“I parked at the end of the driveway because I had no idea who was here. Are you okay to walk?” I asked Iris. “It’s about another sixty yards.”
“I’ve got it,” she said, her tenacious attitude—and some stubbornness—powering her through the rest of the walk down the driveway.
Rounding the car to the passenger side so I could help her in, I glanced down and saw the wheels of my SUV bulging out along the gravel, deflated with the rubber gaping open.
Slashed, and recently if the quiet hiss of air leaking out was any indication.
Jennings was still here—nearby—but where?
27
“What does a walking red flag look like? Someone who doesn’t wear sunscreen.”
—It’s science
Iris
We walked as quickly as I could manage down the drive, though his long driveway felt even longer when you were trying not to throw up the entire way.
Just as I was about to open my door, Hector called out, “Iris, Steve, go to the trunk.”
I looked up, not understanding, when he turned and spoke to Sarge.
“Pass auf,” he said, his voice stern and authoritative.
I didn’t know that particular command, but I watched as Hector and Sarge both walked back to the trunk with me. Sarge’s body was lowered to the ground, and his eyes were scanning everywhere quickly, as if looking for something.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
He didn’t respond at first, just opened the hatch and reached in to grab a few small items. He spoke quietly as he handed me a flashlight. “New plan. We leave on foot. The tires on the car have been slashed. We need to be cautious as we make our way out of here, because Jennings likely did it, and that means he’s close.”
It took a few moments for his comments to process in my brain. I just stood there while Hector grabbed a few more things from the back of his vehicle before finally closing it.
“I gave Sarge thebe alertcommand so he’ll be watching, but I don’t know who or what is out there, so I need you to pay attention, and if I ask you to do something, I need you to do it without hesitation. Understood?”
“Yeah,” I responded. I wasn’t stupid. He was definitely the only trained one of the two of us when it came to situations like this.
“We’ll head over the tree line there and make our way quickly up the road,” Hector said as he pushed me in that direction. “There should be help on the way, so we just need to get going in that direction, and maybe we’ll pass an emergency vehicle before the fire can get there.”
That brought my brain back to the here and now. The fire.
“No,” I told him, grabbing his arm to stop him and then pointing to the other side. “We’re safer going down that hill over there rather than up the road along the ridge.”
“No, that will take too long,” Hector countered. “Thefastest route is just up that small hill beyond the trees. We can get to the road faster and hopefully outrun the fire.”
He tried pulling me again, but I resisted. “Hector, listen to me. I may not know evasive maneuvers and tactical stuff like you, but I know fires. We’re actually more at risk going up that hill because fire spreads faster uphill because both heat and fire rise, which dries out the vegetation before the full flames get there, spreading it faster,” I explained, pointing to the area I would prefer to evacuate to. “This is a longer route, yes, but it’s also downhill and has less vegetation, meaning the fire won’t spread as fast, giving us more time.”
I watched him chew the inside of his cheek as he looked around, assessing the situation.
“Okay, let’s go.” He grabbed my hand and called for Sarge to follow, Steve and Ann not far behind.
The flames continued to spread rapidly, and I just hoped that my plan worked and we made it out of here safely.
I scanned the area around us as we quickly worked our way through the rough terrain in the dark. This area wasn’t a forest in the traditional sense, but we had Joshua trees and palm trees, along with lots of sagebrush, cacti, and yucca plants. None of those would feel pleasant if you tripped and fell into them.
I kept looking back at Steve, who was still carrying Ann, though he was beginning to show signs of struggling.
Hector’s right hand held his gun, ready to use it, whilehis other hand was outstretched, ready to catch me if I went down. I was holding my own, but I loved that he was there if I needed him.
