Fear has a way of running its course and spreading its tentacles all over you. Fear wasn’t a word Ladybird thought she had in her dictionary, at least not until she had to comb the forest for a way out after realizing that she had a bleeding arm and then an attacker was holding a gun behind her head. She froze genuinely, her eyes scanning for a way of escape.

“Turn around!”

Her body attempted making a swift turn, but then came the follow-up order. “Stop!” She could hear his ...