Chapter 6

Thomas

The rage. The fury. His prey had escaped with some interloper into the night. The truck would not continue after a rock slammed into the lines, cutting gas and power to the engine. He had to watch them drive away, but their ride wasn’t smooth either. The Jeep had taken enough damage. It would not make it long, definitely not back to civilization. He would have to play catch-up. He began to pack up and trail the Jeep’s leaks and tire tracks through the area. They made it further than he had expected, giving them quite a head start.

He studied the map while following the visible trail, searching for where they would or could run to once the Jeep gave out. It wasn’t an open desert, which made hiding and hunting better for himself. He could see only a few places they could go to attain any security, each depending on how far away they got from him. Until he discovered that, he had to continue to hike, searching for each sign they left him.

He searched for any hint of a signal. The patchy network allowed signs onto satellite links. He didn’t like having to use them, but he needed information. The woman and the new military presence had changed his plans from just taking her down and now brought on an actual hunt through the wilds to find them. All information was useful. He had to call one of the expensive information brokers out of the country who knew how to recover data few others could. The hunt onto the military base would be an expense, but knowing anything would give him the edge.

The line beeped twice before it went to a message box whose location was unknown even to Clark. He gave what information he knew and his current number to call back since internet service was not even a whisper out here. He found the path the Jeep had driven onto for its last leg. He could just make out the edges of what remained of the blaze. They left him nothing in the Jeep. A smart, annoying, and wise choice. Once it died out, he kept any tool for himself that was worthwhile.

Clark searched around the area, seeing a handful of tracks but few clues as to which direction they had gone. Two paths appeared clear, too bright, and two others seemed to be choppy. They were hiding their tracks. He gave a small smirk before picking the way he would take into the mountains for cover. There were caverns, mines, and shafts all over, allowing choice for the prey. He would have done the same in their situation.