We’re spending another night in the woods.
At least by now, we know the drill. We find a clearing with even ground. We gather wood to put together a fire and collect leaves to form into makeshift beds. We did find a larger stream with less muddy water so we’ve got enough to drink, at least. But food supplies are extremely low. We’ll have enough for breakfast in the morning, but then…
That’s it.
What are we going to do if we run out of food? What if we starve to death in these woods? I know it takes a long time to starve, but it doesn’t seem so ridiculous anymore. What if I don’t make it home to Emma and Aiden? What will they do without me?
“If you could shoot, Jack, we’d have something more to eat,” Warner grumbles as he goes off to collect twigs and branches.
Jack doesn’t take the bait. Noah has been carrying the gun the entire day. Somebody might be dead if he weren’t.
Even though it’s hot during the day, it grows very cold at night. My teeth are chattering even in Jack’s sweatshirt. I stand in the clearing for a moment, hugging myself, wishing we had the fire going already. But there’s no time to just stand around. We won’t have a fire unless I help out.
“Hey.” Jack grabs my arm as I try to go deeper into the woods to get the firewood. I didn’t even realize he was behind me. “I need to talk to you, Claire.”
I pause and turn to look at him. As I said, I had always found Jack’s rugged good looks to be attractive. That shaggy hair, the crooked smile. It was so sexy when he was hammering away in my kitchen. The truth is, I didn’t just like him in college. I’ve had a tiny, harmless crush on him for the last fifteen years. But when Noah and I were happy together, it wasn’t something I remotely ever thought about.
Right now, I’m not sure how to feel. Back when we were at that gas station, all I could think about was kissing him. And spending the week with him in my private room. Now the idea of messing around with Jack is the last thing on my mind. All I can think about is getting home to my kids. I certainly have no interest in kissing him—if he tried, I would push him away.
But it quickly becomes clear Jack has no intention of kissing me right now either. “Something crazy is going on,” he says.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” He points up at the sky. “Last night was overcast and I couldn’t see the stars. But I can see all of them tonight. And I’m pretty sure that’s Polaris right there.”
I don’t get it. Why is he giving me an astronomy lesson? “Oh. Okay.”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the compass he’s been using to guide us during this trip. “Polaris is dead north. But look where the compass points to north.”
I look down at the compass. Not only is it not pointing north, but it’s pointing in the opposite direction. The compass is wrong. It’s the same thing Noah said.
“This is the first time you noticed it was wrong?”
“That’s the thing.” He shakes his head. “It’s not always wrong. Based on where the sun is, it was definitely right this morning. I’m starting to think…” He frowns. “I feel like we might be going in circles.”
Again, it’s the same thing Noah said. Panic mounts in my chest. This does not sound good. It’s beginning to feel like we’re never going to find our way out of these stupid woods. I’m never going to make it home.
“How could that be?” I say.
“The only thing I could think of…” He lowers his voice a notch. “Is that Noah or Warner has a magnet.”
“What?”
“A magnet would throw off the compass, because it works based on the earth’s magnetic field.” He looks down at the small circle in his hand. “If you have a stronger magnet, the compass won’t work. And furthermore, it will change directions based on where the magnet is.”
“And you think…” I take a few deep breaths. “You think that Noah or Warner has a magnet?”
“It’s the only explanation that makes sense.” He smiles crookedly. “Unless it’s you.”
My cheeks burn. He’s joking. He’s obviously joking, but part of me thinks maybe he’s not joking. “Why would somebody do that?”
He shrugs. “Who knows? Warner is nuts. I wouldn’t put anything past him. Also…” He glances behind him. “Remember how I told him my friend Buddy was the medical director at the hospital where he works, St. Mary’s?”
“Yes…”
“And he said he knew Buddy?”
I shift between my feet. “I guess so…”
“Well, the thing is…” He rubs at his scalp. “I got it wrong. My friend Buddy works at St. Elizabeth’s. Not St. Mary’s. So there’s no way Warner would know him if he actually worked at St. Mary’s.”
My heart flutters in my chest. “What are you saying?”
“I think Warner lied to us about where he works.” Jack folds his arms across his chest. “Who knows if he’s even a doctor at all?”
“I… I don’t know what to say.” I bite my lip. “Maybe he just said he knew your friend to be nice.”
“Don’t be naïve, Claire.” He lowers his voice another notch. “I’m going to ask Noah for my rifle back.”
“You don’t trust Noah?”
He’s quiet for a moment. “I don’t trust anyone right now.” Ouch.
“What about Michelle?” I blurt out.
He raises his eyebrows. “What about her?”
I drop my eyes. My sneakers were almost white at the beginning of this trip and now they’re caked in dirt. You can’t even tell what color they used to be. “It’s just that you were super lovey-dovey with her. That surprised me. And when she disappeared, you were…”
“What are you saying, Claire?” He blinks at me. “Michelle is my wife. And she might be dead, for all I know. Do you really think I acted inappropriately?”
“You told me your marriage was a sham.” He said it so many times, the words are burned into my brain. “But it didn’t look like a sham.”
He frowns. “You’re acting like Michelle deserved to have something bad happen to her.”
“I never said—”
“You know,” he interrupts me, “she’s the only one who believed in me when I wanted to start my contracting business. If not for her, God knows what I’d be doing right now.”
I let out a breath. “So you were lying to me all along?”
I expected Jack to get defensive, but instead, he narrows his eyes at me. “You have some nerve, Claire.”
And that’s when I realize the truth about my affair with Jack. It was all a lie. He never really wanted to end things with Michelle. He loved Michelle. He only told me what he thought I wanted to hear.
Jack isn’t the man I thought he was. How could I have made such a terrible mistake? I can’t believe it took nearly dying to realize it.
I pull his sweatshirt over my head. It’s covered in dirt and sweat, but that’s not why I don’t want it anymore. “Here. Take this back.”
He rolls his eyes. “It’s freezing out here. Keep the sweatshirt.”
He’s right. Goosebumps are forming all over my arms. But I’d rather be cold than put the sweatshirt back on. “No, thanks.”
“Claire…”
“I said I don’t want it.”
He takes the sweatshirt back, yanking it out of my hands roughly. “Fine. Suit yourself.”
He stalks away from me, gripping the sweatshirt in his right hand. My teeth chatter as I watch him go.
