BooksBarbecue
Back The Preserve
Chapters (56)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. 13.
  19. 14.
  20. 15.
  21. 16.
  22. 17.
  23. 18.
  24. 19.
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
  47. 42.
  48. 43.
  49. 44.
  50. 45.
  51. 46.
  52. 47.
  53. 48.
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. AFTERWORD
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

They scrambled across the black river of slabs, zigzagging to avoid the spans of ’a’a rock, and then came gaping crevices. Their usual half-hour-a-mile pace slowed, each mile taking closer to an hour. Then it was all ’a’a, and it was like hiking across a bed of coral. The brittle sharp chunks wobbled and shattered and shifted under their feet. Ankles nearly rolled, palms scraped. After an hour of it they could finally smell the dry brown grass of the Saddle. Almost there.

Behind them the helicopter hovered nearer, high in the sky.

“Why are they staying away?” Kanani asked Jock.

“If they got good sighting gear? It don’t matter—they could probably see us from there.”

“Oh.”

They rushed on, tiptoeing and skidding and kicking up rocks.

The lava flow ended as it began—with a sudden drop-off. They had to navigate it like a rocky cliff, grasping at one another’s hands and elbows. Back down on the scrubby grass, about a quarter mile to the north, they came to a white sign, black letters on a white background:

OFF LIMITS

AUTHORIZED MILITARY PERSONNEL ONLY

46.

Seeing the off-limits sign made all of Wendell Lett’s aches and pains return throbbing. His head spun. “This is no good, no good at all,” he blurted as he backed up, intent on heading back to the lava flow. A rock and a hard place was safer than this.

“Maintain calm,” Jock said, “we’re all right.”

“Yeah? Says who?”

“The Preserve wasn’t a military camp. Lett, stop. Listen to me.”

“I don’t see any kine barb wire,” Kanani said.

“They don’t need any,” Lett snapped, “not in a no-man’s-land like this.” He rushed up to Kanani. “You knew. You knew we’d need to pass through a military zone. Didn’t you? You knew all along.”

Kanani was shaking her head. But she held up a hand. “Okay, okay—I did think it was possible. I’m sorry.”

Lett faced Jock.

“Does look like the only way out, Lett. Or through.”

“All right.” He grabbed at the canteen. He passed it around. Jock and Kanani avoided each other’s glances. Kanani was eyeing Jock as she sipped water. She kept eyeing him.

“What?” Jock barked at her. “You’re the one. You said you had it all figured out.”

“I got us out of there. I had that part figured. The rest was just . . . hoping.”

Jock lapsed into silence, sorting things out in his head. “Look at it this way,” he said eventually, “if this area is official military, then Lansdale’s helicopter won’t dare get too close. That’s my guess. They must need to keep a low profile. So that’s something.”

“Not exactly a silver lining,” Lett said.

“We still need to cross Saddle Road at some point,” Kanani said.