“Anyway, I asked Margret if there’s been any news lately. And she tells me some nasty guys are driving around in trucks all around here. Them, and some tall blond guy.”
I cringe at the description. Connor.
Curtis continues, “They’re causing a lot of trouble. Roughing people up. Supposedly looking for someone. Don’t suppose that someone is one of you two?”
I say nothing, but I don’t need to. Curtis can read my worries like a book.
“Hmm. That’s what I thought. In that case, you two will wanna be extra careful. These guys are nasty, from what I hear. And you’ll probably want to leave as soon as you can. They’ve been going house to house, looking for you. Only a matter of time till they make it here.”
Zach and I shoot worried looks at each other. Our time here has been nice, but I knew it would have to end soon. We can’t afford to wait with the FLA and Connor hot on our trail.
“Now for the next thing,” Curtis says. “You’re headed west over Snoqualmie Pass, I assume. Am I right?”
Even though I like Curtis and have no reason not to trust him, talking about specific plans with anybody makes me apprehensive. “I think so. But I want to keep all options open.”
“Well, if you’re going to make it through the Cascades, you have limited options. Even though it’s June, we had a big snowpack last winter. Since that glacier melted, it messed with the jet stream. We had a record winter last year. Snoqualmie Pass is your best bet. Stevens Pass and Cayuse Pass won’t be free of snow until August.”
I’m getting a sinking feeling. I hate the idea of another pinch point. The last one was at the Columbia River, and we barely made it through that alive. Curtis gets up from the table, roots around in his desk for a bit, then takes out a map. He returns to the table and sets it down in front of us.
“As I see it, you have three options.” Curtis points to the map. “You can take Interstate 90. That’s by far the easiest option, but it leaves you the most exposed. Right at the pass here, the freeway is a hundred feet or more above that valley. If you run into those thugs, there’s nowhere to run.”
“Yeah, we’ll want to avoid the freeway,” I say.
“I agree. That leaves you with Forest Service road 58 here.” He points to a small line on the map. It runs near I-90 but charts its own path. “That may be your best bet. But there still may be snow on it. And nobody’s plowing those roads anymore.”
He moves his finger south on the map. “Or you go through the Snoqualmie Train Tunnel here. It’s over two miles long, so you’ll need a reliable light source.”
Zach shoots me an uncomfortable look. Our last tunnel experience was less than ideal. All the Infected bodies I had to avoid and the jump over haunt my mind. But I shove the memory aside, squeezing the bridge of my nose to relieve the tension. “Yeah, not a whole lotta good options. But thanks for the advice.”
Curtis nods.
I point to the map. “Can I keep this?”
“Absolutely.”
*
Later that night, Zach and I sit together by the fire. I need Zach to understand the actual risks we face. For the first time, he has a realistic choice. He could choose to stay here. Without me or the vials, it’d be less risky for him. I need to let him decide what he wants to do.
“Zach, we need to talk.”
He looks at me, scanning my face. “That sounds ominous.”
“You made me promise we’d make important decisions together. Well, in order for you to make those decisions, you need to know the truth. The problem is, the truth is extremely dangerous. Evenknowingit is dangerous. Before I say more, I need you to understand this.”
Zach grabs my hands and looks me in the eye. “I’m ready.”
“Okay.” I nod slowly. “What I’ve been carrying. I need to get it to the emergency bunker at the UW. One of our sister stations. They’ve isolated a key compound of the Infection. Something only they’ve been able to replicate. All they need are the lab samples I’ve been carrying. With them, they can synthesize a cure.”
Zach’s eyes open wide. “Aiden, that’s amazing.”
“It is. But it’s also perilous. If these samples fall into the wrong hands, someone could turn them into a weapon. I need to protect these with my life. I made an oath. And if there comes a time when I have to decide between my life and protecting the vials. Then, well—”
Zach’s expression becomes solemn as the weight of my statement settles. “I’m not leaving you, Aiden.”
“Yourlife is at risk too. You have a genuine choice, Zach. You could stay here with Curtis. I could come back and get you when it’s done.”
“I’mnotleaving you.” Zach says it with such intensity it borders on anger. “Honestly, after all we’ve been through together, I can’t believe you’re even suggesting this.”
