This was the moment.

I began to scramble down the steep bank toward the road, my heart hammering in my chest.

I stepped out onto the asphalt just as the SUV rounded the sharp curve.

The tires screeched as the brakes slammed on.

The headlights illuminated me in a blinding white glare.

The driver’s side door opened.

Kelsey stepped out into the pouring rain, her face pale in the headlights.

“Meredith?” she called out, her voice filled with anger and confusion.

“What are you doing out here?”

I walked toward her, holding the damp folder in my hand.

Behind me, a twig snapped in the woods.

I spun around, my boots slipping slightly on the wet asphalt.

Trevor stepped out from the shadow of the pines.

His jacket was torn at the shoulder, and his face was smeared with dark mountain mud.

He was breathing in ragged, heavy gasps.

“Kelsey, don’t listen to her,” Trevor said, his voice cracking as he reached the edge of the road.

“What is going on?” Kelsey demanded, her eyes darting between the two of us.