of control. She was finally able to stop her free fall and came to rest next to the water at the creek. Isabelle caught her breath and looked around. Her whole body ached. Her arms were scratched and her jeans were ripped at her right knee. Warm blood flowed down her leg from her lacerated knee. When she tried to stand back up, her right ankle couldn't take any weight. "Fuck. Ouch. FUCK!" More blood poured from her knee. She sat back down on her butt and fought back tears. Her heart raced as she tried to catch her breath again.
The broken cell phone was back on the trail, way beyond her reach. Isabelle stared at it, trying to will it to her and watched a prism of light bounce off of the shattered glass. "Someone will be along soon," she rationalized. She used the last inch or so of tepid water from the first bottle to wash the dirt and blood off her knee and palms. Bloody water trailed down her leg and the gash on her leg looked worse than it felt, for the moment at least.
As she sat there alone, the reality of her life hit her hard. Wasted years with Tim, watching him suck face with some skank, it was all too much. She wanted to be loved by a man, appreciated, wanted, maybe even adored. Looking out at the view from the side of the mountain, the earth seemed endless, and it consumed her. Alone with just her thoughts, her soul finally made her sit down and listen to what it wanted.
Laylah didn't usually call Donovan's cell phone unless it was an emergency, so when he saw her name appear on the screen, he knew there was a problem.
"Yeah, Laylah?"
"Hey, Donovan. I'm afraid we need some help."
"What's going on?"
"Well, Isabelle Wilson, a guest at the hotel, a young woman here by herself, left this morning for a hike and hasn't come back yet. She signed out just after eight and said she intended to be back no later than two. Closer to one, in fact."
"It's a quarter to six. Why didn't you call me sooner?"
"I'm sorry. Jen said that she thought she saw her come back in, but she didn't sign in so we did a room check and she's not here."
"Which trail was she planning to take?"
"Trail two."
"Alright. Thanks."
Donovan tossed his phone down and ran for his gear. Jake and Axton were gone in the helicopter again and he didn't want to pull them back from the fire watch. The guys had been fighting embers all day and it'd been a bitch with the wind coming from the southwest all day. He grabbed his bag and keys and ran to an ATV. It was almost six o'clock and the sun would be gone soon.
"Isabelle Wilson?" In his haste, he'd forgotten to tell his dream woman his name, and didn't know what hers was. "Please don't be Isabelle Wilson."
*******
The sun bore down on her face. Isabelle found herself a semi-shady spot to sit in, but as the sun headed further to the west, its rays burned her flesh. She sat and stared out at the majestic landscape. As beautiful as the view was, she didn't want it to be the last thing that she saw.
The bleeding of her knee had slowed down. Her wound had pretty much clotted, but her leg was rendered useless. Tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her sunburned cheeks. Nobody had come across the trail to see her sitting down near the creek. She wasn't even sure if anyone would see her if they were to walk by. After her fall, she'd barely been able to stop herself from rolling into the water. Her knee and ankle injuries made it impossible for her to crawl back to the top of the trail.
She would have to do something soon; the sun had nearly reached the top of the mountain and would soon fade away. Her clothes would provide little protection from the cold night air. Surely the people at the hotel had realized she wasn't back yet. The faint smoke that she had smelled all day came and went. She could see the smoke rising from the other side of the mountain but had no clue exactly where it was coming from. Surely they wouldn't have let her leave on a hike if there was a risk of
The broken cell phone was back on the trail, way beyond her reach. Isabelle stared at it, trying to will it to her and watched a prism of light bounce off of the shattered glass. "Someone will be along soon," she rationalized. She used the last inch or so of tepid water from the first bottle to wash the dirt and blood off her knee and palms. Bloody water trailed down her leg and the gash on her leg looked worse than it felt, for the moment at least.
As she sat there alone, the reality of her life hit her hard. Wasted years with Tim, watching him suck face with some skank, it was all too much. She wanted to be loved by a man, appreciated, wanted, maybe even adored. Looking out at the view from the side of the mountain, the earth seemed endless, and it consumed her. Alone with just her thoughts, her soul finally made her sit down and listen to what it wanted.
Laylah didn't usually call Donovan's cell phone unless it was an emergency, so when he saw her name appear on the screen, he knew there was a problem.
"Yeah, Laylah?"
"Hey, Donovan. I'm afraid we need some help."
"What's going on?"
"Well, Isabelle Wilson, a guest at the hotel, a young woman here by herself, left this morning for a hike and hasn't come back yet. She signed out just after eight and said she intended to be back no later than two. Closer to one, in fact."
"It's a quarter to six. Why didn't you call me sooner?"
"I'm sorry. Jen said that she thought she saw her come back in, but she didn't sign in so we did a room check and she's not here."
"Which trail was she planning to take?"
"Trail two."
"Alright. Thanks."
Donovan tossed his phone down and ran for his gear. Jake and Axton were gone in the helicopter again and he didn't want to pull them back from the fire watch. The guys had been fighting embers all day and it'd been a bitch with the wind coming from the southwest all day. He grabbed his bag and keys and ran to an ATV. It was almost six o'clock and the sun would be gone soon.
"Isabelle Wilson?" In his haste, he'd forgotten to tell his dream woman his name, and didn't know what hers was. "Please don't be Isabelle Wilson."
*******
The sun bore down on her face. Isabelle found herself a semi-shady spot to sit in, but as the sun headed further to the west, its rays burned her flesh. She sat and stared out at the majestic landscape. As beautiful as the view was, she didn't want it to be the last thing that she saw.
The bleeding of her knee had slowed down. Her wound had pretty much clotted, but her leg was rendered useless. Tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her sunburned cheeks. Nobody had come across the trail to see her sitting down near the creek. She wasn't even sure if anyone would see her if they were to walk by. After her fall, she'd barely been able to stop herself from rolling into the water. Her knee and ankle injuries made it impossible for her to crawl back to the top of the trail.
She would have to do something soon; the sun had nearly reached the top of the mountain and would soon fade away. Her clothes would provide little protection from the cold night air. Surely the people at the hotel had realized she wasn't back yet. The faint smoke that she had smelled all day came and went. She could see the smoke rising from the other side of the mountain but had no clue exactly where it was coming from. Surely they wouldn't have let her leave on a hike if there was a risk of
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