Each time he edged closer, the bear’s hackles rose, lips curling back. Mike couldn’t decipher the reason. Had the bear dragged him here for another purpose? Was this wounded stranger part of something bigger—a trap or a ruse? Mike’s mind spun.
He flinched at every crackle of twigs, acutely aware of the potential for other predators to appear. Rooted in uncertainty, he pressed the makeshift lever against the trap’s rusty jaws, sweat collecting at his temples.