Crossing the Deep by Kelly Martin Page B

adrenaline started to run down, and her ankle began making itself known again. Ignoring it, she kept going. There was no way they could miss the sign again.
    “Oh, take a look at that,” Asher said, stopping so fast she stumbled.
    “What? What?”
    “There,” he pointed straight ahead of them. A sign about ten feet away. It was attached to a post at what looked like a three-way stop.
    “We made it,” Rachel exclaimed, almost in tears.
    Asher raced forward, dragging Rachel along with him. The rain picked up, and the sign couldn’t be read from far away, but she didn’t care. She already knew what it said. Deep Creek Trail.
    They stopped a few feet away, and Rachel wiped the rain out of her eyes so she could read it.
    It read : Harrison’s Trail .

Chapter Nine
     
    Asher read the words over and over again as the rain continued to pelt him. That couldn’t be right. “Harrison’s Trail?”
    “No,” he heard her gasp beside him.
    He couldn’t take his eyes off the sign like that would miraculously make it change to Deep Creek Trail. Anger and frustration erupted inside him, and he let her go, slinging the backpack across the soggy ground as hard as he could. She jumped at his outburst, and he couldn’t have cared less. Crouching down, he squeezed his clenched fists to his temples and fought with all of his might to hold it together, when what he wanted to do was punch something.
    They had done everything right that time! They had stayed on the path, gone back to the cemetery, been careful. He had even shut his eyes when Rachel prayed! And what good had it done? They were more lost than ever! He shouted an expletive into the rainstorm as loud as he could, not caring who heard him. It wasn’t like there was anyone out there besides Rachel anyway. At the moment, he sure didn’t care what she thought of him.
    “How did this happen?” Rachel asked from a few feet away, balancing on one foot. She looked as bad as he felt.
    What did she mean, “how did this happen?” She knew how it happened. Asher couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t face her, couldn’t think straight. All of this happened because of her. Because she got curious, he was stuck. He thought he’d forgiven her — he told her as much. Guess when it came right down to it, he hadn’t.
    Asher jumped up, picked up the soaked pack, and started down the trail without her. “What happened was, apparently, your God doesn’t love you as much as you thought He did,” he spat. He couldn’t even look at her when he walked by.
    “Where are you going?” he heard her yell behind him, but he kept going.
    “Does it matter?” he yelled back. “We’re lost! All roads lead to more lost.”
    The rain made it nearly impossible to hear what she said. Good, he didn’t want to hear or feel guilty for leaving her. He just wanted to get as far away from that mountain as possible. He’d bring help back for her. It was the best he could do.
    “People will be on this trail,” he thought he heard her say. “They will help us, and even if there aren’t, this one will lead down to the main road. We can get back either way. Asher! Please stop walking!”
    He growled and stopped. As he peeked over his shoulder at her, she looked pretty pitiful hobbling after him. The mud and downpour didn’t make it easy on her. Asher pushed those thoughts aside. Having any sort of feelings for Rachel would only hurt now. He didn’t have a choice.
    “The dark is coming fast,” he said. “We have no idea how far off the main mountain road we are, how long this trail is, or where it will come out. You’ll slow me down.”
    “You just want me to stay here alone!”
    Pushing any feelings he had for her way down deep, Asher turned and walked away anyway without answering.
    He was furious. Not just at Rachel for getting him in this situation in the first place, but also at the woods… at the rain… at the circumstances… at himself… and at Rachel’s God. What kind of God