CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“Down,” Ethan ordered as he dove to the ground, pulling Nyla with him.

Lights from a vehicle swept over their bodies as they lay flat, faces pressed into the dirt. A cactus spine dug into Nyla’s knee, but she barely noticed the pain through the heavy pounding of her heart. She struggled to breathe as Ethan’s hand pressed down in the small of her back, pushing her belly into the rocks. Despite the pain, the feel of his strong hand gave her comfort.

They remained plastered to the ground until they could no longer hear the patrol vehicle or see any lights. Ethan stood and extended a hand to Nyla. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her feet in one quick effortless motion. Nyla thought she was in good shape, but they had kept up a brutal pace all night and she wasn’t sure how much further she could go.

Nyla turned to look for Claire and Jared and was startled to see them standing so close, yet she hadn’t heard them approach. Claire’s brilliant jade-colored eyes were wide and her face covered with dirt, yet she glowed with excitement.

“Well, at least we made it to the paved road with plenty of time to spare,” Claire whispered enthusiastically.

Ethan started to speak, but paused and looked at Claire. She was so optimistic in the face of danger it amazed him. Her positive outlook had always been a trait he admired. Now, he could do nothing but shake his head in disbelief. Claire’s buoyant spirit had added color to an otherwise drab existence, but she required a lot of energy. His eyes moved to Nyla. She was practical, yet smart, caring and fearless, a combination he never wanted to live without. The realization stunned him, but he pushed it out of his mind and refocused on the issue at hand.

“We’ve got a couple of options. We could back track and hunker down until they go off shift or we can assume it’s clear for a while now that the car has passed and cross the highway,” Ethan posed to his attentive friends.

“I say we go for it,” Jared replied. “The closer we get to the border the better. Right?”

“I’m with Jared. Freedom is so close I can taste it. And, it doesn’t taste like a prepackaged, nutritionally balanced sack of crap,” Claire stated.

Nyla wanted to laugh, but instead pretended she hadn’t heard Claire’s description of their previous life. She feared that if she gave into the temptation to laugh, she wouldn’t be able to stop. Looking over at Ethan, she could see he was struggling to keep a straight face as well, but he quickly regained his composure. Nyla knew he was weighing all the options. He was always cautious and analytical, which she respected so she was never hesitant to follow his lead.

“I think we should wait. Carlos said cross the highway after the shift change at four. He couldn’t send much information for fear of being caught. Maybe he had reasons other than the patrol agents that we don’t know about,” Ethan stated.

“I’m going now,” Claire stated. “We’re sitting ducks here and I’m too tired to backtrack to a safe distance. My feet are blistered, my legs feel like gelatin, I’m terrified we’ll run into wolves, snakes or bears and we’re out of food and water.”

Jared stood behind Claire. He placed his hands on her shoulders and rested his chin on her head. Nyla knew his actions were a symbol of solidarity. He would go wherever Claire went.

Nyla looked over at Ethan, searching his expression for help and guidance. She watched as he stared at Jared and Claire, but his face was blank and Nyla couldn’t read what was on his mind.

“I don’t like it, but if you two are going, we’re going too. We have to stay together. Don’t you agree, Nyla?”

“Normally I’d say you’re the boss, but I think you’ve just been replaced by a five-foot, five-inch brunette. So how do you propose we get across, Claire? Do we just waltz out onto the road and wave a friendly greeting at the passing patrol car?”

Claire shot Nyla an annoyed look and motioned for everyone to follow. After a short hike, they were able to drop back down into the dry creek bed. Claire led the group toward the paved road, staying in the shadows of the banks. Where the creek met the road stood a large bridge.

The creek was dry, but apparently, at times it was a raging torrent. The bridge spanning the creek seemed to go on forever, both ends lost in the darkness. Nyla looked over at Ethan and she could tell he was thinking the same thing—it was too easy and they would be vulnerable.

“Well, what do you think?” Claire asked. “I spied a piece of the bridge before we had to dive for cover.”

“Wait just a minute,” Ethan suggested.

Before Nyla could ask what he was doing, he had slipped away into the darkness, leaving her feeling cold and shaken. The panic attacks brought on by Ethan’s absence were becoming more frequent and she struggled to bring this latest bout under control. She sat down on a rock and watched as Claire and Jared swayed in the moonlight, making her yearn for Ethan. She focused her attention on breathing and staying calm. Letting out a sigh of relief and jumping to her feet as Ethan’s familiar form came into view, she had to fight the urge to throw herself into his arms and beg him to never leave her again.

“I climbed up to the road and this may be our best bet whether we cross now or at four. The pavement curves away in both directions past the bridge, so unless a patrol vehicle is close, they won’t see us.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” Jared cut in impatiently.

“I said it may be our best bet, but it’s impossible to know for sure. It’s a climb from here to the road and the bridge is lower than the rest of the paved road, so I suppose it’s possible this corridor is being watched from a higher vantage point.”

Nyla stood close to the bank at the creek’s edge. There was quite a bit of cover for them, but if they proceeded much further, there would be no way out if they were spotted. The bank was too steep to scale quickly or quietly. They could easily be trapped if spotted.

“It’s risky, but I’m game. As much as I hate deviating from Carlos’ instructions, like Claire, I’m too tired to backtrack at this point. I had no idea there were so many muscles in the human body that could all ache at the same time,” Nyla said.

Claire laughed. “I know what you mean. Even my jaw hurts, don’t ask me why.”

They crowded together and stared at the wide bed running underneath the bridge, all eyes then focused on Ethan.

“I’ll go first, but stay close together. If Jared runs into a snake he’ll scream like a little girl and we’ll definitely get caught,” Ethan replied.

Ethan walked along the bank with his friend’s in tow. The progress was slow since he was trying to stay in the shadows of the steep bank while straining his eyes for snakes, approaching vehicles or other predators. He hoped this ideal habitat would be empty, but his hopes were soon crushed by the chilling sound of a serpents warning.

The snake coiled in their path rattled loud enough that no one needed an explanation as to why Ethan had stopped. In the quiet, still night, the sound cut through the darkness like a siren, making the group freeze. They were directly under the bridge, which provided some cover in case a vehicle approached, but they needed to act fast and get as far from the road as possible.

“Let’s just give it a wide berth. We’ll go around it and cut back in as soon as we’re clear. We’ll be vulnerable for a moment, but if I try to kill it, it’ll take too much time,” Ethan said.

He lifted his hand to motion for his friends to follow, but before he could take a step, he heard a vehicle approaching and quickly retreated to the cover of the bridge, while keeping a sharp eye on the serpent. As he watched the snake, two others slithered out of the weeds and warily joined the one already agitated by the uncommon human presence.

The vehicle stopped on top of the bridge and the engine silenced. Nyla could hear two car doors open and then slam shut. From the guard rail on top of the bridge a person scanned the creek bed with a powerful spotlight. She could hear footsteps directly overhead and then the large light fanned out over the dry bed on the opposite side of the bridge.

Nyla crowded closer to Ethan as she listened to the two women talking. The voices were getting louder and they were now able to make out the words.

“Keep an extra close lookout tonight. We got a report of four runaways who are probably heading this direction,” one woman stated.

Rocks tumbled down into the creek bed as a large unseen animal scampered up the bank to avoid being captured in the spotlight.

“Over here. I think I heard something.”

The sound of boots pounding overhead took Nyla’s breath away. The women left the bridge and scrambled down the bank. Once they reached the creek bed and turned the light under the bridge, it would be all over. Nyla wondered if Ethan and Jared would be executed on the spot or if they would at least be taken back to stand trial. The thought of losing Ethan terrified her. She slipped out from behind Ethan and positioned her body in front of his. He tried to push her back, but she refused to budge. If they were going shoot Ethan, they would have to go through her. She doubted a woman would shoot another woman and she hoped her instincts were correct.

Ethan wrapped his arms around Nyla once he realized it would make too much noise to force her behind him. He eased her back while pushing Jared and Claire further into the shadows and behind some brush along the bank. He knew Nyla was attempting to shield him from being shot if they were seen and the gesture made it impossible for him to think clearly. No one had ever shown him such care and devotion. She was willing to lay down her life for him. He squeezed his eyes shut and held her tight, hoping he could protect her if they were discovered.

Hugging the bank, Nyla felt a little more hidden. She still doubted they were concealed enough to take a direct hit of light, but to bolt now would definitely give their position away. Just as she was certain their dream was over, a scream pierced the night. The light dipped away and danced erratically over the dry creek bed and then diverted skyward and disappeared. Feet churning up the bank, dislodging rocks in the process and loud thuds overhead indicated the women were back on the paved road and running across the bridge. Car doors opened and slammed shut and the motor roared to life. The vehicle idled above them for several moments, then pulled away.

“Glad I didn’t try to kill the snakes since they probably just saved our lives,” Ethan stated. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his bundle of rattles. Careful not to let his friends see, he tossed them into the brush. A great weight lifted from his mind with the disposal of the tiny package. One more tie to the past had been severed.

They searched for the snakes, but saw nothing and figured the women’s screams had scared the serpents away. Without a word they jogged silently down the creek bed, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and the civilization that could destroy everything they had been working for.