Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon

expected America to be this overgrown. And so green—it was like a jungle, all towering trees and dangling vines. She could easily have believed they were wending through the Amazon.
    It was hot, too. She wiped sweat off her forehead with the back of her arm. A different kind of heat than she was used to: the air so thick and humid it was suffocating. She thought longingly of Tel Aviv, where even on the hottest days a coolbreeze eased off the ocean. Even the training facility hadn’t felt this hot, though it was stuck in the middle of the desert. And she hadn’t had to worry about nasty blood-sucking insects there, either. She irritably smacked one dead on her arm.
    “How much farther?” Sophie called out. The American was stumbling, feet crossing over each other. She appeared on the verge of collapse, even though they’d only gone a kilometer at most.
    Nico said, “Maybe five miles. We’ll be in cell phone range sooner, hopefully.”
    Sophie didn’t say anything, although a shadow swept across her features. Declan murmured something in her ear and tucked an arm around her waist. They lurched along again.
    Anat repressed the urge to groan. Five miles would take an eternity with this group. They hadn’t even left the infirmary until late morning. She’d hovered impatiently as the others lingered over breakfast, chewing the canned food with what seemed to be deliberate slowness and an excessive amount of complaints. Anat wolfed down her chickpeas and peaches, barely tasting them. It was fuel, and would provide energy to reach their destination. That was all she cared about.
    They’d wasted even more time arguing about whether to try and take a car. Declan claimed he could get one started, and pointed out they were unlikely to be prosecuted for auto theft. But it turned out to be a moot point. All the cars outside the infirmary rested on rims, no air in their tires. Plus, maneuvering one through the jagged, upheaved pavement to the street would be virtually impossible.
    At Anat’s urging they’d spent another hour cobbling together a shabby assortment of weapons. Anat found a long iron rod. Nico and Declan had pried steel bedrails loose from their frames. Even Yosh was clutching a towel rack from oneof the bathrooms. Only Sophie remained unarmed, declaring herself too weak to manage.
    Weak is right
, Anat couldn’t help but think. Granted, the girl had been ill; her exhaustion was understandable. Anat knew she should be more sympathetic, but it was hard to repress frustration. She didn’t want to spend the night in these woods. Agitated, she stripped off her long-sleeved shirt and tied it around her waist. She sensed Nico’s eyes trailing over her tank top and raised an eyebrow at him. He quickly turned away.
    Since Nico knew the route to town, he stayed at the head of their column. Anat had volunteered to cover their rear flank, and was consequently forced to shuffle along with Sophie. Every time the girl stumbled, Anat gritted her teeth and helped her back up.
    We should have left her
, she thought for the millionth time. Sophie had even offered to stay, claiming she’d rest up in the infirmary while waiting for them to send help. But Declan wouldn’t hear of it. After their encounter with the bear the night before, he was keen on keeping them together.
    And he was right, Anat grudgingly acknowledged. Annoying as Sophie was, even Anat wouldn’t have felt right about abandoning her. They’d call Nico’s dad as soon as they were in mobile range, and he’d arrange for help. After that, they could all go their separate ways.
    Unfortunately, no matter how far they trudged, the phones refused to cooperate.
    Once again, Anat watched Nico dig his out and lift it toward the sky. He frowned and shook his head, then tucked it away. He and Declan had been checking every few minutes, but neither had gotten any signal bars yet. She’d left her iPhone back home, concerned about the potential fortracking. Now she was