Ashes Read Online Free PDF

give, and then heard the crunch-crackle-pop as her boot flattened a bird. An instant later, the reek from the animal’s smashed guts coiled into her nostrils, and a little whimper of disgust tried to push itself between her teeth.
    Leave the dog; let Ellie deal with it . Despite the chill, sweat oozed down her neck, and her mouth filled with a metallic tang that cut through the taste of curdled vomit. She reeked of warm salt and cold fear. Just get your gear, get the kid, and get off this mountain while you still can.
    No matter what she said or how loudly she said it, Ellie wouldn’t budge. Frustrated, her patience fraying, Alex finally grabbed the girl by the wrists. “Ellie, listen to me. We’ve got to leave.”
    â€œNo.” The girl jerked free and slapped her hands to her ears again. The kid was insanely strong. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”
    â€œYou can’t stay here.”
    â€œYes, I can. Don’t you tell me what to do.”
    â€œEllie, I’m sorry about your grandpa, but he’s dead and we have to get out of here. We have to tell someone what’s happened.” An inspiration: “Your grandpa would want you to be safe.”
    â€œI’m not leaving.”
    Did this kid do anything she was asked? Alex wanted to shake the girl until her teeth rattled. “I can’t leave you here.”
    â€œWhy not? I can take care of myself. I know how to camp.”
    While she doubted that, Alex decided to try something she’d read about in psychology. “Look, I’ll need your help on the trail. It’ll be a long, hard hike, and I need someone to come with me.”
    The girl cracked one eye in a narrow squint. “Where?”
    â€œHang on, I’ll show you.” Digging through her pack, she riffled the contents until she found the map she wanted. “You ever seen a topographic map?”
    A sparrow of curiosity flitted over the girl’s face. “What’s that?”
    â€œIt’s a really detailed map. A good topo shows just about everything—streams, rivers, old quarries, railroad tracks, how high the mountains are, how steep. Red lines are roads. Solid green means forest and …” She ran her finger over the map until she found a black, blocky silhouette of a house with a flag at its peak. “This is what we want.”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œThat’s the ranger station. They’ll know what to do. They can radio for help.”
    Ellie considered. “It looks far away and kind of high up.”
    The station was pretty far—a good twenty-five miles east—and a lot higher, adjacent to a fire lookout tower situated atop steep bluffs hemming a small lima bean of a lake. But going there was a better plan than backtracking four days. If they pushed their pace, they might make the station in a day and a half, maybe sooner. “It’s nothing you can’t handle.”
    Face darkening into a by-now very familiar scowl, Ellie said, “Well, it looks hard. Grandpa and I only did six miles a day.”
    Whoa. Alex felt a prick of disquiet. Six miles a day ? What did they do, crawl ? At that speed, she and Ellie would have much bigger problems, like running out of food. Okay, don’t panic yet; Jack must have supplies. Aloud, she said, “I’ll bet you can do way more. You look pretty strong.”
    Ellie threw her a look that practically screamed she knew bullshit when she heard it. Her eyes flicked over the map, and then she jabbed at a tiny symbol in the far left corner:
    â€œWhat’s that?” she asked.
    â€œMaybe an old mine southwest of here. Or a cave.”
    â€œThere are mines? There are caves ?”
    â€œWell, sure. This is old mining country, and there are abandoned shafts and caves, but—”
    â€œAre there bears?”
    â€œIn the caves? Not yet. They won’t den until it gets really cold, but black bears won’t bother us so