Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Knowing I’m not alone with my worry, I relax and lean my head against his shoulder. His hand slides under the coat on my lap and he threads his fingers with mine. Despite the chill, his hands are surprisingly warm. I cover our joined hands with my other one, greedily seeking out his warmth.
We travel for another half hour or so before Wayne begins to slow down the truck. When he stops, we all stand in the truck to stretch our legs and see what the holdup is.
“End of the line,” Wayne states in a gruff tone, gesturing at the massive tree blocking the roadway. “If the mountains are where we want to be, then it looks like we’re on foot from here on out.”
Elise points past the tree. “The map says we’re near Yosemite Valley. Maybe we can find somewhere safe to stay. A lodge or something. There could be people who could help us.”
Everyone nods, but the tension is thick. Our last encounter with people wasn’t a good one.
“We’ll need to pack up everything,” Kellen says, gesturing at the stacks of supplies loaded in the truck. “Try to fit anything you can into your packs without making it too heavy to carry.”
“Bring the camping gear, too,” Aaron adds. “Just in case lodging isn’t an option.”
He shares a dark look with Hope, who nods. Elise frowns at them before peering past the felled tree as if to see friendly people just waiting to help us. We spend the next twenty minutes snacking on some food and then packing up before we head out.
Aaron has taken the map from Elise and leads our group with Hope at his side. Elise trails behind them with everyone else following. This time, me and Kellen take up the rear. Our group is quiet as we all take turns climbing over the tree so we can continue our trek.
As the sun dips below the horizon behind us, the chill in the air becomes more profound. I drive my hands into my jacket pockets and brace against the bitter wind at my back. Thankfully, the jackets have hoods and we all don them, hoping to at least keep our heads warm. It could be worse. We could be facing the wind that whistles sharply through the mountain valley.
“Look, there’s a small town up ahead,” Elise calls out, skipping past Aaron and Hope. “They’ll help us. You’ll see!”
Everyone picks up the pace, infected by her optimism. But when she stops in front of an eighteen-wheeler parked in the road, blocking our path, she screeches to a halt. Someone has sprayed the outside of the trailer with red paint.
No supplies. No food. No lodging.
Keep moving through or we’ll make you.
The chill that skitters down my spine this time has nothing to do with the cold. These people are protecting their small mountain town. From kidnappers? Crazed moonies?
Aaron turns around to meet my gaze. “Looks like we can follow the base of the mountains around the town, hike through the forest until we reach Tioga Road, and then follow that road through the mountains until we reach the next town at the base on the other side.”
“How far is that?” Kyle asks, irritation in his tone. “Some of us are cold as fuck.”
“It’s quite a hike,” Aaron admits with a grimace. “Probably seventeen hours on foot from here to Lee Vining.”
The group bursts out into active chatter, everyone voicing their opinions all at once. Finally, Kellen whistles, earning everyone’s attention.
“We’ve been through worse than a cold hike,” he barks out. “If we find someplace safe along the way, we’ll camp out. However, turning around isn’t an option and neither is stopping in town. So let’s get past this town and regroup. Complaining about it doesn’t change the fact that we need to get through these mountains. Eventually, we’ll run into the National Guard or the American Red Cross. Someone will help us. We just have to get there.”
Kellen’s voice is confident and brooks no room for argument. He almost has me convinced what he says is true. That we’ll get over the mountains and be welcomed by the military or some other government agency. That potentially in a day or two, we could be safe, warm, and back to some semblance of a normal life.
It’s Kellen’s furrowed brow and the nervous glint in his eyes that allows me to see this for what it is. He’s rallying our troops for the next leg of our journey, but it’s not at all going to be as easy as he wants everyone to believe.
We’re still in survival mode and we’ll be smart to remember that.
The group starts walking again, Aaron leading. I nudge my shoulder with Kellen’s and lift a brow at him. He gives me a grim smile before taking hold of my hand once more. As we trail after the others, I can almost pretend I’m on a hiking date with a hot, older guy.