Maggie grabbed her arm before she could leave. Her eyes were wild, and Syd could see the panic in her.

  "No, not yet, Syd, please. I have things I need to tell you."

  "Tell me after we eat."

  "You don't understand. I am hurt. I'm really hurt. I don't know if I can make it through the night. I think I have internal bleeding or something. Just stay and listen, please."

  Syd heard the pleading in her voice, though her brain screamed at her that both of them needed food and water; her heart told her to stay put.

  "First, tell my mom I love her and I'm sorry. And please find someplace for my cat."

  Syd interrupted her, "You can do all of that when you get back."

  "Syd, you don't get it. The chances of me walking out of here are slim to none. I can't walk, and you can't carry me. If you get to help soon enough, I might make it, but I am not counting on it."

  Maggie began to cry quietly. Syd hugged her, knowing Maggie was right. There was no way she could get both of them out of the swamp. Besides not being able to walk, there was no way Maggie could stay off the known trails. The walk itself was difficult; staying on the trail meant tromping through water, watching out for snakes and gators, and more mosquitoes and ticks than in the non-overgrown area of the trail. Syd began to cry as well.

  "Okay, I am going to get us fed for the night and make sure you know how to make these. And we need to talk a bit." Syd wiped her eyes, determined to get Maggie as safe and comfortable as possible in an old tree in the Everglades.

  She showed Maggie how to get water through the straw. It wasn't pretty, but she showed her how to spit the water into the MRE to get the amount needed. No one was eating it but the person spitting the water in, so the whole germ-sharing thing was nothing to worry about.

  Maggie laughed at this procedure, making Syd smile. At least the woman still had her sense of humor.

  Syd showed her how to shake the packet once the water was in it: "There is a self-heating element in these, so no fire is needed. Each packet is considered two meals, so this should last you a few days."

  Maggie hummed under her breath before saying anything. "You need to take some, too. It may take you a while to get out of here."

  "I will stay hydrated, but I can't carry too much, and I probably won't be able to stop and eat. My dad taught me how to find things to eat in the woods. I hate it, but I can definitely survive a few days." She smiled at Maggie, who looked quizzically at her.

  "I thought you hated camping."

  "Oh, I do. But hating something and not knowing how to do it are two separate things. My dad was all about making us learn how to survive. He was not always gentle about it either." Syd stopped speaking. She tried so hard not to talk about the bad moments or to speak poorly about her dad. He had done his best for her, even if it left some quirks in her personality.

  "I don't want to leave you here. I know I have to; it's our only chance. But I was left alone in the Everglades once." Maggie stopped again, placing a hand on her shoulder to let her know she understood.

  "Syd, you have to go. It's not the same. You are not leaving me out here to survive, or learn to survive, on my own. I am not a child, I know what is happening. You have set me up the best you can. I have shelter, food, and a way to get water. Syd, Syd, look at me. Leaving me here might be the only way to save my life."

  Those words hit hard. Syd knew it was the truth, but it did not make her feel any better about the situation.

  "And in a roundabout way, I am not advocating for what your dad did, but what he did to you will save both of our lives."

  Syd closed her eyes, knowing that Maggie was right. All of those nights in a tent with her dad, all of the times he left her in places to 'learn to be tough', all of that was what would keep them both alive.

  "Okay." She whispered. She reached up and took Maggie's hand, "I will leave you, for a day or two only. If you die on me, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

  Maggie's smile was soft and sad, but she nodded, a tear slipped down her cheek. "I will do my best to stay alive. I can't promise you anything, though. But you leaving me is my best chance of getting out of here. And, bonus, they will probably think you would never leave me here. So, they will be looking for two of us."

  "Okay, first light, I will go. I'm not brave enough to try to get through the swamp at night."

  "Not that stupid you mean." They smiled at each other as the light faded through the trees.

  Chapter Eleven

  There was no fire this night; they didn't want to alert anyone to their location. Their eyes adjusted to the dark as they munched on their MREs. Syd could have kicked herself for not providing a bucket or cup to get water with, but Maggie made sure she knew it was alright.

  They listened to the sounds of the Everglades as the night brought it alive. The melodious songs of the frogs gave a rhythm to their conversation. Maggie spoke of the night the attack happened. Syd could see the terror in her face as she recounted how the men had stormed the camp, taking each person out of their tents and marching them off through the dark.

  "I'm not sure why they didn't take me. They brought me into the center and began questioning me, beating me if I didn't answer the questions the way they wanted. The problem is, I don't know what they wanted." She was near hysterics at this point. Syd could do nothing but hope they kept quiet enough not to attract the enemy.

  "They didn't tell you?"

  "No," Maggie sobbed, "they kept saying I had it, I had it. But I don't know what I had. They searched and searched my chickee but didn't seem to find it. I watched as they burned all of my research." Her head fell into her hands as she wept.

  "It's all backed up; you know that, right?" Maggie nodded. Syd understood that this was about more than just research. It had to do with feeling violated.

  Syd felt around in her pocket, hoping she had a tissue, but out came the flash drive and the piece of jade.

  "I found this. I thought you might want it back." She opened her hand to show Maggie what she had found in the woman's Chickee.

  "My flash drive! Awesome. But you take that. It has a better chance of surviving if you have it. It's too wet here." She smiled. "It's also all backed up on the cloud. I'm not sure they understand that when they destroyed everything." A sad smile crossed her face before she went on. "Of course, they might figure if I'm dead, no one would look there anyway."

  "Ha, they don't understand academia very much. You know all the stuff will be sorted through eventually." Both women laughed, knowing the eventually wasn't just an ad on. The way the university archives were backed up, no one might look at Maggie's papers for fifty years.

  Maggie reached out and touched the jade that sat in Syd's hand. "I found that while mapping the back mound, HT-13. The one no one was digging at yet. I thought it was interesting, so I picked it up. I meant to bring it to you and ask if it was indigenous to the area. I don't think it is, but could it open the research into trade routes perhaps."

  Syd looked at the Jade in her hand, "No, I don't think so. This is from the east, like China or that region. I am pretty sure that was way too far away for the original peoples to trade. Of course, you never know."

  They sat in silence for a bit. The sound of the frogs and birds had died down to a low undertone.

  Syd whispered, "Could they have been looking for this?"

  "Maybe, but why? Why would a rock bring this down on us?" Maggie's look hurt Syd's heart.

  "I'm not totally sure. I deal mostly in shells, not gems. I know there is a demand for it, mostly in China, but when I was researching in Guatemala, there were some big jade busts back in 2019 or so. I don't know." Syd felt defeated. If this was why all of their colleagues were killed, it felt like a waste.

  "We need to rest. You have a long day tomorrow," whispered Maggie. Syd could feel waves of despair emanating from the other woman. She had nothing left to give; no solace would bring back their friends. She knew the best way to avenge them would be to get her and Maggie out safe; she hoped Sam was alive. She hoped he was a good guy, or maybe he had made it out and help was on the way. But mostly, she hoped she could get herself and Maggie to safety, and no one else would have to die.

  Chapter Twelve

  The sun seemed to take its time rising, the frogs quieted down, and the morning birds seemed more subdued as Syd said goodbye to Maggie. They hugged, shed a few tears, and made promises they both knew they might not be able to keep.

  Maggie was tucked away in the old tree with as many supplies as she would allow Syd to leave her.

  "You need food too. If you get stuck out there for a few more nights, you need to be able to eat and drink. Don't worry about me, I got this." The woman put on a brave smile, but Syd could tell the damage done by the beatings were taking more of a toll on her than she wanted to admit. Syd prayed she would be able to get help back in time. She glanced back one last time as she hiked the trail she knew; there was no sign of Maggie. The tree held its secrets well.

  Syd knew she needed to get off the path, that if they were out looking for them, the path would be where the men would look. She closed her eyes, dreading heading out into the dark swamp. She hated everything about this.

  She hated the bugs, the wetness, the sweat, all of the things that everyone expected her to hate as a woman. But. She also hated the fact that she was not prepared for this; she had to rely on her father's teachings. He had always drilled into her to have a weapon of some kind.

  She did not.

  He told her she needed to make sure she had water purifiers and food.

  That she had. She smiled, knowing it was not exactly what he would say was enough, but it was something.

  He drilled into her to know her terrain.

  She kind of did. After spending the last few nights out in it, she knew enough about it to be able to get around safely, she hoped.

  And the last thing he made sure to teach her was how to follow the sun and the stars to get yourself out of any situation.

  "That doesn't help a ton, Dad. The trees obscure so much of it that I can't see it all." She knew her basic directions from the sun. Once the sun set, she would have to hope she could see the stars, pray she didn't wobble off her track, or sit still and wait. "Let's hope we can get out of here before dark."

  She stepped off the path into the muck, looking for a drier way, and set out in the direction of the camp. Though this was probably the most dangerous area for her to be in, she knew the path out was on the other side. It was a better option than wandering for days and dying from the elements, and it was faster than going around the lake as Maggie had suggested, though that was always an option if the main path was too dangerous.

  The sun beat down through the trees, the mosquitoes hummed, and the no-see-ums buzzed around her head. She had to keep moving forward even if the heat of the day made every part of her want to stop and rest. Sweat poured down her face and into her shirt. She could not wait to be somewhere she could take her bra off, get a shower, and put on clean clothes. She was lost in this thought when she almost made her first mistake.

  The roar of the side-by-side shook her back to the present. She ducked down behind some bushes and prayed she hadn't been seen. Somehow, in her musings, she had wandered back toward the path. Old habits die hard.

  Find them or their bodies. I want to know where they are!

  The guttural Spanish was spat out in rage. She held as still as possible, the mosquitoes and biting flies taking full advantage of her immobility. She waited for the vehicles to go past her, but they seemed to head toward the road out. Maybe they thought she and Maggie had made a run for it last night?

  It kind of made sense. Why would they have stayed one more night out here when Maggie so desperately needed medical attention? Of course, they had no idea that Syd knew what she was doing. If they had watched the camp at all, they would think she was inept. Ineptitude was often mistaken for grave dislike.

  She said a silent thank you to her dad and watched the direction of the camp some more. Out on the path was movement. She tried to duck down while still seeing how many men were headed out toward Maggie. She was pretty sure that if the woman survived her medical issues, the tree would keep her well-hidden.

  Panic rose in Syd. What if she were so well hidden that they couldn't find her after she got help?

  Syd closed her eyes, acknowledging the anxiety that was trying to creep up and stop her from moving forward. Again, she knew this was the only way. They would be looking for two women, moving slowly and probably thinking they had to stay on the path. Syd could move faster as one, even if the swamp itself slowed her a bit.

  The movement stopped, and she could see a man standing and staring off in the other direction.

  Which way did they go, ese?

  I think they would have stuck to the path. The shell girl hates the swamp and camping. She's nothing to worry about. And the cartographer is injured. You made sure of that.

  Syd's blood ran cold. That voice. So familiar.

  Sam.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Syd couldn't move. Here he was, the one who was in charge of the dig, the man who kept her safe for the first two days of this hell. How could he be so casual with these murderers! Maybe he was just playing along so they didn't kill him.

  Her mind was in such a frenzy that she hadn't heard the rest of the conversation. When she tuned back in,they were discussing the women's lack of food and fire. They laughed at the idea that two women, or one as weak as Syd was since Maggie probably died, could survive long out here.

  If we don't find them, don't worry too much. I'm sure the gators had a good snack. There won't be much left of the bodies. This is the perfect environment to discard something, trust me.

  The way Sam said it made it seem like he had done it before. Maybe he had. Maybe one of the reasons all of the big finds in Florida were his was that he eliminated the competition.

  Syd gasped at this idea.

  Sam stopped speaking and turned in her direction. He scanned the area she was scooched down in. She held her breath, hoping she hadn't just signed her own death warrant.

  "Hmph" was all he said then slapped the other man in the back in a friendly manner and they headed back toward the camp, confident in their disposal method of the two problem women.

  'Shit,' thought Syd. To go back and warn Maggie or to move on to escape. Or, maybe, just maybe she should find out exactly what is in the mound that Sam had made sure the crew never worked on.

  Syd knew this was a stupid idea. She shook it off right away and silently moved north toward the road out. She had a plan to move parallel to it as best she could. That way, she would head in the right direction but stay hidden. She hoped she could observe the men as she moved.

  She scooped a small bit of mud from where the water lapped onto a dryer area. She spread this on her arms and her face. The smell was earthy and slightly noxious, but she knew she would get used to it. She rubbed her hands in her hair to spread some of the goop in it, this would help keep it from flying all over and keep the sun from reflecting on it. She figured it might be dirty enough not to worry by itself, but why chance it.

  The mud worked two-fold, she remembered from her father's lectures. To keep her more camouflaged while creating a barrier that the mosquitoes couldn't penetrate. She cracked her neck as if she were heading off into battle and set out, again, to get help.

  Chapter Fourteen

  She moved with stealth through the muck. Or at least she hoped she was moving with stealth. She felt like a dork, all covered in mud and trying to sneak around like they did when they were kids playing army ranger. Of course, the consequences of this game were much higher. Life or death.

  She made it past the camp without incident. No one was there; they had all left while she was getting her shit together to move. She hadn't seen them go back toward where Maggie was, so they probably were headed to the road.

  Syd tried to position herself so she could see the road but not be too close to it. The gleam of the coquina made the road look as though it were a bright, shiny omen of hope, but Syd knew better. She knew if she were to take the road straight out, she would be caught and most likely killed.

  As she hiked, the swamp around her began to heat up with the day. The air became thick with humidity and gnats. The gators could be seen on any dry area sunning themselves like cats. The bird songs slowed then stopped as the temperature soared, leaving the only sounds that of Syd's feet as she slugged her way through the mud and the muck.

  Her vision began to waver, leaving her shaking her head, aware she needed to be drinking but not wanting to stop. She had to get out of here, find help, get back to Maggie. Somewhere along the way she lost sight of the path out. As she looked up and around all she saw were trees and palmetto bushes, no sign of which direction she needed to go in, or where she had come from.

  Tears began to leak out of her eyes; she closed them tightly, fighting the loss of more water from her body. She slogged forward with her eyes closed and stumbled into a tree, going down beside it with a thump.

  Nothing moved or scurried away that she could hear; she opened her eyes, vaguely recognizing where she was. One of the mounds they were exploring. She sobbed as she realized she had moved in an oval and was almost back at the camp. No progress had been made.

  The despair hit her like a rock. How could anyone depend on her to get out? How could she depend on herself? Syd stayed on the ground but moved around, so her back leaned against the tree.

  "Okay, Syd. You can feel sorry for yourself for three minutes, but then you need to get moving. You need to get out; your dad needs you, and Maggie needs you."

  She closed her eyes and did her best to calm herself down. She knew that part of this reaction was a lack of water and exhaustion. She was so tired she could hear music.

  "Time to get moving, three minutes or not. I need to eat and get some water. I have to get moving."

 

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