The moment snapped her fully awake. She turned in place, flashlight jerking through branches and bramble, searching high and low. There had to be more—more feathers, a trail, maybe even Pablo himself. Her gaze darted across the trees, hungry for any sign, any shape that didn’t belong.
Alex and Samantha moved quickly through the orchard, weaving between the twisted trees, flashlights sweeping across the ground and branches above. Samantha’s breath came in short bursts, her chest tight with exhaustion and something sharper—hope. Deep down, she felt it. Pablo was close. She couldn’t explain how—she just knew.