Soon, civilization yielded to densely foliaged countryside. By two thirty, they’d left human life behind and bounced along a dirt road surrounded by jungle. At Jesse’s direction, Cole abruptly turned off onto another dirt road. He stopped five minutes later and shut down the engine. He had driven a mere twenty-five minutes, yet the road cut through total isolation, where wise men did not venture more than five feet off the beaten track. Dense foliage hugged the ruts in the road and tree limbs arched overhead. The air hung so thick even sounds suffered an unnatural attenuation. “Come on,” Cole said, and left the truck. Jesse got out and they met at the rear of the Harvester. He opened the door and slid the aluminum case toward him. “I got the camera, binoculars, radios, handgun, and lock picks, along with a few extra items.” He opened the case and removed a box the size of a paperback book with a rocker switch and a two-inch-long rubber antenna.
