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approaching daylight would soon fade their intensity. She tried to close her eyes again but found she was no longer sleepy. “Where exactly are you guys headed?”
    “New Mexico.”
    “What’s in New Mexico?”
    “Nothing. Just seems like a good place to hide out for a while.”
    “Hide from whom?”
    “No one in particular. Just to get away from all the people.”
    “Seems like a long way to go just to get away from people.”
    Ben laughed. “Yeah. Maybe.” His voice faded. Then he asked, “What made you leave Bermuda?”
    My best friend was beaten and raped…
    “It’s complicated.”
    “I’m sure it is.” He didn’t press further.
    “Where are you and your cousin from?”
    “Virginia, in the suburbs outside DC. Our parents lived two miles from each other.”
    “You two don’t look related.”
    Ben laughed again. “We both look like our mothers, and it’s our fathers who were brothers.”
    “How do you know so much about cars?”
    “Jim’s dad was a car mechanic. We used to hang around his shop on weekends just watching him, and we picked up a lot. After the virus, we had all the time in the world to mess around with cars.”
    Andy nodded. It was similar for her and learning about medicine. “You like working on cars?”
    “I do. And I’m good at it. Cars make sense to me. And what do you do for fun, other than sailing across oceans?”
    “I read a lot. Mostly stuff about human anatomy and medicine. My father was a doctor.” It was odd to talk about herself with a complete stranger.
    “Cool. What kind of doctor?”
    “He was a heart surgeon for a long time, but then switched to having his own general practice when I was nine or ten.”
    “Why did he switch?”
    “The hours. I barely saw him when he was a surgeon. With his own practice, he could finally join me and my mom at dinner.”
    Ben began to ask something else when the truck slowed down and then stopped. Jim and Morgan emerged from the front, both chatting about something that Andy couldn’t hear.
    “Hey, my butt’s getting numb,” Jim began, mainly addressing Ben. “Let’s switch for a while.”
    Charlie woke up. “Where are we?”
    “Eastern Tennessee,” Jim replied.
    “Is it cold back there?” Morgan asked Andy, looking content—happy even.
    “Not really. There are some blankets,” Andy replied, holding hers up to show Morgan. “You guys sleep back here often?”
    “When we have to,” Ben replied before hopping down to the ground.
    “Charlie, do you want to ride in the front?” Morgan asked.
    “No, I’ll stay here. I’m tired.”
    Morgan reached over and tousled his hair. “Okay, but don’t snore.” She climbed into the back, along with Jim.
    “You’re the one who snores,” Charlie accused with a yawn.
    Morgan froze with embarrassment until Jim said, “Don’t worry. You can’t hear snoring over the engine or the wind.”
    “I don’t snore,” she insisted.
    It suddenly dawned on Andy that she hadn’t had anything to drink or gone to the bathroom in at least twelve hours. Thinking about it not only made her thirsty, but aroused the need to find a bush somewhere. “I need to pee,” she declared and headed directly toward the forest that lined the highway.
    “I do too,” Morgan echoed, following her into the misty trees.
    Charlie looked at Jim and Ben. “Take the other side then?”
    Without a word, boys and girls separated to opposite sides of the road and reconvened at the truck minutes later. After a quick bite and some water, they were ready to move again. Andy joined Ben in the front of the truck as the others piled into the back.
    “So how much farther until we run out of gas?” Andy asked Ben when they were underway.
    Ben glanced down at the dials in front of him. “Probably another two hundred miles. We’ll make it to Nashville and stop at the airport there.”
    Andy nodded and turned her attention to the passing scenery. As the early morning mist began to fade, the blue-green hues