Eternity Springs. It would be her safe space as she battled the demons waiting to pounce.
By the time she found her way over Sinner’s Prayer Pass, she recognized that she should have picked someplace closer. Exhaustion tugged at her. She’d slept maybe four hours out of the last forty-eight. With any luck, she’d find her safe spot in Eternity Springs and sleep through this entire cursed day.
It was still dark when she pulled off the road onto a scenic overlook. Below, pinpoints of glow from streetlights and signs added some illumination. For the most part, the valley remained cast in shadow. Hannah reached for the tourist map and reviewed the landmarks. Almost there, thank goodness. But where to go once she arrived?
Hummingbird Lake. She should go to Hummingbird Lake.
Hannah had a complicated relationship with lakes. She was drawn to them, found comfort from them. She could stand at the shore and not feel so alone. At the same time, she loved nothing better than to throw rocks and rage at them.
The idea of Hummingbird Lake felt right. She’d go there. Decision made, she pulled back onto the road and began the descent into the valley via a series of switchbacks down the mountain. Hummingbird Lake. The name rolled off her tongue. She couldn’t wait to see it once daylight broke. Hummingbird Lake drew her. She’d find a place to sit beside its shore and fight her way through today.
It might have happened, too, had not the next switchback revealed a scene right out of her nightmares. Strobing light bars. BLUE WHITE RED. BLUE WHITE RED. BLUE WHITE RED.
Hannah slammed on her brakes. Her grip tightened around the steering wheel. Her breath came in shallow pants.
Rap. Rap. Rap. Hannah all but jumped from her skin. Rap. Rap. Rap. “Ma’am?”
The window. A man was tapping on her window with a flashlight.
The deep voice continued, “Would you lower your window, please, ma’am?”
A badge. He wore a badge.
A little moan escaped her. She started rocking back and forth, back and forth, as she melted into the memories. BLUE WHITE RED. BLUE WHITE RED. Screaming. Someone is screaming. But it’s quiet. Too quiet. Deadly silent.
White light shone at her face. “Ma’am, I’m Sheriff Zach Turner. Are you all right? You don’t look well. Let me help you. Will you step out of the car, please?”
Her gaze locked on thick brown hair and kind blue eyes and the badge he held up to her window. One of Zoe’s doctors had been named Zach. He’d been good. Caring and kind.
Hannah lifted her hand from the steering wheel and buzzed down the window. “I’m sorry, sir. I was a little blinded by the lights. There’s an accident?”
“We have a rockslide up ahead.” He shined his light around the interior of her car and asked, “Are you all right, ma’am? Would you step out of the car, please?”
He probably thinks I’m high on something. “Certainly.”
“I’ll need your license and registration too.”
Keeping her gaze turned away from the flashing emergency lights, she removed her license from her wallet and registration from the glove box, then opened the door and stepped out into the chilly night air. She handed him the cards, saying, “I haven’t been drinking, Officer. I’m not impaired. I’m just tired, although this cold air has shaken off the cobwebs. Do you want me to do a field sobriety test?”
Without waiting for his response, she lifted one foot off the ground and balanced. Muscle memory from years of yoga classes doing the work once again. “Want me to do the walk and turn?” she asked half a minute later.
He gave her a grin and tipped his hat. “Not necessary. Just doing my job, ma’am. Now, let’s see how I can assist you. Where are you headed?”
“Eternity Springs.”
He nodded. “You’re in luck. It’ll be hours before we get this road cleared, but one of our landowners has opened up his private road. We can get you to town without too much of a detour. No more than half an hour.”
“Good.”
“We have a map.” He picked a clipboard up off the ground and slipped a square piece of paper from beneath the clip. Handing it to her, he said, “It’s a good road, well marked, follow the signs to Eagle’s Way. From there, he has a series of flashing arrows, state-of-the-art electronic signs that point your way to Eternity Springs. It’ll take you around the south end of the valley, and you can enter town from the west side. The speed limit is thirty-five, but I’ll ask you to take the curves slower than that. It’s a dark road.” He gave her a boyish smile and added, “Frankly, I don’t have the manpower for another accident tonight.”
“Thank you.” Hannah climbed back into her car.
The sheriff shut the door for her, then leaned down to speak through the lowered window. “Welcome to Eternity Springs, Ms. Dupree. Sorry for the delay. I’ll have one of my guys lead you to the private road. It’s a quarter mile back.”
He turned his head and gave a whistle. A moment later, a car pulled up beside her, and the driver said, “This way, ma’am.”
BLUE WHITE RED. BLUE WHITE RED. BLUE WHITE RED. She was supposed to follow the car? The colored lights? Hannah didn’t know if she could do it.
With any luck, he’d lead her right off the mountain.
“A quarter mile,” she murmured as she rolled up the window and shifted into drive. A quarter mile, that’s all. She could do this. Appropriate, in a way, with blue, white, and red leading her into the dark. Today, of all days, back into the dark.
A hysterical little laugh escaped her.
She made it, driving the quarter mile in a trancelike state, and when the lead car made a U-turn and waved her on, she kept going. She drove at a safe speed, her attention focused on the road, and yet she couldn’t free herself of damned blue, white, and red flashes. It didn’t help anything that after she reached Eagle’s Way, the arrows the sheriff had mentioned didn’t flash amber like one would expect from road signs. These flashed white.
Hannah’s mind filled in the red and the blue.
Finally, the private road intersected a state road. She slowed to a stop and checked the map the sheriff had given her. A right turn would take her to Eternity Springs. Left led to Lover’s Leap.
She laughed aloud. Reaching into the backpack lying on the passenger seat, she felt around inside it for the tourist map. How did it go? Sinner’s Prayer Pass, then Heartache Falls. Lover’s Leap and … splat … Angel’s Rest. Her safe space.
Hannah turned left. A few minutes later, she spied the sign for Lover’s Leap, where she turned into the parking area and parked her car. She once again perused the tourist map, decided that a visit to Heartache Falls would be redundant, then googled the time for sunrise. Eighteen minutes. Was this timing or what?
She reached for a black fleece jacket in her backseat and pulled it on, and then grabbed her backpack and stepped outside. She walked to the picnic bench that her headlights had illuminated, sat on the table, and waited for dawn.
“Get this party started,” she said toward the eastern sky. Get it started, so she could get it behind her.
Now that she’d reached her spot, the energy that had fueled her trek across Colorado and masked her exhaustion began to seep away, leaving her weary to the bone. Weariness, in turn, weakened her defenses.