“Come on, damn it,” he cried, yanking Bassan forward.
Too afraid to protest, Bassan let the man pull him into the scrub brush. The pilot’s long legs moved fast and Bassan struggled to maintain the same pace. He tripped over a rock and went down on one knee. The man’s grip tightened, pulling Bassan to his feet. Glancing at the sky, the pilot continued to run farther into the canyon, dragging Bassan behind him.
Focused on running, Bassan didn’t have time to be scared. He concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other, his gaze fixed on the ground. The sand below his feet passed in a blur. Breath ragged from running so hard, Bassan knew he was reaching the limits of his endurance. What would the man do to him if he collapsed?
The land sloped upward. The desert floor gave way to roc
