hair
showing at the top. Then he emptied his
pack, dug in the plastic tub and pulled
out several things and shoved them into
the pack.
They both thought Dantès could
accompany them for what Wyatt said
wasn’t a difficult walk, so the three set
out. Instead of going east toward the
dead body, or north to the lake, Wyatt
took her in a western direction. Remy
realized they were traveling along an
overgrown road. The concrete was
hardly noticeable, though, for trees,
bushes, and grass grew up through the
cracks and buckles.
Part of the reason no one traveled by
motorized vehicle any longer was
because of the rough terrain. It was
easier to ride a horse or even to walk
than try and navigate the potholes and
chunks of road or naked ground. Aside
from that, whatever stores of gasoline
might have been available in the years
immediately following the Change had
disappeared: used up, combusted, or
leaked back into the ground. The art of
auto mechanics had died out through lack
of need, so there were few people
familiar with running cars either. And if
anyone dared try to resurrect a vehicle,
they risked being found out by the
Strangers or bounty hunters.
“Here,” Wyatt said after they’d
walked about three miles. He gestured to
an oblong structure, half buried in the
ground, obstructed by a clump of trees
and covered by vines and moss.
“What is it?” she asked. It looked a
little like a train car that had fallen into a
crevice in the earth, but it had a huge tire
sunk into the ground.
“It’s a semi-truck trailer.” When she
looked at him, not quite certain what that
was, he explained, “The thing we’re
staying in is the front part of a semi-
truck. This is what would have been
pulled along behind it on the highway.”
“Oh,” she said, and edged toward it.
“Did you look inside?”
“Of course.” That impatient note was
back in his voice. “That’s why I thought
you’d like to see it. There’s a lot of
salvageable stuff in there. You might
find something you want.”
A spike of enthusiasm shot through
her. She’d kill for some new underwear
and socks, even if they didn’t fit right.
“That would be great.”
“Dantès, stay. Guard,” Wyatt told
him, then navigated his way to the
trailer, pulling a large sapling out of the
way. “This is the best way in. I had to
pry the door open.” He climbed up onto
the narrow exposed side and flung open
a large metal door. It clanged against the
wall, leaving half the back end open.
From where Remy stood, the inside
looked dingy and deep, slanting into
darkness. She glanced at the front of the
trailer, noting that its nose was buried in
the ground. It wasn’t going to slip or
slide down into an abyss.
Wyatt held out his hand. When she
took it, he clasped it around her wrist
then pulled her up quickly and smoothly.
He lowered her just inside the doorway
as if she were no heavier than a child,
then slid in beside her.
“I trust you made sure there weren’t
going to be any surprises in here,” she
said, looking around the dim space. The
floor tilted underfoot, angling down
toward the ravine. “No snakes, no—”
She bit off a shriek as something
skittered over her foot, and then another
herd of creatures took flight, zooming in
a wave of flapping wings over her head
and out. Startled and agitated, she
slipped in something squishy on the
slanted floor and landed on her ass.
“Sorry.” His voice sounded tight, or
maybe just tense. As if he were trying
not to laugh. “I couldn’t clear everything
out. But at least the grumpy bear is
gone.”
“Bear?” Remy froze, then realized he
was teasing her. Which was a first. Or
. . . maybe he wasn’t teasing her. A bear
could have been living in here. And
Wyatt definitely wasn’t the teasing type.
She pulled herself to her feet, her
hand smashing down on something soft
and damp in the process. Her enthusiasm
waned. It
showing at the top. Then he emptied his
pack, dug in the plastic tub and pulled
out several things and shoved them into
the pack.
They both thought Dantès could
accompany them for what Wyatt said
wasn’t a difficult walk, so the three set
out. Instead of going east toward the
dead body, or north to the lake, Wyatt
took her in a western direction. Remy
realized they were traveling along an
overgrown road. The concrete was
hardly noticeable, though, for trees,
bushes, and grass grew up through the
cracks and buckles.
Part of the reason no one traveled by
motorized vehicle any longer was
because of the rough terrain. It was
easier to ride a horse or even to walk
than try and navigate the potholes and
chunks of road or naked ground. Aside
from that, whatever stores of gasoline
might have been available in the years
immediately following the Change had
disappeared: used up, combusted, or
leaked back into the ground. The art of
auto mechanics had died out through lack
of need, so there were few people
familiar with running cars either. And if
anyone dared try to resurrect a vehicle,
they risked being found out by the
Strangers or bounty hunters.
“Here,” Wyatt said after they’d
walked about three miles. He gestured to
an oblong structure, half buried in the
ground, obstructed by a clump of trees
and covered by vines and moss.
“What is it?” she asked. It looked a
little like a train car that had fallen into a
crevice in the earth, but it had a huge tire
sunk into the ground.
“It’s a semi-truck trailer.” When she
looked at him, not quite certain what that
was, he explained, “The thing we’re
staying in is the front part of a semi-
truck. This is what would have been
pulled along behind it on the highway.”
“Oh,” she said, and edged toward it.
“Did you look inside?”
“Of course.” That impatient note was
back in his voice. “That’s why I thought
you’d like to see it. There’s a lot of
salvageable stuff in there. You might
find something you want.”
A spike of enthusiasm shot through
her. She’d kill for some new underwear
and socks, even if they didn’t fit right.
“That would be great.”
“Dantès, stay. Guard,” Wyatt told
him, then navigated his way to the
trailer, pulling a large sapling out of the
way. “This is the best way in. I had to
pry the door open.” He climbed up onto
the narrow exposed side and flung open
a large metal door. It clanged against the
wall, leaving half the back end open.
From where Remy stood, the inside
looked dingy and deep, slanting into
darkness. She glanced at the front of the
trailer, noting that its nose was buried in
the ground. It wasn’t going to slip or
slide down into an abyss.
Wyatt held out his hand. When she
took it, he clasped it around her wrist
then pulled her up quickly and smoothly.
He lowered her just inside the doorway
as if she were no heavier than a child,
then slid in beside her.
“I trust you made sure there weren’t
going to be any surprises in here,” she
said, looking around the dim space. The
floor tilted underfoot, angling down
toward the ravine. “No snakes, no—”
She bit off a shriek as something
skittered over her foot, and then another
herd of creatures took flight, zooming in
a wave of flapping wings over her head
and out. Startled and agitated, she
slipped in something squishy on the
slanted floor and landed on her ass.
“Sorry.” His voice sounded tight, or
maybe just tense. As if he were trying
not to laugh. “I couldn’t clear everything
out. But at least the grumpy bear is
gone.”
“Bear?” Remy froze, then realized he
was teasing her. Which was a first. Or
. . . maybe he wasn’t teasing her. A bear
could have been living in here. And
Wyatt definitely wasn’t the teasing type.
She pulled herself to her feet, her
hand smashing down on something soft
and damp in the process. Her enthusiasm
waned. It
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