Please, God, let him still be here, Phil thought.  Maybe this time he’ll listen.  He lifted the tailgate of the new truck and pushed it closed with a satisfying clang.  Maybe this time I’ll actually do more than just give up.

He heaved the loaded backpack over his shoulders and walked to the edge of the woods.  Standing at the boundary of the road’s shoulder and the trees, he sighed as he thought of the trek ahead.  The old guy sporting goods store told him to look for a game trail near a large boulder at this mile marker, and even though Phil wasn’t much of a woodsman, he found it easily enough.  He pulled the straps of the pack tighter, distributing the weight as best as he could, took one last look at the...

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