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When Ryan had run from the cabin he had no idea of where he was or which direction he was going in, but he had chosen the route that looked the most likely to lead him to civilization. After about 30 minutes of hiking through the woods he couldn't have made a more wrong decision.
He had started out on what looked like a clear trail, but now he had to move the brush away just to get through. The trail was also fraught with rock making his travel unbearable after awhile. His bare feet were not meant for these woods and he knew that if he stopped to look at them he would probably see that they were all torn up on the bottom. He also knew he would not have the desire to move on if he knew so he forced himself forward one foot at a time.
His journey became worse as it started to rain. This was the last thing he needed. The rocky terrain was becoming slippery under his feet and he lost his balance on more than one occasion. The only thing the rain did was make him forget his clothes had been damp when he set out because he was totally soaked right down to the bone.
He kept looking back to make sure he wasn't being followed. He didn't see any signs of Cheryl, but he pushed himself further because he didn't want to get caught. He was not feeling his best and he didn't know if he would have the strength to fight her off.
When he couldn't run any longer he slowed down to a quick pace, but this was soon replaced with a slow walk that eventually led to him sitting on the nearest rock to rest. The rain had started to taper off so at least he wouldn't get soaked just sitting there. He looked around the area and felt frustrated that he still had not come across a path. This could only mean that he was nowhere near civilianization and had wasted the last hour going in the wrong direction.
He leaned against the tree trunk that was behind the rock and closed his eyes. He was tired and not feeling very good. He was also shaking and he knew it was a sign of withdrawal. He was hoping that he could have fought it off, but knew that it was the running around that sped the process up. He was not looking forward to breaking down because it would mean that Cheryl would have a better chance at finding him. He needed to think of something before his mind was consumed with desire for something he could not have.
He had decided that he needed to stop running and find a place to hide. This way he could ride through the worst of the symptoms without threat of being caught, but the question was; where should he go. He remembered seeing something a ways back, but this meant having to go back the way he came. He knew he had no choice and had to risk it.
He stood up on shaky legs and trudged off in the direction he had just come. He hoped he wouldn't run into anyone he knew.
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Cheryl had found the path that Ryan had taken and hoped he was not too far ahead. She was making good time when it had started to rain. She wasn't about to let the rain stop her, but it did prevent her from seeing Ryan's trail as it was washed away by the water.
While she assessed her location she could see that the path Ryan was originally on had disappeared, but he had been going in a straight line. Since was the only clue she had to go on at the moment she stuck with it.
As she moved along in the rain she saw an occasional broken branch or bush and knew she must be going in the right direction. She just hoped he was having as hard of a time in the rain as she was.
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Ryan found the spot he had seen earlier and sank to the ground as soon as he stopped moving. He was trembling and having a hard time focusing as the perspiration from his forehead dripped into his eyes.
He used a large boulder to support his body in a position that would allow him to see most of the area. If he were being followed he would see them before they saw him.
He used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face, but it did little to change the way he was feeling. He was starting to experience some severe withdrawal symptoms and there was nothing he could do but ride them out. As he wiped more sweat from his face he suddenly felt the urge to throw up. He was able to move away from where he had been sitting before he lost it. He started to return to the boulder but had to rush back and throw up again.
His abdominal muscles were protesting against the constant spasms and it was making him weaker by the second. When the dry heaves started he felt it was safe to go back to the boulder. He curled his body up and lay down against the rock allowing the cool surface to connect with this back. At this point he didn't care what happened to him. He didn't care if he was found because it might mean that he would get what he was so desperately craving.
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Calleigh walked outside the small cabin to see if there were any signs of a trail left by the person who had occupied the cabin. She didn't really expect to find any footprints because of the rain, but there could be other clues; she just needed to keep her trained eyes on the lookout. The clue she wanted to find the most was something that would connect this location to Ryan. They didn't know for certain if he had been here, but something told her he had been.
As she inspected the areas outside Justin walked over to her, "Hey Calleigh, I just got done talking to Bob. He said that they are still about an hour away so we should wait for them to get here and then we can continue the search".
"What, we can't wait. The trail will start to deteriorate the longer we delay the search. No, I think we need to keep moving and just keep them informed of our location".
Justin was starting to like the Calleigh. She was very driven about finding her friend and it made her the kind of person you would want on your side. Ryan was a lucky guy to know Calleigh and be able to call her a friend. "I agree with you Calleigh, but Bob is in charge and I think we ought to do as he says".
Calleigh didn't want to waste any time arguing about this so she started to move off in the direction that seems to be the likely one taken. As she was moving away from Justin she said, "I don't care who is in charge. Ryan is out there and I plan on finding him with or without your help".
Justin ran in Calleigh's direction, "Hey wait up Calleigh".
Calleigh stopped and turned to face Justin, "don't waste your time trying to convince me to stay".
"No, it's not that. I just didn't want you to get to ahead of me. We'll try it your way for now, but when we see Bob you're going to tell him this was all your idea, deal?"
Calleigh smiled and said, "It's a deal, now let's get moving".
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