Before making their escape, Drake and Neo shoved snacks and water bottles into their pockets. They had helped themselves to the item on their way through the kitchen. Food and water would be needed once they made their way out into the desert.
“Which way?” Neo whispered.
Drake froze for a moment. The wrong choice could mean they were captured and back where they started within minutes.
“This way,” Drake motioned for his friend to follow him as he crept down the narrow street.
The alley opened onto a wider street. He knelt on one knee and scanned the area for anyone who might spot them. The evening sky was growing dark, but not enough where they could hide in the shadows. Drake knew they had to keep moving, so he led the way around the corner. He paused at the next intersection to look around. To the left was another empty street, but to the right two desert people stood talking.
“They are not guards, but they might wonder who we are and what we are doing. What do you think we should we do?” asked Neo
“If we run, we will look suspicious,” Drake explained. “Let’s go left. Just walk normally.”
Before Neo could respond, Drake rounded the corner and strolled down the empty street, walking with his hands in his pockets. He expected to hear one of the desert-people shout for him and Neo to stop. But nothing happened.
As the pair neared a dark alley on their right they darted for cover. They remained silent and listened for any hint of danger. They took each footstep as softly as possible.
Halfway down the alley, a large dog let out an ear piercing bark that caused Drake to jump as if he had received and electric shock. The dark-haired dog appeared from a stairway and announced the pair of escapees with barks that echoed through the entire alleyway. Drake inched around the growling beast with his back to the far wall.
“Easy, nice dog,” Neo repeated as he followed close behind.
Once they passed the dog, they picked up the pace before someone came to investigate why the dog was barking. At the end of the alleyway Drake found an open area. Beyond that was the fence that enclosed the entire compound. Next to the fence to the right stood a large tent. Drake motioned for Neo to follow him. He crouched as he ran for the tent.
Drake paused and listened. No sound came from inside, so Drake lifted the side of the tent, peeked in, and then crawled underneath. He held up the tent wall for Neo to follow.
“What is that?” Neo pointed to a machine that sat in the center of the tent.
“I don’t know,” said Drake. “Look for anything that can help us dig under the fence.
In the darkness Drake found a toolbox. He snatched a crowbar for himself and handed Neo a long screwdriver.
“Hopefully we can use these to dig our way out,” Drake whispered. “Let’s go.”
Drake pulled back the tent flap just enough to see outside. An arm’s length way two guards were patrolling between the tent and the fence. Night had fallen and the guards were scanning the area with powerful flashlights. Drake held his breath. If the guards decided to check the tent, there would be nowhere for Neo and him to hide.
He let out a sigh of relief when the guards continued to walk along the fence. When their flashlight beams were far in the distance, Drake and Neo raced for the fence. The pair fell on their knees and dug at the rocky ground at the base of the fence. Several minutes later they had a hole large enough to crawl through.
“You first,” Drake told Neo.
Neo squirmed through with Drake close behind. Together they reached back through the fence to push the dirt back into place as best they could.
“That’s good enough. Let’s go. This way,” said Neo.
Drake took a few more swipes to cover the hole before leaving the settlement behind. The pair of escapees ran out into the desert with Neo leading the way. After a while Drake’s legs began to give out.
“Hold on. Let’s rest for a minute,” Weeks aboard the spacecraft left Drake out of shape.
Even though he struggled to catch his breath, Drake pushed himself to keep moving. The boys used the stars as a guide. Drake knew it would keep them going in one direction, otherwise they could end up wandering aimlessly or circling back to the desert prison.
By daybreak the boys were exhausted and shivering cold. Their thin clothing offered little protection from the frosty desert night. As the morning air grew warmer the pair stopped to rest. Drake scanned the horizon.
“Do you think we are going in the right direction?”
“I think we need to get over the mountains there,” Neo pointed toward two sharp peaks that stood out from the rest.
“Are you sure?” asked Drake.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure,” said Neo.
For the first time, Drake began to have doubts. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” he thought to himself. But what choice did he have now, except to trust his friend?
After a short rest, the boys were back on their feet and moving again. It wasn’t long before daytime brought waves of heat with it and Drake soon forgot about the freezing night.
Together they pressed on until the afternoon.
“I have to stop,” Drake collapsed to the ground. “I though we would have reached the mountains by now.”
“I know. They are further away than they look,” said Neo.
“How long before we reach them?” asked Drake as he sipped his water.
“We should get there by the end of the day. Come on, let’s keep moving.”
Drake fought the urge to lay down and sleep. At Neo’s coaxing he struggled to his feet. His mind began to wander as his body became robot-like, taking one step after another. Hours later the sun began to set, bringing relief from the heat. Drake pulled out his water bottle and was alarmed when he discovered he only had a few sips left. The good news was, he and Neo had reached the base of the mountains.
“We should spend the night here,” Neo suggested.
“Amen to that. I’m exhausted,” said Drake as he tried to make himself comfortable, sitting with his back against a large boulder.
“Hopefully we can cross over to the forest tomorrow.
Seconds later Drake was fast asleep. But he woke in the middle of the night shivering cold. He and Neo huddled together to try and stay warm, but the freezing night air would not let them rest.
After a long night of shivering bodies and chattering teeth, the boys welcomed the daylight. Soon they were trekking upward, looking for a mountain pass that would get them over without much effort. The terrain was not terribly steep. After about an hour’s climb, they reached the top. Both scanned the land on the far side. Drake’s heart sank. Instead of forest, he found nothing but desert and barren mountains.
“What do we do now?” Drake asked, still staring out at the horizon.
“I don’t know,” Neo’s voice barely above a whisper.
After a long pause, Drake offered, “maybe we should go back.”
“You can go back to that prison if you want. Not me. I’m going to find my people or die trying.”
A wave of guilt came over Drake. He was ashamed of himself for wanting to give up so easily.
“What do you think we should do?” asked Drake.
“We’ve been traveling North. I believe we need to head west,” Neo pointed to his right. “That way.”
“Led the way,” even though he doubted his friend’s decision, he tried to sound cheerful.
The pair pushed forward the rest of the day. By nightfall they were out of food and water and the forest was nowhere in sight. Again, they prepared to spend the night in the unforgiving desert. As he laid down looking up at the night sky, Drake began to worry. He and Neo were in deep trouble. Visions of his family swirled though his mind. If he died out in the lonely desert on this remote planet, his parents would never find him or even know what happened to him.
To be continued