Chapter 7
The main road continued for a mile or so until it merged with a cracked highway lined by waist high grass. Rusty green signs pointed Lareina toward her destination. Three miles to Austin, two miles—the faded outlines of numbers counted down. One more mile to food. One more mile to shelter. One more mile to crowds of people to blend into.
Swishing meadows dotted with lonely houses blurred against the horizon until mailboxes, retaining walls, and hundreds of houses surrounded her. A rabbit popped out of an overgrown median, scurried across the street, then disappeared into another wall of grass. Ahead, the tallest points of overpasses and skyscrapers rose against the sky and glittered in the scorching sun.
A man stumbled down the highway toward her. She maintained her course and
