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He didn’t look at any of them as he dropped his pack and carefully pulled out the equipment.
Saff waited silently, watching him set it up on one of the rocks beside Erin.
Maddie shifted on her feet beside her, and Saff could feel the anxiety radiating off her as James set up the small solar panel, then finally flipped it on.
An instant noisy static ruffled through the small speaker, and she felt Maddie flinch.
She watched him turn one of the dials until it hit one specific spot. Then he picked up the microphone, pausing to stare at it for a moment.
She wondered if he’d been nervous about this moment the whole time they were traveling. And if he was, that probably wasn’t a great sign.
He finally cleared his throat, then pressed a button, holding it up to his mouth.
“Radio check. This is James Fields for Fisher’s Island. Over.”
He released the button, and static blasted through the speaker once again.
They all stared down at it, while Saff counted the seconds as they ticked by.
A full minute passed before he tried again.
“Radio check. This is James Fields for Fisher’s Island. Over,” he repeated, each word more enunciated than the last.
And when another minute passed, it told her all she needed to know.
He continued trying, but she was already scanning the horizon, looking over the way they’d need to travel.
“It must not have a signal still,” James breathed, frustration evident in his voice.
“Or maybe there’s no one there to answer anymore,” Josh muttered.
“No,” James said, shaking his head fiercely. “I checked in with every safe zone even remotely close to us every week for months. Then the second we pass through the mountains and get to the last settlement, suddenly I couldn’t get through to any of them. That’s not a coincidence. It has to be because we lost the signal.”
Saff released a deep breath. “Or the radio just isn’t working anymore.”
James shook his head. “I thought that too, but I tested it with the other one at the settlement. It got through just fine. It’s because we’re surrounded by hills or mountains here. We have been since the moment we got there.”
They all fell quiet again, the irritating static playing in the background.
Then, slowly, James began packing the equipment back into his pack. When he was finally done, he paused before pulling something out.
The instant Saff saw the orange handle, she’d already begun shaking her head.
“No,” she said.
He didn’t so much as shoot her a glance as he stood, as if he’d known that objection would come.
“This was the plan,” he said firmly.
She let out an exasperated breath. “That doesn’t mean it’s agoodplan.”
James looked at her then, his gaze tough but patient. “When we get to the edge of the canyon, on the highest point, we’ll shoot it off. Then, by the time we get to the harbor, hopefully they’ll be there waiting.”
Saff shook her head again. “The only way that works is if we actually do make it through the canyon.” She stepped forward, pointing off to the right. “On the other side of that canyon, just a few miles away, is a city that leads right down to the coast. If youshoot that thing off, every person and zombie will see it or hear it, and you’ll be leading them right to us.”
“Well then, we’ll make it to the harbor before they do,” Josh cut in, but even as he said it, Saff could hear the hint of trepidation in his voice.
Her jaw tightened. “You guys are injured. We won’t be able to get away from anything that comes after us. We’re just—not fast enough right now.”