Evil to Burn by Lisa Klink

Author:Lisa Klink [Klink, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Supernatural Thriller, Fiction
Published: 2013-03-26T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

They found an unexpected bounty in Alex’s backpack. The drugs he was carrying turned out to be oxycodone, the painkiller that created so many suburban addicts. Karen gave a quarter of a pill to Daniel to ease the agony of his shattered leg. She kept a few ounces of water for her son and herself. The two men would need the rest. They’d need a lot more than three-quarters of a bottle to cross the Great Basin Desert, of course, but would have to make do.

Matt and Ryan left Karen and Daniel with enough wood to keep the fire going until dawn. If hungry coyotes showed up, Karen would fend them off as best she could with a heavy branch she kept close at hand. Matt thought the animals would be more likely to go for the smorgasbord of dead bodies that couldn’t fight back.

“We’ll send back help for you. I promise,” he told Karen.

“I know you will.” She smiled at him with perfect confidence. Matt leaned in and gave her a brief kiss good-bye. He never saw Karen again.

He and Ryan started walking through the canyon at four a.m. They knew the bus had been heading north along Route 305, but didn’t know how far east or west it had taken them off the highway. North still seemed like the best direction to go. According to Matt’s compass, the canyon they were following curved toward the east. They had to climb out.

Matt ran his light over the sheer walls as they went, looking for a gentler slope they could climb with no expertise and no equipment—and wearing only sneakers and work boots, respectively.

As the sky began to lighten, they came to a pile of fallen rock that had sheared off the wall in a heavy rain. It created a hill that reached almost halfway up the cliff. It was the best prospect they were likely to find.

Ryan went first, stepping carefully across the gaps in the pile. He reached the top without incident and smiled. Matt held off celebrating. The hard part was next.

They both found usable handholds and started to climb. Matt prided himself on staying in decent shape, but this required a set of muscles he wasn’t accustomed to using. His calves had to support him as he balanced on his toes on shallow ledges. His forearms strained to hold his body against the rock wall.

Ryan was having no easier time of it. He was smaller than Matt, with less weight to support, but his activities were mostly limited to sitting, typing on a computer, and working the phone. He reached up to a promising handhold. When he shifted his weight onto it, the rock crumbled.

With a short cry, he slipped. Matt flung out an arm to catch Ryan, but he was too far away. Ryan’s fingers clawed at the wall until they found a narrow crevice. He caught himself and quickly grabbed rock with the other hand as well.

“Okay,” he said breathlessly. “I’m okay.”

Matt exhaled. They were about forty feet up the wall.

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