Not even the crickets chirped.

She grabbed the trunk of the tree for support. Shit. I'll never know his name. The tree branches were too high for her to climb, and she wasn't confident her legs would support her even if she could reach the branches.

Her phone was in her purse, and her purse was in her car. He had a phone, right? She made her way back to his clothes. Keys, wallet. Yes, phone. She swiped the screen, but nothing happened. Dead phone? Oh, come on!

She held onto it. Could throw it as a distraction, if nothing else. She stayed off the path but near it, as...