Nick fell to her knees to catch her breath. The forced march over the mountains had left her sweating despite the freezing cold. This was the result of being used as a beast of burden, lugging two backpacks and Karen’s sample cases. The man she still thought of as Barlow and the doctor had carried only their weapons.
He nudged Nick with his toe. “Do you know anything about cars?”
“No,” she lied.
“Funny, I seem to remember something about you and cars. You were arrested for stealing one, once.”
“So I took a joyride. That doesn’t make me a professional car thief.”
He turned his gaze on Karen, who glared back and said, “What now, genius?”
“We look for spare keys.”
“And if there aren’t any?”
He shrugged. “Then, we walk back the way we came. I figure it’s a hundred miles to the ranger station. It’s flat country mostly, so we ought to be able to make three miles an hour, easy. That’s twenty-five miles a day if we walk for eight hours. More if we push it. We’ll be home free in three days, maybe four.”
“I told you before, the flu can incubate in two days. If I’ve got it, I could be dead in three, especially exposed to temperatures like this.”
“Then you’d better help look for the keys, hadn’t you?”
“And her?” Karen said, waving her pistol in Nick’s direction.
“Cuff her. If we’re walking, we don’t want to lose our baggage handler.” Barlow laughed. “Who knows? She might have other uses.”
Once Nick’s hands were tied, Barlow started with the Ford that still had its tires intact, breaking a side window to get in. Karen broke into the next in line.
Watching them work, Nick felt certain she could hot-wire the car, no matter how fancy its electronics. And once its engine was running there’d be warmth from the heater, and she could stop shaking. No, better to stay cold, because once they didn’t need her, she’d be too dead to shake.
She stared down the narrow road that had brought them to the refuge, and winced at the thought of a hundred-mile trek in this kind of weather. Thank God it had at least stopped snowing for the moment.
“Nothing, for Christ’s sake,” Barlow shouted when they’d run out of Fords. “What kind of people travel around with only one set of keys?”
“People who don’t expect you to set fire to them,” the doctor snapped at him. “Your stupidity has killed us.”
“You, maybe.”
“You have no idea how infectious the Spanish flu can be. If I have it, you could be infected already, or soon will be.” She nodded at Nick. “Her, too.”
Barlow chewed his lip for a moment. “I have an idea. Keep Nick covered for a moment.”
The instant the doctor turned, Barlow mashed his fist across her forearm. Her pistol went flying.
Karen sagged to her knees, moaning and cradling her arm.
But by then, Barlow had backed well away from her.
“Thanks for the warning, Karen,” he said. “From now on you keep your distance. Otherwise, I kill you here and now. Do you understand?”
“You bastard.”
“You too, girlie,”‘ Barlow turned to Nick. “You both keep your distance.”
“How far?” Nick asked, smiling.
“What about it, Karen, how far can those germs of yours fly?”
“Fuck you.”
Barlow laughed. “I’ll let you know when you get too close. Now start walking, the both of you. And don’t get any ideas. I’ll still be dose enough to shoot you.”