He glanced at her then focused again on the road.
Oh Lord, that obviously meant no. They were in big trouble. She rose up again and reached over to slide her hand into her backpack. She pulled out a curved dagger with jagged edges. It was almost a foot long.
Stone glanced over at her and did a double take. “What the hell? Where did you get that?”
“My backpack,” she said, her tone casual. “You didn’t think I was coming all the way to Africa without protection, did you?”
He still looked stunned. “But…do you even know how to use that thing?”
She slid her thumb along the thin edge of the blade, testing its sharpness. “Who? Sylvester? He's served me well over the years. Skinned many a rabbit, gutted lots of fish. Great at peeling the hide from a deer.”
His eyes widened as he stared at her. “You’re a hunter?”
She grinned. “Let’s put it this way. I hunt a lot better than I cook.” She slid the big knife beneath her thigh and picked up her paper again. “The sun sets in the west so Johannesburg is that way as the crow flies.” She pointed in the direction exactly opposite to where Stone was heading. “You need to turn around and head back the way you came.”
He gave her a doubtful look. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She didn’t take her eyes off him until he began to turn the Jeep around. “Tell me something,” she said, "are you carrying a weapon?”
He glared at her as if she shouldn’t have had to ask. “Shotgun. It’s on the floor in the back.”
She gave him a brusque nod. “Good. If any animals decide to come sniffing around we can scare them off with that.” She gave a snort. “God help us if a whole pride of lions decides to take us on.”
He was looking over at her again, seeming bemused. “Aren’t you scared?”
“More than I’ve ever been in my life.”
“You don’t look it,” he said, lifting an eyebrow.
“Yeah, well I’m good at hiding my emotions.”
“You can say that again.”
After that they fell silent, he concentrating on the trail and she watching for signs of animals in the distance. “Do you have any binoculars?” she asked.
“Dashboard.”
She reached over and pulled it out and immediately began perusing the brush and trees in the distance. “It’s going to get dark soon,” she said, her voice low, “and I want to know what I’m up against when the sun goes down.”
He didn’t say anything for a while then he blew out his breath. “See anything?”
“Nope. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there.” She dropped the binoculars. “Pull over for a sec. I want to check something.”
“I don’t know about that, Indie. Right now I’d say let's not stop anywhere unless we have to. Animals are more likely to stay away from a moving vehicle than a stationary one.
“No, stop,” she said again, her voice brooking no dissent.
He stopped.
Indie hopped out of the Jeep then walked off the trail and to a patch of dirt surrounded by clumps of grass. She dropped to her knees and peered at the markings in the dirt. Then she got up and followed a faint trail of dirt across the grass. She stopped after just a few yards and stared out over the flatland toward the copse of straggly trees.
When she got back to the Jeep Stone was frowning at her. “Any signs of animals?”
“Yep, and it’s not good news.” She climbed into the Jeep and slammed the door shut. “No lion but a cheetah was here recently. Can’t be too far away.” She gave him a serious look. “And cheetahs run damn fast.”
“Okay,” he said pressing on the gas, “let’s get out of here.”
“Not without a plan.”
“Which is?”
She glanced at the gas gauge. “Based on my estimate on how far we are from our destination we have just enough gas to get us there. As long as we don’t get lost again. So…” she stood up in the vehicle and when the wind blew off her hat she didn’t even look back, “…I’ll navigate while you drive. That way we won’t waste any gas driving around in circles.”
She heard a grumble at that but he didn’t say anything out loud. He’d better not. At this stage she was their only hope of not spending the night keeping company with the wildlife of Africa.
“Now step on it, Hudson,” she yelled. “Let’s eat up some miles before the sun turns in for the night.”
They drove fast but they drove carefully, with Indie stopping Stone a few times along the way so she could check the trail and keep their nose pointed in the right direction. Night was fast approaching and Indie kept watching the sun slipping closer and closer to the horizon. Come on, sun. Stay with us a while longer. Just till we find the road.
She was trying not to show it but she had a sinking feeling they weren’t going to make it to civilization tonight. It was already dusk and the shadows of night were beginning to shroud the savannah. And if they ended up spending the night in the wild she wasn’t sure an army knife and a shotgun would be any guarantee that they’d get out alive.
She was just about to stop Stone one more time when he gave a shout. “I see it. That’s the landmark I was looking for.”
Indie peered straight ahead. She didn’t see a thing she would call a landmark. “What is it?” she yelled.
“That rock with the little chip at the side. See? It’s an arrow pointing north.” He grinned at her excitedly then he was laughing out loud as the Jeep roared toward the rock.
“That?” Indie said, incredulous. “That little rock is your landmark? No wonder you missed it.”
“Well, I was right and we can’t get lost after this,” he yelled back. “I know exactly where I’m going.”
Oh Lord, not again. Indie rolled her eyes. “Are you sure, Stone? Don’t you think we should head back to the compound?”