I turned Fred east and kept her running. Even with the light fading, I didn’t slow down. I needed to get us as far as possible before darkness slowed Fred. We passed the underground house and kept going. The pounding of Fred’s hooves on the dirt lane was a steady drum. The shadowy spaces between the trees and at the bottoms of the hills grew larger and larger. I kept a wary eye out for Scavengers. Getting shot at was not an experience I wanted to repeat. The light faded away. Darkness forced me to pull back on the reins. Fred was blowing fairly hard, so I dismounted and let her catch her breath. My legs ached, but I walked Fred until her breathing was easy and relaxed. The darkness brought on the noise. The constant chirping of crickets was accented by the occasional hoot of an owl or the cry of a coyote. All the sounds were familiar, but out here in the wide open spaces, they were clearer, purer, rawer. It surprised me when, right around when the moon set, I arrived at the pharmacist’s house.
