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She checked her GPS, but the screen didn’t light up. Her fall must have dislodged the batteries. She opened the unit and wedged them back into place. The GPS stayed dark, even after she turned it off and on again. She swapped out the batteries and tried a third time. Still nothing.
Her dread grew as she recalled the noise it had made when she’d dropped it on a rock. This was bad. No GPS. No clue which way to go. No one else in sight.
As her panic accelerated, her breath caught in a strangled gasp. She grabbed her inhaler from her pocket and took a quick puff.
Calm down. If you freak out, your asthma will get even worse.
Before doing anything else, she needed to call Rick and let him know her GPS wasn’t working. She took out her phone, but the screen didn’t show any bars. When she tried calling him, she couldn’t connect.
Come on, technology. You’re seriously letting me down.
Time to bring out her topographic map. She regarded it like a long-lost friend. “You won’t fail me, will you?”
Based on the contour lines of the map, the path of her transect dipped down to a lower elevation. If she followed it correctly, she would reach a ravine with a small stream flowing through it.
Within ten minutes, she came upon the top of the ravine, but the incline was steep and scary looking. She sat on the edge and scooted down on her butt but slid too quickly. Flailing her hands in desperation, she grabbed onto a shrub. Sharp thorns stung her palm, making her cry out in pain. Her heart hammered wildly. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up like Frida. Her hand trembled as she let go.
Inch by inch, she made her descent, but when she reached the bottom, there was no stream. She was in the wrong place.
Her throat tightened. Hands on her knees, she bent over and took slow, steady breaths.
Straightening up, she walked until she found a spot that wasn’t as steep. Clutching thorny bushes, she scrambled up the hill, scraping her knees on the rough ground. By the time she reached the top, she was gasping for breath and still had no idea where she was supposed to go.
I’m such an idiot.
Why had she panicked when the old man had approached her? If she’d behaved calmly, she wouldn’t have fallen and dropped her GPS. Frustration burned inside of her, but she forced herself to think rationally. There had to be a familiar landmark somewhere.
In the distance, goats grazed on an upper terrace. The flock looked like the one she’d seen earlier. The tightness in her chest eased as she made her way toward them.
Once she reached the goats, she reviewed the map again. The contour lines were helpful when she took the time to decipher them properly. Coming out of the spooky vineyard, she’d headed south instead of east. She’d descended the wrong hill, which was why she hadn’t seen a stream.
She followed the map heading east, her confidence growing. No GPS? No problem. Her map-reading skills had saved the day. When the ground sloped and revealed another ravine, she offered up a quick prayer. Please let me be on track.
The hill was slight compared to the last one, allowing her to descend it painlessly. A small stream flowed at the bottom, the burbling water soothing her frazzled soul. She walked over to it and splashed cool water on her face. Much better.
Then she made the mistake of checking her watch.
No. She should have been at the car twenty minutes ago. This wasn’t a “little late.” It was a five-alarm catastrophe.
If she hustled, she could make up for lost time. She took off speed walking, ignoring the tight rasp in her lungs.
Faster. Hurry.
Her chest tightened in a vise grip. She plopped down and sucked in air but couldn’t get enough. Time to bring out her inhaler. With another hit, she’d be good to go in a few minutes. She jammed her hand into her pocket, but it wasn’t there. A growing sense of alarm crept over her as she checked her other pocket. Nothing.
She dumped out her daypack, but her inhaler didn’t magically appear.
The last time she’d used it was when she’d emerged from the creepy vineyard. But it could have fallen out anywhere after that, including the first ravine she’d descended.
Still seated, she braced her hands against the hard ground and took slow, measured breaths. Gasping for air was the worst thing she could do, but she couldn’t relax. Her chest felt like it was trapped under a huge weight.
She couldn’t make it to the car on her own. She couldn’t walk, couldn’t cry out for help. All she could do was gulp in air. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get enough.
Her head spun with dizziness. Black spots blurred her vision.
She couldn’t pass out. What if no one ever found her?
She could die in this ravine.
