She took a step back, her flashlight shaking in her hand. The sound came again, closer this time. Julie’s chest tightened as her mind raced. Was it a bear? A wolf? She crouched low, instinctively hiding behind a tree, her breath shallow as she peered into the darkness.
A figure emerged from the shadows, and Julie’s stomach lurched. But then, the beam of her flashlight caught familiar features—Peter. He was clutching his own flashlight and a backpack, his breath ragged from the trek through the snow.