“That was close,” he muttered under his breath as the transport passed by without slowing down.
“What was that?” Mitch asked.
“We just missed being seen by an armed patrol,” he replied.
“Well it’s a damn good thing you didn’t wait until the last minute to find a place for us to hide,” Mitch joked.
“Yeah, Yeah, I’ll try to find something before daybreak next time,” Richard replied.
“No you won’t. You like living on the edge, and you always push things as far as you can,” Mitch joked.
“I suppose that’s true, but you must like the adrenaline rush of close-calls and near misses, otherwise you wouldn’t have volunteered for this crazy mission,” Richard asserted.
“You might be right, but I bet Matt and Ethan would prefer to play it a little safer,” Mitch said as he elbowed Richard.
“I trust you guys,” Ethan remarked.
Matt did not reply, seeming preoccupied with clearing a spot on the floor so he could go to sleep.
“Good grief this place stinks!” Matt remarked, as he crawled into his sleeping bag.
“Yeah, but it’s better than being captured,” Ethan replied.
“I suppose,” Matt grumbled as he pulled the bag over his face in an effort to filter out the stale air.
Ethan unrolled his bag and got inside while Richard and Mitch placed their bags on the floor near the entrance. Then they positioned their pulse rifles alongside their sleeping bag for easy access before going to bed.
The cellar was dirty and smelly, but the four of them had no trouble falling asleep after being up all night. Every so often a vehicle would pass by on the highway, temporarily waking up Richard, but when the sound faded, he quickly fell back to sleep. His thoughts took him back to the settlement, where Josephine was waiting to greet him with open arms. There was something about her he could not ignore, something almost spiritual. It was the same feeling he had felt when he first met his wife Mikala. He missed her, but she had not adapted very well to living as a fugitive. She had often told him to leave her, saying he should, ‘move on and find happiness’, but Richard could not forsake his vows. “For better, or for worse,” he would always reply when she went on one of her fatalistic rants. It was meant to be supportive, but it would only make her angry at him. Their relationship had always been a rocky one, but after their children were taken, things deteriorated. It was as if the glue that held them together was gone. Richard tried to encourage her, promising that things would eventually get better, but they never did. It was a painful lesson that hope alone was not enough to sustain them, and in fact, had actually served to deceive them.
As the daylight began to fade, the men slowly woke from their slumber and then packed up their things. Matt seemed especially eager to leave the stench-filled cellar behind, which made Richard wonder if he was a little claustrophobic.
“Oh thank god we’re out of that hole,” Matt remarked as he took several deep breaths to clear his lungs.
“It was pretty bad,” Richard admitted, as they crossed the road and then headed down to the relative safety of the river.
Richard paused long enough to fill his hydration pack and then continued east. It was a solemn night, clear and cool. The moon hung high in the night sky, shrouded off-and-on by passing clouds. Ethan kept looking at the river suspiciously as the pale light reflected off the water, creating a variety of haunting shapes. The distant cackle of a coyote spooked him and he sped up until he was as close to Matt as possible.
“Back-off,” Matt scolded. Ethan frowned and then moved up the line until he reached Richard.
“Did you need something?” Richard asked.
“No, I just didn’t like bringing up the rear. That’s the guy who always ‘gets it’ in the movies,” Ethan said in timid voice.
“No problem, it is kind of eerie out here now that we’re in enemy territory. I find it peaceful up in the mountains, but down here it’s a bit unsettling,” Richard remarked.
“Yeah, I never was one for creeping around in the dark. I prefer lots of light,” Ethan said as he glanced up at the moon.
After several hours of brisk walking Richard finally stopped to check their progress on the map.
“Where are we?” Ethan asked as he was staring over at the faintly illuminated device in Richard’s hand.
“We’re a little west of Simms. I think we will reach it before daybreak, so keep a sharp eye out for Augs as we near the town. We may have to veer north to avoid detection if Simms is inhabited,” Richard added.
“Should one of us scout ahead?” Ethan asked.
“That’s a good idea. Do you want to do it?”
“No,” Ethan replied instantly. “I don’t see all that well in the dark.”
“I understand,” Richard remarked.
“I’ll do it,” Mitch offered, after overhearing their conversation.
“Thanks,” Richard said as Mitch disappeared into the darkness.
“Why don’t you like to do the scouting?” Ethan asked.
“I don’t mind doing it, it’s just that Mitch is the best damn tracker I have ever seen. The odds of him being detected by the Augs are next to none,” Richard admitted.
“In our clan, Matt is the best hunter,” Ethan remarked.
“That will come in handy when we run out of food on the way back,” Richard said half joking.
After a few minutes Richard noticed Mitch making his way back in the shadows. Then when he realized Mitch was trying to sneak up behind Ethan, he flashed his light at him.
“Awe man, why did you blow my cover?” Mitch said in a disappointed tone.
“Save your stealth for the Augs. Besides, it’s not prudent to startle a man holding a weapon,” Richard added.
“Good point,” Mitch acknowledged.
“Since you’re goofing off, am I to assume the town is devoid of Augs?” Richard asked.
“Yeah, it’s completely abandoned.”
“Can you tell how long it’s been like that?” Richard asked.
“I don’t know… it’s kind of hard to tell in the dark, but from what I could see, it’s not a recent event,” Mitch replied.
“Interesting, I guess we should head into town and look for a place to hide before daybreak,” Richard suggested.
When they reached the town, Matt and Mitch started looking at abandoned houses on one side of the street while Richard and Ethan searched the other.
“Are you looking for something in particular,” Ethan asked when he noticed Richard didn’t seem to be looking for a place to hide.
“Yes, there’s a rumor that a group of soldiers who escaped augmentation buried some weapons and food nearby,” Richard revealed.
“So what exactly are we looking for?” Ethan asked as he shined his flashlight all around the interior of the house.
“I don’t know? A clue or sign that might lead us to their hiding spot.”
“Like that?” Ethan asked as he shined his light on the wall behind Richard illuminating a dusty American flag that was hanging over an inscription that read, “We shall prevail, Troop E, 163rd regiment of the Black Horse Troopers; 47:29:10N — 111:55:55W.”
“Holy crap, that’s got to be it!” Richard said in a burst of excitement.
“What do you think the numbers signify,” Ethan asked.
“It looks like a code. If you don’t mind, run across the street and tell Matt and Mitch to come over here, maybe one of them will know what the numbers mean.