“Are we going to die?” Bree whispers in my ear, stammering on her tears.

I try to shush her, to calm her down. I want to tell her that we won’t die but I know it’s a lie. We can’t go on any farther. My legs won’t support my weight. The best I’d be able to do is crawl, but my arms are too weak as well. The only thing that could save us now is a rainstorm. Maybe with a bit of hydration we’d be able to make it another mile or so. Maybe Houston is just over the horizon. But we’ll never know, because the rain will never come.

I stare up at the unforgiving sky. It is a beautiful blue, the sun a blazing yellow, but between them they signify death. I find myself secretly praying someone dies and draws the attention of vultures. Then we’d be able to shoot one and feast on it. But I feel ashamed almost as soon as I think it. It’s better that we die together rather than live with that guilt.

“Do you really think Dad is still alive?” Bree says.

Her voice is floaty and sing-songy, as though she’s becoming delirious.

“Yes,” I reply.

“Do you think he still loves us?”

I let my heavy eyelids close, the scorching sun burning the tender skin. My mind has gone back to another place, to the time when my dad left for the army. I’d come home to find him and Mom arguing about it. He’d hit her and I’d been so filled with revulsion I wouldn’t say goodbye to him. He’d told me through the door that he would always love me, no matter what.

“Of course,” I say to Bree.

She doesn’t respond. When I look over, I see that her eyes are closed.

“Brooke,” I hear Molly say.

I manage to heave myself to my elbows and look back at her. She’s holding her bad leg and breathing rapidly. Despite the heat, her face has completely drained of color. She looks like she’s at death’s door.

“I need to tell you something,” she stammers through the pain.

“What?” I say, squinting against the glare of harsh sunlight.

“The crash,” she gasps. “Zeke and Stephan… survived.”

My heart hammers in my chest. “What do you mean?”

Tears streak down Molly’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I lied. I knew you’d never leave if you thought there was a chance we could save them.”