Jace keeps his eyes on me, steady and reassuring.
“We can’t stay here,” he says calmly but firmly. “We’re too close to the river, and a car coming the other way could go straight into us.”
“Okay.” I swallow down the rising panic and take a deep breath; I can’t get hysterical in front of him.
“Are you okay?” he asks, which is when I realize I’m gripping my phone so hard my fingers are turning white.
I’m not okay. We narrowly missed being swept away in a flash flood, and now the car’s broken down and it’s raining hard. But I don’t want Jace to think I’m a wimp.
I release my grip on my phone and scroll through the map. My fingers tremble, but I focus on looking for an alternative route. “We’re about fifteen miles from the retreat.”
I keep my voice steady. It’s too far to walk in this weather and too far to go back, and I have no idea how we’re going to get through this, but Jace is calm so I’m going to stay calm too.
Jace dials his friend back, but the call doesn’t go through.
“I’ve got no signal.” He curses and fires off a quick text. “The storm must be messing with the cell towers. I’ve texted Grant our situation and location. It probably won’t get through, but I’ll keep trying.”
“My phone’s got signal.” I wave the map.
“It must be cached. Don’t close that map. And see if you can find a dwelling of any sort nearby.”
He reaches into the back seat and tugs his army-issue backpack toward him. From one of the numerous pockets, he pulls out a map and a compass. “I’m going to look the old-fashioned way.”
I don’t question why he carries a map and compass. I’m just glad he does, and I’m glad he’s here and thinking about where we can find shelter. A few minutes later, Jace folds up the map.
“Unless you’ve found anything else, there’s an old mining hut about two miles north of here. It’s through the forest and uphill. Are you going to be okay with that?”
Rain lashes the windows, and the wind shakes the car. I want to curl up in a ball and wait until all this is over, but it’s getting dark outside and Jace is right; we can’t stay here.
“I’ll be fine.”
Jace pulls his pack into the front seat and begins throwing out clothing.
“Take only what you need. A change of clothes, any food and water, and any survival gear you have.”
“Survival gear?”
“Matches, iodine tablets, first aid kit...”
I shake my head, feeling like a stupid civilian. “I don't have anything like that.”
He grins. “Luckily I do, sweetheart. I’m trained for this. I’ll get us to the shelter, if you just do as I ask.”
“You’re irritatingly confident, bordering on arrogant.”
He raises his eyebrows. “You’re telling me this now?”
“The dressing down. I never got to give you the dressing down.”
He chuckles. “Sounded like a compliment to me.”
I roll my eyes, but I appreciate him keeping the mood light.
I brought a suitcase and a small daypack. But Jace doesn’t comment as I pull my flimsy rain jacket out of the case and a change of clothes and stuff them into my small day pack.
“You got a rain cover for that backpack?”
I shake my head. “No, nothing like that.”
