Three men are walking toward me from farther down the trail.
I never heard them coming.
How?
The woods had been so peaceful just moments ago.
Now...
They seem eerily quiet.
One of them is tall and broad with shaggy dark hair and a beard that looks like it hasn't met a razor in weeks.
Another has tattoos climbing both arms and the kind of lazy grin that instantly puts me on edge.
The third hangs back just enough to make me wonder if he's trying to block the path.
Without thinking, I glance toward the path that leads to the men's restroom.
No Graham.
He'll be back in a minute.
He said he would.
The tallest man steps closer.
Too close.
His smile never reaches his eyes.
“Look what we have here.”
The three of them fan out almost casually until I'm standing in the center of a loose circle.
Every instinct I have begins screaming.
Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.
I tighten my grip on my purse strap.
“Can I help you?”
The tattooed one chuckles.
“I think that's our line.”
Another step.
Another.
My pulse quickens.
“Are you lost, tiny human?”