“Sure do. Far enough away from everything that I can hear myself think, but not so much that I can’t get supplies when I need them. Have a cabin about half a mile up.” The dog sat at her side, head on a swivel.
“Our RV broke down,” Don said. “We’re trying to get to Copper Mountain.”
The woman whistled, the dog’s ears twitching. “That’s not close. Still got about a hundred and twenty miles to go. Tell you what: If you’d like, I can take a look under the hood. Pretty handy, if I do say so myself. Can’t make any promises, but I can try.”
“Everything is broken,” Don said stupidly.
“It is,” the woman agreed. “Gravity, too, I think.”
“What?” Rodney asked, as he and Don exchanged a glance.
“You don’t feel it? Something changed. I saw rocks floating along the road on the way down here. And when I jumped off the porch, it took me a couple of seconds longer than it should have to reach the ground.”
“That’s why…” Don glanced at Rodney, who nodded but didn’t speak.
The woman watched them curiously. “Yeah, you feel it too, don’t you.” Not a question. Then, “I’ll be honest, though. I’m more concerned about the sky. It’s not supposed to look like that.” She shook her head. “Name’s Jerri. Dog is Naks. Good girl. She’llprobably sniff your crotches, so have fun with that. Had to put a weighted vest on her this morning. Didn’t want her to accidentally fly away.”
The dog’s tongue lolled out of her mouth happily, as if flying away sounded like a grand old time.
Jerri clapped her hands and said, “Okay! Why don’t you tell me about yourselves while I see what’s what?”
It didn’t take her long to say there was nothing she could do. “See that?” Jerri said, pointing at some part of the engine that Don had no idea about. It all looked the same to him. “Rusted, broken off. You’d need to get it replaced if you want it to start again.”
“Can you fix it?” Rodney asked.
“Nope. And even if I could, there wouldn’t be enough time. Take at least a week. Nah, this is where she stays.” She patted the grille. “Final resting place for the old girl. And she’ll have a front-row seat to whatever happens. A good way to go.”
Don sank to the road, face in his hands. “It can’t end like this. It just can’t.”
“Oh, hey,” Jerri said. “I’m sorry I can’t do more. That’s a tough break.”
Don dropped his hands when he heard the RV door open. Standing with a groan, he looked through the windshield. Rodney was inside, moving between the seats to the rear of the RV. Naks sat on the road next to Jerri, both watching the RV.
“What’s he doing?” Jerri asked.
“I have no idea,” Don said with a sigh.
A few minutes later, Rodney climbed back out of the RV. He carried two backpacks: his and Don’s. After closing the RV door, he leaned his head against it. “You got us this far,” Don heard him say. “More than I expected. Appreciate that. Sorry it had to endlike this.” With that done, he marched to the front of the RV once more, looking determined. Handing Don his backpack, he said, “If we’re going to go, we need to go now.”
“You want to walk the rest of the way?” Jerri asked, aghast. “That’s impossible. You’ll never make it in time.”
Don shouldered his backpack. “Have to try. We made a promise.” Speaking of. “Where is—”
“Safe,” Rodney said. “I got him.”
Don nodded. An hour before, and he would have said his knees weren’t looking forward to the road ahead. But now, with this lightness about them, he thought maybe, just maybe, they’d have a chance. A fool’s notion, to be sure, but it was either that or give up here and now. And that wasn’t an option.
Jerri said, “Goddamn, I like you guys. You’re crazy. Most people don’t like to show strangers their crazy, but here you both are, letting it all hang out. Good for you.”
“It was nice to meet you,” Don said. “Thank you for stopping to help us.”
They’d almost made it to her truck when she called from behind them. “So, Naks has an idea.”
Don stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Naks? The dog?”
Jerri shrugged as Naks panted, head cocked. “I didn’t say it was agoodidea, but yeah.”
“You hear that?” Don asked Rodney. “The dog has an idea.”