Water in a Time of Thirst

Chapter Thirteen

Corbin pulled on the horse's reins, bringing him to a slow trot. On the road a few feet ahead, a crimson trail glistened under the scorching sun as if something was dragged into the field. The overgrown pasture bordered the road, therefore, an easy place to discard something dead-have it sizzle and decay under a blanket of heat. Despite his instincts telling him to keep moving, Corbin pulled on the reins, coercing his uncle's horse to step into the foliage. He followed a path of broken and bent plant life painted with streaks of scarlet, which electrified his arm hairs. Deep in his bones, he sensed Armis and Everleigh had something to do with it.

Did the blood belong to them? It looked as if someone dragged more than one body or thing-making his unease intensify.

The sun hovered above him, which indicated it was around noon as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. If he timed it right, he could make it to his destination by the next sunrise. Taking a deep breath, he clucked his tongue, signaling for the horse to continue forward.

However, the horse refused to move.

"Come on, Dusty." Corbin pulled on the reins. "I need to see."

The horse grunted-refusing to move. A cloud of buzzing flies had its tail swatting the air, and Corbin doing the same with his hand. The tiny bugs zig-zagged over two lumps on the ground, so Corbin dismounted and crept over. Sweat trickled down his back, adding to the wet patches across his shirt. The lumps weren't just lumps. It was two men. Pulling his shirt over his mouth and nose, Corbin crouched to get a better look at them. They appeared to be drifters with their tattered clothing and worn shoes. Bullet holes in their chests suggested someone shot them head-on, and Corbin couldn't help but wonder what these men got themselves into.

"Time to go." Corbin stood.

Maybe it was random, but that deep sense within him told him it wasn't. It screamed that these men met their fate at the hands of his new friends.

One thing was for sure, they attracted trouble. Yet, he kept pushing north to find them.

∆∆∆

Everleigh brought the truck to a stop and gazed at the twinkling lights ahead. She had taken over driving and there were moments when she thought about going back for Corbin. But she saw how determined Armis was to leave. After Chuck spit hit her face, his body rattle as bullets pierced him. By the time she finished wiping the slime from her face, Chuck had slid to the ground, leaving a curtain of blood on the wall. She'd never witnessed Armis become so upset and react so hastily before.

Chuck had unhinged him.

Their father taught them never to let their emotions cloud their judgment. So was Armis losing it? Did she need to worry about him? She didn't want to know what would happen if he awoke to find them heading back to Domino's home.

So, she drove and drove until reaching the twinkling lights of Bonners Ferry and then tapped Armis awake. He jolted upright, wiping the sleep from his eyes in a panicked swipe, but she nodded to the sight a few feet ahead.

"I think this is Boundary County," Armis yawned-a smile of relief stretching across his lips. "We should be in the right place."

"Do we just ask around for coyotes?"

"Let's look for shelter first. Get a feel for things," Armis replied.