Free The Remedy by Asher Ellis Page A

around at the sound of Eliza’s cry. She saw her friend holding a hand to her neck and a mixture of hurt and anger welling in her eyes.
    “Rob!” Eliza took a swing at her boyfriend. Her knuckles just brushed his collarbone. “Shit, that really hurt!”
    “Damn.” Even Rob seemed surprised at his own carelessness. “I’m sorry, babe. I had no idea you were behind me.”
    Eliza didn’t seem at all impressed with Rob’s apology. “You should be more careful!”
    “It was an accident!”
    After having witnessed quite a number of their previous fights, Leigh knew the bickering would only escalate if someone didn’t intervene right away. Pushing Rob aside, Leigh approached Eliza and coaxed her to remove her hand from the wound. The cut was clean and very shallow—more of a long, red mark than an actual laceration.
    “It looks fine,” Leigh said, relieved. “It just scratched you is all.”
    “Still hurt,” Eliza grumbled, returning her hand to the tender flesh.
    “Is she okay?” Sam had made his way over to Leigh’s side and inspected Eliza’s neck.
    “She’s fine. I think we’re good to go.”
    “Yeah,” Eliza agreed, and with a hard jab to Rob’s ribs added, “But I’m walking in front of you from now on!”
    “Fine!”
    Rob’s voice was completely drowned out by a deafening rumble of thunder that erupted from above.
    Sam’s shoulders sank. “Here it comes.”
    As if Sam were a biblical prophet, the weather obeyed his proclamation in an instant. The sky opened and the rain began to fall, starting as a gentle trickle that became a steady downpour in mere seconds. Rob and Eliza’s argument was already forgotten as everyone’s soaked clothing began to stick to their bodies.
    Under the dripping brim of his trucker’s hat, Rob mumbled perhaps the first thing that Leigh had ever completely agreed with:
    “This sucks.”
    The trees initially provided them protection from the downpour, but soon the small clusters of leaves provided by the ash and maple trees wasn’t keeping them even remotely dry.
    Leigh was just about to ask Sam if he had any ideas that might save them from walking the rest of the way in a thunderstorm when he spoke up and offered the drowning foursome a life raft.
    “If you guys want, I know a nearby deer camp we could hole up at till the rain passes.”
    Eliza stuffed her camera into the pocket of her jeans to protect it from water damage. “How nearby?”
    Sam pointed to a bend in the trail several yards ahead. “It’s coming right up on the trail. If we hurry, I think we can make it there before it
really
starts to come down.”
    “Then what are standing around here for?” The deafening percussion of raindrops was making Rob’s voice, like all of theirs, very hard to hear.
    Leigh considered the tempting proposition but realized there might be one problem. “What about the owners? They won’t mind?”
    As miserable as she was, Leigh had no desire to add trespassing to the day’s itinerary. She was, after all, already involved with international drug smuggling, and one crime per day was more than enough.
    But then Sam shook his head. “No, it’s okay. They won’t be there.”
    “How do you know that? Isn’t it hunting season?”
    “They’re dead,” Sam said, and nothing more.
    “Well then,” Eliza said, breaking the momentary silence. “In that case, I’m in.”
    “You know I am,” Rob added.
    Leigh exchanged glances with her company, realizing that her vote was the only one remaining. She was already involved with drug smuggling. Did she want to add trespassing on top of that? But as more and more large, icy cold raindrops landed on Leigh’s neck, she made up her mind.
    “I suppose we don’t have a choice. Alex and Marshall will just have to wait a little longer.”
    “Then let’s get moving,” Sam said, taking steps forward. “The worst of this downpour has yet to come.”
    The rest of the group followed, single file. Leigh brought up the rear,