Erica quickly recovered her composure. Liz looked down and realized that Erica was standing barefoot with shards of glass all around her. Liz bolted for the door. She headed for the road knowing she could cover a lot of ground before Erica would even be able to find her shoes. After a while, she found a spot where the brush grew close to the road and dove into it, not caring how scratched up she got.
As she caught her breath she tried to gather her wits about her. Erica is in on it, whatever "it" is. Erica had been here for 2 years and not found a way out. No one was stopping her from leaving. Liz's mind had been racing ever since she got here trying to find a way out. How could someone sit in a cottage for 2 years on a practically deserted island without having come up with a way to get back?
So now, how do I get out of this? Liz knew that she had to make it back to the mainland and Duke University. She felt certain that the "time machine" was there and she needed to find it and get back to her own time. First, she needed to get as far away from this part of the island as she could. Everywhere she turned were people who were in on this scheme. She needed to get out of here, and fast.
She picked her way east through the brush for miles, not wanting to be out in the open on the road. When she could travel no farther, she just plopped herself down and slept. In the morning she decided to keep going east. In her time there was another bridge near Morehead City so she figured if she had to swim to the mainland, she could do it at that spot. There was a small cottage up ahead. Hunger and thirst took over . Sneaking up to the window she peeked in. No one was around. The door wasn't locked, why would it be. After quenching her thirst she realized looking out the window that she could see the mainland quite easily from here. The sun was low on the horizon. She had no idea how long it would take her to swim to the mainland but she knew she should do it at night. She wasn't dressed to blend in to the general population once she made it over there. That would take some time.
The water was so cold that she started shivering after only a few minutes. She kept her mind focused on escape. This was her only chance to get away from Jim. If she thought she had been cold in the water though, she was in for even more of a shock on getting out. As the cool night air hit her soaking wet skin she felt cold right to her core. There were lights from a small town a little farther inland. It was then that the absurdity of her situation hit her. Her modern clothes were the least of her worries right now. She was soaking wet with no money and no identification and no idea how to travel back to Durham, let alone how to get into the university or where to find Jim's laboratory.
She had been so busy being shocked at every turn, she hadn't allowed herself to feel anything. Exhaustion, cold, hunger, thirst, and fright overwhelmed her. Sobbing, she fell to her knees. She cried until she was emotionally drained. The last time that had happened was after Ben's funeral. At least the loneliness is a familiar feeling now.
She made her way to the houses she had seen earlier hoping to find some shelter and food for the rest of the night. One house looked promising. Again, the door wasn't locked. She had always thought that was just an expression that older people said, but it really was true, they didn't lock their doors at night. She checked the house out and no one was there. She found a blanket and curled up on the floor near the back door. If someone came in the front she could make a quick exit.
The next time she opened her eyes it was daylight. She looked around and no one had come home. On checking the closet she realized there were women's clothes and they fit her. She found some money under the mattress. Another cliché that turned out to be true. Glancing at the mirror as she left the house she realized she would fit in quite nicely, assuming people really looked like they do on the Andy Griffith show.
Her first test was the grocery store. She stopped to ask directions to the bus station. No one even batted an eye at her. As she was waiting for the bus to go back to Durham, her thoughts raced. What would she do once she got back there? She didn't even know how time travel worked, let alone where to find their secret laboratory. It was then that she turned to go back into the bus station." I need to change my ticket. I'm going to Raleigh."
The bus ride was tortuous. They stopped at every town to drop off or take on passengers. But Liz had plenty of time to come up with her plan. Nancy's mom lived in Raleigh, in the house she and her husband built right after the war. Liz had been there a number of times. Fortunately for her, Nancy's mom, Ruth, was one of those people who never, ever changed anything. But her first stop was the Raleigh Times newspaper. After leaving there, she took a cab to Ruth's house. The surroundings had changed considerably, but the house still looked the same. She was counting on the fact that Thursday was still grocery shopping day for Ruth. It didn't take long until Ruth was pulling out of the driveway. Liz knew she had only a couple of hours to pull this off.
