The search party fanned out, their voices low and strained. Some called Juniper’s name softly into the growing dark; others poked through tangled underbrush with sticks. Samantha fought against the rising tide of frustration. She had imagined this differently—finding a clue, following a trail. Not endless nothingness swallowing her hope.
As the sun sank, so did the spirits of the group. Some muttered about how it was getting too dark to see. Others, less kind, whispered that it was a lost cause. Samantha heard every word, each one another crack splintering across the thin shell of her resolve.