I help settle Ryan into a comfortable position and wipe the soot from his face. He’s still unconscious and the sight terrifies me.

“I think a few of us should go back to get the boat from the harbor,” I say to the group.

“Why?” Molly questions me.

“Because the river runs all the way to Indiana and we know we’re safest on the water.”

Zeke consults the map. “She’s right. The Maumee River would take us on for miles but it goes through some built-up areas.” He points to where the river diverges at a place called Grand Rapids, heading due south almost all the way through Ohio. “This river would avoid all the large towns.”

“I don’t want you to leave, Brooke,” Bree says, her bottom lip quivering. “And what about Ryan? What if he wakes up while you’re gone?”

“She’s right,” Ben says. “We shouldn’t split up. Not while there might still be crazies out there.”

“Well then what’s your plan?” I say with a harsh tone.

“How about,” Molly says, acting as the peacemaker, “we all get some sleep? Eat some food? Talk about this in the morning?”

I shake my head. “We need to have a plan.”

“And we will,” she says sternly. “Tomorrow. The kids need to rest.”

She gestures toward Bree and Charlie. They both look terrified and exhausted and I know Molly’s warning me to calm down, to not look so desperate and frantic in front of them. But I can’t help it. I can’t bear the thought of not knowing where we’re heading next, not knowing what the next step of the plan is. We were supposed to be on a coal train right now, hurtling through the open countryside, not cooped up in a grain store.

“No,” I snap back. “Tonight. We’ll work out what we’re doing. As soon as Ryan’s awake, we leave.”

Molly narrows her eyes. She doesn’t appreciate my attitude or being bossed around by me. But I feel like I’m losing my mind right now. Plotting our next steps is the only thing that will stop me from worrying.

“You know what, fine,” she says gruffly. “Since none of my opinions seem to matter, I’m going to go and see if there’s anything edible in this place. You guys sit around talking in circles.”

She stomps off. I feel bad for making her annoyed, but she has no idea how much danger we’re in, in the middle of nowhere, completely off course. The quicker we plan our escape route the better.

Zeke spreads the map out on the floor and Ben and I peer over it.

“Do you really want to go all the way back for the boat?” Ben asks.

“What other option do we have?” I reply. “It’s our only transportation. We can’t get to Texas by foot.”