Page 63 of Over the Edge

Mansur drove for about four hours in surly silence. Then, he shifted in his seat, making the old springs squeak. Trevor’s eyes shot open. He’d been combat dozing, which entailed resting with his eyes mostly closed but able to come to full alertness at the slightest sound or movement around him.

“You know how to drive a rig like this?” Mansur demanded.

“Yes.”

“Can you take over for a while? I’m tired.”

Trevor was surprised. “Yeah, sure. But we can stop and rest if you want.”

“Not in these parts, we can’t,” Mansur replied sharply.

Caution flared hard in Trevor’s gut. “Why not?”

“Most of Zagistan is fine. There’s law and order and people live their lives out in peace. But we’ve left the territory the Zagari government controls and have entered the lawless lands.”

“You mean the tribal territories?”

Mansur shrugged. “Those have law and order, too. Each tribe controls its own land, and keeps the peace.”

“What makes this region lawless, then?”

“This little piece of Zagistan borders several countries. And the Bagva Pass is the only road through this stretch of mountains. That means every trader in the region has to come through here.”

Trevor pursed his lips. And by traders, Mansur clearly meant smugglers.

Mansur continued, “There are other bad guys out here we don’t want to cross paths with. Opium traders, for one. People with various…political ambitions.”

And by that, Trevor gathered he meant terrorists. This was some of the most remote country on earth, hence bad guys would tend to gravitate to a place like this to hide. Aloud, he asked, “Can’t we just stop at some farm and pay the owner to let us sleep in his barn?”

Mansur snorted. “Maybe. If we were from their clan. But people in this area don’t like outsiders for all the reason I just mentioned.”

“I guess I’m driving, then,” Trevor said.

Mansur stopped the truck, and they swapped places. It was a weird truce between them. They didn’t like each other, but they had a common interest in getting Trevor the hell away from Anna and through this region alive.

He climbed in the driver’s seat and familiarized himself with the throttle, brake pedals, and headlights. “Where am I heading?”

“Follow this road. If you see lights ahead, turn off your headlamps and stop immediately.”

“Why?” Trevor asked sharply.

“Checkpoint. Sometimes the military decides to put one up.”

“My papers are in order. I should have no trouble with them.”

“Yeah, but sometimes the military types also don’t like outsiders like you.”

“Got it,” Trevor replied. “ Don’t approach any checkpoint on my own. Sweet dreams.”

Mansur called him something no doubt obscene in Zagari, then wadded his jacket under his right ear and crashed.

Trevor had been driving for about an hour when he spied the thing Mansur had warned him about. A pinprick of brilliant light atop a mountaintop across a wide valley. Quickly, Trevor turned off the headlights and cut the engine. He let the truck drift to a stop at the side of the road.

“How far?” Mansur asked tersely.

“Mile-and-a-half, maybe. Top of that next ridge.”

Relief relaxed the wrinkles on the guy’s forehead. “And you’re sure all your papers are in order?”

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