Lost Canyon by Revoyr Nina

Author:Revoyr, Nina [Revoyr, Nina]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Book, ebook
Publisher: Akashic Books
Published: 2015-08-02T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Todd

They sidestepped down the slope, carefully at first, but then with bigger strides, using the natural steps formed by the slabs of rock. Above them the sky had turned a silvery blue. The peaks on either side of the valley were lit with brilliant light. Even in his state of exhaustion and worry, Todd couldn’t help but notice the beauty.

It took more than an hour to reach the first stand of trees, and once they were safely under its cover, they stopped and put down their packs. After carefully leaning the rifle against a boulder, Todd took off his shoes and shook out some pebbles. His toes looked and felt like they’d been pounded by a meat cleaver. His calf stung where he’d been scratched by a branch. Gwen sat down against a tree, crossed her arms on her knees, and rested her head against them. The dog came over and licked her hand and Gwen petted her without glancing up.

Tracy, still standing, tilted her head back and finished off what was left in her Nalgene bottle. “We’re going to need water.”

“Yeah, I’m almost out too,” Oscar said.

“There’s a couple of lakes farther on,” Todd said. “We can refill there. Or maybe we’ll cross a stream before then.”

“Let’s stay here for a minute.” This was from Gwen, who still hadn’t lifted her head.

They all looked at her. “We need to keep moving,” Todd said.

“I need to rest, you guys.” And now she looked up. The early-morning light revealed how tired she was—deep hollows had formed beneath her eyes, her skin looked gray, and wisps of hair had come loose from her ponytail. “We haven’t slept since the night before last, and haven’t had a meal since lunchtime yesterday. I’m exhausted, and I need to eat.”

Todd leaned toward her. Of all of them, she was the least suited for this trip to begin with, let alone for what they had to do now. And she’d seemed even more shaken than the rest of them by their encounters with José and A.J. But he couldn’t let himself think about that now. They had many miles to go, a formidable range to cross. He wasn’t entirely sure she’d be able to make it. “Gwen, look, we’re all tired. But we can’t stop yet. We may have someone behind us, we may have two guys behind us. And we need to open up some distance between us and them. If we wait, we’ll be an easy target for someone with a high-powered rifle. But if we get going, we’ll have a better chance. Once we get farther into the valley, we can stop for a rest.”

Gwen did not acknowledge his words; she stared straight ahead as if no one had spoken.

“He’s right, Gwen,” Tracy said gently. “We need to keep going. Let’s do this next stretch and then we can stop to rest. Okay?”

Todd was anxious to get moving—not only out of fear, but also because, although he wouldn’t admit it, he knew exactly how Gwen felt.

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