Chapter 77

Chapter Seventy-Seven

The next morning broke gray and overcast. Although that cut back on the burning heat, the air grew unbearably thick until midday, when a light rain fell.

For Connor, the rain was a welcome respite, if a smelly one. With the storm over them, the rotting smell returned. Even with a stiff shoulder and lingering wooziness, he felt well enough to wander among the team, checking in and offering praise for their performance.

Conversation made the eerie silence of the woods tolerable.

Most people talked about the bugs, questioning why they hadn’t followed this time and wondering where the lizard things had gone to.

“We kicked their butts.” That was all Connor could offer, and it worked.

With Vicente, things were different. The big man didn’t seem bothered by the cases mounted to the wheeled litter. He angled his head back as Connor approached and caught raindrops, but his familiar humor was gone.