Page 53 of Sanctuary (The Wanderers 1)

Chapter 16

It was still dark when Layla climbed into her hiding spot under the van seats and tried to get comfortable for what she knew would be another claustrophobic, often bumpy ride. Stuart wasn’t continuing with them for this second leg of the trip. He’d received a call in the middle of the night to go meet a group of potential new Wanderers several hours away.

Jeremy drove. Tarin rode up front with their coworker.

They stopped at two fields that weren’t connected to compounds, mostly so that Layla could see the terrain and processes they used. Even though she’d spent her life with people who knew a lot about plants and were able to produce nearly all of their own food, nothing prepared her for the enormity of these operations.

By the time they reached their final stop for the day, Layla was both excited and exhausted. They would spend some time inspecting the crops here because they were fighting an insect problem and Layla knew Jeremy was hoping she might be able to provide some insight into what might be causing the spread, which was threatening to destroy this field.

They would be done here by midafternoon, and it would take about an hour to get back to the main compound. After two days away, Layla was looking forward to seeing her men, and she had no doubt the four of them were pacing, awaiting her return.

She’d enjoyed her time away. Agriculture was her calling. Her specialty. She needed to make it clear to the rest of her family unit that she would be traveling like this from time to time when it was necessary. She had expertise that would be useful to the good of the entire group, and she intended to use it.

There was a small cabin, much like the one she’d stayed in the first night after Maya had found her and her sister, near the fields. An outpost of sorts where several people could stay for a few days whenever necessary.

After spending some time wandering in the field, assessing the damage to the crops, the three of them went into the cabin to get out of the sun and discuss their options and whether or not the crop could be saved.

Layla had just polished off a bottle of water and a protein bar when they heard a car engine in the distance.

Jeremy and Tarin didn’t hesitate to shove the small table out of the way and pull open a trap door in the floor. “Just in case,” Jeremy said as he held it open for Layla. “I have no idea who might be approaching.”

She climbed down the stairs. This was something she’d done a hundred times in her life. Hidden from strangers. It was a way of life. Jeremy tossed her pack down behind her. “You’ve got water in there, right?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a tunnel behind you. Go through it now. I can’t know for sure whoever this is won’t look down here. It’s about a hundred yards long. You’ll come out in the forest. We’ll find you when we can.”

Layla rubbed her temples and took several deep breaths as the trap door shut, leaving her in near darkness. She quickly rummaged through her pack to find her flashlight. Thank God she had an abundance of survival skills.

She heard the car coming to a stop above her and turned to find the entrance to the tunnel. There was a small door, and when she opened it, she realized the tunnel was crude, narrow, and barely high enough for her to pass through.

It would work though, and she didn’t hesitate to get started, shutting the door behind her. Ugh. Why did this trip have to end with drama? Two days she’d managed to travel with Jeremy and Tarin without incident, and now she was on her own heading into the woods.

She moved quickly, grateful that she couldn’t hear anything behind her. The silence was deafening and welcome. She wasn’t about to take any chances by dallying though. They didn’t live in a world where it paid to get complacent.

She used her flashlight sparingly, not wanting to risk running down the battery. It was easy enough to keep moving forward in a straight line in the dark, only flipping the light on now and then to make sure nothing was in her way.

When she finally flipped on her light to see the exit looming up ahead, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was a fleeting sensation though because moments later, she heard deep male voices behind her as beams of light darted past her.

For a moment, she paused, hoping Jeremy or Tarin had followed her to let her know the coast was clear. But that wasn’t the case. They would have shouted her name. The tones she heard were annoyed and urgent.

“Shit,” she muttered to herself as she ran the last few yards, praying the door would open silently and with ease. If she could just get out of this tunnel, she could take off at a run and hide. She’d done it before. She could do it again.

The first tug on the door sent panic down her spine when it didn’t readily budge. A second pull dislodged it though, and she scrambled out the other side, pulled it shut, and hurried up the embankment, clawing at the ground with her hands for traction.

She fastened the latch for her backpack around her middle and took off into the trees. God, she hated this. She glanced up at the sky to verify her direction. Bless her parents for making sure she knew how to use the sun to track her movements.

She knew how to zigzag through the trees, keep her tracks to a minimum, climb, hide in the underbrush. She also knew how and where to cross water if she came to it.

Most importantly, she’d scoured the map of every place they’d been so she could make her way back to the main compound on foot alone if it were necessary. It wouldn’t be easy, and it would take her two days, but she could do it.

Even though she’d arrived under the seat of the van, she knew where the roads were and how far to each turn. Layla was a survivalist.

She moved as silently and efficiently as possible for half an hour before pausing to listen. Hearing nothing didn’t mean she was safe. Hell, in all honesty, she would never fully be safe in this lifetime. She’d been born in a world that wasn’t safe. It was all she knew. Frequent drills under her parents’ directions had prepared her for moments like this though.

She considered circling back and then decided against that plan. She would be better off finding the road and moving toward the compound. If she stuck to the tree line, she could hear every car that passed. She might get lucky. Assuming Jeremy and Tarin escaped unscathed by feigning ignorance, they would surely stumble upon her and pick her up.

That was the plan. As long as she had a plan, she had a purpose.

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