Desperate Rescue - Janet Feldman Series

Janet didn’t know how long she had been asleep, but was suddenly alert. Having left her window opened a crack, she was awakened by the sound of a noise. A rustling in the underbrush nearby made her freeze. She didn’t dare move or turn to look in the direction of the noise. She was terrified! Her breathing became shallow and rapid. She heard the noise again, only closer! Janet wanted to scream, but held her breath instead. What was that philosophical question? “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it fall, does it make any sound?” Who the heck cares? What Janet really wanted to know was, if someone screamed bloody murder in the middle of a forest and no one was there to help, would it make any difference if you screamed at all?”

  More rustling. She had to look. Turning her head slowly, Janet rose up just enough to peer out her window in the direction of the noise. It was still very dark out, but she could see a shadowy figure not far from her car. Then she saw another one! Suddenly gripped with terror, she wished this were all a bad dream! She wished she could wake up! She wished...

  Then she saw them—two deer. They were making their way through the forest, stopping here and there to nibble at the smaller trees and undergrowth. At once, though, one of them stopped and stared in her direction, its silloughette barely visible. Obviously, a small gray car was not commonplace for these parts. Both deer stood frozen in their tracks, sniffing and listening. Cautiously, one of them took a couple of steps closer, pausing to listen and sniff some more. Her throat suddenly dry from her rapid breathing, Janet coughed surprising herself and the deer. Immediately, both deer darted off into the woods and out of sight.

  Another cough, followed by a sneeze, caused Janet to shiver. She was cold. Unrolling the second beach towel she pulled it over her along with the first one. A sweater and two beach towels weren’t much, but it was better than nothing at all. Momentarily she thought about lying down in the backseat but dismissed the idea almost as quickly. Uncomfortable or not, she’d rather stay in the driver’s seat in case she needed to make a quick getaway!

  Then tears welled up in her eyes—soft, salty ones that began rolling down her cheeks. Her defiance was all but gone. “I don’t care,” she sobbed. “Let them find me. Maybe they’ll take me to wherever Sally is. At least we’ll be together.” The crying continued, but quieter. She leaned back in her seat again. First, the events of last night, and then all the weird stuff that had happened today kept running through her mind. Even the old guy at the gas station, and Rosie, seemed weird. What was going on around here?

  Sleep overtook her again as she wondered about all of it. Would tomorrow be any better? Would she be able to find Sally? Questions, questions, questions... so many questions... no answers... no answers... what next?

  Chapter 5