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Then she feels Sarah’s hand on her wrist. Sarah is already on her feet, glancing to the door. Lenna rises and scoops up Jacob, praying with all her might that he doesn’t make a sound. Besides a tiny coo, he stays quiet, almost like he knows. She takes a few steps, leaving her mat behind. This seems risky. Impossible. Ridiculous. They are all righthere,next to her feet, and while the air conditioner drowns out some sounds, she can’t believe they aren’t reacting more.Shut off all outside distractions,indeed. Gia’s hands rest by her sides so vulnerably. It’s strange to see her in repose. Marjorie’s chin is tilted upward, and her eyes are squeezed closed. And then, Lenna sees it. Matilda’s eyes are open. She lifts her neck and stares straight at Lenna, Jacob, and Sarah.
Lenna freezes. Matilda stares blankly, like some other entity has taken residence inside her. Lenna swallows hard and takes a small step backward. Any moment now, Matilda will call out. She’ll tell the others. Marjorie.
But then, miraculously, Matilda’s eyes flutter closed. Lenna hurries out before anyone else can see—or, for that matter, before Jacob’s good mood shatters.
They grab the backpacks and walk to the exit. When Lenna pushes on the door, it isn’t locked, and an alarm doesn’t sound. Her heart thrums as she puts distance between herself and the house. She hasn’t even strapped her baby into his carrier all the way; his weight droops to one side.
“This way,” Sarah whispers, leading them through a maze ofcacti. Lenna glances over her shoulder, afraid they’re making tracks in the sand.
At the goat pen, the animals eye them suspiciously. Gnats sting at Lenna’s legs. It must be a hundred degrees out, and Jacob makes a note of protest. It’s too hot for him, but with Jacob strapped to her chest and the backpack on her back, for her it’s even worse.
A twig snaps. Lenna’s heart jumps in her throat, terrified someone is following. When she turns, it’s one of Ann’s little dogs, Cosmo. He must have slipped out with them, and now he’s trotting along, his eyes eager and hopeful.
“Go home,” Lenna hisses.
The dog doesn’t move. “Cosmo,” Sarah repeats, swishing her hands. “Seriously.Go.”
The dog whimpers. Jacob, however, has quieted again, staring contemplatively at the dog. He calmed down when he saw Cosmo another time, too. “I’m afraid that if we put him inside, Jacob will start crying,” she whispers.
Sarah shuts her eyes, exasperated. “We could just let him tag along, I guess. He’s probably been on hikes before.” She pats her thigh. Cosmo marches over, tail wagging. And, thankfully, Jacob stays quiet.
They traverse the ravine, out of sight of the house. It calms Lenna—at least they won’t be able to see them the moment they look out the window. For a while, the only sounds are the wind, Cosmo’s panting, their footsteps, and Jacob’s little feet flopping against her torso. When Lenna checks her watch, she’s surprised to see that fifteen minutes have already passed.
They push on toward the mountain. “We can’t go up the easy way,” Sarah says, squinting straight into the sun. “It’s too visible. We’ll have to go up the back. Over the rocks. Think you can with the baby?”
She points to the treacherous boulders, and Lenna’s heart doesa flip. Maneuvering over them with a baby strapped to her front seems next to impossible. She looks at Sarah, too. “You’repregnant. You shouldn’t risk it, either.”
“I’ll be fine. Or I could just go up alone…”
“No.” Lenna doesn’t like the idea of separating.
Lenna crawls up the first rock, cradling Jacob at her chest to protect his head. Sarah watches her warily. Lenna heaves her body to the next rock, and then to the next. Her feet slip multiple times. She curses herself for not choosing better shoes. For having to do this in the first place.
After a few minutes, though, the rocks become flatter, the footholds more secure. Lenna feels drained. Every muscle aches. There is a stabbing feeling between her eyes. And Jacob is all-out crying. She fears the sound will carry back to the house.
“Shh, honey nut,” she urges, bouncing him. “This will be over soon. And we’ll see Daddy again. And it’s getting dark. No more mean sun.”
But as soon as she says this, something catches in her brain. It’s too early for it to be dark. And yet it is.
She stares at the sky, startled at the change. All the blue is gone, and the world has turned a yellow-brown. The wind has picked up, too, bending the flimsy branches on the mesquite trees and scrub bushes. A gust smacks into Lenna, stinging her eyes. Jacob’s lungs fill with new wails. Cosmo the dog lets out a low growl.
“Lenna!” Sarah is higher up the rocks, taking shelter in a small outcropping. “Get up here! Out of this wind!”
Lenna’s arms and legs ache as she climbs. The wind blows so hard it stings against her face. Jacob is really losing his mind. But somehow, she, Jacob, and the dog make it up the next boulder and squeeze in next to Sarah. The nook provides a little shelter, but Lenna is horrified at how the weather has transformed. The sky isapocalyptic, so fraught with dust Lenna can only see a few inches in front of her face.
She turns to Sarah in horror. “So…they were telling the truth about the storm?”
“I…don’t know.” Then Sarah looks down at her phone, and her eyes widen. “I have service!”
Sure enough, there is a single bar in the upper right-hand corner. Lenna reaches into her own pocket, extracting her phone. She, too, has minimal service—but it’s something.
“I’m calling,” Sarah murmurs.
Lenna watches as her fingers tap the screen. But when she puts the phone to her ear, she grits her teeth. “Still not going through.”
“Try again!”
Still no luck. Sarah glares at her phone like she wants to smash it to pieces. Lenna tries to call as well, but the call remains in a holding pattern, the connection not made.
