her feet, and unbuckled her life jacket.
"Throw it into the surf."
"Why?"
Lando pointed toward the south. "Do you see the raft?"
Melissa nodded. "Sure, it's upside down."
Lando nodded. "Exactly. Looks like an accident, doesn't it?"
Melissa's face lit up. "I get it! They'll think we drowned!"
Lando shrugged. "We can hope anyway. Throw the jacket in and let's go."
Melissa threw the jacket as far as she could. The surf brought it back and dumped it at her feet.
Lando laughed and told her to leave it where it was. They walked hand in hand, careful to stay at the edge of the water, where the surf would erase their footprints. The mist had burned off and their clothes began to dry.
They had gone the better part of a mile before an ancient lava flow crept down across the beach to point a long black finger at the sea. The rock was difficult to walk on but made a nice hard highway on which their footprints wouldn't show. They were almost to the tree line when Lando caught the flash of reflected light.
He looked again and saw blue sea, brown beach, and, right there, something low and slow just above it. An air car! Searching for them!
Lando grabbed Melissa's arm. "They're here! Come on!" It was only fifty feet to the jungle but it felt like a mile. They plunged into the foliage and felt it close behind them. Lando turned to peer out.
The air car hummed as it moved down the beach. It was an open affair with an energy cannon mounted in the bow and racks of heat-seeking missiles to either side.
Both of the occupants were peering over the sides and looking down at the beach. One pointed in the direction of the raft and yelled something that Lando couldn't understand.
The air car banked in that direction and lost altitude. Good. The raft would keep them busy while Lando and Melissa put some distance between themselves and the beach.
It was a struggle to work their way through the undergrowth. Vines tore at their faces, moss-covered logs angled up to block their way, and leaves crowded in from every side.
They found a game trail eventually, and while it ran parallel to the beach, the going was so much easier that Lando couldn't resist using it. He went first with Melissa behind.
The jungle was both pleasant and scary at the same time. The sun came down through the canopy in gold streamers, bathing some plants in its magic glow, leaving others in almost total darkness. The air was sweet, heavy with humidity, and thick with insects. Finally, after two or three miles of twisting, turning trail, they came to a dirt road. It was a one-lane affair, cut through the area by parties unknown, already blurred by a blanket of green. Another year, two at the most, and it would disappear.
The road crossed the path at right angles and headed inland. To use it meant walking in the open, but to stay on the path meant going in the wrong direction.
Time was critical. Lando chose the road. He motioned to Melissa. "Come on, Mel, the road is just what we need. We'll make better time now."
Melissa looked doubtful. "I don't know, Pik, I'm getting kind of tired. Can we stop and rest for a while?"
Lando looked at Melissa and realized his mistake. If the jungle path had been difficult for him, it had been twice as hard for her. Melissa's hair was a tangled mess, there were cuts and scratches all over her face and arms, and her clothes were crusty with dried salt. Not only that, but her face was flushed with exertion, and she was breathing hard. Sweat covered her forehead.
Lando nodded. "You bet. We'll take five. Come on⦠let's get off the road."
Melissa followed Lando into the jungle. They collapsed beneath a huge tree. Vines had wound themselves around the massive trunk and disappeared upward.
Five minutes turned into ten and Lando realized that he was tired too. The warm air, the drone of the insects, all conspired to close his eyes. He thought about Della, wondered where she was, and what she was doing. He was asleep seconds
"Throw it into the surf."
"Why?"
Lando pointed toward the south. "Do you see the raft?"
Melissa nodded. "Sure, it's upside down."
Lando nodded. "Exactly. Looks like an accident, doesn't it?"
Melissa's face lit up. "I get it! They'll think we drowned!"
Lando shrugged. "We can hope anyway. Throw the jacket in and let's go."
Melissa threw the jacket as far as she could. The surf brought it back and dumped it at her feet.
Lando laughed and told her to leave it where it was. They walked hand in hand, careful to stay at the edge of the water, where the surf would erase their footprints. The mist had burned off and their clothes began to dry.
They had gone the better part of a mile before an ancient lava flow crept down across the beach to point a long black finger at the sea. The rock was difficult to walk on but made a nice hard highway on which their footprints wouldn't show. They were almost to the tree line when Lando caught the flash of reflected light.
He looked again and saw blue sea, brown beach, and, right there, something low and slow just above it. An air car! Searching for them!
Lando grabbed Melissa's arm. "They're here! Come on!" It was only fifty feet to the jungle but it felt like a mile. They plunged into the foliage and felt it close behind them. Lando turned to peer out.
The air car hummed as it moved down the beach. It was an open affair with an energy cannon mounted in the bow and racks of heat-seeking missiles to either side.
Both of the occupants were peering over the sides and looking down at the beach. One pointed in the direction of the raft and yelled something that Lando couldn't understand.
The air car banked in that direction and lost altitude. Good. The raft would keep them busy while Lando and Melissa put some distance between themselves and the beach.
It was a struggle to work their way through the undergrowth. Vines tore at their faces, moss-covered logs angled up to block their way, and leaves crowded in from every side.
They found a game trail eventually, and while it ran parallel to the beach, the going was so much easier that Lando couldn't resist using it. He went first with Melissa behind.
The jungle was both pleasant and scary at the same time. The sun came down through the canopy in gold streamers, bathing some plants in its magic glow, leaving others in almost total darkness. The air was sweet, heavy with humidity, and thick with insects. Finally, after two or three miles of twisting, turning trail, they came to a dirt road. It was a one-lane affair, cut through the area by parties unknown, already blurred by a blanket of green. Another year, two at the most, and it would disappear.
The road crossed the path at right angles and headed inland. To use it meant walking in the open, but to stay on the path meant going in the wrong direction.
Time was critical. Lando chose the road. He motioned to Melissa. "Come on, Mel, the road is just what we need. We'll make better time now."
Melissa looked doubtful. "I don't know, Pik, I'm getting kind of tired. Can we stop and rest for a while?"
Lando looked at Melissa and realized his mistake. If the jungle path had been difficult for him, it had been twice as hard for her. Melissa's hair was a tangled mess, there were cuts and scratches all over her face and arms, and her clothes were crusty with dried salt. Not only that, but her face was flushed with exertion, and she was breathing hard. Sweat covered her forehead.
Lando nodded. "You bet. We'll take five. Come on⦠let's get off the road."
Melissa followed Lando into the jungle. They collapsed beneath a huge tree. Vines had wound themselves around the massive trunk and disappeared upward.
Five minutes turned into ten and Lando realized that he was tired too. The warm air, the drone of the insects, all conspired to close his eyes. He thought about Della, wondered where she was, and what she was doing. He was asleep seconds
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