Chapter 82. A Siren

I run along the tree line, keeping to the inner side and within its shadow, and dash his truck, using hyper-speed to get to it fast and look inside when I slide up against the door furthest from the building. It’s an off-road four-by-four covered in mud and debris and the perfect vehicle for moving around this terrain. I can tell right away there’s nothing in it. Nothing in view that I would want, not even general trash. It’s clean and free of anything worthwhile. It is not what I would expect for a truck used frequently, so it makes this even weirder. He obviously doesn’t use it very much to come and go. One last fleeting run-over with my eyes convinces me he has nothing of worth.

I dash back to the closest border of brush and start making my way back to my temporary camp without looking back, keeping behind the trees by two rows. With the heaviness of mounting panic growing inside me like a warning signal, my breathing is labored. Heartbeat pounding in my ears as it batters