337

The child stares straight ahead and remains silent. Leaving her here surely means trouble, but you need to get to Emma soon. You consider your options...

You reach down and touch the girl's arm. Before your hand touches her, she squirms and pulls away, never once looking up at you. You don't want to forcibly move her but are even more concerned of leaving her here.

"This place is not safe," you say in a calm voice. "We have to go now."

You offer your hand to her but she remains motionless. As you reach around to pick her up, she springs up and runs away, down the dirt-covered path. You run after her, but she is constantly just out of reach. She darts down a small incline behind a trio of closely aligned trees. You are only seconds behind her, but as you turn the corner of the trees, you see no one past it. You call out for several minutes and run in the area, desperately trying to find the child. Panicked, you cover the entire playground and look for any fresh footprints but find no trace of the little girl. You search for twenty minutes and have no choice but to leave the area and continue through the park.