Chapter 7: Going Over the Wall, Part 3

Trey dropped his bag then awkwardly lowered himself to the other side. Bag over his shoulder, he headed toward his left.

The directions had sounded clear and easy on the other side of the wall. He hadn't been outside the compound since the Methuselahs had sent him there as a scared little kid. However much he detested the Reserve, it had been home for most of his life.

He slipped on the rocks as he stumbled through the dark, wet ravine. Very quickly he learned, apart from the discomfort, it was easier to walk down the middle of the creek running through the gulley. He focused so much on putting one foot in front of the other he almost missed the road.

As he climbed up the steep slope to the pavement, Trey reviewed Hank's instructions. Walk north, but Trey had no idea what was north or south. He sat on the side of the road and rested. The sky lightened in front of him. The moon rose in the same direction as the sun. So facing east, north was to his left. Trey forced himself to his feet. He stayed to the side of the road, but saw no signs of life.

By the time the sun began to lift above the horizon, Trey's clothes were dry and he staggered with exhaustion. A scraggly stand trees off to one side of the road promised minimal shelter. He found a pile of leaves under a tree and curled up. There was something he was forgetting, but he fell asleep before he could figure it out.

The afternoon found him waking stiff and itchy from the leaves. He pulled over his sack to see what a sorry collection he had to survive. Extra clothes, Hank's knife, a pack of matches he wasn't sure would work. He put fresh clothes on. The knife went in his boot. When he put the matches in his pocket his hand brushed something. A napkin. He remembered the bump and the whispered good luck. Trey pulled it out and read the words scrawled across it.

Follow the signs. Each sign will be a circle with a number in it. The number is the approximate number of hours to reach the next sign. A line will point out from the circle. The top of the circle will be North. Travel in the direction the line points. The last thing will be a symbol of something. A tree, a bridge, a house; the sign will be marked on a tree, bridge or house. It will be marked on the same side of the object, as the symbol is to the circle.

If you don't understand, you don't deserve to find the end.

Under the instructions was a circle with the line pointing straight up. On the left was a picture of a tree with three trunks. Trey tore the napkin to pieces and hid them under the leaves. Being caught with the napkin would be worse than getting lost, and the instructions were clear enough.