Unfettered Journey by Gary F. Bengier

Author:Gary F. Bengier [Bengier, Gary F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781648860119
Publisher: Chiliagon Press
Published: 2020-09-06T22:00:00+00:00

They started at first light, taking advantage of the cooler temperature. The landscape was less flat but still barren, and they continued north between mountains bracketing a shallow valley.

As the day progressed, light played off the mountains in dull reds and whites. Dust devils danced over the cracked land. To distract himself from his aching muscles during the hours of hiking, Joe identified plants he had memorized from the allbook—saltbrush, spiny hopsage, and pickleweed. They created shade to rest under during midday to avoid the worst heat by draping the tent over a shriveled bush as a lean-to. They camped by an ancient lakebed that was now a salt flat. In the night, a gusting wind churned salt into the air. They nestled inside the tent, which shook for several hours.

Breakfast consisted of another dried protein packet mixed with boiling water. He stuffed the tent into his backpack, and rubbed the ache in his back. “How’s your back today? Your pack must be as heavy as mine.”

Evie considered and then hefted up his pack. “Heavier.”

Joe lifted one pack, then the second. He pulled several of the water synjugs out of her pack and secured them to the side of his own.

“I didn’t ask you to—”

“I know.”

They trekked for several hours and stopped for lunch to avoid the midday heat. As they munched on protein bars, he mused on their progress, noting the buttes to the northwest. “I know the Empty Zone is shaped roughly like a potato. Based on how dry this is, my guess is that Zable dropped us in the southern half of it. I know the length of the perimeter wall, so by calculating the approximate distance and direction we hike each day, I can roughly figure where we are.”

“Helpful to have a mathematician around,” she said.

They finished the sparse fare and started again. Joe could not distract himself from his dry tongue and throat. Without clouds or trees to offer shade, the sun beat down on the forbidding landscape and the two travelers. They camped next to a gnarled volcanic formation as the merciless ball sank behind bare slopes to the west. At the tent entrance, Joe held Evie’s hand while he studied the odd vista, jagged goblin’s fingers painted a strange orange.

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