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Devon McAllister walked down a tree-lined back road, not really sure where she was but certain that she was far away froer took cover when she heard a vehicle approach She’d been walking for at least eight hours and saw the first rays of light co over the mountains behind her This reassured her that she was traveling west, toward the coast She carried her three-year-old daughter, Mercy, and a backpack stuffed with a few iteiven to her by the kindhearted stranger who had given her a ride

She was exhausted but would not stop to rest until she reached Highway 101 Every so often she would put Mercy down and hold her hand, but thatunbearably slow When she heard a vehicle, she just kept her head down, staring at the ground

It was a truck--it drove past them, but then it stopped up ahead It was cranberry-red and old, but in ot out and yelled to her "Miss? Need a ride?"

She walked toward the vehicle "A that way I’ive you a lift"

He was an older guy He wore a red, white and blue ball cap and his cheeks and chin were stubbled in places that he’d h it was June, he wore a jacket The earlywas misty, which told her she must be in a valley near the Pacific "Where are you headed?" Devon asked

"Thunder Point," he said "It’s a very small town on the coast in Coos County I work at a beach bar and I open the place in time for breakfast Been there a few years now It’s otten out of Douglas County, but she wasn’t sure where Coos County was She didn’t knohere anything was--she rarely left the compound and had never been to any of the shway 101 stretched as far north and south as she needed to get Highway 5 was bigger and closer to the co for a couple of runaways hitching rides, they’d probably start there "How close to 101 is your town?"

"Plenty close Want me to drop you there?"

She walked toward the truck "Thanks," she said "You’re sure?"

"No trouble," he said

She put her backpack in the truck bed Holding Mercy on her lap, she buckled theether She kept her head down, her hands tucked between her knees

"Naot a name?"

"Devon," Devon said She shouldn’t use her real na if anyone had seen a woman named Devon? But she was almost too tired to lie Not to mention nervous At least she hadn’t said Sister Devon

"Well, you’re not an escaped convict, are you, Devon?" he asked

She looked at hi," he said "Where you headed?"

For lack of a better answer she said, "Seattle Eventually"

He whistled "You’re a long ways froed "It’s where I was dropped off, but I’ for 101"

"You hitchin’ rides?"

She nodded Her ride over the mountain had been planned, but was kept secret "Yes, 101 will have more traffic," she said

"Unless the police see you Then it could get complicated"

"I’ll watch"

Devon wasn’t really headed to Seattle, but she just said that because that here she caht be a shelter or charity of soer towns on the coast "I don’t know this area very well Is there a town or city near Highway 101 that’s pretty big? Big enough that it ht have a shelter or maybe a hostel?" she asked him

"Couple," Rawley replied "Listen, I have an idea You decide exactly where you need to go and I’ll fix you up with transportation How’s that?"

"Why?" she asked suspiciously "Why would you do that?"

"I been in your spot, hitchin’ rides, lookin’ for the easiest way to get from here to there, takin’ a little help sometimes I normally went to the VA when I needed a little assistance" He paused "You got roo--perking the coffee, war the sun cohway, neither I could show you a "