Head back east, through the forest.

Looking back at the highway Jen felt like the area was just recognizable enough that she knew where she was. If she was wrong she could be losing time, but she didn’t feel like her memory of the area was off. This should be the part of the highway running north and south. That meant if she kept the highway to her back she should be heading dead east.

She turned 180 degrees and started walking that direction. It was easy to stay on course as long as the cars were within earshot. Knowing the chances of being seen were minimal Jen was able to move at a good pace, only pausing long enough to make sure she wasn’t about to step on something painful. Soon the cars faded more into background noise.

Jen kept walking and eventually realized that she couldn’t hear the cars at all. She paused for a moment, hoping a sense of direction would come to her. She didn’t feel like she had gotten turned around at any point, but she didn’t realize that she had changed course before reaching the highway either. Going as straight as possible seemed like the best option. Double guessing herself could lead her back off course.

She took up a tactic of picking a tree about twenty yards ahead and walking to it, only changing off course to dip around a tree or avoid a branch. Once she reached that tree she stepped around it, put the tree immediately behind her and picked another one in the distance. Jen had no idea if this was considered good technique but it made sense to her. She stuck with it.

She felt like she was never going to get out of the woods when she started to see an end to the treeline ahead of her. She began moving quicker, taking care to watch her footing and not make too much noise. Soon she was able to see past the trees and she saw water.

The pond, she thought, remembering this part of the park. I know where I am now.

Jen practically rushed forward, eager to leave hiding in the trees behind her for a while. Once she reached the end of the trees she stopped and took her bearings. The pond itself was clear, no one in a boat or swimming in sight. The body of water ran further to the north than it did the south, and she was well north of where the last pot-smoking teens had been. She couldn’t remember if the parking lot was further north than the pond but she knew that if she backtracked south and went past the pond that way she would be back at the main trail.

Making sure no one was around Jen stepped out of the trees and headed towards the southern end of the pond. She walked quickly, retaking the familiar pose of her arms held lightly in front of her in case she quickly had to cover herself.

Soon she was making her way past the pond. The ground was comprised of natural grass, not green but slightly yellow in color. It was still mowed on occasion, she knew, otherwise it would be much taller this time of year. She was able to move through it quickly and with less concern about stepping on anything. Ahead of her she saw another set of trees and knew the main trail ran north and south just beyond it.

Jen headed straight for the trees as she walked, leaving the pond behind her. Soon she was back in the midst of nature, this time only a cluster of trees about 10 yards in width, with a cement track ahead of her. She turned slightly northwards but gravitated towards the path.

Jen didn’t carry a watch, using only her phone to keep track of time, and that phone sat in the glove compartment of her car. As a result she had no idea what time it was. The sun was getting a bit low and she felt it was late enough in the day that the park was likely clearing out for people to get to dinner. This could make the trail a bit more busy, but it could also make it empty.

She decided to take her chances and stepped onto the cement so she could walk quicker. Though her feet were sore from walking on concrete, dirt, rocks and twigs she moved as quickly as she could without making the pain noticeably worse.

If the path can just stay empty, she thought. Just stay empty, let me get my clothes and get out of here.

She was walking for less than five minutes when a familiar humming noise reached her ears. Without looking back Jen stepped into the trees once again and hid. She didn’t bother to look, knowing that a cyclist was passing by.

So much for that.

Once the noise was growing quieter she broke from cover and started walking north again, this time sticking to the trees. The cyclist would have little reason to look behind them and she didn’t want to stand still and allow them time to get ahead when they wouldn’t hear her slinking about in the foliage. She was happy to let them keep racing towards the parking lot, though, and covered a little bit of ground until the noise faded away.

Back onto the cement Jen was able to regain her speedy pace. She cut around another curve in the trail and saw a slice of the parking lot in the distance. The trees would end at the blacktop but until then they continued right up until the lot began.

She walked faster now, anxious to get dressed once again. It must have been at least two hours since Eve had left with her clothes. Probably closer to three hours. Soon Jen reached the end of the trail, glancing behind her to make sure no one else had come around the bend. The path was empty.

She stepped back into trees a yard before the parking lot began so she could make sure there wasn’t anyone in the parking lot. Half expecting to see the cyclist who had passed her she was surprised to see only her car and one other sedan in the lot. There wasn’t’ a bike rack atop the other car. Either the cyclist had been very quick about loading their bike and leaving, or they had rode out onto the street. She knew the trash can holding her clothes was off to her left, sitting on the border of blacktop and an unkempt field.

Without further hesitation she left the trees and ran to her car. Jen kept looking around to ensure that no one was in view as she moved. She bent down to grab her car key off of the tire where she’d left it, hit the button several times to unlock the car and quickly slipped in behind the seat.

Turning the car over she was greeted with a blast of warm air from the vents, before the air conditioner kicked on and the breeze began to cool. Jen shifted the car into drive and spun the wheel around, turning until the car was facing south. She saw the trash can and swung the car right, then rolled up alongside it.

One more quick check of the parking lot to make sure she was alone and Jen popped the car door open and stepped out, reaching into the trash can. Her hand immediately hit a plastic bag and she hauled it out. It only took her a moment to confirm that she was holding her clothes, then she was back inside her car with the doors locked.

She’d never previously considered how tricky it would be to get dressed inside a car. The top half was simple enough, requiring only a little leaning forward to fasten a bra in place or slip a t-shirt on, but the lower half of the body was a chore. Getting her panties on wasn’t the most difficult task, though it had problematic moments, but getting full length jeans on was another matter entirely. Jen eventually managed by crumpling up each pant leg to make it shorter so she could get her foot through the whole length in just a few short inches, then she wiggled and twisted in her seat until she was able to slide them up, over her knees, her thighs and her hips. Finally she pulled the zipper and fastened the button, and finished by tossing her sandals on the floor and blindly poking her feet around until she was able to get them situated properly.

The air conditioner had fully kicked in and the vents were no longer spewing heat at her. Jen let the cold air wash over her face for several minutes and tried to relax. She’d managed to make it from one end of the park to the other, completely nude, and not get seen. It seemed like it should have felt like an accomplishment.

After a sigh of relief, Jen shifted the car back into drive and aimed for the exit of the parking lot.