Only then did she realize her plan’s flaw. “Oh no,” she whispered when the Humvee started to rapidly accelerate before making a sharp left and slamming right into the back of a semi truck’s flatbed trailer. The corner of the trailer nearly sheared off the top of the Humvee. If the driver hadn’t been killed by her bullet, he was certainly dead after that collision.

  “Is there anyone else in there?” Ezra asked.

  Amanda kept her rifle aimed on the destroyed vehicle that now had smoke barreling out from the front of its destroyed engine area, which sat wedged underneath the trailer. If anyone else had been in the front passenger seat, it was more than likely that the impact had killed them, as well.

  They all waited, none of them moving. After several long minutes with no one attempting to get out of the back of the Humvee, Amanda decided it was clear.

  “Ezra, with me. Jordan, take the rifle and cover us,” Amanda instructed.

  She took the Glock Jordan held out and handed him the rifle before she jumped out of the trailer, landing on her feet and immediately moving towards the vehicle. Ezra was just behind her. Her heart pounded fast as she moved to get a better view of the driver’s seat. The front end of the Humvee was nothing more than a pile of twisted, crunched metal, the vehicle’s engine pushed into the front seating.

  “On the count of three,” she told Ezra, who reached for the handle of the back door.

  He nodded his understanding. She aimed her gun, ready to shoot if anyone moved. Ezra yanked open the door only to find it empty, minus the splatters of blood from the driver.

  “I don’t think we’ll be driving this anywhere,” Ezra said dryly.

  Amanda winced, angry with herself for not thinking the plan through. To be fair, she’d only had a split second to make a plan. It just hadn’t been the right one.

  “Let’s get all the supplies we can from here. He has to have a go-bag in here,” she replied, ignoring his comment about driving away.

  “Hopefully, it wasn’t in the front seat,” Ezra said, shuddering at the gruesome scene.

  “Check the back,” she ordered. “It’s clear!” she shouted to the others waiting in the trailer. “Start going through those boxes and see if there’s anything useful!”

  “On it!” Jordan called back.

  Amanda moved to the back of the Humvee and yanked open the hardtop on the slant back military rig. She smiled when she saw the boxes of rations along with a flashlight, a wool blanket, and even an old cot folded into the space.

  “I’ve got food!” she hollered with excitement.

  “Good, because I’ve got nothing but blood and brains up here,” Ezra complained.

  He came around the back and immediately reached for the Maglite and turned it on. When the light shone bright, he and Amanda couldn’t stop staring at it.

  “Wow,” she said with awe.

  “This is going to be a huge help out here,” he said with a grin, turning it off to save the battery.

  “Grab some of those MREs and let’s go see what’s in that truck,” Amanda said, grabbing a handful of the brown packages.

  They walked back to the truck with their hands full, placing their goodies on the edge before jumping inside. Jordan held up a handful of what looked like little girls’ summer dresses. “Are they your size?” he teased.

  Amanda scoffed. “Finding anything useful?”

  “I’m finding a lot of little kids’ clothes, shoes, and some toys, but so far nothing for adults,” Gretchen called out from the back corner.

  “We can use the clothes, even the small shirts and dresses, to cover our heads with. We’ll be able to protect our heads and the back of our necks from the sun,” Amanda said.

  “We could make the hobo-style bundles with some of the dresses as well—the larger ones, that is,” Tonya suggested.

  “Good thinking. With only three backpacks between us, we need a way to carry as many supplies as we can. We’re in some pretty barren territory and need to bring everything we can,” Amanda said.

  “Any use for all these sandals?” Drew asked, holding up some child-size summer sandals.

  Amanda stared at the sandals, trying to think out of the box. Nothing sprang to mind, though she knew everything had a purpose. Everything could be reused in some way to aid survival. Unfortunately, with limited carrying ability, it didn’t make sense to carry stuff that may not prove helpful.

  “I don’t think so, unless someone else has an idea,” Amanda muttered.

  After searching every single box and determining the load was nothing more than summer clothing for kids, they decided to make camp inside the trailer for the night. The MREs were passed around for everyone to enjoy.

  “Should someone keep watch?” Jordan asked.

  Amanda thought about it before nodding. “It’s probably for the best. We’ll pull this door down and just leave a small gap, and use a few of the boxes to keep it from closing all the way. All those clothes will certainly make for nice bedding,” she added with a smile.

  “I’ll take first watch,” Jordan offered.

  Amanda agreed before heading to the back of the trailer and fluffing her own bed made from children’s clothes. It wasn’t a Memory Foam, but it would be awfully nice to have a secure place to sleep with no bugs crawling all over her.

  16

  Malachi slid from Charlie’s back, crouching low to look at what he was convinced was a hoofprint in the dark, soft earth. He dropped to his knees and leaned in, studying the print just like Ennis had taught him. It was definitely a hoofprint, and it was fresh. He got to his feet and stared in the direction the print was pointed. Savannah was headed north.

  He’d spent most of the afternoon traveling in a semi-circle out from the camp. Now he knew the general direction she’d gone in, but it wasn’t until he saw a few strands of her hair hanging from a low branch that he got his first real clue. He’d been intermittently riding the horse and walking, not wanting to miss anything, but now he got back on Charlie to give more range to his voice.

  “Savannah!” he called out. “It’s me, Malachi! I’m alone!”

  He waited, listening for any sign she was close. He hoped she would answer him and not run farther away. When he heard nothing, he started walking again. He’d gone another mile when he came to the edge of a two-lane road. To the right, he saw a brown sign.

  “Ha! I know where you are,” he said, feeling sure that a state park would be just the place she’d choose to hide out. It would be filled with resources like water, shelter, and plenty of foraging opportunities in the surrounding area. Savannah was excellent at fishing, and he knew she was capable of setting various traps. She could survive off the land easily enough thanks to Ennis teaching her so much about survival.

  Malachi got back on Charlie’s back and trotted toward the sign, then turning and following the narrow road that led into the park.

  Charlie’s hooves clopping against the pavement echoed around him, feeding the eerie silence. He knew how dangerous the other campgrounds had been and hoped this one wouldn’t be the same. It was then that he had the horrible realization that Savannah could have been kidnapped if there were people already claiming the campground for their own. Would she have thought of that and been on her guard?

  His eyes scanned the area, noticed the small wood building that housed the visitor’s center and a lone camper trailer parked in the lot out front. He kept going, heading to the day use area that had access to the small lake. A familiar scent caught his attention. He inhaled deeply and identified it as the smell of a campfire. He wanted to believe it was Savannah, settling in and making camp for the night.

  “Shh, boy, shh,” he said, stroking Charlie’s neck when he neighed softly.

  He checked the first day use area and found it empty, minus trash strewn about. Dejected, he moved on and checked a second and a third, wondering if the smell of fire was coming from another direction. Just when he was about to give up hope of finding her, he saw the faintest trail of smoke rising from a firepit in the last day use spot.

  He jumped off Charlie and raced to the firepit, where he crouched and felt the heat from the ash. Someone had been there recently. He looked around, hoping to find Savannah asleep somewhere nearby. She wasn’t.

  “Savannah!” he yelled, frustrated he hadn’t found her.

  He’d thought he would already be back with Austin’s group by now, with Savannah in tow. He’d promised Austin he would find her and bring her back.

  A glimpse of something shiny caught his eye. He walked a few feet away from the firepit and saw the wrapper of a chocolate chip granola bar. It was the exact same kind they’d had in their stash back at camp. It wasn’t weathered, which told him it had only recently been discarded.

  It had to be her. He could feel it in his gut. She’d been there. She’d had a fire, and probably boiled some water and eaten a snack before moving on. He did a slow circle, his eyes glued to the soft ground around the firepit, slowly moving outward and looking for a sign of which way she would have gone.

  The fading light made it difficult for him to see clearly. Savannah would probably already be making camp for the night, he realized. Malachi wanted to go in search of her while she wasn’t moving, but he was too worried he’d miss clues to guide him in the right direction. After a great deal of thought, he decided to use the ash from her fire to start another one for himself.

  “Come on, boy,” he called Charlie, leading him to the water’s edge to drink.

  He pulled off his backpack and removed one of the two full bottles of water he carried, taking a long healthy drink for himself. Austin had given him one of the empty tin cans they had saved from some beans they’d found. That’s what he would use to purify more water to refill the empty bottles. He’d get a fresh start in the morning.

  “I’m coming, Savannah, I’m coming,” he whispered into the night.

  17

  Savannah hated the night. She hated hearing the rustling in the trees and wondering what it was.

  Her grand plan for running away wasn’t feeling so grand after a long, cold night sleeping on the ground underneath a fir tree. She’d lain awake for a long time, just waiting for the sun to come up, for the moment when she’d see the first bit of pink haze from beyond the canopy of the tree she lay under.

  When she did, she rolled to her feet and ran her hands over her legs and then her arms before bending at the waist and shaking out whatever bugs had decided to crawl into her hair during the night.

  One of the perks to being completely alone was not having to worry about trekking too far into the woods to use the bathroom. With personal business taken care of and more light flooding the area, Savannah decided to stick with her original plan and head deeper into the forest. She hoped to find an old hunting cabin to make her own. It wasn’t like she had to ask anyone their opinion on the matter. She was alone and free to do what she felt was right, so it was just a matter of finding the right opportunity.

  One day away from the pitying looks of the others, and she was already feeling better about things. She decided she’d been born to be alone. She was supposed to be a hermit, like Sarah had been. She could do it, too. She could totally live on her own.

  She walked back to her tree, pulled her bottle of water from her pack, and took a drink. She’d wait to eat breakfast, she decided. She wasn’t all that hungry anyway. She was too anxious to find her new home. Her mind briefly went to thoughts of her dad. Would he be sad or relieved she’d left? She’d seen him with Amanda and felt real jealousy. She didn’t like the way it had felt, but maybe he’d be better off.

  Truthfully, she liked Amanda. She admired how strong and independent the woman was. Savannah even wanted to be like her one day, but the only way that would happen was through the same practice Amanda had gone through. Savannah needed to be alone and gain her own strength and wisdom.

  With her pack on, she bridled Raven and took up her reins, mounting the horse easily before guiding her back up the small hill they’d climbed down last night to find their resting place. There was a hiking trail she’d been following and wanted to get back to, though she hadn’t wanted to risk making camp too close to the trail and having someone stumble upon her.

  It was a cool morning filled with the songs of birds and bugs she couldn’t identify. The sound reminded her of a channel on TV that had played nothing but nature sounds—supposedly to help a person relax. After living with the sounds day in and day out, and knowing that bugs went along with those noises, the harmony wasn’t quite so soothing anymore.

  She preferred the mountains to flatland because they were so much cooler. Riding was easier when she wasn’t hot and uncomfortable. The downside to the forest was the bees and other flying insects that bit when they landed. She didn’t know if they’d come from flies or bugs in general, but she was covered in little bites up and down her exposed arms. She decided to find a stream and dig for some mud to slather over her skin; that would give Raven a break, as well. She’d also keep her eyes down in areas that were exposed to lots of sun and look for plantain. It was a plant Gretchen had shown her several times. When the leaves were crushed and macerated, it could be applied to bee stings and bug bites to limit itching and stinging.

  The sound of Raven’s steps over the pine needles and leaves littering the trail, which appeared to have been ignored for months, was cathartic. The quiet gave Savannah time to think and mull over everything. She hastily pushed aside any guilty feelings for taking Raven. She knew deep down that she should have left her behind—especially after what had happened with Charlie—but she also knew that her only option had been horseback. Otherwise, her dad and the others would have been sure to follow and catch up with her. This way, they didn’t have that option. She only hoped Amanda would understand. It was one more thing to feel guilty over, though.

  She couldn’t help thinking about Nash’s death, too, which then had her thoughts turn to Malachi’s father’s death and the other losses they had suffered. Wrestling with thoughts of everyone they’d lost, she didn’t even have to think about being alone and away from her dad to start feeling saddened by everything.

  Lost in thought, she wasn’t truly paying attention to her surroundings when she nearly ran right into a little boy. Raven stopped in her tracks, neighing softly. Savannah’s first reaction was to go on the defense and look around for his family. She grabbed the stick she had whittled down to a point and been using as a spear, waving it menacingly from atop the horse.

  “What are you doing?” she snapped.

  The boy stared down the trail, his face dirty and his clothes hanging off him, covered with dried mud. It was like he didn’t see her. She guessed him to be maybe eight or nine. He was also very thin, and looked unkempt.

  “Hello! I asked, what are you doing out here? Where’s your family?” she demanded.

  When he turned to look at her, his big brown eyes were so blank that they creeped her out. Savannah tugged on the reins, encouraging Raven to take a step back. He kept staring up at her, his face pale and hollow at the cheekbones. His eyes had big, dark circles under them, so that he reminded her a great deal of something out of a zombie movie. She didn’t believe in zombies, or at least she didn’t think she did, but it was hard to deny what was right before her eyes.

  She decided to use a different approach. Dismounting, she kept the spear at the ready and approached the boy slowly. “Hi,” she said, her voice soft. “Are you lost?”

  The boy stared at her before slowly shaking his head.

  She offered him a smile. “Are your mom and dad around?”

  He nodded.

  Not a big talker, she mused. “Why don’t I take you back to them? I bet they’re worried sick about you.”

  He stared at her, and she thought she sensed pain and fear. Maybe he’d run away from them. Maybe they’d been mistreating him.

  He slowly started to walk up the trail, and she followed behind him with Raven, still worried it was a trap. The starving boy thing could be an act meant to trap others into feeling sorry for him, only for them to be jumped and attacked by his family. Savannah kept her eyes and ears open, just in case someone was lying in wait.

  Suddenly, there was an assault on her senses. Flies buzzing, the stench of rot, and what smelled like copper nearly made her vomit. Raven didn’t want to follow and tugged against her reins, so Savannah looped them around a low-hanging branch and continued without her. They broke through some trees and she immediately noticed a red tent set up in a clearing with a firepit in front of it. There was a makeshift clothes line strung between two trees with a tattered towel hanging from it. It was clearly a camp where the boy’s family must have made their home.

  Savannah almost smiled despite the smell, imagining making her own comfy home in a place like the one she was looking at. Her eyes moved to the left of the firepit then, and she stepped forward so that she could see just to the side of the tent, where she encountered the most horrific sight she’d ever seen.

  “Oh God!” she cried out, slapping her hand over her mouth and turning away.

  The little boy stood five feet away from the two bodies of a man and woman lying grotesquely askew, their throats nothing but gaping holes and their bodies lying in a pool of congealed blood. The woman’s hair, long and once blonde, was a deep brown, clumpy mass.

  Savannah grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled him away, running through the forest back to where she’d left Raven. Grabbing the reins, she headed back to the trail. Once they were back on it, she stopped to inhale clean, fresh air, realizing that the boy at her side still hadn’t spoken. Her stomach was rolling and she couldn’t stop shaking. There were goosebumps covering every inch of her body as her mind kept replaying the horrible vision.

  “Was that your mom and dad?” she finally managed to ask.

  The little boy looked at her before slowly nodding. Her heart jumped in her chest, imagining what the poor kid had lived through. That was a scene she would never forget for as long as she lived. She wondered if the boy had been there to witness the horror, or if he had simply found them.

 

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