Miranda adjusted herself even though there was no one around- no one but the falling leaves- to judge her. Her arms ached from carrying her heavy satchel; full to bursting with near everything she owned.

They would follow, she was fairly certain of that, but she assumed she had at least a few hours. As it happened, she assumed wrongly.

When the first branch broke, hundreds of feet behind her, her first instinct was to say it was an animal. Some passing beast of the wood. The dog barking confirmed this, bringing a sigh of relief. Her breath caught at the next sound though; men’s voices. Issuing commands. Hunting dogs.

She ran.