Girl, Stolen

Cheyenne had heard the gunshot 30 minutes ago and is crouching behind a tree. She hears a car engine, so she knows she is near the road. A voice tells her “Freeze! Police!” (190). She runs toward the voice, shouting that she is Cheyenne Wilder. She hears the man, who is Roy disguising his voice, seemingly make a call letting people know she has been found, and they walk toward the road to his car. When he asks whether she had any help in escaping, she tells him about Griffin and explains he is in the woods and needs help. She gets into the front passenger seat of the car, but her feet brush against what she thinks are tools, and she notices that the man smells of peppermint and tobacco, just as Roy does.

Cheyenne realizes that the policeman is Roy and that he is going to kill her. She feels around the seat for a phone; instead, she finds a gun and points it toward Roy. He tries to grab it, and she pulls the trigger. He is shot, but she doesn’t know how badly, and she orders him out of the car.