The Unchipped

Chapter 14

Sara tried to disguise her heavy breathing. Caleb and Sam had already sensed her struggles many times, causing rest stops that increased their risk of detection. The danger they were absorbing weighed on her. The crutch was chafing away at her armpit to the point she thought it might be bleeding. It was too dark to tell since night had fallen what seemed a century ago. Her ankle was also acting up again as she attempted to put some pressure on it to relieve her pit. She no longer cared if the sock was dirty or not.

The darkness added to the difficulty of footing the crutch properly. Any unseen rise or divot broke her pattern and suddenly increased the pressure either high or low. Caleb had set a slow pace, but even it seemed too fast. His compass, an old type, would glow every time he opened it. Sara welcomed the light because it meant they would stop as he took bearings at trail junctions. They had warned that the last part of the trek would be off trail - an idea she ignored for the moment. One pain at a time was all she could handle.

"Let's rest here for a moment," Sam whispered to Caleb. Sara could have hugged him for the request - better from him than her. The moon wasn't full, but it did show a small area clear of most underbrush.

Caleb turned around, the shadow of his head nodding in agreement. "Another hour, maybe two at the most. We can afford a few minutes and still beat the sun."

Sara found a spot by a thick tree and sat with her back to it. The ground was uneven, but her rear deserved to share some of the punishment. Moving to a better seat would only waste more of her limited resources.

"You can ride on my back for a while," Sam offered, sitting beside her. "There's no shame in being wounded."

"I'll make it," Sara said with conviction that her mind insisted was foolish. "But thanks for the offer." Demanding independence was a curse, as Papa would say. Still, she couldn't be more of a bother than she already was. It was challenging to be weak and needy.

Caleb pulled out a water bottle and handed it to Sara. She took a few sips and handed it back with another thank you. The debts were piling up, and she couldn't foresee any way to make amends. Leaning back against the tree, Papa's words returned in force. He was insistent that help was a gift, not a transaction. Sara had difficulty seeing it that way, though she desperately tried.

"You sure you're reading that thing right?" Sam asked. There was humor in the tone.

Caleb closed the compass. "Well, we're not going in circles - that much I know. Of course, where we hit the shore is another thing. Didn't plan on doing this in the dark."

"Should have brought our phones," Sam said. "Could have turned them on in a pinch."

"Might as well put spotlights on our heads," Caleb said. "Besides, I like doing it the old-fashioned way. Maybe orienteering will become my new hobby."

Sara closed her eyes, trying to get the most out of the brief rest. One by one, she forced her muscles to untighten and fully embrace inactivity. Given less imposing times, the idea of orienteering becoming a hobby did seem pleasing. It was a ridiculous fleeting thought that reminded her how much she enjoyed mental challenges. Mixing maps, vectors, and camping was a comfortable fit. She smirked at how foolish it was to think her current pains had any basis in comfort.

Perhaps it was exhaustion that had pulled down her guard. Sara's mind had ignored the blobs at the periphery of her particular sense, so much so that they were much closer than they should have been when the realization awoke.

"Two people are coming," Sara whispered, pointing back up the trail. "The same way we came."

"She was right with the sisters," Caleb said as he stood.