The drones were acting odd. The ache in Rain’s feet didn’t overshadow the fact that the drone they’d expected to hear at least five minutes ago hadn’t made its trip overhead as scheduled. Since they’d realized the drones were following a grid pattern, they’d known exactly when to expect them and had been able to scatter out of range whenever they’d announced themselves about twenty feet before they arrived above them. But since they hadn’t heard any in a while, it was clear that the Mothers had changed things up a bit, and their eyes in the clouds were no longer following the same pattern.She would’ve mentioned it to her companions if she wasn’t absolutely exhausted. Beyond that, she was certain the others had probably figured it out, too. Mist was sure to have noticed before she did. Her friend was so smart, so aware of everything. Mist’s worldly knowledge sort of made Rain consider perh

Six men and four women of various ages came to a stop about twenty feet in front of Rain and her friends. They were all armed with various weapons. Rain recognized the rifles and handguns, of course, but one of them was carrying what looked like a long spear, its metal tip not only screwed into the top, but a long cord wound around it as well. Another had what might’ve been a bow and arrow of some sort. A bent piece of plastic arched across her back, but there was no string, and the quiver held several pieces of metal that appeared to be blunt on the end. One was carrying a long black stick that looked more like the handle to a sword than anything else. Perhaps it was a baton to beat a person to death with. She didn’t want to find out what it was. She didn’t want to find out what any of the weapons were.Two men stood in the middle of the group. The one on the left, the tallest, with long, black braided hair that surrounded his shoulder

Pitch black greeted her when Rain opened her eyes. There was no way of knowing what time it was since her timepiece was in her backpack, which had been confiscated. Her back ached from sleeping on thin blankets on top of a concrete floor, but she didn’t stir, afraid she’d wake Adam who was lying next to her.Her stomach growled loudly reminding Rain that she’d fallen asleep before she’d eaten anything. As soon as she’d laid down, she’d been out like a light. How many hours ago had that been? She couldn’t say, but she had a feeling it had been a while.Not only was her stomach screaming at her, so was her bladder. Muttering a curse word, and praying she didn’t wake Adam, she sat up, hoping somehow she’d be able to see better at this angle. Her eyes adjusted slightly, but it was still unbelievably dark, and she had no idea how she’d make it to the restroom in a strange place with

The sound of fabric being yanked back woke Rain, causing her to sit bolt upright on the makeshift bed. Her hand automatically reached for a weapon that wasn’t there. Thankfully, it was Mist’s familiar face that met her eye, which made the pounding of her heart soften slightly.“We need to get going,” her friend said, entering the room, her hand extended. Rain reached up, palm open, and Mist dropped a capsule into her hand before offering the same to Adam. “I expect Dal will or Cla will be here soon to get us. We should be ready to go. I don’t want to overstay our welcome.”Rain looked at the pill in her hand and realized it was an energy pill. She’d definitely be needing that. Even though she’d gone back to sleep after visiting the restroom, it hadn’t been restful; the conversation she’d had with Adam hadn’t left her mind, even when she’d closed her eyes and t

“Dis is where I leave you,” Crit said about two hours later when they finally came to a stop in an area devoid of any signs of life, save the partially visible road beneath their feet. “If you follow dis path due north, you will run into the River Red in about a day, day and a half.” He pointed straight ahead, in the direction they’d been traveling all day.They’d made good time, that was for certain. The sun wasn’t even beginning to sink below the horizon. If they continued at the same pace, they might actually make it to River Red before the expected time. Rain wasn’t sure how much longer she could basically run at top speed, even though she was well aware by now that their lives depended upon it.“We can’t thank you enough,” Mist said, offering him her hand.Crit looked at her extended palm and then back at Mist’s face. “You are better tha