Footprints. Alex Archer

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      She finished her meal and then leaned back against the thick tree trunk. Thanks to the way the branches drooped almost to the ground, the heat from the fire warmed the area nicely. Annja felt relaxed and comfortable, despite the fact that she was sitting naked in the midst of a terrible storm. If she wasn’t worried about Jenny’s whereabouts she’d actually be having a great time.

      But it was definitely not a night to be out alone. Still, she had her sword. And she had a fire and shelter. Water wasn’t an issue yet. She’d just eaten. So even though she was out in the woods with three armed guys who had warned her not to hang around, Annja didn’t feel too bad. As soon as the rain let up she’d start her search for Jenny.

      She touched her clothes. The heat and smoke were doing their job nicely. She pulled them down and slid them back on. Her body heat would finish drying them.

      She fed another log onto the fire, watching the flames jump around in the slight breeze that had managed to work its way inside the relative safety of the drooping tree. The heat enveloped her. Annja felt her eyelids drooping. She tried to blink away sleep, but she took another deep breath and nodded off.

      When she woke, the sun wasn’t shining. In fact, it was still pitch-black outside. It was dark inside the shelter, as well. The fire had died out and only red coals remained, smoldering from a lack of fuel.

      Annja reached for a branch to toss onto the fire. She felt a small chill run up her back and knew she would need to keep better alert to ensure the fire didn’t die out entirely.

      Fortunately, the coals were still hot enough, and with a quick huff of air over them, they flared and caught on the branches, resurrecting the fire into a reputable condition. Annja shivered again.

      The rain had tapered off. But the wind continued to blast through the trees.

      Had she just heard something?

      It was tough trusting her ears when the wind seemed to overpower her ability to pick out details.

      The fire blazed to full strength. Annja sat with her back against the tree. The fire had compromised her relative invisibility. If those goons were out there looking for her, they would see its glow through the branches and know someone was in there.

      Annja closed her eyes and made sure the sword was ready to wield. It would be tough in the close confines of the overhang, so she would have to get out of it in case a fight broke out.

      She paused, waiting for another indicator that something was moving around in the woods. But she doubted that she’d be able to detect a twig breaking underfoot. The wind continued to howl and it was roaring in her ears.

      Any telltale sounds would die long before they reached her.

      She’d have to go on her instincts alone.

      Annja took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax, slowly enabling her focus to expand outward like a circle around her. She hoped it would act almost like a radar and let her know if there was any reason to be afraid.

      She had no evidence but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was out there.

      But what was it?

      Maybe it was Jenny.

      Maybe it was one of the gunmen.

      Annja frowned. Did she really believe that gang would abandon the comforts of their camp to come out in the storm? It was doubtful. Having seen them up close, Annja knew they were probably sleeping off an alcohol-induced state of euphoria by now. In the morning, they would become a problem.

      But right now?

      No.

      That meant there was something else out there.

      Annja frowned. There it was again. Something. She shook her head. Being in the dark woods during a rainstorm all by yourself could certainly make the idea of something like big foot seem possible.

      But Annja would have to see the creature face-to-face before she bought into that. She knew of a bunch of expeditions that had tried to prove the existence of the mighty Sasquatch, without anything to show for their efforts.

      Meanwhile, the true believers insisted that something like the Sasquatch had the ability to make itself as visible or invisible as needed. Just because a bunch of humans tramped through its woods didn’t mean they’d find it.

      Annja sighed. In all likelihood, there was probably an animal out there just looking for a bit of something to eat. Maybe it had gotten a whiff of the fire and had come to see if there was any food to be had.

      Annja smiled. Not this time.

      Suddenly, though, she felt a sense of trouble.

      Annja slowly got up on her haunches. She reached for her boots and slid them on, tucking the laces inside so she wouldn’t have to tie them up. She was on full alert.

      What was out there?

      The wind blew another blast through the overhang, rattling the branches around her. Annja felt a small shower of water rain down on her from somewhere high overhead.

      She racked her brain for all of the animals that lived in these woods. She knew that there was fox, bear, coyote, but what else might call this place home?

      A wolf?

      Maybe a werewolf.

      Annja grinned in spite of herself. There were times when her internal dialogue made her crack up. This was one of them. She’d been working with Doug Morrell for too long. Werewolves were exactly what he’d be thinking about.

      But she had to find out what was threatening her safety.

      She glanced up. She could climb into the branches for a look-see. She might be able to figure it out.

      The wind died then and she heard a large crack somewhere outside of her shelter.

      That didn’t sound like a small animal.

      Annja fed another log onto the fire, letting the flames blaze up. It wasn’t doing her night vision any good, but seeing the fire made her feel a lot better about being alone.

      Annja had no idea what she might be facing. And although she had her sword, the thought of running out of the shelter, blindly hacking at something, didn’t make sense.

      She’d have to go up.

      Annja reached up and threaded her way into the branches. With every move, more drops of rain fell on her.

      I’ll need to strip off after this just to get dry again.

      More sounds reached her ears. Something was definitely trying to get closer to the shelter.

      She had to move fast.

      Annja let her feet carry her into the higher branches of the tree. She still had her knife on her belt. And she had her sword. But she’d left her pack down at the base of the tree.

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