00:00thing worked. And then I heard it. A scream. It was distant, maybe half a mile away, coming from
00:05the direction of the highway. But it was unmistakably human, a woman's voice, high and sharp,
00:11cutting through the silence like a knife. It lasted maybe two seconds, then stopped.
00:16I sat up, my heart pounding. The silence rushed back in, even heavier than before. I strained my
00:22ears, waiting for another scream, a follow-up, anything. But there was nothing. I told myself
00:28it was an animal. A fox, maybe. Foxes scream like women, sometimes I'd read that somewhere.
00:33Or a mountain lion. They made strange sounds, too. It didn't have to be a person. But I knew it
00:39was.
00:39I didn't sleep well that night. Every creak of the trees, every rustle of wind, sent a chalt
00:46of adrenaline through my system.
