She grew tired long before he did. Her gait had improved but her muscles were still weak; if she’d been sleeping for seventeen years he wasn’t surprised that she’d be suffering from atrophy on some level. They must have had some way to stretch and exercise her limbs while she slept or she’d be a stick figure, incapable of standing up, but he doubted that whatever lab regimen they had could equal a solid hour’s hike over jungle terrain, which is what they now faced.
“You okay?” he would ask, and though she would nod—a gesture she seemed to have picked up from him—he would still stop and let her rest. This added a great deal of time to their journey and he grew more and more frustrated by it, but not by her. He knew he couldn’t blame her for anything. Still, while she sat and poked her fingers in the dirt he wandered in circles through the trees, watching for Vitros or guards. Mary’s warning about never seeing Sophie again ran continuously through his mind.
Finally they came to a bend in the shore, and he realized they’d reached the southern edge of the island. When he looked around, he saw buildings obscured by overgrown trees and vines; this part of the resort had been completely abandoned and was well reclaimed by the island. With Lux a quiet shadow behind him, he slipped between two-story villas and dilapidated shops, following a path made of cemented seashells. Grass poured up through cracks in the sidewalk; he felt as if he were walking through a ghost town. Empty, gaping windows stared malevolently as they passed, and he startled when the wind clacked beneath a broken shutter. It sounded like a gunshot, and his heart jumped onto his tongue.
“It’s okay,” he said to Lux, though she was apparently unfazed by the noise.
Gradually the villas began to look less abused by the elements and more kept, and he started seeing signs of habitation: a laundry line draped with men’s clothing, a wind chime on a balcony tinkling like a mad fairy, a garden that actually had flowers in it instead of weeds. These must have been the villas the doctors and guards lived in. On the porch of one of the villas he spotted a row of women’s shoes. He snagged a pair of bright blue Nikes and put them on Lux’s feet; they were a bit large so he pulled the laces as tight as they would go and knotted them securely. When he asked her how they felt, she just smiled.
He found the door to the villa unlocked, and, proceeding on pins and needles, he slipped inside. The villa seemed to be inhabited by one person, a woman judging by the coat hung next to the door and the shoes he’d found on the porch. He made for the small galley kitchen off to the left, only to find the cupboards maddeningly empty. When he searched all the drawers, he found a pack of granola bars—no telling how old—which he shared with Lux. She took it with great care, nibbling tiny pieces, the expressions on her face spanning from awe to terror as she ate. In the end, she had half a bar to Jim’s four, and when she seemed content, he didn’t press her to eat more, not wanting to abuse her odd capacity for obedience. He was glad to leave the place; no matter who these people were, rifling through their kitchens made him feel like a criminal. Eventually the path turned and ran uphill, past a gymnasium and an open-air restaurant with a thatched roof. Though most of the tables were dusty and unused, a handful were wiped clean and had chairs set around them; they must have used the restaurant for meals from time to time. The roof was supported by tall thick poles and airy curtains served as walls. They fluttered in the breeze. Beside the restaurant sat an old excavator; with its huge arm and claw bending out the front, it looked like a giant, silent scorpion. A crater in the hillside was evidence of recent work, though a lot of dirt had fallen back down into the hole.
Jim crept around the back of the restaurant and found himself looking up the hill at the building where he had found Lux. Guards stood in front of it, looking more alert than they had that morning. Three doctors were walking briskly up the hill toward them, talking animatedly. Something was up. They all looked riled and excited—had it anything to do with him or Sophie? He had to assume it did, and that they were right now hunting for him. A dark helicopter crouched on the grassy clearing between the building and the bluff; that was new. He was certain it hadn’t been there that morning.
There was no sign of Sophie, though he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. He waved to Lux, unnecessarily since she seemed bound to follow him anyway, even if he walked off the edge of the cliff beside them, and he moved north, using fences, shrubs, and palms for cover. There was no way, with this kind of activity going on, that he’d have a chance of getting inside while any light lasted. Not that darkness would be much help; light posts dotted the perimeter of the building and floodlights were fixed over every door. He could hardly expect to slip in the way he had that morning by sneaking through a door opened from the inside.
“Okay, here’s the plan. We’ll wait here until—”
Jim froze, then dropped to the ground, motioning for Lux to do the same. A triplet of armed guards walked by, toting rifles and moving with haste, as if on the hunt. Jim’s pulse quickened; he was certain now that they were onto him. On the bright side, if they all ran off to look for him, he’d have a better chance of sneaking in to find Sophie. On the not so bright side, if they knew about him they probably knew about Sophie, which meant she could be locked up and guarded . . . or worse.
The guards had almost passed them by when the wind caught the black ball cap on the third man’s head and blew it off. He turned to grab it, and it blew into the bush behind which Jim and Lux were crouched. Jim had milliseconds to make a move; he could stay put and hope the man didn’t spot them or he could start running now in hopes of putting as much space between them and the guards before they could start firing.
He hesitated too long. The guard plucked his hat from the branches and then shouted when he saw Jim.
“RUN!” Jim bellowed to Lux. He grabbed her hand and sprinted into the trees, away from the guards and the resort.
The thickness of the foliage made running difficult; he kept snagging his foot on vines and rocks and barely avoided smashing face first into the palms. He glanced back and saw the guards following; they zigzagged through the trees, which, at least, prevented them from getting a shot at either Jim or Lux. He wondered if they would risk shooting her; he got his answer when he heard the crack of a gunshot. He glanced at Lux to be sure she wasn’t hit.
They emerged from the trees and onto an old putting green that was flooded with an inch of muddy water. Water splashed up his legs and filled his boots, but he didn’t dare slow down. Lux tripped when they reached a sand pit, the soggy crater catching her by surprise. He helped her up and pulled her along. They vaulted up the opposite bank and found themselves in even denser undergrowth. The trees and ferns and shrubs tangled together in a mess of leaves and vines, like a giant trap intent on snaring them.
Looking back, he saw that they had gained a short lead on the guards, but if they stopped for a moment the men would have no trouble firing at them. By weaving back and forth, he was able to avoid giving them a direct shot, but as the ground began to incline, their pace slowed.
Ahead of them was a mountain, a short but steep pyramid of rocks and greenery, devoid of trees. He knew he had to avoid open area; it would only give the guards that much more of an advantage if they opened fire. So he cut to the left, rounding the foot of the mountain and heading directly toward the declining sun, Lux a half step behind, her hand clenched in his. Light beamed at them from around the tree trunks; he felt as if he were running into some kind of otherworldly portal. The leaves glowed around them, dewdrops catching and reflecting light like a million tiny prisms. Behind him, he could hear the guards thrashing and yelling, calling for them to stop.