AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sam put the car in park, flopped back against the seat, and blew out a big breath. “Well, that’s not something you do every day.”
Trevor laughed, both at the phrase and her attempt at nonchalance. His heart rate slowing, he put both weapons on the floorboard under his legs. “No, it certainly isn’t. I hope he didn’t puncture anything critical.”
“No kidding. Do you think anything’s salvageable in that mess? Because I’m not sure I want to get out.” She shook her head.
“I’m not sure either, but I don’t want to leave garbage behind, either. Who knows when the Forest Service will be out here next?” Trevor shook out his hands and rolled his shoulders. He lowered the window, listening, but no longer heard the tromping of hooves. “I think we can go back. Leave the car running in the middle of the road. We’ll drive to cell service and check messages after we clean up here. Sound like a plan?”
“Sure.” She gripped the wheel, rolled forward and put the car in park next to the remains of their tent and bags.
Trevor grabbed his weapons again and got out of the car, sliding the pistol in the back of his pants. With the stretchy elastic, it wouldn’t stay there long, but they’d be gone shortly. He turned, shining his headlamp in a circle, but nothing moved; the herd had left. He walked to the back of the car. Dents and a couple of holes marred the back quarter-panel, fortunately on the opposite side from the gas cap.
Sam ran her fingers across the damage. “Good thing he didn’t get us.” She threw her hands in the air and walked in little circles. “How is this my life? On the run from the Russian mob and attacked by wildlife? I’m an attorney who watches this stuff on TV, not a special agent, super hero, or Crocodile Dundee!”
Trevor couldn’t hold back his snort. “Neither am I, but this is the hand we’ve been dealt.” He opened the back, found the right container, and grabbed a black plastic garbage bag. He kept a few in his emergency kit as substitute rain gear or ground protectors for changing tires or similar things, fortunately. Shaking the bag open, he crossed to the crumpled mess of nylon, bent aluminum poles, and floating down. “If you’ll hold the bag, I’ll grab the stuff. Did you leave anything in the tent?”
“Yeah, my e-reader is in there somewhere.” Sam took the black plastic from him.
“I’ll watch for it.” He pulled the shredded rain fly from the mangled poles and bundled it into the bag, then grabbed the remains of the sleeping bags. He moved slowly, but feathers still billowed from the gashes. “I was hoping one of these survived. Nobody at the Bureau will believe this expense report.”
Sam barked a laugh. “No, I wouldn’t either.”
A slight clunking made Trevor look down. Black plastic glimmered at his feet, a crack running across the screen. He picked up the e-reader and handed it to Sam. “Sorry.”
“Not your fault.” She took it and shoved it inside her jacket. “Might still work. I’ll check it later. I brought a couple of paperbacks, and there are Little Free Libraries everywhere. We can find one or a used bookstore without surveillance cameras nearby in one of these tiny towns.”
“I’ve got books, too, although they might not be to your taste.” Her books had faceless cartoon characters or embracing couples, while his were mostly science fiction.
She sighed. “We’ll worry about that later. Finish up.”
He gathered the rest, compacting the bent poles and mashing the tent around them. Miraculously, the inflatable pillows had survived. He shoved it all in the back of the vehicle and slammed the trunk. “Well, it could be worse.”
Sam snort-laughed. “At least I don’t have to endure more camping.”
“Sleeping in the car’s seats won’t be comfy, especially if we don’t have blankets.” It could be deadly if they got stuck in the mountains. If that happened, he’d pull the sleeping bags back out, putting them in individual plastic bags, and they’d use them as blankets. Not ideal, but nothing about the situation was. They were one second from complete disaster at every turn.
Sam put her hand on his upper arm. “Hey, don’t worry. You’re doing the best you can. We’ll be okay.” She squeezed and let go.
He’d rather have a hug—or more—but gratitude for her support and resilience warmed his heart. “You’re right. Thanks.”
“Come on, let’s go find a cell tower.” She strode to the driver’s seat.
Trevor didn’t move. “Did you want me to drive?”
“No. You’re limping. Stretch a little before you get in.” Her mouth twisted into a rueful smile. “I will too.” She pulled her left foot up behind her back into a quad stretch.
He hadn’t noticed until she’d mentioned it. Nerves twanged, muscles ached, and exhaustion weighed on him like an anvil. “Good idea.” He moved into a compressed version of his pre- and post-run stretches. Active stretching loosened his tight muscles and tendons and softened the adrenaline crash.
After he finished, he opened the back again and grabbed energy bars, then got in the passenger’s seat. Sam put the car in drive and drove cautiously along the bumpy gravel. At the highway, she turned west and sped up. He unwrapped a bar for her but kept watching the edges of the road for eye shine. They didn’t need to survive one furry critter just to hit a different one.
The car’s clock said it was almost morning and the blackness of night slowly faded into shades of gray. They stopped where their highway intersected with the next. “Pull over here, and we’ll check phones.”
Sam shook her head. “Twisp is right there. I’m sure we can get coffee first, right? A drive through while it’s still dark, and then check phones, okay?” She rolled her shoulders. “I need caffeine.”
“Sure.” It might not be the smartest move, but he couldn’t resist her request. “We should fill the tank, too, even though it’s only down a quarter.”
She grimaced. “I was hoping for fancy espresso, not burned gas station coffee.”
He chuckled. “Fine. Find a hut, then we’ll stop for gas.”
