At the sight, Erica's first instinct was to make a few sarcastic remarks.
But for some reason, when she saw the unconcealed exhaustion on Marcia's face, the redness of her cheeks from the long trek, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes that even her makeup couldn't hide, the words died on her lips.
To be fair, hiking for three straight hours In the Forest and over several small hills was an extreme level of exertion for a middle-aged woman in her forties who regularly burned the midnight oil and rarely exercised. She had truly reached her limit.
'In fact, she had far surpassed her expectations.'
'She'd thought the woman would be crying uncle after an hour, but she'd somehow managed to push through for a full three hours.'
'Even her own calves were aching now.'
"Let's rest for half an hour, then. It's not good to keep moving for so long. Food is limited out here, and we still haven't found a water source. Rationing our stamina is the most important thing."
