Page 69 of Last Light

A long time ago. Too long ago to help us.

While I’ve been peering at the old road, Travis has been studying the bridge and river. “Picked a good spot for the bridge.”

I see what he’s talking about. The slopes on the side of the river here aren’t nearly as steep. It’s not sheer rock either—just a mixture of gravel and dirt and weeds.

“You think we can cross here?” I ask, perking up for the first time all day.

“Don’t know. It’d be rough. The river don’t look too deep here. And I think this old girl might could manage those banks. But...”

I wait for him to finish, but he doesn’t. “If you’re not sure, we can keep going until we find a real bridge. On a road.”

“Yeaaah.”

“You don’t like that idea?”

“Not really. Maria said to stay away from the roads. I believe her. And bridges would be dangerous. Nastier sort of folks would use ’em as choke points.”

I hadn’t even thought of that, and the idea makes me shiver. “So which do you think would be less dangerous? Crossing here or trying for a bridge?”

Travis turns to look at me for the first time since we’ve stopped. “I dunno, Layne. I really don’t. Both have their risks. Which would you prefer?”

“Honestly, I’d rather try to cross here. But you’re more outdoorsy than I am, so you’ll know better than me. If you really think it’s too dangerous, I trust you.”

Something flickers on his face. “Yeah?”

“Of course yeah.” I frown at him. “Of course I trust you. So which do you think we should do?”

He sits for a long time, and I can see he’s thinking, trying to decide. He looks painfully torn. He finally murmurs, “I just wanna keep you safe.”

I touch his arm gently. “You have kept me safe, Travis. Youarekeeping me safe. There aren’t any guarantees in this. Just choose as best you can.”

“Your instincts are good, and you wanna cross here. I kinda want to cross here too.” He nods, his expression clearing now that he’s decided. “So let’s try it.”

“Okay. Let’s go then. I’m ready.”

***

I’M NOT READY.

I will never be ready.

I never want to do anything like this crossing again.

Just getting down to the water is hard enough. The slope is passable, but the rocks are loose, and several times the wheels lose traction and slip. I cling to the support bar beside me and bite my lip to keep from making any noise.

Travis’s knuckles are white on the steering wheel, and his teeth are clenched so hard I can almost hear them grinding.

We make it down eventually, but then we have to drive out into the water.

It hasn’t rained much in the past year, so the river is really low. That’s the one saving grace. Despite how muddy the water is, I can see glimpses of the bottom.

It seems like it shouldn’t be that hard to get across.

What it seems is wrong.

The water comes up higher on the vehicle than I expected, and it pushes at us hard. Several times I’m afraid we’re going to get swept away. And there are rocks on the bottom of the river. We get stuck a couple of times, and Travis has to rock us back and forth to get us loose.

Both of us are soaked from the splashing water and from sweat when we finally reach the far side.

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