Storm Shades Read Online Free PDF

the direction she thinks she came in. But the further she goes, the harder the rain falls, and the less she recognizes her surroundings.
    “Darwin, I think I’ve taken a wrong turn.” She smiles ruefully as she talks into her head set, knowing that she’s going to get an earful from her boss about getting separated from the team. But as the seconds go by and she doesn’t receive a response, the smile fades from her lips.
    “Finn, come in. Can you locate my position?” There’s a clap of thunder as Sofie says the words, and the sound makes her jump. The rain is getting so heavy she can barely see a few feet ahead of her.
    “Darwin, Finn, come in. If anyone can hear me on this frequency, come in.” She waits, counting slowly to thirty as the rain pours down on her. No one answers. She pulls her cell phone out of her pocket, but there’s no reception. I must be in the shadow of the mountain, so all communication signals are blocked. “Guess I’m on my own then,” she murmurs, as she takes another looks around her. The Geiger counter has finally fallen silent.
    At least I don’t have to worry about getting radiation poisoning . Still, she gives the counter a kick for good measure. It was what had brought her into this woods, and although she knows it’s a juvenile reaction, it makes her feel a little better.
    She takes a breath and gets her bearings, pulling her hood up over her wet hair and shoulders. Carrying her bag full of samples, she heads in the direction she thinks is towards the town. Before any employee is allowed out in the field, Shale sends them on a one week survivalist course. At the time, she was pretty sure it was just a way of avoiding any lawsuits from employees that got injured or worse on the job, but right now she is grateful for it. “The first thing I need to do is figure out how close I am to any homes. Beaumont is only a couple of miles away from Spring Canyon, if I get a move on I can be there in half an hour,” she says quietly, choosing to ignore the voice in her head that points out those calculations are only right if she’s headed in the right direction.
    She shines her torch ahead of her. The afternoon sky has turned black as night, and the weather isn’t showing any signs of letting up. The dirt underfoot is quickly turning into a river of mud, making any progress pretty slow-going. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees movement. She whips around, shining the torch in the direction of the flash, but there’s nothing there.
    “Easy, Sofie,” she says, trying to get her heart rate under control. She takes a few steps forward and then stands stock-still as she hears something that makes her blood run cold. It sounds like a wolf howl. But that’s not possible. There aren’t any wolves in this part of the country. If there were, then it would have come up in the research.
    “It’s just the wind, it’s just the wind,” she repeats, trying to calm herself.
    She hears a rustle behind her and flicks the torch in the direction of the sound, but again, there’s nothing there. Against all her better judgment, she breaks into a run, forging forwards, as quickly as she can with her backpack. She catches a flash of yellow ahead of her, accompanied by another howl. This time it’s closer, coming up on her left side. She knows that it’s definitely not the wind, so she veers off to her right, not even sure where she’s headed anymore, just trying to put as much distance as possible between her and whatever is out there.
    Her legs are burning as her boots get heavier from all the mud they’re picking up, and her bag seems to weigh more with every step. However, she carries on, moving as quickly as she can. She steals a look behind her, catching sight again of a shape moving fast between the trees and her breath catches in her throat. She loses focus on what’s ahead of her and trips on a branch, her torch clattering to the ground as she throws her hands out to break her