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ho-ome,” Emily answered.
     
    Brooke hugged her daughter and gently stroked the back of her head, running her fingers through Emily’s hair.
     
    “I know, baby. But we can't right now.”
     
    “When can we?”
     
    The round blue eyes staring up at her were filled with fear and indignation. Brooke knew how hard this was on her kids. John seemed to be handling it okay thus far, but all of this was beyond Emily's understanding. Her daughter didn't understand how deadly the world was or why anyone would want to try and hurt them. All she was thinking about was trying to get back to her friends and sleep in her own bed.
     
    “I don't know,” Brooke said.
     
    Emily sniffled and then buried her face back in Brooke's shoulder. Brooke picked her up and carried her to the front of the station.
     
    John waited by the door and slumped against the wall.
     
    “Grab the map out of the glove box and bring it inside,” Brooke said, setting Emily down on the table.
     
    “Already have it,” John said, pulling the map out of his back pocket.
     
    John slapped the map on the table and spread it open. Brooke tapped on a spot just outside the desert.
     
    “We're right about here,” Brooke said. “We should have enough fuel to make it across the desert if we keep to the southern edge, but once we make it across, we'll be low.”
     
    “Can we make it to Phoenix?” John asked.
     
    “It'll be close, but I want us to stay away from the major cities if we can. We'll try and refuel on the outskirts or any towns along the way.”
     
    “My friend Ashley lives in Phoenix,” Emily said. “Can we stop and see her?”
     
    Brooke held Emily's face in her hand. She smiled at her daughter, trying to look hopeful.
     
    “Maybe, but we might not have enough time,” Brooke said, knowing full well that it wasn’t a possibility.
     
    Before Brooke got inside the cruiser, she pulled the license plate off the back and tossed it into the sand. Once they made it across the border, she would try and steal a new one, but right now, she didn’t want anyone knowing which state she was from.

 
    ***
    Despite the terrain, they made good time. Brooke's fingers were sweating in her gloves, but the sun beating down through the windows would burn her fingers if she didn't wear them. Brooke turned the A/C off to help conserve fuel, so the cruiser felt like an oven.
     
    The wheels of the cruiser drove through thick patches of sand. With every turn and acceleration, it sent a spray of yellow and beige up in a tail fin behind them. Brooke watched the compass on the dash, making sure they were staying on course. John spread the map over his lap.
     
    “What's our speed?” John asked.
     
    “We're averaging forty miles per hour,” Brooke answered.
     
    “We're still one hundred miles from Phoenix,” John said. “Mom?”
     
    But Brooke wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were focused on something shining a few hundred yards to the north. It was heading in the same direction they were.
     
    Brooke floored the gas pedal, and the cruiser boosted forward. The compass on the dash shifted south as the shadows in the cruiser drifted along with it.
     
    Her eyes darted between the rearview mirror and the terrain in front of her. She could feel her pulse thump in her neck. Then, through the sand being kicked up behind her, she saw the glimmer of metal coming from a truck chasing them under the desert sun.
     
    Brooke reached down into her waistband, pulling out the revolver. She balanced the gun in one hand and the wheel in the other, struggling to keep both straight.
     
    The vehicle was gaining on them. Brooke checked the speedometer. She was pushing sixty. The cruiser bounced over the Mojave terrain, tossing all three of them around.
     
    “Emily, stay down,” Brooke said.
     
    Emily lay flat across the back seat. John reached back to make sure the seat belt was still secure around his little sister.
     
    Brooke knew the increase in speed would drain