Chapter 21, Six:
The smell of a cook fire drove her through the night. Six limped along, a tree limb used as a crutch. Earlier that day, she had an unfortunate run-in with a rodent hole. One wrong step and her knee made a sickening popping sound. She went down in tears. The swelling was so great, the seam in her pant leg stretched, threatening to burst. The pain in her knee made it impossible to walk without the help of the crutch.
The sun would be up soon. She had made it back to the coast, driven out of the foothills by the screams of creatures. She had not stopped to rest for two days. Now her mind played tricks on her.
Despite her exhaustion, she knew she smelled a fire. Where she found a fire, she hoped to find some measure of safety. The wind blew in off the water. The smell made
