Edwards. I want to know where they’re keeping the doctor.”
The fear and apprehension that had plagued him all morning slowly began to be replaced with anger. Daniel’s face reddened. He curled his fingers into fists. He pushed himself out of the chair and stormed out of Jones’s office. When the elevator doors closed, he could still hear the faint, violent laughter coming from Jones’s office.
Chapter 10
Brooke wrestled with the decision all night. The dark circles under her eyes were a sign of her struggle. Ultimately, though, she knew she only had one option. She had to go into Phoenix.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” Brent said
.
“My family can’t stay here, Brent. I need to get to North Carolina, and I won’t be able to do that without a vehicle. Now, unless you have something around here?”
“No. Nothing that I can give you.”
“Then it’s settled.”
The next order of business was to figure out what to do with her children. She knew that bringing them into the city would be dangerous, but she still wasn’t sure if she felt comfortable leaving her kids with these people. In the end, she knew that if something happened to her, Emily and John would have a better chance of survival with this group.
“I should be coming with you,” John said.
“Your job is to protect your sister.”
“But I can help.”
“I know you can, and this is how you can do it.”
Emily wrapped her arms around Brooke’s legs and squeezed. Brooke picked her up and wiped the dirt away from her cheek before she kissed it.
Brent was kind enough to loan back some of the water and food rations they’d bartered so she could have supplies for the trip. The boxes of ammunition for her pistol were one of the few items that hadn’t been destroyed in the Mexicans’ assault.
“If you don’t make it back,” Brent said, “I’ll make sure your kids are well taken care of.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s a three-hour walk to Phoenix. I would stay off the main roads the closer you get. Make it difficult for someone to find you.”
“I will.”
“Good luck.”
Brooke gave Emily another kiss, and John didn’t grimace when he received one on the cheek. She adjusted the strap on the pack Brent had loaned her and started the long walk to Phoenix.
***
Two miles before she made it to the edge of Phoenix, Brooke moved off the road and trudged through the sand. Each step forward thrust her foot downward into the hot, grainy earth. It took twice as much effort to trek through the desert as it did on the road.
Brooke pulled one of her water bottles from the side carrier of her pack and pulled her shemagh down to take a drink. The water was warm, but she still took the time to down the water for at least ten seconds. Whenever she traveled through the desert on foot, she always made sure to drink in large gulps. People often made the mistake of sipping their water to try and conserve what they had left. There were always horror stories of people dying from dehydration with full canteens still in their hands.
The desert ended as Phoenix’s city limits began. Brooke crossed the threshold and traded one desolate wasteland for another. Smoke from fires rose upward into the sky. The smaller fires she passed added to the already-scorching heat. Hell would be cooler than her current location.
Brooke’s pistol was holstered on her hip. She’d only ever worn the holster the handful of times she’d made it to the range, but her hazardous surroundings warranted the revolver being closer to her grip. If someone came down on her, she didn’t want to worry about fumbling the gun out of her pocket or waistband.
The streets of the city had long been abandoned. The roads were riddled with cracks and potholes. Whatever money the city had generated before the exile wasn’t being used on road repairs.
She glanced at the skyscrapers
The fear and apprehension that had plagued him all morning slowly began to be replaced with anger. Daniel’s face reddened. He curled his fingers into fists. He pushed himself out of the chair and stormed out of Jones’s office. When the elevator doors closed, he could still hear the faint, violent laughter coming from Jones’s office.
Chapter 10
Brooke wrestled with the decision all night. The dark circles under her eyes were a sign of her struggle. Ultimately, though, she knew she only had one option. She had to go into Phoenix.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” Brent said
.
“My family can’t stay here, Brent. I need to get to North Carolina, and I won’t be able to do that without a vehicle. Now, unless you have something around here?”
“No. Nothing that I can give you.”
“Then it’s settled.”
The next order of business was to figure out what to do with her children. She knew that bringing them into the city would be dangerous, but she still wasn’t sure if she felt comfortable leaving her kids with these people. In the end, she knew that if something happened to her, Emily and John would have a better chance of survival with this group.
“I should be coming with you,” John said.
“Your job is to protect your sister.”
“But I can help.”
“I know you can, and this is how you can do it.”
Emily wrapped her arms around Brooke’s legs and squeezed. Brooke picked her up and wiped the dirt away from her cheek before she kissed it.
Brent was kind enough to loan back some of the water and food rations they’d bartered so she could have supplies for the trip. The boxes of ammunition for her pistol were one of the few items that hadn’t been destroyed in the Mexicans’ assault.
“If you don’t make it back,” Brent said, “I’ll make sure your kids are well taken care of.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s a three-hour walk to Phoenix. I would stay off the main roads the closer you get. Make it difficult for someone to find you.”
“I will.”
“Good luck.”
Brooke gave Emily another kiss, and John didn’t grimace when he received one on the cheek. She adjusted the strap on the pack Brent had loaned her and started the long walk to Phoenix.
***
Two miles before she made it to the edge of Phoenix, Brooke moved off the road and trudged through the sand. Each step forward thrust her foot downward into the hot, grainy earth. It took twice as much effort to trek through the desert as it did on the road.
Brooke pulled one of her water bottles from the side carrier of her pack and pulled her shemagh down to take a drink. The water was warm, but she still took the time to down the water for at least ten seconds. Whenever she traveled through the desert on foot, she always made sure to drink in large gulps. People often made the mistake of sipping their water to try and conserve what they had left. There were always horror stories of people dying from dehydration with full canteens still in their hands.
The desert ended as Phoenix’s city limits began. Brooke crossed the threshold and traded one desolate wasteland for another. Smoke from fires rose upward into the sky. The smaller fires she passed added to the already-scorching heat. Hell would be cooler than her current location.
Brooke’s pistol was holstered on her hip. She’d only ever worn the holster the handful of times she’d made it to the range, but her hazardous surroundings warranted the revolver being closer to her grip. If someone came down on her, she didn’t want to worry about fumbling the gun out of her pocket or waistband.
The streets of the city had long been abandoned. The roads were riddled with cracks and potholes. Whatever money the city had generated before the exile wasn’t being used on road repairs.
She glanced at the skyscrapers
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