To her surprise, people showed up. Just six of them, but it was enough. After brief introductions, they all stood around a phone, scrolling through the Facebook comments together. The clearest lead came from a boy who mentioned seeing a large bird flying toward the forest past the fields. It wasn’t much, but it was more than they had. They exchanged glances and quietly agreed—that’s where they’d begin.
The field grass brushed their legs as they walked, flashlights flickering ahead. Samantha moved with them, breath shallow, eyes scanning every shape. Each sound made her heart twitch—a twig snapping, a bird flapping. Pablo could be near. Or not. The guessing wore her down with every step.
The woods felt heavier than the sky. Gnarled roots clawed at the earth, and low branches scratched her skin. Samantha kept searching—beneath bushes, behind rocks, above in the trees. Mud smeared her jeans. Her hands stung. But she pressed on, fueled by something more stubborn than hope.
They spread out, voices low, moving in careful sweeps through the forest. Some whispered Pablo’s name; others pushed aside thorns with walking sticks. Samantha had imagined clues, signs, something to follow. But there was only dark soil, heavy air, and the gnawing silence of coming up empty.