What to Read This Weekend!

11/14/2024

They gathered together their things, had the horses packed, and were on the road in less than half an hour.

“There is a large train depot south. I’m betting they were heading in that direction. There really isn’t anywhere but there for them to go. The train goes to and from Fulton. There won’t be a train until later in the day tomorrow. If we travel tonight, I’m hoping we can catch them there or pick up their trail along the way if they’re going somewhere else,” Todd said.

Storm clouds were gathering and Todd hoped it would blow over. The fact Nick didn’t function well in large storms aside, rain would obliterate any trail left if the people had in fact diverged from the main road.

As more clouds moved in and covered the moon, the road became darker, making it more difficult to see any trail that might have deviated from the main road. There were a few smaller roads that looked more like they belonged to private farms. The road they traveled was the only main one until the train depot, where several roads from different directions met. They’d simply have to take the chance that the people they were pursuing hadn’t turned off to one of the smaller side roads.

They pressed on at a steady clip. When something lit the horizon, Nick pulled Obi to a halt and looked at his watch. “What the hell? We’ve got a few hours until dawn.”

“Lightning?” Todd pulled up, went back to his mate and answered his own question. “It doesn’t look like it.”

“How far is the depot, do you know?”

“Twenty minutes, give or take.” Todd twisted around and looked back the way they’d come. “Do you smell that?”

More light erupted in the sky. The air had a tang like gunpowder to it.

Nick nodded. “I don’t hear…”

Todd wheeled Arenite around, reached out and grabbed Nick’s arm, and tugged on his sleeve. “I’ve got a bad feeling. Let’s get to the depot.”

Biting his lip, Nick nodded and urged Obi to a gallop, keeping pace with Todd. It was risky riding so fast at night, and it was getting darker. The hair at the back of Todd’s neck was standing on end, and he had that get-the-hell-out feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He decided the best thing to do was not question it.