Chapter 3: Down the Ravine
The storm raged on as Natalie pulled her cruiser onto the muddy shoulder of Route 9. County Search and Rescue teams were already on the scene, cutting through the dense Appalachian darkness with high-powered flashlights. Yellow caution tape whipped wildly in the biting wind.
The blue pickup truck was nearly unrecognizable, its front end crumpled like a discarded soda can. The windshield was entirely shattered, and the driver’s side door was violently torn off its hinges. Natalie slid down the treacherous, mud-slicked embankment to get a closer look.
Inside the cab, the airbag hung limp and stained with dried blood. But it was the passenger seat that made Natalie’s breath catch in her throat. Scattered across the floorboard were pristine, unopened plastic grocery bags from the local pharmacy.
She reached in with gloved hands and pulled out a soaked cardboard box. It was a specialized pediatric kidney medication, prescribed to Ashley, filled perfectly to the brim. Beneath the box were smashed bottles of electrolyte water and two crushed rotisserie chickens.
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Andrew hadn’t run away from his responsibilities; he had been rushing home to them. He had purchased exactly what was on the list before his truck hydroplaned on the treacherous canyon curve. The realization hit Natalie like a physical blow to the chest.
She shined her flashlight into the dense, flooded woods surrounding the wreckage. The muddy ground showed faint, dragging footprints leading away from the crash site and deeper into the wilderness. Andrew had survived the impact, and he had dragged his broken body into the dark to get back to his little girl.
