Her heart stumbled in her chest. She rushed forward, stumbling over a gnarled root, her breath ripping from her throat. As she got closer, the details sharpened horribly. Blood stained the patchy fur, pooling thickly into the dirt around it. Samantha’s vision blurred. Relief and dread crashed together in a violent rush.
She staggered to a halt, staring. Her brain scrambled for answers, for denial, but her body knew first. Her hands shook uncontrollably. Her legs felt boneless. She was already crying, though she didn’t know when the tears had started. A whimper tore loose from her throat without her permission.