Take the clearing

Jen listened carefully for any cars before she darted out from the trees and into the clearing. Once she started walking along the patches of grass she was able to breathe a little easier. It wasn’t perfect cover but there were enough clusters that she would have minimal trouble getting out of view if any cars came along the road. Some of the grass patches were just taller than her head- she almost smiled knowing that she would barely have to duck to stay hidden.

Her feet lightly crunched through the dirt as she walked. She looked to the right and could see only the line of trees- the path was well hidden from her view which meant that no one could see her from the trail. This wasn’t the case to her left. She occasionally crossed short distances where there she was completely out in the open. But before stepping into these areas she carefully listened for the sound of engines.

Ahead she could barely make out the trash can, standing sentinel at the edge of the parking lot. It looked tiny from here. Her mind came to the dreadful thought that Eve may not have left her clothes there but she quickly **** it out of mind. Eve may be a blackmailer, but she’d kept her word so far. That wasn’t a problem to worry about now. Now she just had to make it through the meadow.

The droning whine of an engine reached her ears, coming from behind. She took two quick steps to the nearest swatch of tall grass and froze in place. Jen looked behind her and saw that her back might be just visible from the road. She squatted down and took a half step forward. She couldn’t see any of the road from that angle now. The motor noise kept approaching, nearer, then nearer, then it started fading away ahead of her. She stood back up and could see the car rolling off north.

Nothing to worry about, she thought.

She settled back into her pace easily enough and realized her nerves were relatively settled. She kept looking around but saw more grass than anything else. Occasionally she could see the tree line hiding the park’s trail, and some parts of the road to the opposite side, but Jen felt well hidden from anyone and anything. Her heart was still beating slightly faster than average, but not hammering in her chest like before.

She was over halfway through the clearing when she heard the next car approaching, this time from ahead of her. Jen froze in her steps, directly next to a wide length of grass. The highest reeds stood just a few inches over her head, possibly the tallest grass in the whole meadow. If any part of her could be seen it was only the very top of her head.

The car passed by without incident. After a few seconds to let it get some distance from her, Jen set back into walking towards the parking lot.

She was able to see the road starting to swing deeper into the meadow and she altered her direction slightly to keep some space between herself and any motorists. The grass was slightly thinner here but she still had plenty to keep her hidden. Jen picked up her pace slightly. The trash can was clearly in sight.

A third car came and went. Jen was caught at a slightly shorter bunch of grass and ducked down as the driver passed by. Her nerves held steady, her pulse barely increasing when the car was directly to her side.

Finally she reached the end of the meadow. Jen stepped into the middle of the last big bunch of grass so she could survey things from hiding. The green metal trash can was mere yards away, its painted grid of steel casting a slight reflection of the sun above. The parking lot was devoid of people. Her car sat ahead and to the right, a total of four other cars in the whole lot keeping it company. She thought she could make out the key left sitting on the rear tire, right where she’d left it. Her only concerns were if a car happened past when she made her run for her clothes, or anyone walking out of the park. She could keep some measure of watch on the street from here and would easily hear a vehicle approaching. The trail well to the right was another story. The trees now worked against her, and she doubted that she would hear anyone walking from this distance. But it was a chance she would have to take.

Her ears picked up nothing from the road ahead or behind her. She took one last look around and felt as safe as she possibly could without knowing if anyone was on the trail. Then in one swift, smooth movement she parted the grass ahead of her apart with her hands and stepped out into the open.

Immediately Jen sprinted to the trash can, keeping her eyes trained towards the park entrance. She nearly ran into the trash can, her arm immediately diving into its opening. He hand hit soft plastic. She grabbed and yanked it out. It only took her a split second to confirm it was the shopping bag. Her jeans and sandals were clearly visible through the light tan plastic. Without a second’s hesitation she sprinted manically for her car.

Jen trusted her ears to warn her about any cars and kept her eyes towards the park’s trail. Her feet slightly burned with each step on the black asphalt. She tried to use this to encourage herself to run even faster, but she knew she was at the peak of her possible abilities. She was already running faster than she ever had in her life.

Her hand dipped into the wheel well for a split second, just long enough to securely grab her car key. Her thumb found the buttons and she clicked the button to unlock her car. A rewarding thunk reached her ears. Jen yanked the driver’s side door wide open, dived into the seat rather than slid in, and yanked the door closed just as quickly. Her hands immediately began scrabbling at the loose knot in the plastic bag.

Still looking around to make sure no one had emerged from the park, she sorted through her clothes and found her panties. It was a slight challenge to bend down far enough around the steering wheel so she could slip her feet through them. She held her breath for a few seconds, blindly trying to loop her legs into her underwear, but was able to breathe as she sat back up, arched her hips off the seat and pulled the panties over her butt and vagina. She was able to work her way into her bra much easier, not having to contort herself around the seat nearly as much.

She felt slightly better now that she was at least this covered- she still preferred not to get caught sitting in her car wearing just her bra and panties but that felt far less humiliating than someone potentially seeing her nude. Getting the jeans on was an even trickier chore than her panties had been. She threaded her feet through the legs one at a time before she was able to start shimmying them up. Once they were buttoned and zipped she was able to shrug into her shirt easily. One final glimpse around- still alone she thought- and Jen dropped her sandals on the floor and worked her feet into them. Then she fell back against the car seat and took several deep breaths.

Finally over with.

Sitting back up, she shifted the car back into drive and started turning to leave the parking lot.