CHAPTER TWENTY

The sun rose, renewing the groups fading energy. Travel on foot through the dark storm, across rough terrain had been slow and difficult. The rain had finally stopped just before daybreak, leaving them soaked and chilled, but relieved and determined to press on until the heat forced them to stop.

They still hadn’t located Tornillo Creek which made Nyla nervous. Carlos had wrote they couldn’t get lost as long as they followed the creek, but what if they never found it? She was uncomfortable not following Carlos’ instructions and taking refuge during the day, but suspected they were far behind schedule and possibly lost, so was hesitant to stop.

Ethan came to an abrupt halt. “Listen. I think I hear a helicopter.”

It took only a second for them to confirm Ethan’s suspicion as the noise quickly grew louder. They frantically searched for a place to hide, but saw few options. There were no trees and the brush was short and scattered.

“Spread out and huddle under the biggest piece of brush you can find that doesn’t already house a snake,” Ethan ordered.

Nyla scrambled away from her friends, found a decent bush to crouch behind and curled into a tight ball. She couldn’t see her friends, which gave her a little relief mixed with a lot of panic. If she couldn’t see them, maybe the helicopter couldn’t spot them either, but not being able to see Ethan made her feel alone and vulnerable.

Just as the helicopter neared their position, it veered south and hovered. Despite the lucky break, the deafening noise rattled Nyla’s nerves. She stayed huddled, face down, afraid to move, not knowing if it would circle back or if it hovered because it had already spotted someone.

Nyla was afraid to look up since her pale complexion would most likely blow her cover. They had all purposely worn earth-tones in hopes of blending into the environment and she had tied her blond hair up and under a beige bandana. She hoped it was enough to avoid detection.

After what felt like an eternity, the low-flying helicopter moved on. The sound faded away as quickly as it had arrived, leaving the desert eerily quiet. As Nyla remained crouched low, she realized how much the day had warmed up and it reminded her they needed to get out of sight and out of the heat, which could prove as deadly as the many other obstacles they faced.

“Come on. Let’s find Jared and Claire,” Ethan whispered as he crept up next to her.

Startled, Nyla swung her arms out wildly and jumped to her feet. She hadn’t heard Ethan approach and her thoughts had been elsewhere. Her nerves were so close to the edge she just reacted, her fist narrowly missing his chin.

“Sorry, didn’t hear you sneak up on me.”

“Good reflexes,” he said with an approving smile.

“We have to find cover and wait for night like Carlos suggested,” she replied, her voice quivering.

“It’d be safer.” Ethan looked into her eyes and smiled as he brushed a loose strand of hair away from her dirt-stained cheek and tucked it back underneath her bandana.

The touch of his rough calloused fingers on her face made Nyla shiver. She didn’t know why. He had touched her many times over the years, but this was different, and her fear was quickly replaced by confusion.

“Wow, that was close,” came Claire’s perky voice. “I didn’t realize those things were so loud. I can still hear it pounding in my ears.”

“That’s an old helicopter. The new ones are much quieter and faster,” Jared offered. “We saw a new one when we delivered some produce to the military base north of home.”

Nyla was always amazed at Claire’s ability to seem so chipper under any circumstances. Nyla was terrified by the near miss, concerned they were lost, and confused by Ethan’s actions, yet Claire was practically skipping as she bounded up to them with Jared in tow.

“Way too close for comfort,” Nyla mumbled. “Let’s get out of here in case they decide to come back. As soon as we find a decent place to get out of the heat let’s hide out until nightfall.”

“I agree, but I think we need to find Tornillo Creek in the daylight so we at least know we’re on the right track,” Ethan said as he shouldered his pack and started down a game trail with his friends following silently behind.