Exposed

Synopsis: Out in the desert, Cleopatra Barris finds the unexpected. A strange tale set in Central Oregon.

Extract:

The bramble clutched at her jeans and tugged at her back, ripping her T-shirt as Cleopatra Barris ran through the night. Loose stones threatened to topple her. She steadied herself on a wall of a boulder, gulping down a huge breath then pushed herself off. The thrill of discovery prodded her on. Her flashlight caught dark hulks of sage and juniper. The waxing moon highlighted the glint of eyes. Too many. Yet the rising light did not reveal what the eyes belonged to.

The GPS in her hand glowed in a white glare, blinking toward where her cache sat waiting. Earlier today she sent a camera attached to a weather balloon into the atmosphere. Clee read about the near-space launch project on the internet and had itched to get at it while saving the money to acquire the necessary equipment. Everything came together this afternoon. At last. Now all she had to do was get the camera back.