Running was torture. At first the adrenaline pumping through his veins kept him moving. He was too scared not to. But now his legs ached from the beating he had received earlier and he could feel himself slowing down.
They had been traveling fast for hours. It had been Cody’s idea to drop off into a canyon bed for cover and see where it took them.
Twice helicopters had flown over using searchlights but the two escapees had plastered themselves to the wall of the canyon and the helicopters had flown on.
Cody slowed to a walk. The major fell into step beside him. “You look pretty rough, kid. What did they want from you?”
He shrugged. “Somehow they found out I was planning to escape. They wanted me to give them my partner’s name and I wouldn’t.” A picture of Luther hanging from the fence crowded into his mind.
The major touched his arm. “He was a very brave man.”
Cody moved into a slow trot. He didn’t want to talk about it. If he hadn’t brought the woman … the thought trailed off.
He glanced back at her. She was small, not even as tall as him. Her face was still bruised but starting to look a little better. He had to give her credit. She’d taken a lot from Sidoron and had still managed to survive. The bandage on her head and the cast on her right arm were filthy from the dirt in the tunnel and from sliding down the canyon bank.
She had changed into the olive green flight suit the CCR had found her in. Both sleeves had been ripped off and it was torn in a couple of other places. Grudgingly he admitted to himself that she had kept up with him in spite of her injuries.
They trudged on through the morning and into the afternoon. A trickle of water had emerged on the base rock of the canyon floor. Cody dropped to his knees to get a drink. The major did the same.
He watched her. She held her bad arm in the air and tried to sip the water while lying on her left shoulder.
“Can I help you?” he heard himself asking.
The major sat up and wiped her mouth. “No thanks. I’ll manage.”
Cody looked at the sky. The sun was high. The CCR was probably scouring the countryside by now. He hoped they would search the roads and towns before they looked for them in the desert.
His stomach made a loud growling noise, reminding him that he’d missed several meals. “How far is the base, Major?”
She pursed her lips. “Clear across the state. We won’t be able to walk it. Sooner or later we’re going to need some kind of transportation. And by the way, the name is Toni. What’s yours?”
“Cody. Cody Pierce.”
Toni put out her left hand. “Glad to meet you, Cody. And thanks for getting me out of that place.”
Shyly Cody shook her hand. “No problem. I just hope our getting out was worth what it cost.”