In the excitement she’d forgotten to tell Baylor the tires had been slashed. Would they have to walk? How far was Millflower? The idea of traveling in the open was terrifying.
The protective role she’d assumed pressed down on her. If harm happened to any of them, she would blame herself. She couldn’t die, so she must protect those who could.
But so much was out of her control. She couldn’t die, and that was her only strength. Nothing more.
The remainder of the night passed without incident, though Alina kept hearing noises outside that startled her. A low growl, a pitter-patter around the car, and a strange hiss kept her on alert, and she didn’t relax until the sun rose. The others slept on, exhausted from the events of the night. Alina, restless from holding still for hours, slipped outside to examine the car.
The tires were in sad shape, the metal rims sitting in shreds of rubber. Baylor mentioned when they left Stormport they had two spares, but they needed four. It was a day’s travel to both Stormport and Millflower. They’d have to contact someone on the radio who could bring them new tires, or another car. Alina sighed. This would put them a day behind schedule, at least.
She walked around the car and gasped. The ground was bare. Blood stains covered the dirt where Jade and the nightstalk fell in the night, but no corpse.
She woke Baylor, and as she explained the slashed tires and missing nightstalk, he bolted upright, his eyes wide with terror.
“The nightstalk is gone?”
“Yes. And the tires—”
Baylor flung open the door and jumped outside. He didn’t even look at the tires as he examined the ground.
“What is it?” Alina asked.
“We’re being tracked. Do you remember how nightstalks can signal each other? It usually takes a few days for one to find the corpse and summon the others. But this indicates one has come and retrieved it. There’s more of them, and they’re closer than we think.”
“But in the night I didn’t sense another nightstalk. I didn’t feel scared or—”
“They emit fear when they want to attack.” Baylor rubbed his face in his hands. “They use caution when one of them is killed, then band together to confront the enemy—us. It’s risky to walk but more dangerous to stay.”
“How far away is Millflower?” Alina asked.
“About a hundred and twenty miles. We’ll have to take our packs and start walking until they can meet us with a car.”
Alina nodded. “I’ll wake the others.”
“I need to contact Lance.” Baylor rummaged through his bag for the radio.
Jade looked pale and exhausted. Alina woke Rex first, and after hearing the urgency of their situation, he turned his worried eyes on Jade.
“I don’t think she’ll be able to walk easily, and carrying her might hurt her wounds.”
“I know. I wish we could stay here until another vehicle arrives, but Baylor says it’s too dangerous.”
Rex leaned over and rubbed Jade’s shoulder. “Wake up, Jade. We have to leave right away, and we have to walk.”
Jade looked alarmed, but as Alina explained everything to her, she nodded and sat up, wincing. Jade did whatever was needed without complaint. Alina didn’t like pushing her, but if it could save their lives, she would do it for a day.
Jade got out of the car and told Rex she felt fine, but Alina caught a grimace as she lifted her pack onto her back.
“Um, no!” Rex shouted. He grabbed the bag from her and heaved it above his own pack on his back. He shifted for a few moments before relaxing under the weight. Jade started to protest, but Rex’s stern eyes silenced her.
With ear shields in place and guns poised, they abandoned the car and started down the road on foot. Baylor urged them to eat as they walked. He and Alina took the lead.
“Did you talk to Lance?” she asked.
He nodded. “He wants to send someone from Stormport to help us, but they’re nearly as far as Millflower. It makes more sense to call Millflower since they’re on our way.”
“How many miles did we travel yesterday?”
“Almost a hundred.”
“In all those hours of traveling? That’s all?”
“Yes. Infuriating, isn’t it?” Baylor balled his fists. “I can barely hit ten miles per hour on this awful road. Every time we try to refine it, Sampson unleashes something new on us. It’s like he knows somehow. Then the death toll for workers gets so high we can’t spare anyone to do the work, and no one is willing to risk it, anyway.”
“But, look, we’ve traveled this far without any deaths.”
“You know that’s because you’ve killed what we could not. Plus, we’ve been in a car, which is much safer. Construction workers are always out in the open. Lance is building another factory for cars and machines. He’s hoping to construct an aircar if he can get the materials, which would solve everything—at least until Sampson finds a way to endanger the skies as well.”
The topic clearly frustrated him, so Alina changed the subject. “Have you spoken to Janet or Trinee since yesterday?”
“Yes. They have a radio, too. I spoke to them this morning, but I didn’t mention our situation. It never helps for them to worry.”
Alina hoped to improve his mood. “How did you meet Janet?” she asked.
He relaxed and smiled a little. “We grew up together, but she couldn’t stand me for a long time.” He chuckled. “Not that I blame her. I was pretty annoying. But after the awkward years passed and I became easier to look at, she decided to give me a chance. That’s what I tell Trinee when my usual speech of ‘looks don’t matter’ isn’t working. I tell her to be patient, and others will notice her
