Mauled - Book 2 of the Close Call Series (Currently Published On Amazon)

Epilogue

AN - Araea (Un-ray-uh) The little girl Carrie saved, I added her name in ch.6 later so some people probably missed it.

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I dedicate this Ch to SEViolet for being my first vote on almost every ch, Thank you!
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Araea pulled up to the old rusted gate, it was only attached by one hinge, causing one end of it to dig into the earth. She got out of the car, and ignored the sign attached to it with the words keep out printed on it in bold black letters, as she slowly moved it out of the way. Sparks flew as it scraped across the ground but she paid them no mind.

Araea returned to her car and put it in drive. She glanced at the all the old camping spots as she slowly drove passed, until she arrived at the one she'd been looking for, the one that cost her the only family member she'd had left. It was so growed up, most people wouldn't even realise this was a camping ground, but she would never forget.

She parked her car and climbed out. She grabbed two brightly colored bouquets of flowers from her backseat, the only thing she took with her. She wouldn't be camping today, no one had camped here since that horrible night.

She took a deep breath and walked to a spot in the road, it was just ten feet from where their tent had been. So fresh in her mind she could almost picture it. It had been her only nightmare for years, and it probably always would be. Araea laid the flowers down gently, touched her hand to the warm pavement, and whispered "I love you, and I will always miss you, I'm so sorry." A liquid diamond rolled down her cheek. She stood up, swiped at it, and walked away.

She followed the pavement until it met dirt, then she walked into the woods.
She passed several faded ribbons of varying colors, tied to trees at random as she went. She payed close attention to her surrounding, her hand stayed on a gun holster at her hip. She didn't needed to watch where she was going, she'd traveled this path many times. She knew the way, but the bear had never been found and she was terrified of stumbling upon it.

Leaves crunched under her feet as she walked. A squirrel ran across the ground, paused to look at her, then bounded off. Huge tree's, reached way up into the sky, in there obvious quest for sunlight. There were spotlights here and there were the suns rays found a clear spot to shine down. It was all, extremely beautiful, enchantingly so. But all it took was one thought of the past to destroy it.

She walked twenty feet past the last faded green ribbon. She came to a tree with the last marker, a white one. On the ground underneath, was an old dried up flower arrangement she'd left previously. She kneeled down and moved it aside before placing the new one on the ground. She rearranged one of the lilies and whispered a quite, "Thank you," into the air. Then she stood up, turned, and walked back through the woods.