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Sure enough, Phoebe and her father were facing one another, although their body language all but said the conversation wasn't going well.
Knowing she could call out if needed, Chloe went back to the small dent that she had made in the dirt. She hadn't gotten far, and a glimpse of a branch caused her to admit her own foolishness. She could use the end of the thick stick to dig deeper.
Chloe picked up the stick and began to scrape even more dirt from the space between the two roots. The physical movement wasn't enough to cause her to overheat. If anything, she was colder than before. As she pulled the stick toward her for the umpteenth time, she finally sensed a slight resistance.
She stopped what she was doing to stare into the hole, and she found herself staring at a tarnished silver chain. She quickly removed her filthy gloves. Pinching the chain, she lifted it out of the dirt until she had a clear view of a moon pendant dangling in the air.
Ruuunnnnn…
The bitter wind swirled around Chloe as she clutched the necklace in her hand. She made the quick decision to shove it into her pocket. The chill in the air was sharper than before, and she could have sworn she heard someone speaking to her. She used the tree trunk to help her stand, and she winced when the cold bark dug into her skin.
She quickly pulled her glove back on, not caring that the exterior was dirty. Her only thought was reaching Phoebe to share the news. They would definitely need to drive straight to the police station.
Ruuunnnnn…
Chloe had reached out to pick up the metal detector that she had leaned against the tree when her mind finally registered the warning. Winds through forests like these had ways of playing tricks on people. She had originally believed she was hearing the howling of the wind that had cut through the high branches.
Now?
The cold no longer mattered, nor did the metal detector.
Chloe quickly made her way around the tree, fully intending to yell for Phoebe. She had no idea who or what had given her the warning to run, but she was not about to remain still and find out if it was good advice after the fact.
Chloe tensed her muscles to take off at a dead sprint, but Phoebe and Kenneth were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the dark figure who had been following them since last week was blocking the dirt path.
"Shit," Chloe whispered as she froze in her tracks.
She didn't hesitate, and it was obvious that she took the man by surprise. She screamed bloody murder at the top of her lungs, hoping that Phoebe or her dad weren't too far away. Having no choice but to backtrack to the pond, Chloe managed to turn without falling and ran as fast as she could in her winter boots.
Chloe's breathing was now coming out in panicked gasps as she raced through the woods, stumbling every once in a while when the front sole of her boot would get caught on the rough terrain. She could literally hear the thunderous crunch of footsteps behind her.
He was gaining ground.
Chloe finally reached the clearing, but she wasn't about to run onto the ice of the pond. Instead, she chose to run parallel to the tree line. She managed to pick up speed, her thighs burning from the effort. She glanced back, finally catching sight of the shadowy figure emerging from the woods.
Fear coursed through her.
If she could find the time to reach into her purse for her stun gun, she stood a chance of fighting her attacker off. She needed coverage, which meant going back into the woods. Right before she could cut back into the trees, her boot hit a chunk of ice.
Chloe couldn't help but scream as she crashed to the ground.
She scrambled as fast as she could to get back up, but it was too late.
The man grabbed the strap of her purse, but instead of pulling her backward, he pushed her harder into the snow. Chloe had barely managed to turn her face to the side so she could breathe before he dug his knee into her back. No matter how much she struggled against his hold, she couldn't move.
"Chloe! Chloe, where are you?"
She could hear her name being called out by both Phoebe and Kenneth. They didn't sound too far away. Chloe stood a chance of surviving if she could lead them to her.
"Don't say a word," the man whispered threateningly as he began to search her pockets. "Hand over the necklace, and no one gets hurt. Give it to me!"
"Chloe!" Phoebe called out, the panic in her voice more than apparent. "Talk to me! Where are you?"
Chloe was able to turn part of her body when the man tried to reach into her right pocket. She wasn't about to let him find the necklace, and she wasn't about to join Jenna and Francie on the other side of the veil.
Phoebe didn't deserve to spend the rest of her life seeing Chloe's corpse.
She waited until the man leaned over her in hopes of reaching farther into her coat pocket. With as much force as possible, she swung her elbow back, connecting with the man's jaw. Now that she had stunned him, she once again yelled as loud as possible so that the scream echoed throughout the forest.
