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Handing off my tablet to him, I looked at Julia. “Stick close. Hopefully they won’t have ventured out yet, but I wouldn’t bet on it. If we get separated, come straight back here. Remember to avoid any water. Got it?”
She nodded firmly and pulled her goggles over her eyes and her bandana over her mouth. “Understood.”
Visibility outside the cave had improved drastically since the rain had tamped down the dust and sand. The storm had done a number on the landscape, too. The terrain had shifted, and landmarks I’d used before were now different. Sand had piled in places where there used to be some semblance of a path. Sand dunes had shifted into different places, and in some areas it had blown away completely, revealing the hard rock beneath. I still knew where the sensors were—how far and which direction to go—but the change was disorienting.
I set off to the right at a moderate pace, eyes roving the landscape looking for any signs of danger. The sky was still overcast with thick, dark clouds, but no rain fell. I could almost feel a dampness to the air, but it didn’t burn my lungs to breathe. There was still the possibility of isolated pockets of rain that could crop up, so I kept a watchful eye on the sky.
We reached the top of a hill and Julia stopped to stare. A fire whirl burned on a ridge perhaps a mile away, twirling flames up into the sky. It was consuming what looked like a small tree. It was hard to tell from that distance, but I’d bet because of its elevated position that it had been struck by lightning and the wind had taken it from there.
Wind slapped against our backs and Julia teetered forward, but she caught her balance after a second. We didn’t have time to stare, so I took her gloved hand and turned towards our goal, away from the fire. A sensor stood on another ridge not far away.
The ground was covered in loose sand deposits, and therefore it slipped away easily underfoot. I clenched my jaw and slowed my pace to compensate. We had to descend down a hill, and my feet kept sliding out from under me. Julia had just as much trouble behind me. Her foot slipped and she slammed into my back. I crouched down to maintain my balance. Julia started to fall past me, so I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against me. A puddle of water lay just ahead and to the left, and I didn’t want her getting anywhere near it.
She grabbed my arm with tense fingers and quickly regained her feet, moving away from the water. At least she had seen it, and she obviously feared it. That fear would keep her alive. Our eyes met, silently making sure the other was okay before we resumed our trek.
Thunder rolled in the distance. It wasn’t far enough away for me to be comfortable. My guess was that it was only a couple of miles away or so. That was too close. The last thing we needed was for one of us to get struck by lightning. I eyed the sensor we were closing in on and tried not to think negatively.
The wind whipped sand up into our path, and I slowed. Sand and dust whirled around in front of us, and although it didn’t appear as though the wind had stirred up any water, I wasn’t sure I wanted to chance it. Julia started forward, and I grabbed her arm as gently as I could and shook my head at her. Although she looked confused, she halted.
As soon as the sand dropped away, I started forward again, watching the ground carefully. Everything was tinted dark from the low light. I steered away from the more questionable spots as much as possible. There was just enough light to see the color variations in the sand, but it was still a struggle.
We reached the first sensor without much trouble. This one seemed to have survived the storm with no visible damage. I popped it free and did a brief check of it before turning to the next one. Julia stayed at my back the whole time and kept watchful eyes on the area around us. There didn’t seem to be any signs of her pursuers, but I knew they had to be out searching for us. If they wanted her dead badly enough, I doubted they would allow a little inclement weather to interfere.
We made steady progress and rounded up two more sensors without any trouble. We spotted another fire whirl and what looked like a small pond of acid rain, but they were far enough away not to be a threat. When lightning flashed, Julia jumped and stepped closer to me. Thunder followed it instantly, and I frowned. I could feel the electricity in the air, and I cringed. We weren’t in a safe place. More thunder rolled ominously, and I watched as two more lightning strikes flashed nearby.
“We need to move, now.” I urged Julia away from the lightning, towards a fourth sensor on another hill. She didn’t argue.
As I picked my way down the ridge, my foot tripped on a root that was partially hidden by sand. I lost my balance and tipped forward. I couldn’t recover quickly enough, and I cradled the sensors protectively as the ground rushed up at me. The impact hurt and knocked the air from my lungs. I rolled down the hill and kicked my feet out to slow my progress.
A hand grabbed my shoulder, jerking me to a stop. Julia dug in her heels beside me, holding my shoulder tightly until we both stopped. I sat down hard on my butt, and Julia dropped down beside me. I checked the sensors, and thankfully they didn’t appear to be damaged by the fall.
Wind whooshed down, kicking up more dust and buffeting against our bodies. I took Julia’s hand and squeezed it in silent thanks before standing up and continuing towards the next sensor. Like a trooper, she got up and matched my pace, skirting another wet patch of sand.
There were six sensors total, but my goal was only to get four. At least, if we got four, I would be satisfied. Five would be better, but four would suffice.
We reached the base of another hill and started the arduous climb towards the top. I didn’t remember the hill being that steep before, but we couldn’t stop. Julia grunted beside me, but she didn’t complain. She kept going, hand over hand, and I focused on getting myself up the hill. I was in pretty good shape, and normally a climb like that wouldn’t have been so taxing, but not under those circumstances and not while carrying three sensors. My breath started coming in gasps and sweat gathered on my forehead and spine. I clenched my jaw and kept going, ignoring the discomfort.
Finally, my hand touched flat ground, and I pulled myself onto it with a sigh. I helped Julia up beside me and carefully rolled onto my feet. I took a second to catch my breath and scan the area. A burning tree stood a couple hundred feet away, and the wind whipped back and forth, turning the fire into spirals, but it hadn’t turned into a full fire whirl yet. It was well on its way though.
Julia started to say something, but thunder boomed at the same time, drowning out her words. I winced at the deafening sound and turned to the sensor. I tried to disengage it from the rock, but it refused to budge. I grunted and knelt, trying to pry it loose to no avail. I growled and tried to wiggle it. There was enough give that it turned a fraction, but not enough for it to release. Impatient, I clenched my jaw and began the painstaking process of pulling it free inch by inch. Julia grabbed it higher up and pulled, lending her strength.
Wind pressed against my back, and I took a second to eye the burning tree again. We were safe for now, at least from that.I think we’ve pressed our luck too much out here.A bad feeling grew in the pit of my stomach.
Julia’s hands were suddenly gone, and she shouted in surprise. I turned just in time to see a man lunge at me. I pushed backward with my feet, and he only managed to catch my arm instead of my midsection. I slammed into the ground hard enough that I’d have a bruise. I tried to pull away from the man, but his hand locked onto my arm, and he swiped at me with a knife. I jerked away, pulling him with me when he didn’t let go. He lost his balance and dropped flat onto the ground.
Taking advantage of his fall, I threw my leg over him, rolled on top of him, and pinned his legs. I grabbed at the knife with both hands, trying to wrest the weapon from him. He grunted as his grip started to slip, but he stubbornly held on.
Gravity was on my side, and eventually he dropped the knife. I reached for it, but he punched me in the face before I was able to grab it. He swung at me again, but I rocked backwards and he missed. Instead of reaching for his knife, I swung forward, grabbed his throat with my right hand, and grabbed for my gun with my left.
Hurry, Ethan. You don’t have time to waste on him.
He pounded on me with his fists, solely focused on the hand around his throat. I grabbed the hilt of the gun and jerked it free of its holster. Even though I tried to keep it out of his line of sight, his eyes tracked it. He bucked, trying to throw me off. I held on stubbornly, shoved the gun into his gut, and fired.
Pain exploded across his face, and he gurgled something incoherent. I jumped off him. He pressed his hands against his stomach and tried to mutter something. Knowing he wouldn’t get back up, I ignored him.
Find Julia.
My head turned side to side, searching for her. She was wrestling with her own assailant a dozen feet away. She was on her side on the ground, her face inches from a shallow pool of water. A man was crouched on top of her, foot in her back, hand forcing her head towards the water.
