S3E9: Brighton Rock
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Everything hurt. I rolled over onto my side, accidentally kicking Amber, but she didn't move. "Shit. Amber. Amber." I looked over my shoulder to see my door was completely twisted. I crawled over, becoming even with the center console, which hung open above me. There I got a glimpse of the front seat.

Jesus. Amber.

Come on! Wake up! Damn it! Come on! There.

I felt something. A fake beating. Come on. I shook her harder this time. Please! She made a noise. I heard footsteps. I needed to get out of here. I quickly crawled over the glass to the bed door that was stuck in the ground. I tried pushing it open. But it wouldn't budge. Okay. I cleared some glass. I ended up crawling through the window.

I didn't hear any more footsteps, but I continued to hurry. My body ached and my hands and legs were bleeding. No time to focus on it though. I spun around and peered back inside. "I got you Amber, I got you." I reached in and grabbed her under her arms. "Shh, shh, shh, I got you, I got you." As I slowly pulled her out through the window, I heard footsteps again.

Almost there! Almost there! Come on!

As I searched, legs appeared on the opposite side of the car. I pressed my body against the door so he couldn't see me if he looked over the vehicle, but I continued to search for a gun. Either gun. Come on! The man kneeled on the ground. His body and face came into view. He was the driver of the SUV. He had cuts and bruises on his face and a gun in his hand. He looked shocked to see me. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped just as I found the gun. We both aimed. Shit! He fired first but missed.

I didn't. I shot him in the chin. He rolled around in pain, holding his lower face. Blood poured out. I got up and stumbled my way around the car, holding onto the axles, bumper, and flat tires just to keep me from falling. I noticed the other mustache man, a passenger with a neck injury, was laying half outside the SUV, covered in blood, unmoving. I went right up to the driver who was still alive, still rolling around but now choking up blood.

The bullet must have gone through his mouth because teeth lay on the ground by my feet. I aimed my gun at him. It was seething, but I couldn't pull the trigger. I wanted to. This son of a bitch tried to kill me and Amber and succeeded with killing these two poor hikers. I looked at the outback where Leroy's bloody hand was just visible inside, blood slowly dripping off his pinky. Why were they doing this? Why were they so relentless? I'd been surrounded by death recently, but it was their fault.

They had forced me to be a killer. A murderer. And here I was, ready to kill again. But it was self-defense, right? It was. But now, I stood, still aiming my gun at the floundering man. My finger hovering over the trigger. This wasn't me. It wasn't. But I was still seething. I thought about Amber, how she was still lying there in the leaves and dirt, barely cleaning the life. How? I had no idea. She was going to pull through. Fuck it. I wish I could say I did it to stop his suffering. Who was I kidding?

I did it out of pure anger. I went back to Amber, bent over her. I quickly looked over her body, but saw no serious injuries. That didn't mean she was okay, but I held out hope. Amber, come on. Wake up. Please. Wake up. There you go. Okay, you're gonna be okay. You hear me, Amber? Mikey? Yep. Yeah, it's me, Mikey. What happened? I'll tell you all about it when you get up. Come on. We need to grab some stuff and then we can... I stood up, alert.

Oh no. I knew time was short, but it just got a lot shorter. A helicopter was coming this way. Come on Amber, wake up! I was shaking her more violently now. Get up Amber, we have to go! Okay, Mikey... I jumped up and checked my gun. Two bullets left. I stumbled back over to the driver and grabbed his gun which was covered in leaves and blood. I then reached into the back of the Outback and grabbed the only backpack I could. Carrie's pack.

Mikey?

Where are we? That's not important. Where we go is, and that's anywhere but here. I got up and ran over the SUV. I was just about to look inside when I noticed... Oh shit. The passenger was gone. That couldn't be. I held up my gun and scanned the area. Where was he? Shit! I stumbled up the steep incline to the road and looked south, but saw nothing. I turned north and coming around the bend, I saw two SUVs and a Jeep. They were probably a good few miles away, but flying. There was no time.

We have to go. They're coming. Do you need your backpack?

Ugh... the... the compass... Shit! I looked in the outback again and felt around. Her pack was jammed under Carrie's body. I tried pulling it out, but couldn't. I can't get it! But I noticed the compass dangling there on the zipper. I quickly grabbed it and yanked. It snapped right off. I pocketed the thing. Mike? I know! We have to hurry! The other gun was in the car, but I didn't have time to look. Come on! I know! I know, I got you!

Wait! What? I held her up while simultaneously throwing Carrie's backpack off of my shoulder. What about... What about, um... Le-Leroy and C-Carrie? They're dead, Amber. They're dead. She seemed not only shocked by this news, but devastated. Her eyes softened. She seemed on the verge of tears. Why are they doing this? I-I don't know. We made our way to the forest edge. We were just about to enter when I saw him. We froze.

The mustache passenger who just minutes ago had been shooting at us was just sitting there, propped up against a tree, holding his bloody neck. He was pale, taking shallow breaths, but staring at us. He didn't say anything, he just raised his free hand slowly, pointing it at us, forming a gun with forefinger and thumb. He jokingly shot us with his finger gun and laughed. Anger rose in me. I thought about a time with Melinda.

The one time in one of her erratic moments where she was throwing things, breaking my stuff, screaming and accusing me of all kinds of bullshit. That moment, when I almost struck her. I was just so angry. And I wanted to, but I quelled it. Even through her threats to fuck other people, I didn't let my anger get the best of me. And I never thought I would. Here, after everything, the anger was even more intense. I was seeing red, especially after you had just said that.

And like with the driver, I couldn't help myself. Amber must have sensed what I was about to do. No, don't. I raised my gun. Mike, let's just leave. We have to go. I pointed it at the man. Please. The man who just tried to kill us. The man who was laughing at us. The man who was part of something bigger, something I didn't know. He sat there, hands now resting in his lap. But he still stared at us, smiling sardonically.

Mike, wait. We can't stop. Please. Amber, you heard the helicopter. They're close. They'll send more people after us. But my leg. My ankle. I know. We'll rest soon. I promise. No. Now. It has to be now. Amber, they're going to come after us. Just five seconds, please. Amber. Mike. Mike.

I can't. I'm sorry. I lowered her to the ground where she laid back against the soft grass. We were in an open area with interspersed trees, rolling hills, and flowers. It made me nervous because we weren't as concealed as before. But we'd been running for a good ten minutes. Couldn't stop long. We had to keep going. Amber knew it, but she must have been in real pain. Amber. Thirty more seconds. I'll be good. I promise. Just thirty more seconds.

I looked towards the way we came, hoping beyond hope that no one showed. My hands were still shaking and that's why I put my gun away. I looked at my hands. They were covered in dirt and scratches and dried blood. All of a sudden I started to feel sick. I wanted to throw up but I closed my mouth and suppressed the feeling. No, you're just panicking. Relax, Mike. Mike? Yeah. Why'd you do it? I turned to Amber who was looking at me with saddened eyes. I got a little annoyed that she would ask me that.

Really? Yes. Amber, these guys have been trying to kill us. I know. What would you say if this stupid hand gesture was an actual gun? Probably nothing. Exactly. They chased after us. You shot at them too. Because you had to. We had to. The assholes in the SUVs? The guy who hit you with a rock? They're obviously not going to stop. She seemed to hold back from saying anything more. She looked down at the grass and yellow flowers. We shouldn't even be talking about this.

We should be running away from here. I can't run. We should at least be moving. I agree with you, but my leg is fucked right now and my ankle's on fire. These people won't care. I walked up to Amber with my slight limp until I was blocking the slowly setting sun. If I left that guy alive, he probably would have told him which way we went. She ran her hand over a flower, feeling the petals between her fingers before looking up at me. I know that. I know. I'm just scared.

Did she mean scared of me or scared of the situation? I wanted to ask, but then she pushed herself off. Let's keep going. Okay. Put your arm over my shoulder. I shifted her weight, put my arm around her waist, and we continued across the flowery field with interspersed junipers and small berry bushes. Even with our distance, we could hear the helicopter. At one point, it sounded like it landed, but now it was moving. Did they drop more of those assholes off? Were we going to be hunted?

They had to know we were close. And what would they do with the bodies? What would they do with poor Carrie and Leroy? I looked over to Amber. She had tears streaming down her face, and something tells me it wasn't because of the pain. I gripped her tighter. We're gonna be alright. Did you really think that? I wanted to think that. And I should have said that, but instead I said nothing as we pushed on. Okay, that's it, Mike. That's all I got. Amber went limp in my arm. We have to stop. My legs are gonna fall off.

We haven't seen anyone or heard anyone since the helicopter passed a half hour ago. You're right. We'll stop. We'll rest. I eased her to the ground and leaned her against a fallen tree trunk. I sat too. I'm sorry to push. We needed to make some space. You think they're out there right now? Tracking us? Who knows? I saw them kill one of the rats. Poor guy was running through a field and, well, then he wasn't. That kept popping into my mind as we ran. Mike...

Where are we running to? I don't know. We didn't have a specific direction. We just ran forward. It was east or northeast, but I knew eventually we'd have to change directions. Otherwise I'd wind up right back at fucking Tower 4. Mike, we saw smoke earlier. We could be running right towards the fire. I know. We need to get higher, see if we can locate it, and find out where we are exactly. No, we just need to keep moving.

Where? Not towards the highway. That's for damn sure. And I know you said east isn't good. It's not. Then where, Amber? Where do we go? South? You said the woods are sparse. They are. And those guys were blocking the highway south of here. Well, we don't have many other options. No. It'd help if we knew where we were. But I think we should head north now. Seriously? Yeah.

You said that was a long trek, too. It is, but if there's no fire in our path, we can go to Yellowstone. Yellowstone? Yes. I've been thinking about it this whole time. We need to get somewhere public. Leroy and Carrie were leaving the woods because of the fire warning, which means these woods and everything near it are going to be evacuated. And you think Yellowstone won't be? They're going to do their best to make sure the fire doesn't reach Yellowstone. There's too many people. Too many tourists.

We don't have to get to the police. We just need to get somewhere public. Somewhere where they can't pull the shit they just pulled. It has to be really public. Because they aren't afraid to get blood on their hands. More on our hands. Listen, Amber, those guys tried to kill us. Not them. Leroy and Carrie died because of us. Just took their car. Just didn't go with them. No, Amber. Yes, Mike.

If we didn't involve them, they'd still be alive. We're to blame. I jumped up and pointed towards the highway, or at least where I thought the highway was. They're to blame. Those fuckers who ran us down, not us. But it seemed like she didn't want to believe that. She shook her head and wiped tears from her eyes. This is not our fault. It's just so much death in the matter of 24 hours. Why do you think I lost it back there? She looked at me with watery eyes. Because I did!

I'm so fucking angry that this happened to Carrie, to Leroy, to us, to you! You don't think I'm angry, Mike? Of course I am. I'm angry at the assholes who chased us, the fucking jerk who hit me with a rock. I'm angry at Gene, and I'm angry at myself. I wish I could scream right now. But I won't, because who knows how close anyone is to us. I feel the same way. I sat back down and leaned against the tree trunk. Mike...

I'm not exactly sure where we are. We need to get our bearings, and I think it would be best to eventually head north. Okay. But before we do, I think I know of a spot that could help. Someplace where we could overlook much of the forest. A place where I could get signal with my phone, if it still works. A place where both of us can shout at the top of our lungs. I knew exactly where she meant. We didn't make it, though. Not before it got dark.

But we knew that would be the case. It was much too far. We were using the moonlight to guide us and now we looked for a good place to camp. What about over there? She pointed to our right, to a grouping of rocks overlooking part of the valley. We'd climbed pretty high, but we didn't make good enough distance with how slow we were moving. Especially for the last half hour. Sure, but let's go to the other side. It's a little too open right there. This is good. Right here. You sure? Mike, I can't walk any further today.

I once again lowered Amber to the ground. I dropped the backpack and sat across from her near the edge of a steep cliff. Once again, we sleep close to danger. You can come over here. I will. Eventually, I'm just getting a look. How can a place like this be so sinister? It's the people, not the place. Both Amber and I were looking out at the valley and the forest beyond. It's pretty dark now that the clouds had moved in in front of the moon. Hey, look.

There. Followed her finger to see the faint outline of smoke in front of the starry skyline. It doesn't look that bad. She grabbed her compass. That's, uh, due east. Is that good? As long as it isn't heading this way. But with the wind... With the wind it could be? Yeah. Which means if we keep heading north, we could get trapped between the fire and the highway. That's not good. We just have to get ahead of it. Although, I can't imagine they would let it burn for long.

If a storm doesn't come in, they put it out themselves, right? Sure, but things might be a little different now. Don't say that. She leaned forward and squinted. What? What do you see? Nothing yet. Hold on. She looked at the compass, then back out over the valley. She took a moment, then looked at her compass again. And valley. Should be... What? My tower. See it? But I didn't. Even with her pointing. No. Here, come here.

I scooted over to her, leaned against her shoulder and followed her finger. Right... there, see? Oh yeah, I do. Over the rocky ledges and tree line in the distance, the faint outline of a cavern. It's that far? Yeah. So odds are we can't see Tower 4 from here. No. But did you want to? No. No, I don't. I'll be happy to never see that place again. I figured. Except... What? So much of my work is there.

My story. You don't have it backed up? Some of my basic outline is on my desktop in storage, but everything that I wrote here is still there and odds are I'll never get it back. It's not all there. Some of it's... She playfully tapped my head. Right here. I don't know why I'm even worried about it right now. There are more pressing matters. Yeah. We haven't even checked ourselves out. It's been go, go, go. I know. Gotta admit...

I'm a little scared too. I lifted my shirt to expose my stomach. Yep, some good bruising. Cracked rib? Maybe a few. You shouldn't have been carrying me, Mike. What other choice did we have? I wasn't leaving you in your bum ankle. She stretched out her legs slowly. We need to wrap it. Well, we haven't checked yet. What did Carrie...

What did she pack for her trip? You don't remember? We'd already gone through her pack and Leeroy's after they attacked me. I was only concentrating on finding any weapons, or what could be used as a weapon. Like the bear spray? That sucked, didn't it? I feel bad for bears. That shit was no joke. Alright, let's see. Sorry I couldn't get yours. There wasn't much in it, remember? And you got the compass. That's all that really mattered. I figured it was sentimental being a gift from your friend.

Mace? You've still got bear spray on the mind. His name was Ace. Ah, right. Sorry. You were close. She smiled. You did give me an extra magazine, too. So, we don't have that anymore. Yeah, we don't have much in the Ways of Protection. This gun only has one bullet. But, I'll just have to make do. Alright, let's see.

Got a lot of clothes. Yeah, but if you want her hiker babe shirt, remember it was stolen. That was crazy hearing that. It's scary. Amber started looking around nervously. I do too. Uh, let's focus on this right now. Okay, what else is in there? Krill mix, protein bars, energy bars. Well, that's good. I'm not seeing any banana chips though. That's slightly disappointing, but expected.

I gave her a weird look. Yeah, me too.

Okay, so what else? There's a small chain light. I passed Amber some of the items as I continued searching. Here we go. Headbands, scrunchies, toilet paper. Here's her bathroom bag. I handed it all to Amber, who then placed it on the ground before us. Here's some good stuff. Headlamp, rope, tiny little shovel and a bag. That's a potty trowel. Ah, here's some tissues, glow sticks, gloves, another smaller water bottle, more food. They really went all out.

Some more clothes, sunblock... Oh, hey, look. I pulled out a compass. We would have had one regardless. Yes, but where's the sentimentality? Would Ace get jealous? No, but Mace would. Here we go. The thing I was hoping for this whole time. Bandages? The whole dang kit. The first aid kit seemed to have everything.

It looked like it hadn't been opened before. Oh, this is great. Oh, yeah. Now we can wrap your ankle. What about you? I might want to bandage up some of your cuts. Are we going to start comparing injuries like in that scene in Jaws? It's not worth it if we're not going to drink and sing, Show me the way to go home. You're right. I could use a drink right about now. Vodka? She smiled. I did too. As shitty as things were right now, I was glad Amber was with me.

I was so scared in the wreck when she was unresponsive. Was that the reason I flew off the handle? The reason my anger got the best of me? Hey, I was just thinking. About? I had given her the gauze and she was slowly unspooling it. We have to get out of this. Why do you say that? Because you have to finish your story. I still want to buy and read it, remember?

You wouldn't have to buy it. I'll give you a copy. A signed copy. No, no, no, no, no. I want to buy it and then have you sign it. I want to support you in your writing. I appreciate it, but you don't have to do that. Mike, when someone you've been lying to for two months saves your life multiple times, you spend the 15 bucks to buy their book. Ha!

Is that the stipulation? At that point, it's a given. If you say so. But I wouldn't be too dismissive of my offer. Why's that? Because I'd charge at least 25 for a hardcover. We both laughed, but Amber's smile slowly faded in mind of hers. Mike, I'm still really scared. Yellowstone is far. I'm in pain. I can barely walk.

With everything, the fire, the rats, the people out here chasing us, I just... I know. I'm scared too. I want to believe we'll get out of this. But in case we don't, I really want to go to Brighton Rock. I know it's a little out of the way, but... We'll go. It's fine. I'm sure you think it's stupid though. I don't. Yeah, but you think I just want to go to get a better look at it. No, I know why you want to go. I know it's not just to get a bearing on where we are. You already kind of know, right?

I mean, you pointed out your tower. Yeah. I know you want to talk to Jean. She looked down and nervously rubbed the gauze as if embarrassed. I just want to ask him why he did this. Why he did this to me. But is the "why" important? I thought back on my relationships, especially the one I had with Sarah. How hurt I was when she wanted to call it quits. No, it's not important, not in the grand scheme of things. Not right now as we run for our lives. But I still want to know.

And that made sense to me. Okay. Thank you. I nodded and moved the backpack. That's when I noticed the sleeping bag at the bottom of Carrie's pack. Oh, hey, almost forgot. She's really coming through for us, huh? Yeah. Hey, Mike, I'm not big on religion, but could we maybe just have a moment of silence for Carrie and Leroy? Yeah, I think that'd be nice. And we did. I scooted close to Amber and we sat silently facing the valley with slightly bowed heads for a good minute.

Amber eventually rested her head on my shoulder and I took her hand in mine. We ended up sitting like that for a long time. Hey, we should probably patch ourselves up now. Otherwise, I'll fall asleep like this. Good point. Let's get to it then. I do you, you do me? Sounds good. I know it wasn't smart to lay down, but I wasn't tired. That's why I let Amber sleep. It was late and quiet and cold. I hadn't heard anything, but they were probably out there right now searching for us.

And while I didn't want to make any special detours, I too was interested in what Jean would say. If she could get a hold of him. I rolled over to see Amber pressed up against some rocks, asleep but also shivering. Was she cold or was she just having a bad dream? We were both laying on the outstretched sleeping bag. We were really close right now. I wanted to reach out and put my arm over her, but then I heard movement. I slowly sat up and peered into the woods. I heard more movement.

but still saw nothing. It was probably an animal, but was that just me being hopeful? Amber mumbled in her sleep. Her jaw tensed, her eyes darted back and forth under her eyelids. Clouds moved in front of the moon, casting us in darkness. I waited, sitting up, still scanning the forest the best I could. For a moment there, I thought I saw something. A figure. My heart skipped a beat. Amber was now moving around.

I put my hand on her shoulder in the hopes it would calm her. It worked. I turned my attention back to the woods just as the cloud cover had passed, allowing for more moonlight. When it did, the figure was gone. But was it a figure? A person? A rat? Or just my mind playing tricks? More movement. I pulled my gun, the one that I'd taken from the driver. I got into position to jump up if I needed to, but a small possum wobbled out of a near bush and made its way to the cliff's edge, not even realizing how close he was to humans.

I relaxed some and lowered the gun. I watched the possum for a while until it eventually disappeared into more bushes south of us. I then scanned the woods again. It couldn't have been a figure in there. If it was a rat or one of the members of IRIS, it would have attacked, right? Maybe, maybe not, Mike. I thought about Amber's backpack and what Carrie and Leroy said about their stuff. I moved Carrie's pack closer. But would the rats really travel this far? Would they follow us? Why not?

Carrie and Leroy were by the creek when their stuff was stolen. Jerry walked all over the woods. He just happened to have a cave that he was living in too. But he was trying to get back into the lab to find his loved one. But would the other rats act the same way after they escaped? Why wouldn't they keep running? Why stay in the woods? I stayed up for another hour just sitting and thinking and staring off into the woods. Amber's nightmares seemed to come back and even a hand on her shoulder wasn't enough to soothe her this time.

I wasn't sure if she would be okay with this, but I slowly laid back down. I was pretty sore, so my movement hurt right now. I rolled over and put my arm around her. She stopped shaking, stopped mumbling. That made me happy. I knew I shouldn't stay like this because one of us needed to keep watch, but I wanted to let her get a little more sleep. Good sleep. So I just laid there.

But 20 minutes later, I made the mistake of closing my eyes. And a minute later, I was out. Mike? Mikey? My eyes slowly parted, revealing Amber's blurry face. She smiled. Hey. Oh, man. Is it daylight? Pretty much. The sky was a hazy yellow. I fell asleep. I see that. Thank you, by the way. For what? I slowly sat up.

Or, you know. It was cold. Hey, so was I. I probably could have slept for a good four more hours. But this stupid thing hit me in the face. She held up a flyer. It said, "Wildfire evacuation in order. Leave immediately." Where the hell did that come from? You didn't hear the helicopter? No. When? Not too long ago.

It was far away, but look. She motioned to the ridge. Flyers floated freely over the valley, zigging and zagging with the wind. Hundreds of them. The wind's carrying them. They're probably all over the woods. They just litter like that? I've never seen anything like this. But also, it's biodegradable. Like our toilet paper? Yeah. I rubbed my forefinger and thumb on the corner, feeling, oh,

I took the flyer from Amber and checked the back, but it was blank. They're really going all out. Either this is a really bad fire, or this is all for us. Us and the rats, that's my guess. You think they would heed the warning? The rats? I don't know. I kinda hate calling them that. Me too. Looks like the fire's moved quite a bit. It has. We both stared at the billowing smoke in the distance. There were trails of it. It covered a wide swath of land, which worried me.

Does it look like it's moving west or northwest? Hard to tell from here. You know, if this was up to Gene, he wouldn't allow it to continue. Maybe not, but would he have a choice? She shook her head and shrugged. Mike, this trek to Brighton Rock will be rough, especially with my ankle. I figured. I had trouble standing. My body was so sore. And you don't look so hot either. I feel like I was hit by a truck.

Nope. Just an SUV. I smiled as I stretched all my limbs. I wobbled a bit but used the largest rock to steady myself. I checked my bandage-wrapped hands.

It was full of cuts and bruises. So was Amber. I... still want to go. To Brighton Rock? Yeah. Okay. And we need to go fast, because we have no idea what's in store north of here. Or whether that fire will catch up to us. Exactly. She stood. Also had me trucking. Ugh. Promise me, though. If the fire gets too close, we abandon the rock and head straight to Yellowstone. I promise. Let's get going.

For the first few hours, I helped Amber walk. We were both feeling the effects of our hike and vehicular wreck yesterday. My ribs and chest, my right shoulder and arm, my hands, my left knee. Everything was hurting. But somehow I was still better off than Amber. Eventually Amber was able to hobble on her own though. It seemed more like stubbornness rather than any sort of healing. And it did slow us down quite a bit. But she was adamant about pushing herself.

So I just worried about the backpack and checking our surroundings. I don't know if we'll even make it to Brighton Rock, let alone Yellowstone. As long as we're a good distance from the highway. We are now. We were on the north side of the valley. The sun was in the middle of the sky. It was hot with hardly any tree cover over here, which worried me if a helicopter came flying through. I might need to rest soon. Okay. I looked over towards the smoke.

It seemed closer, but maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. Want to rest here? No. No, under that tree there. Okay. Thirty yards later, an amber fell to the ground with a thud. You doing okay? Yeah. Just a short rest is all I need. Want some water? No. We need to conserve it. You can have a little. You want some, don't you? I really do. Here. Thank you.

She had one more sip and then handed it back to me. I wanted to drink the whole thing, but held back. Are you hungry? No. Okay, but we should eat something soon. We need to conserve our food too, Mike. Realistically, how long will it take to get to Yellowstone? Factoring in my ankle, it could be anywhere from four to six days. Six days? Well, besides my ankle, I don't know the terrain too well north of the ranger station.

There's a large valley between Towers 1 and 2, and a lake and a couple of creeks, but I don't really know the trails. Didn't Carrie have a map? I think we left it on Wind Walk after your fight. If I knew we'd still be in these damned woods, I would have grabbed it. Trust me, the last thing I want- What? Amber, what? Her mouth fell open as her eyes fixated on something behind me.

I turned around. The hell? Smoke rising into the sky. That's where we came from, right? Yeah, that's by the highway. Another fire? It's deliberate now. They probably expect us to head south. You think? Yeah, that's where the roadblock was and there's not as much cover as you head to 26. Well then it's a good thing we're heading north, right? No, none of this is good.

Oh shit! I got up and ran against the tree. I was trying to get a good view of the fire, but couldn't. Mike, if they get a fire going north of us, we're screwed. I turn north to see. There's nothing yet.

You think they'd do that? I don't know what they would do. Then maybe we need to skip Brighton Rock. It's hours out of our way, right? Not necessarily. What do you mean? Look. Amber cleared some leaves in front of her, revealing soft dirt. She grabbed a stick and started drawing. This is where we are. Roughly. Here's the valley, right? Sure. I knelt across from her. This here is Wind Walk. We haven't crossed it? No, but we'll come up on it soon. Okay.

So we crashed not too far from the trailhead where we got the car. Right. This is Brighton Rock. It's off Wind Walk on its own little path, right near Shoshone. Shoshone was between us, though. Shoshone, like Wind Walk, splits and picks back up. Shoshone goes all the way up to Bridger, here. I think there's also a trail that goes to the highway, but I can't remember what it's called.

The point is, if we take Wind Walk to Shoshone, we can take that up to Bridger and beyond. We'll be far from the highway, and we'll stay to the right of the ranger station. Hmm. What? My truck's at the ranger station. Not that I have the keys. We need to avoid the highway anyway. I know, but the idea of six days of hiking? It sucks. I stood, rubbed my neck.

Amber, are you suggesting we take trails now? We didn't run into anyone on Wind Walk earlier. Other than Leroy and Carrie. Yeah, but even they weren't on the trail. That doesn't mean we won't now. No, but navigating north of here won't be easy. And the last thing we want to do is get lost. Trails will make walking easier, too. Okay, fine, but we need to hurry. I know. I helped Amber up. So, let's get moving.

An hour later we were on wind walk heading deeper into the woods. I hated that. I also hated that we weren't heading north right now. I knew Amber wanted to get to Shoshone Trail, but I also knew that talking to Jean was driving her. You doing okay? Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I looked back towards the highway, but could only see a little bit of smoke from here through the high tree branches. Hey, what are the chances we don't make it before dark? I'd say pretty good. Oh man.

But Mike, we should probably still keep walking at night. We'll have to rest eventually. I know, but we should keep moving as long as we can. I looked at her leg, her constant limping. I'll be fine. She caught me staring. You could do some real damage. What other choice do I have? When we reached Brighton Rock, I really hope she got the answer she was looking for. I know you're not too happy with this idea. I just think we should maybe take our chances with getting lost. Really? Yeah.

I don't know. I'm just not a fan of the trails. It makes me feel more exposed, even more than the fields we just walked through. I get that, but it is easier for me to walk here. And I'm sure you feel the same. Sure, but... You might as well take advantage, Mike. Brighton Rock's not an easy path, huh? No, but it's not as bad as Wind Walk between Towers 3 and 4, even though it is higher elevation. That's good to know.

We walked in silence for a little while, the only sounds being our heavy breathing and occasional wind gusts. I wanted to bring up something, anything, to help pass the time, but right when I was about to speak... What if Gene could help us? Come on! You believe that? I don't know, maybe. I wouldn't get my hopes up. You said he's a known liar. But he's not a killer.

I've known him for a long time. He can be a real asshole sometimes, but I can't imagine him being happy about any of this. So there's more to our little trip to the rock. I just want out of here. Me too, Amber. I'm not saying we have to trust him. But you kind of are. You admitted yourself you don't know how deep into this he is. But he wouldn't want me hurt. That may be so, but don't underestimate what this company is capable of. You're right. I'm sorry. You're right.

I'm trying to be understanding here, because I know you want answers. Hell, so do I. But we need to be extremely careful. We're going to Brighton Rock to get our bearings, to see how bad the fires are, and if the coast is clear north of here. That's the main reason. Everything else is secondary. I know. Trust me, there was a time where having the answers was the most important thing to me too. But not anymore. Getting out of this forest is. But Gene- You can't help us, Amber.

And even if he could, he's still tied to the company. And as long as that's the case, as long as they're still in control and calling the shots and blocking the roads and starting fires and coming after us, we can't trust him. Around six, we rested and both ate a granola bar. I was starving and ended up inhaling the thing. How would we make this food last a whole six more days?

I can't see anything from here. Me either. We were surrounded by thick forest. We could only see bits of sky through the branches high above. Hey, if you want me to carry the backpack for a while... On your leg? No, I got it. That's not fair, though. I'm not worried about fairness right now. Yeah, but I see you're struggling from time to time. I'm still in a lot of pain. Then let me help. Not until your ankle's better. I don't think that's going to be any time soon.

Probably not. It's throbbing right now. Do we need to rewrap it? Later. How much longer do you think we have? It'll be dark by the time we get there. Will we have any trouble traversing? That path? I know well. Okay, well, it's got to be over ten minutes now. Should we get back to it? Yeah. You sure you don't need to take the back path? I held out my hand and helped Amber up.

Let's wait until you can at least stand by yourself. Are you saying I'm useless right now? Not at all. You're the navigator. Lead the way. We're on a trail, Mike. There's only two ways to go. Choose wisely. Here we are. That's the path? It isn't much, but yeah. Okay. For some reason, I felt uneasy. We, uh... We won't stay long. Okay. Just check our surroundings and see if we can head up Shoshone. I nodded. And...

If you don't want me to call Gene, I won't. Amber, you do what you need to do. Just know that I won't trust him and I won't accept his help. Okay. Holy shit! And that's easier than Wind Walk? Well, maybe not with us the way we are now. We'd made it to Brighton Rock, high above the trees and valleys and rolling fields. Wow. Ugh.

You should see it during the day. You can see for miles and miles. I bet. We took a moment to stare off into the distance. That's north. See those mountains? Yeah. That's where we have to get. Beyond that is Yellowstone Lake, and more highways, and campsites, and people. That's a long way. Yeah, it is. What if we can just stay in front- What is it now? I spun around to follow Amber's gaze.

More smoke below due south. That's not what we saw before, is it? No. Look over there. That's towards the highway. She pointed to my right where more smoke plumed. So that's new? I was wrong. Maybe they don't expect us to go south. Jesus Christ. We now had fires to the east, west, and south of us. You think they're trying to drive us north? To the station? Maybe. Maybe.

Or do they plan to completely block us in? I look north again. Oh man. Amber, we don't have a lot of time. Make your call. She nodded and pulled out her phone. I was surprised after everything she'd been through she was able to hang on to it. Crack screen. But it still works. I wasn't sure if that was good news. Holy shit. What? Texts keep flooding in. And I have 56 missed calls. Half of them are from Jean. What about the other half?

Some from the station, and a lot from an unknown number. Is it the same as that one on the paper? Oh, shit. I don't know. You still have it, right? Yeah. Amber yanked the paper from her pocket, tearing it in the process. Damn it. I was surprised she still had that, too. Although, I still managed to hang on to the yellow keycard-looking device Lance gave me. That seems so long ago. Really, only a few days had passed. No. No, it's a different number. Hmm...

So, it looks like the texts have stopped. There's 41. And tons of voicemails, too. What do you guess? All Jean? One from Ace. The rest from Jean. Call him. She nodded, dialed, and held the phone to her ear. While I didn't trust him, I was wondering what he would say to her about everything. He's, uh, not answering. I didn't know what to say. Instead, I just looked out at all the trails of smoke. Nope. Nothing. Listen to his voicemails.

I am. She held the phone back to her ear and sat on the flat part of a large rock. Oh shit, the random number. Yeah? That was Gene too, from a payphone. Call it. I waited there in anticipation. Well? No answer. Maybe he's... Gene? She waved me over.

I sat beside her as she tilted the phone out a little so I could hear. "Where the hell are you?" Amber looked over at me. I shook my head, but she already knew. "I'm not saying, Jean." "Well, are you at least safe?" "I am right now." "Are you... Are you with Mike?" She looked over at me again, but I just shrugged this time.

You are, aren't you? No, Jean. No, I'm not answering your questions. You're gonna answer mine. Amber, I- Stop! What the fuck is going on here? I don't know. Bullshit! You're lying! I mean, I don't know what's going on now. They kicked me out of the ranger station. They did?

Yeah, all of us. And I called Vic and Wes, and they're on their way to get evacuated. Where? They're heading for the valley. I'm sure you know we have some nasty fires out there. Yeah, but they aren't natural, are they? Are they? No, they aren't. And they're not accidents? No. She turned to me with an expression of worry, but I knew she wasn't surprised. I wasn't either.

Amber, if you didn't get out yet, they're gonna trap you. Please tell me you got out. Gene, why are they doing this? Apparently they have some people that they say are dangerous running around out there. Some people? Gene, if you're hiding anything from me, I'll hang up right now. Okay, okay. Apparently they were operating out there. The company, Iris.

What about us? He's not. Gene, they tried to kill him! No, that's...

That's what I saw! They tried to kill me too, Gene! He didn't respond. The silence lasted so long I thought maybe the signal cut out. Amber even took a moment to check her phone. Gene? I don't believe that. Well, it's true! It can't be. You saying I'm lying? They did, Gene! Twice! Mike saved my life! I know you know more of what's going on. Amber, I just do as they say. You know this.

What? Amber was trembling.

She looked over to me. I could tell she was contemplating her answer. Oh, Jesus. Uh...

Okay, well, you don't have to say, but I have a good idea where you are. If my assumption is true, you need to leave ASAP. Why? Because they're close. They have people waiting by the towers and both supply drop-offs. You need to stay hidden. Is he really trying to help right now? You also need to toss your phone, or smash it. They can track me? Possibly. They have my phone now, and they have all our past transcripts.

Oh fuck, this is insane. They will figure out where you are. Gene, how can I trust anything you say? You have no other choice. Now I'm at a payphone in Jackson waiting to hear back from Haley. Where is she? She's in charge of the evac for Vic and Wes. When she gets back, I'm gonna have her fly me back out. What? Site 3. What are you talking about? I'm gonna have her fly me to Site 3. You need to get there. Why Site 3? Because

Because last I heard, Site 4 and 5 were being monitored. For what reason? I don't know. And you think Site 3 is safe? I don't know, but it's a chance I'm willing to take. Now, I'm going to be there at 7 tomorrow morning. You do whatever you need to get your ass there. Amber and I shared a look. Amber, you hear me? We may not get another chance. And what about Mike? You have to leave him. He can't come or we'll all be at risk. Please, Amber. Please, do as I say. I have to go now.

7 a.m. at Site 3. I will wait for one hour. Please, trust me. Tower 4. Written by Robert M. Lamb. Edited by Mia Sukvili and Robert M. Lamb. Starring Jack Austin as Mike, Gina Coyle as Amber, and Brian Messick as Gene. Co-starring Douglas Solway and Robert M. Lamb. Music provided by Taco at soundcloud.com slash madebytaco.

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