Free Post Grid: An Arizona EMP Adventure by Tony Martineau

resisted momentarily before letting Kelly bring her head around, with the reins, to the northeast. Pokey followed.
     
    ****
     
    The sun was high and made the trip uncomfortably warm. Kelly stopped at intervals to give Jared water from her canteen and drink herself. The pair made their way down the shoulder of the highway with relative ease. “Are you sure we should be going north, away from town?” Jared asked.
    Kelly could only imagine what must be going through his mind. It must be scary to be leaving civilization so badly injured and weak.
    “I'll take good care of that shoulder of yours. I have antibiotics and…” she stopped short of saying that everything would be fine. “And they should do the trick.”
    Oh God, what was she saying? She had just made a decision that could mean this man's life. From what she had seen in town, though, her only clear choice was to press on. She and Mom had both assisted in many surgeries and they had antibiotics. They would give it their best.
    As the afternoon went on, she and Jared came upon a Coca-Cola truck that had been broken into. They took a few cans of warm soda and drank one each. The warm, carbonated beverage rolled down their throats, giving little satisfaction. It was a far cry from the icy-cold Cokes they both knew from the convenience stores. They continued on.
    Later, they stopped at the Verde River. The horses went immediately to the water and started drinking. The way they threw their heads down and kept them that way, made it hard for Jared to stay mounted. Kelly dismounted, then helped Jared do the same. It took a lot of work to get Jared up next to a large rock under a tree. He was weaker after his ride. The shade, provided by the wispy desert tree, was dappled with sunlight at best, and provided little relief from the heat.
    Heat radiated from the sand that stretched to the water's edge. Kelly walked to the river and untied the bandana from around her neck, dipping it in unceremoniously. She returned to Jared and wiped his face gently while studying his fine features. She rolled up his long sleeves and bathed his forearms with the cool liquid. Jared watched her silently, thankfully. Kelly returned to the river's edge and wet her bandana again. She raised it to her face and wiped it down around her jaw, squeezing it to release the water down her front.
    “I'd do the same for you if this weren't dirty river water and you didn't have a hole in your shoulder,” Kelly said as she returned to Jared carrying her canteen of clean water. She put it to his lips and let him drink. He gulped greedily, a small trickle escaping the corner of his mouth.
    “I'll get you a bed roll for your head,” Kelly said softly. “I think you should rest.”
    “You'll get no complaint from me,” Jared managed.
    Kelly helped Jared to lie down and positioned his shoulder for as much comfort as he could achieve. He fell asleep immediately.
    As Jared slept, Kelly gathered firewood and started a small fire. She strained river water through a paper coffee filter into her coffee pot. After it had boiled for a few minutes, she filled an empty canteen. Repeating the process, every container she had was filled. It would be a long push to her mother's from here without another water source. Water was life itself in the desert.
    After about an hour, Kelly whispered, “Wake up, sleepy-head. We need to put some distance between us and the river before the sun goes down. People and animals will be drawn to the water's edge and we both need a good night's sleep. Neither of us are fit to take watch all night long. I'm so sorry, Jared. I can tell you really could use the rest but…”
    Jared smiled softly. He forced himself to get up. “Why do we have to hurry? I understand getting away from the river but...”
    “Three reasons. Unless you have some food stashed in your uniform somewhere, we can't afford to be hanging around out here in the desert. I only packed for one person, me, and only