“Katie!” gasped Marlie, rushing forward and belly flopping down on the log, landing with her nose inches away from Katie's shins.
As quickly as Katie had vanished, Marlie's shrieking scream rose, ricocheting off the hidden rock walls and echoing over the vale.
“I'm okay. I'm okay,” panted Katie, struggling up on her elbows. She tried to pull her feet toward her torso. A hard, brittle rib cage kept them trapped in one place . Her eyes traveled the length of her own legs, gurge rose into her throat.
The trap was not of vegetation or animal making. It was human in all aspects. The skeletal remains tucked beneath the fallen tree, pinned in place by withered branches, encircled her feet. The bobbing skull caught between her locked shins moved with each jerking motion. Scattered about were other bits of branches that were both without bark and of a faintly mottled shade. Katie was sure they would prove human.
Stay tuned for the release of DonnaRae Menard's second book, Murder On The Ridge, out June 2022