Quake Read Free Page B

network where I can, looping through old Wi-Fi zones. It’s a mess out here.”
    As they broke through the trees and Dylan saw the wide expanse of the Columbia River, he decided it was time to let loose a little. They were free of the Western State, the Quinns, the weight of responsibility that had gotten so heavy. It might all return without warning, and Dylan wanted to remember this moment.
    He turned out of the forested hills and over an abandoned road that wound along the edge of the broad river. Faith followed close behind, tailing Dylan’s every move. When they reached the water it was unusually calm, like a sheet of reflective glass. Dylan flew low, a foot off the surface, bending the face of the river into a soft ripple.
    â€œIt’s beautiful,” Faith said from behind him. “There’s a heaviness, like it’s a thousand feet deep.”
    The Columbia was so wide and slow moving that on a rare, windless day it could look as if it weren’t moving at all. Dylan put a hand down and touched the cool water. It sprayed Faith head-on before she could move out of the way.
    â€œOops,” Dylan said, but he knew what he was doing. “I thought you were faster than that.”
    Faith wiped the liquid out of her eyes and, with a determined look, blasted past Dylan and returned the favor. Dylan did a somersault over Faith’s head and cannon-balled hard, soaking Faith all over again. He surfaced like a dolphin, made some weird porpoise noises, and dove back in.
    Faith laughed and circled the water, waiting for Dylan to return, but he stayed under.
    â€œCome on, Merman. Get what’s coming to you.”
    Faith flew quickly back and forth, then rose higher into the air for a better look. Her field of vision widened to include a dam several miles off to her right and the looming presence of Mount Hood to her left. She glanced back over the road and into the forest, and that was when Faith saw something moving on the tree line: two people, gliding effortlessly along the tops of the cedars.
    â€œDylan,” Faith said, moving closer to the water once more. She pressed her sound ring. “Dylan! Get up here. We have company.”
    Dylan erupted out of the river, not like a dolphin this time. Like a killer whale, straight up and full of purpose. He came alongside Faith and ran his hands through soaked hair.
    Hawk pressed his sound ring and spoke. “Wait, something’s not right. These two aren’t presenting like they’ve got jet packs. The heat signatures are all wrong.”
    â€œBut they’re wearing Western State military uniforms,” Dylan said, wiping the water from his face and eyes. Even with the distance between them there was no mistaking the white shirts, the red pants.
    â€œIt’s them,” Faith said. She knew it before anyone else did. She just knew . “It’s Wade and Clara. They’ve found us.”
    â€œHawk? You agree?” Dylan asked. He wasn’t ready to believe the Quinns had somehow tracked them down.
    â€œIt’s possible they’re tapped into the Western State security protocols. If they’re monitoring intel, they’d know about the raid at the safe house.”
    â€œOr maybe they were there all along,” Faith said, inching toward the tree line. Her eyes narrowed and her look went ice-cold. A lock of blond hair tumbled in front of her eyes and she pushed it back.
    â€œTake it easy, Faith,” Dylan said. He knew that look, had seen it a hundred times before. “This is not the time for all-out war with the Quinns. We need to regroup, heal up. We need to run.”
    Faith retied her hair in a ponytail with a rubber band she’d found at the safe house and looked at Dylan. “There’s never a good time to run.”
    â€œFollow the river until you reach the dam,” Clooger yelled into his sound ring. “There’s a lot of debris along the way: boulders and abandoned cars