happened and all that she had yet to do. Twice Clarissa grabbed her pack and unzipped the tent, thinking she would just escape in the night and take her chances. Both times she talked herself out of it. There was still so much more she needed to learn before she could face the wilderness on her own. She snuggled back down into the sleeping bag.

She listened for a long time, wondering if Leonard would get up in the night and drag her out of her tent.

She breathed in the fresh air as a light breeze rustled the nylon walls. Her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted off....

She awoke in total darkness to the sound of angry voices in the distance.

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