The sun was starting to set when Sophia stepped out of the jeep. It was a few degrees cooler in the mountains and the air wasn’t as thick, but still warm enough that she shed her jacket.
Nasira, Benito and DC formed up behind her. From the second jeep, Damien, Jay, Chickenhead and Big Dog disembarked. Before them, the mountain town split between two streets. The right street was cobblestoned. It twisted up the mountain around a cluster of brick and wooden buildings. The left street was asphalt and descended smoothly, flanked all the way down by two- and three-story buildings, balconies webbed with clotheslines. The streets were quiet. Parked 4WDs, jeeps and vans dotted both sides. Kids played and dogs basked in the sun, reluctantly moving off the road when a 4WD or trail bike blasted past
