Page 44 of Shelter (The Wanderers 4)

CHAPTER15

Every time the van came to a stop, Storm held his breath and said a silent prayer to whatever creator would listen to him. He wasn’t a religious man, but if they managed to get to freedom, he might consider taking up some sort of faith.

These men who were so kindly risking their lives to transport five young adults were angels. They’d said they took this route often, and apparently, they were trustworthy. He wondered how often they smuggled humans, but no one asked.

It wasn’t until the fourth checkpoint that the guard asked several questions and asked to see inside the van.

Storm held his breath, his hand gripping Haley’s. None of them dared make a sound. All five of them were frozen. The driver got out and rounded to the back with the guard. After he opened the doors, the two of them chatted amicably about the weather and the long line of cars out tonight.

Finally, the doors closed, the driver got back in, and the van pulled forward.

“I think I just lost ten years off my life,” Storm murmured.

“Me too,” Haley whispered in agreement as her body slowly relaxed across his thighs.

It was still the dead of night when the van pulled off the road and the side door opened. The men lifted several boxes out and set them on the ground until an opening existed big enough for the five of them to climb out.

“This is your stop,” one of the men said.

Storm glanced around. They were on the side of a two-lane road in the middle of nowhere. His heart rate picked up. They were at the mercy of strangers and would be for some time. Anything could go wrong. Anyone could turn against them.

The man pointed down an embankment. “It’s kind of steep right here, so watch your footing. Head toward that light in the distance.” He lifted his finger to indicate the direction.

Storm could barely make out the illumination. There was a crescent moon tonight, giving them some light but not much. At least it wasn’t cloudy.

The two men reloaded the boxes into the van without saying another word. Seconds later, they were back in the front seat, pulling onto the road.

“Anyone else feel unnerved?” Braylon asked.

“Very,” Riggs agreed.

“Come on,” Rush stated as he slid down the embankment. “We need to get away from the road as fast as possible.”

Storm agreed, and he reached for Haley, pulling her into his side, waiting for the others to scramble down the rocky slope. “I’m going to hold your hand and lower you down to the others.”

She nodded, not arguing with him.

“I’m ready,” Riggs stated, bracing himself at the bottom and reaching out a hand to take Haley’s as Storm lowered her slowly down. He didn’t want her to slip and fall. The last thing they needed was a twisted ankle or a broken leg.

Storm followed quickly behind her and they all fell into step behind Rush.

“You seem like you’ve done this before,” Storm pointed out, glancing at Rush.

Rush chuckled. “More times than I can count. As soon as we can, we’ll need to pick up supplies somewhere. I hope whoever has organized this route planned for that. We need our backpacks to be filled with food and first aid supplies and water.” He hefted his pack higher on his back.

Storm knew there wasn’t much in that backpack, but at least Rush had a change of clothes and a weapon. Storm had discreetly handed him the gun as soon as they’d gotten away from the estate, not wanting Haley to see it.

“We aren’t well-versed in survival skills. That’s for sure,” Storm lamented as they picked up the pace. The light in the distance seemed farther than it originally appeared. Sometimes it wasn’t in their line of sight. They needed to pay attention and make sure they kept moving in the correct direction.

“He’s right,” Braylon agreed. “I don’t want us to slow down progress. Please fill us in on anything we need to know.”

Rush glanced back. “The most important thing is to stay out of sight. Any time we’re on foot, we need to stay away from the road. Also, trust no one who hasn’t been vetted. You never know who’s on the wrong side of history.” He looked toward Haley next. “Haley needs to be hidden at all costs. If anyone finds her, she’ll be lost to us. The Republic is not our only enemy. As we get farther away from Virginia, we won’t encounter nearly as many members of the aristocracy. Yes, they have a military presence that rounds up women, but we’ll have bigger concerns.”

“Like who?” Storm asked, shuddering.

“Militants. Rogue groups who have assembled and move around the country pillaging everything they find. If they discover a woman, they’ll take her even if they have to kill everyone else around her.”

“And do…what with her?” Storm asked, regretting the question immediately.

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