Six

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Callie and Mason searched and searched for any sign of a trail. It was well past dusk now, and Callie felt she would collapse from exhaustion. They had no clue where they were, and using Mason's compass seemed to just make it worse. They were walking in circles, having lost all hope. Even after Callie had quit, Mason kept searching. "Mason, it's hopeless. We'll never find it in the dark." Callie insisted, trying to convince him to stop.

"It's got to be around here somewhere, we're so close, I can feel it." Mason replied, turning to face Callie.

"You're not going to find it in the dark, your little flashlight is not enough light. We'll look in the morning, it's better than losing a night's sleep." Mason stops for a moment, as if deep in thought. He sighs, and puts his compass in the side pocket of his backpack.

"You're right." He admits, walking over to the rotting stump that Callie was sitting on. "Let's find a good place to set up camp." They hike for a ways, and come to another clearing with flatter ground. "We'll camp here tonight." He says, pulling his tent out of his bag. Callie does the same, and they set them up simultaneously. She crawls in slowly, stiff from her cuts and bruises from the day before. She climbs into her sleeping bag, and falls asleep instantly.

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