She passed a gray and weathered barn with a collapsed roof and then a couple of vehicles abandoned roadside, probably left wherever they’d run out of gas. Already, they were sun-faded and rusting. One day, these derelicts would be unidentifiable heaps of decayed wood or orangish-brown rusted remains.
After a midday meal on the road, Lissa checked her map. This town marked the approximate halfway mark. Pleased with her progress, she pushed on, not camping until sunset, after another grueling march along the highway. Her calves ached and her feet throbbed when she slipped off her boots. She wriggled her toes and sighed. If she made it to xTerra in time, her effort would be worthwhile.
The second night was much like the first, her thoughts filled with worries about Cam, concerns about her reception, and fears about who she might encounter along the route tomorrow. The closer to her goal, the more obstacles she envisioned. Sleep was difficult to achieve. She’d relax and drift off, exhausted, only to jerk awake, heart pounding. She dozed off several times, but true rest remained elusive.
At the hint of daybreak, with the first sliver of sun peeking over the horizon, she gave in to futility, packed, and hit the road. She enjoyed the peace of the morning, the mist burning off the fields as she walked. The landscape switched back to low, rolling hills, providing more interesting scenery, which served as a distraction. She yawned, forcing herself to keep a steady pace, despite the ache in her tired muscles.
Lissa might be running on fumes, but she still appreciated the surrounding beauty, much she wouldn’t have seen whizzing by in a car. She liked the slower mode of travel. Once, she would’ve grown impatient at the pace, but she’d learned better in the days since the asteroid. To pass the time, she imagined the expression on Cam’s face when she arrived. She hoped he would be surprised, even pleased to see her.
Daylight arrived with silvery, overcast skies, creating a sharp glare burning her tired eyes. She fished out her sunglasses, sighing with relief as they reduced her squinting. Despite the dark glasses, a low-grade headache built as the day passed. It might be due to lack of sleep, stress, or even the beginning of dehydration. Though she’d boiled water and refilled her canteens last night, she’d been rationing her water intake.
Though she hurried, Lissa wasn’t sure she would make it to xTerra before dark. Her feet sore, her muscles ached, and today, blisters had appeared on both heels. She lost track of time, just setting one foot in front of the other and pushing on.
Suddenly, a low whining background noise registered, bumping her from her daze. She glanced around before spinning in a slow circle, trying to pinpoint the origin. Despite hills in places, her immediate area was flat, with few trees and no buildings. While in position to see approaching vehicles, there was also nowhere to hide. Her pulse skyrocketed. The sound grew louder from the right.
Time to get off the road.
With a quick breath, she darted left, across the slope of loose gravel at the shoulder. She skidded down the bank into the muddy ditch. Ducking low, she slipped through a rusting barbed wire fence strung beside the highway. She glanced over her shoulder. Nothing yet. She sprinted for a slight rise where sprinkled bushes might provide cover. Reaching them, she dropped, sliding off her pack. She rested it beside her in the tall dead grass. She lay flat, feeling the pounding of her heart against the cold, damp ground. Her jacket and pants became wet as she lay unmoving.
The engine sounds grew louder. She peeked through the bushes again, then dipped low. Several vehicles approached, traveling together. They rose and then disappeared, following the contours of the road. Despite the distance from her vantage point, she held her breath. She’d need some luck to get through to xTerra without being discovered.
Soon, the trio of jeeps appeared on the road she’d just left. They passed her hillside position and continued along the highway, the one on her map. Damn. She needed to follow the marked route or risk becoming lost. At least the occupants didn’t seem to have seen her. With a deep breath, she kept her head tucked down, not moving until they were long gone, the sounds faded to nothing. She allowed herself another minute to regroup and resume normal breathing.
Things were getting more complicated, but she needed to continue.
She returned to the road, checking both ways before stepping onto the asphalt, girding herself for the probability that she might have to abandon the road eventually. Each time she reached a curve or a dip, anything reducing her visibility, she approached cautiously, ensuring she was alone before continuing. Her headache built in intensity, but she pressed on, albeit at a fraction of her earlier pace.
She passed several roads where the jeeps could have turned, but her gut told her they would be ahead—toward xTerra. Her palms remained sweaty, and her nerves on edge.
Her hyperalert state was exhausting, but she couldn’t let it slip. She was so close to her goal. A peek at the map showed a series of ninety-degree turns on Highway 471. Maybe it was time for her to take shortcuts.
Lissa left the road, angling across the fields to her left. When she reached the road again, she followed it for a few hundred yards, hoping she’d run across the proper road, then repeated her action, cutting left again. The going was slower, since she had to watch for uneven ground, rocks, and roots, but with the jeeps somewhere ahead it seemed prudent.
The second time she returned to the road, she followed it straight, past the turnoff for Edgemont. Drivers might go that way, but she followed the road sign toward the smaller town of Provo. Cam had marked this junction in thick strokes and written, “off-road.”
When she came into the former village, it seemed just like any of the abandoned towns she’d traveled through—dusty, broken, and eerily quiet. She passed through the small downtown without incident. Three hundred yards past the last shops, the road shook with a vibration. Then came the whine of another vehicle closer than she would have liked, giving herreason to hurry. She trotted toward the outskirts, her backpack bumping against her back, her stiff hiking shoes thumping on the road’s surface.
Reaching more open country, instead of following the highway, she headed out on her own through the tangled fields, sharp dead grass scratching her legs. On the other side, she ran up a hill into the bushes, hoping to lose anyone behind. She glanced back. A single jeep, moving at a crawl.
Excited shouts came as the vehicle stopped. A door slammed.
Shit. A wave of fear washed over her. Her skin broke out in goosebumps. She hadn’t been quick enough—she’d been spotted.
Now seemed like a smart time to run. Fear lent her speed.
Arms and legs pumping, she crossed the ridge, glancing over her shoulder. The engine sound grew louder. The jeep must be on the move again and close—hidden perhaps by the surrounding hills and low warehouses. At a sprint, she descended into a narrow valley by the creek housing several flat-topped buildings with metal siding. Her breath was labored, but she had to keep moving. The land to the north was completely flat. There was nowhere else to hide except here, among the scattered warehouses.
Lissa kept checking behind as she scanned for a hiding place. A nook. A dark shadow. Somewhere small she could tuck herself into to escape notice.
“Hey, you. Stop.” A man’s gruff voice carried through the spring air.
She froze in her tracks. Sweat trickled down her sides.
Thirty yards away, a man wearing tan pants and a camo jacket strode toward her. He held a rifle in his hands. She bolted, weaving back and forth, heading down the lane. The expected shot never came. At the far end of the empty parking lot, sheslipped into the wild. She vaulted over a tangled web of thorn bushes and, careless of the uneven ground, she ran.
Heavy footsteps pounded behind on the pavement, past the remaining warehouses.
“Stop.” His angry shout sounded out of breath.
