Page 6 (1/2)

City and state delineations didn’twas an abandoned waste land anyway

When the sun started rising to ate by the night sky, but other than Orion, constellations remained a mystery to me

If we ever found a city, I’d have to look for a compass And ns We andering blind in the desert, the sun was co up, and we didn’t have any water

We approached a hill, covered in dry brush and loose sand I clied behindtih the silence It didn’t help that I was getting tired, too “And thirsty”

“If you see a drinking fountain and a bed, feel free to stop”

“Can’t we take a break at least?” Harlow asked “There aren’t any zo until we find soround as we can during the daylight”

Harlow opened herelse, but I shushed her I heard so

I’d scrambled to the top of the hill and knelt down, so I was mostly hidden I squinted and roan, but there was sorowl I couldn’t place it, but I didn’t think it was zoo in the other direction and co to do But I didn’t want to veer off course It would be hard enough for me to stay on course without any detours

Besides, after watching everyone I know get killed by zo some of them out

Harlow had climbed up next to me I showed her how to click off her safety, and I took out un There were definitely zouttural roar It didn’t really ether, and I stopped and stared

– 3 –

“Is that… a lion?” Harlow asked, sounding just as shocked as I felt

A truck had been tipped on its side, and attached to the truck bed with a logging chain appeared to be a lion It didn’t have ait was a lioness Surrounding her were several corpses, and a se zo to eat her or stop her or whatever it was they wanted to do with a lion But she swatted at with theot one of the zos and coround, and Harlow did the same behind me The zoet around the that weird loling sound, as if she was sad

“Stay here,” I said, getting to ?” Harlow sounded scared, but I didn’t answer her

I didn’t really knohat I was doing, but I had to do so Animals were i I’d helped in months that could actually live if I intervened I could save her