Black Sun by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 8

They stopped several times, due to Abigail’s difficulty in keeping up, but half an hour later, the two found themselves back on route 2. Now came the long trek to Albany. However, their stop at the arsenal had rewarded them with what they needed for the continuation of their journey. The only thing they required now was to hurry while maintaining a low visibility. So, they would stay off the roads, a few yards from the edge of the pavement, but within sight of the highway ahead. If the moon was generous, it would allow them to see any movement ahead, and if their senses were sharp, they would dodge to the ground for cover. This was the plan, But, like all plans, there existed a flaw, a fly in the soup, and at some point, it would expose itself in the form of human nature.

An hour went by as Ryan and Abigail found the left turn to Delatore Road and meeting the Watervliet-Shaker Road, Ryan was suddenly angered by a realization, something he should have known before.

“Fuck!” he said.

Stopping in his tracks, he continued to curse himself. “What is it?” Abigail asked.

Facing down the Watervliet-Shaker Road, he chastised himself, but quickly offered an explanation.

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“Shit! If we’d kept going on 10 Street, we would have fucking been here twenty minutes ago.”

Still angry, Ryan stomped the pavement and loudly cursed his own foolishness, only to be interrupted by Abigail, whose quiet, gentle voice was able to pierce the heavy armor of anger, seemingly brought on by the embarrassment of forgetfulness. “Ryan,” she began. “It’s okay. We have all night to get there.” Hearing the calm of her voice, Ryan’s emotions began to subside, as reason crept back into his brain.

“I know,” he replied. “It’s just so stupid. I should have known better.”

Now, Abigail brought up a hand and gently touched his arm. The softness of her skin raised goose-flesh along his arm. Taking a slow breath, felt it spread over his body like a forest fire, reminding him again of how long it had been since he felt the warm softness of a woman’s touch. But with his next breath, Ryan pulled away slightly, allowing arousal to be replaced by rational thinking.

“Okay,” he began. “We need to go this way. There are some woods coming up, so we can use those for cover. We can’t take the risk of being seen.”

Abigail agreed, and they continued their long walk to Albany.