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A loud rustling noise came from behind.
“Bear! Bear!” a man’s gruff voice bellowed.
Crystal whipped around, spotting something big and black headed straight for her. Her lungs slammed against her ribs as terror gripped her.
Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!
The bear was after her.
Adrenaline spiked through her body as she scanned the woods. Her gaze locked on a tall tree ahead with low branches.
Her heart raced even faster than the first time she’d walked the red carpet. She threw everything to the ground and sprinted to the tree, a surge of energy boosting her speed.
She grabbed a branch and pulled her body up, feet scrambling for a hold.
Limb after limb, she climbed higher and higher until she ran out of sturdy boughs.
Wrapping her arms around the trunk, her butt resting on a branch, she collapsed against the bark, gasping for air.
Could that bear climb up after her? Her insides quaked as she fumbled for her whistle.
She had to scare him off.
With a shaky hand, she brought it to her mouth and blew with all the air she had left.
Over and over, until she ran out of breath.
Sweat poured down her chest, and her vision blurred.
“Hey lady, you okay?” a man yelled from below.
She peered down.
Wayyyydown.
Chills tracked up her spine, and she gripped the tree tighter. The bark cut into her slick hands. Guess she had a fear of heights. Nice time to find out.
She blinked. Sweat dripped into her eyes, blurring her vision. With a death grip on the tree, she chanced another glance down.
A heavy-set guy stood below, holding the leash of a humungous black…dog?
The animal was bigger than a Saint Bernard and had a huge head and shaggy, long hair.
“I’m sorry if Bear scared you. Are you all right?” the man called.
So there had been a bear. She tried to concentrate, confusion muddling her mind. Why was he standing there if the bear was on the loose? “No. Where is the bear?”
“He’s right here.”
She took a deep breath and shook her head to clear it. “What? You yelled a warning about a bear.”
“I was calling him because he got loose. He’s big, but he’d never hurt anyone.”
Someone giggled, and she glanced in the direction of the sound. Sydney stood beside Trevor, who had his camera pointed up the tree.
Crystal’s nerves shattered, sending tiny shocks to her fingers. She dug them deeper into the bark.
The man turned his head, seeming to notice Trevor and Sydney for the first time. “Why are y’all filming this? Am I in trouble for having a loose dog? Bear doesn’t usually get out.”
