The temperature dropped to twenty-eight degrees, and the air grew humid. At midnight, the convoy came to a halt. The burly man who served as the messenger appeared again, this time announcing a five-hour rest. They were to be on the road again at five in the morning sharp.
Evelyn Ford quietly slipped away from the group. This was the border between Corinth and another city, flanked by high mountains that offered good cover. She ducked into the mountains, intending to find a cave to change her undergarments and wash up.
She wouldn't wash her face, neck, or hair. The dirtier, the better.
Many of the trees in the mountains had withered and died from the scorching sun. Wearing night-vision goggles, Evelyn moved silently through the grove of dead trees. She found a cave in a mountain hollow, checked it with a flashlight, and only when she was sure no animals were hiding inside did she enter.
