CHAPTER 36
An ache born of cold and stiffness radiated from Steadman’s hips as he shifted on the thin layer of leaves and needles beneath him. He cracked open an eye and realized he could make out the dark shapes of trees against a pewter gray sky. He stretched and grunted, glancing at the sleeping form of his companion, not quite ready to wake the man.
The darkness of the night before had been complete. No flashlights, no street lights, no electricity, and a thickening blanket of ash blocking the moon and stars. After stumbling up a steep hill into the ridge above the ruined highway and pushing into the deep and brambled forest, both he and Frost concluded it was folly to keep moving under those conditions. There was nothing they could do but hunker down and catch up on more sleep.
It
