The road had long since narrowed to single lanes and Ellie needed a break. At the first petrol station, she pulled in.
She filled the car and locked it even out here, in the countryside where cows lowed in a paddock nearby and the traffic was a trickle. After a comfort stop, Ellie stocked up on bottled water and chocolate. She waited as the attendant heated a pie, her growling stomach a reminder she’d not eaten since last night.
Back in the car, she sat for a moment, getting the air con up as she fiddled with the radio. The afternoon was humid, and she hoped any storms would hold off until she was in the cabin. A hand appeared from nowhere to tap on her window and she jumped.
A woman called out. “Your tyre is a bit low, love.”
Once she began to breathe again, she checked. If the lady h
