The sudden, chilling thought struck her: I could run. But the idea barely took shape before she crushed it. She couldn’t outrun a bear—let alone two. And if they had wanted to hurt her, they would have by now. Right? Still, the fear crept in, slow and suffocating. What if this was how it ended? What if she’d misread their behavior entirely?
Maybe they weren’t leading her somewhere—maybe they were just taking her far enough that no one would ever hear her scream. Then they stopped. Both of them. Evelyn froze, heart in her throat. The bears stood motionless ahead of her, bodies still, eyes unreadable. The larger one shifted slightly, its bulk turning ever so slightly toward her.