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forced some of the bitter-tasting liquid into her mouth.
    She swallowed but stared at him unblinking. Cody continued to smear the cold slime on her arms and neck. Her breathing seemed to return to normal but her skin still felt dry.
    “Toni?” Cody fanned her while he talked. “I’m going up the trail now to look for water.” He draped his shirt over the bush to produce a little more shade for her. “Don’t die on me, okay?”
    There was no response. Cody stood up, spotted the trail and started for it. He found ita well-beaten path used by animals. Fresh tracks headed in both directions.
    The tracks gave Cody hope. If there were animals out here, they had to have water too. All he had to do was find it.
    He topped over a low rise and stopped. Using his hand to shield his eyes, he scanned the sloping ground in front of him.
    Something shiny caught his attention. The sun transformed whatever was out there into waves of hot rolling silver. As he moved closer, he could also make out the shape of a building.
    He squinted to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks. The silver thing was a water tank and standing beside it was a windmill, its blades lazily turning in the slight breeze.
    “Yes!” Cody jumped into the air and raced back down the trail.
    He found Toni lying where he’d left her, only now her eyes were closed. He dropped to his knees and listened for a pulse. She was still alive.
    Even though she was slight, Cody knew he’d never be able to carry her all the way tothe tank. So he stood at her head, reached under her arms and walked backward, dragging her toward the animal trail.
    The sweltering sun was merciless and his progress seemed incredibly slow. Twice he tripped and once he fell, dropping Toni in the dirt. When he finally reached the rise, he sank to the ground for a short rest. His arms ached and his body yearned to stop. Willing himself to stand, he slowly reached down and took hold of her once more. One backward excruciating step at a time, he pulled her down the sandy incline.
    He slogged along—it felt as if she gained a hundred pounds with each step—and just as he thought he could do no more he heard the sound of running water. He looked over his shoulder and saw it—crystal-clear water coming out of a small round pipe into a metal storage tank.
    “We’re almost there, Toni. Hang on.” Cody pulled her to the edge of the tank, put his hand in the water and splashed it on her face. Then he picked her up, dropped her over the edge and jumped in after her.
    It felt like heaven. He pushed her under and went down with her. Coming up from the second plunge, she coughed and her eyes fluttered open.
    Her cast started to disintegrate and the bandage slipped off her head. Cody held on to her so that she wouldn’t drown. “I told you we’d make it, Toni.”
    Something cracked behind him. Cody whirled around. A large blond woman in a faded housedress was standing a few feet away, pointing a shotgun at them.
    In the Republic language she ordered, “You two stay right where you are. Move one inch and you’re dead.”

CHAPTER 14
    “W here am I?” Toni lifted her head. She was wearing a large nightgown and resting on a stack of pillows in a feather bed with real sheets. The room was small and furnished with antiques from the seventies and eighties.
    Something at the foot of the bed stirred. She rose up on her good arm to get a better look. It was Cody. He was stretched out, snoring softly on a colorful homemade rag rug.
    Toni reached behind her for one of the pillows and tossed it at him. Cody woke with astart. “What the …” He sat up. “Oh, it’s you,” he said crossly. “It’s about time you woke up. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
    “What happened? The last thing I remember was walking in the desert. How did we get here?”
    The door opened and the stout blond woman from the water tank came in carrying a tray with glasses and sandwiches. “Good. You’re awake.” She set the