章 278: CHAPTER 278 Surprise

　　~ JESSE ~

　　It was hours later when, dirty and exhausted from fighting the power, I almost cried with relief when I found the cabin.

　　The light was beginning to fade. I was stumbling with weariness. I'd been following an instinct I wasn't even sure was real- and almost decided that I was losing my mind.

　　But then, suddenly, the treeline broke open a little to the twilight sky, and there it was, the cabin Rake had told me was out here. And now that I was here, I had my bearings- because the mountain peak could be seen even in the dark- which meant I could get back. I could actually get back to the caves.

　　Almost crying with relief, I hurried towards the building, but of course it was locked. I had a moment of panic before I remembered the key that Rake had told me was hidden in the building outside. So, on trembling knees, I trotted across the space outside to the looming barn-like building nearby, unburied the key, then returned as fast as I could to the cabin.