Page 53 of Guarded By Them

“How do you feel about driving?” I asked Dillon.

The car wasn’t modified, so I wasn’t sure how easy Ryan would find driving it. Yes, Dillon had a gunshot wound to his leg, but considering the hike we would be attempting, I figured driving the car for a couple of hours wasn’t going to be the biggest challenge of the day.

Dillon nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. You can’t drive the whole way on your own.”

Because it had barely been dawn when we’d left the cabin, we’d already covered a fair distance by lunchtime. Breakfast felt like a long time ago, and though we didn’t want to stop, we were forced to for food and bathroom breaks. My stomach churned at the idea of what we were going to attempt. I didn’t think any of us really knew what we were getting ourselves into. It was going to be harder than we could imagine, but sometimes we were tested for a reason. If we got through this, we would be safe, and that was what we needed to focus on.

We didn’t only have border patrol to worry about. At this time of year, there would be game wardens, too, checking tags. They carried firearms and had the right to arrest, and would be in touch with border patrol and the police. I didn’t want us to end up in any difficult situations, being forced to kill innocent people.

As the car ate up the miles, we each did our best to sleep when we had the opportunity. We’d be hiking into the night, or at least until the terrain got too treacherous to manage in the dark, or until we decided we needed to rest, so it was important that we got what sleep we could now.

After what felt like forever, we finally entered Minnesota.

“It might be a good idea to find a small town soon so we can pick up what supplies we need,” I announced to the others.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m looking forward to the hike,” Dillon said. “If I spend another minute cramped up inside a car, it’ll be too long.”

“You might not be saying that when we’re hours into it, and it’s getting dark and the temperature is dropping, and we’ve still got a stupidly long way to go.”

Dillon snorted from the back. I didn’t want to frighten any of them—especially not Rue—but we all needed to be aware of what we were getting ourselves into.

“Anyway,” I continued, “we’ve still got a few hours to go, so you might as well relax while you can.”

Gradually, homesteads appeared on the side of the road, sporadic at first, and then becoming a more regular sight. The traffic started to build as well, and with it came a fresh spurt of adrenaline. Everyone was a potential enemy.

We entered a small township. We were probably safer in a built-up area compared to out in the middle of nowhere, but for some reason, being around others was making me nervous.

“We just need to get in and out,” Ryan said from beside me, clearly picking up on my angst, or perhaps experiencing some of his own. “We’ll be quick.”

I nodded and flexed my fingers around the steering wheel. “Yeah. In and out.”

The main street of the small town was made up of a farming supplies store, a grocery store, a bank and a drugstore. There was a mom and pop restaurant—the kind where you were always greeted by your name and the waitress knew what you were ordering before you did.

This was the kind of town where everyone knew everyone else’s business. They all probably went to school together, and went on to marry their childhood sweethearts, and have kids of their own, only for the same pattern to repeat over with each generation. We were going to stand out, and I didn’t want us getting noticed by the wrong people. Though this was tourist country, we were all dressed inappropriately for the region. If someone called the cops on us, this could all go very wrong, fast. We were armed and were carrying a lot of cash, plus fake passports. That would be enough to get us detained without us needing to do anything else wrong.

“Over there.” Rue leaned between the two front seats and pointed at a camping store on the right.

I nodded approvingly. “Good spot. That’s exactly the sort of place we need.”

I clocked a gap where we could park, and I indicated before pulling over. The few people on the streets glanced with interest at the car. A mother pushing a stroller. Two older guys with their hands stuffed in their pockets, ambling along. Women in their forties sitting outside of the coffee shop, sipping their coffees and making the most of the sunshine. I guessed they didn’t get many visitors around these parts, and three strange men and a young woman showing up was bound to get attention.

“Act relaxed,” I told the others before we got out. “Smile, and keep your heads up, say good afternoon to anyone who might catch your eye. We don’t want to look like a group of thugs.”

“Who are you calling a thug?” Dillon teased.

With his tattoos and bandaged thigh, he probably looked the roughest out of all of us. I considered telling him to stay in the car, but I doubted it would make much difference.

“Ready?” I asked, surveying them, my hand on the car door handle.

“Ready,” they all parroted back.

I sucked in a breath and did my best to quell my nerves, then pasted a bright, what I hoped would be winning smile across my face and climbed out. The others followed. I could already feel the gazes of the town’s inhabitants land on us, the way the women at the coffee shop had both paused with their coffee mugs halfway to their mouths. I kept the smile on my face and lifted my hand in a half-wave of greeting, and then we crossed the sidewalk to the camping store.

I pushed through the door, a little bell tinkling above my head, and the others followed. A young man was seated behind the counter, and he saw us and lifted his chin in a jerky greeting. “Can I help you folks with anything?”

“We need to get kitted out,” I replied, “but I’m sure we can find what we need ourselves.”

The man gave an awkward smile. “Oh, right. Sure. Well, holler if you need any help.”

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