Buddy nodded without saying anything in response. Amanda had all of their supplies laid out on the basement floor, the meals standing on their wide bottoms in neat rows of five. He counted twenty. There were five people traveling in their little group, and they'd been unable to restock their food stuffs for the last two weeks. There had been service stations along the way, but no bigger stores that would provide them with anything of use. Amanda pulled three packs to the side and began stowing the rest equally among the packs. Her mouth was set in concentration as if she might be able to find a way to multiply the food by the sheer force of her will. "Richie," Buddy finally said, "How far?" The floor where Richie sat was covered in loose sheets of the atlas he'd been carrying along with a small booklet describing the main route to Alaska. He looked up to Buddy with his good eye, the other covered by a makeshift patch, and shook his head. "Give me a few minutes.
