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Oklahoma, then Kansas, then left . . . to the Rockies.”
    Pete said nothing to this, and John was grateful for his discretion. It was true they were heading for the Rockies, but not on the path John had mentioned. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to keep it a secret, as much to protect Jeff as themselves. John didn’t understand the threat that was coming this way, but a part of him, a distant and remote part of him, was certain that someone in the approaching party was more dangerous than the party itself. Someone was looking for him, or people like him. He didn’t understand it, but he felt it. And the less he told Jeff, the safer everyone would be.
    Jeff studied John for a moment and said, “Well, safe travels then. I can’t tell you how much you’ve helped us. I’ll never forget that help either. I hope we get a chance to meet again someday.”
    “I’m sure we will,” replied John. “Just you be careful. Don’t trust any strangers, and keep your family close. Don’t move around alone . . . the bigger the group when you travel, the safer you’ll be.”
    They talked a bit more about this and that while they walked to the vehicles. And though John and Pete had only been gone for an hour, they couldn’t help but notice the relief on Jenna’s and Bonnie’s faces when they returned. After a few more “good byes” and “good lucks,” Jeff turned and walked back to the train. It was full morning now, and everyone was eager to be on their way.

    After a quick pre-departure huddle, the company mounted up in their respective vehicles and followed Pete north, along the tracks, until they came to a cattle gate. They passed through the gate with practiced efficiency, and were soon traveling northwest on a secondary, rural ranch road, toward Decatur. Their goal for the first day was to reachWichita Falls, which was about a hundred miles away, but traveling by secondary roads would definitely slow them down. Still, John and Pete were cautiously optimistic.
    Bypassing all the major built up areas would also add a lot of time to their trip, but they would eventually have to find some place to fuel up. With the extra fuel on board, John figured they could reach Amarillo, but they’d have to find more fuel if they were to make it to Santa Fe, and then north into Colorado. He didn’t know what to expect, but he trusted the company, and he trusted the compass. It was sitting on the seat between him and Jenna.
    John would occasionally look at the compass, but it wouldn’t point him in the right direction until he picked it up. Jenna tried to use it, and so did Bonnie, but for them the compass pointed north. At first they were intrigued when John picked up the compass and it spun to point the true way, but after a while the ladies got tired of it and talked, or just dozed off.
    Radio chatter between the vehicles was kept limited and to the point. After an hour, and hearing from Paul that his kids had to pee, Pete began to look for a suitable place to pull off. He was about a mile ahead, which was more than John liked, but he knew Pete was capable and careful. Besides, it was nice not to have to worry about every roadway danger. Eventually, Pete radioed back that he found a suitable place for a short stop, and informed everyone that he was going to check it out.
    They were east of Decatur, driving through open grass lands occasionally broken up by a few intermittent streams and rolling hills, when Pete radioed the “All clear,” and gave instructions for the rest of the company to proceed along the route until they came to a cattle guard on the right. Pete said he marked the cattle guard with a piece of engineer tape. After the turn, John was to drive down a dirt road for one-half a mile and look for a derelict home and barn on the right.
    John acknowledged the transmission and waited for Paul to acknowledge. When Paul responded, Jenna said, “Why all the security? Do you guys really think we’re in so much