asked.
"Possibly," Alex said. "I guess they think we can't get far. They might go in the morning. Also, they need to alert Canada about us."
"Why would they do that?" Sarah asked. "International police alerts for accessory to larceny?"
"I'm still wondering about that," Jake said.
"That's a fair point," Anthony said. They were all amazed at how relaxed he was behind the wheel. He appeared to be alright, an hour after his last cigarette, but Alex was sure he would break down, and then they would have to find somewhere to get some—a large waste of time. "We're probably safe. No point wasting the time, manpower…"
"Money," Alex cut in.
"Listen, Jake, I want to ask you something. How did you know how to hotwire the engine?"
Sarah looked very surprised at this. Even Alex (and this was a very rare occurrence) looked visibly unseated. " You did it?" he asked.
"I've, um…I've read some books." Jake, oddly enough, seemed both embarrassed and scared. Not scared in the way the boy is when he thinks there is a monster under his bed…but the way a man is when he has something to hide.
For a while they drove in silence.
Jake could drive too, it turned out. It being midnight, Sarah and Anthony were very tired. The time came when Anthony's eyelids began to drop, and they decided it wasn't safe for him to drive anymore. So they pulled over, and he got out, sat in the back, and immediately fell asleep. Jake took the wheel, and Sarah fell asleep after another half-hour.
Alex and Jake stayed up, possibly out of apprehension or fear, or possibly out of excitement. Alex, certainly, was very happy—for the first time since Niagara, he had made a plan that had worked.
"Why do you do things like this?" Jake asked suddenly.
Alex was caught off guard. "Huh?"
"Why do you act like you do to Sarah? To Anthony? Why do you see them like you do?"
"Because…" Alex hesitated. Obviously, what was about to come out of his mouth was something he didn't want to say. "Because…I'm scared."
"You're what ?"
"I'm scared. Ever since we left Woodsbrook, I've been thinking—what have I gotten myself into? This plan…the food will be eaten here, we'll sleep here, spend money here…it's a way to know what's going to happen. If I know how everything is going to work, I'm not scared."
"Makes sense…but what's there to be so scared of?"
"I don't know," Alex said, sarcastically. "Starving? Dying of hypothermia? Getting shot ? It's a fact we're all going to have to accept, and it's better if you learn it now. We are going to die."
"What? How can you say that?" Jake was getting scared himself. It was not like Alex to be so pessimistic. He could be sarcastic, cynical, at times annoying…but never pessimistic.
"Maybe not soon. One or two of us might make it to Manitoba. But we will die. One way or another."
"Why did you start this, then, if you were sure we were going to die?"
"Remember, at the beginning…it was just going to be me. I thought I could do it. In Woodsbrook, in the park, I tried to bail out. I'd realized, then, just for a moment. But the two of you wouldn't let me go."
"No, Alex!" Jake said. It came out more forcefully than he had intended. "Sarah and I were trying to give you a chance to be someone. You act like a cynic, you act like a skeptic, and you look down on people to shield yourself from yourself. If you just looked up for a moment, you'd realize who you are! You are our leader!"
"I don't know, Jake. I don't know," Alex said, quietly. "I'm too tired for this." He rolled on his side, and was asleep in seconds.
They lay there, hurtling into the night.
CHAPTER 9
Into Canada
For the next day, time seemed to have no meaning. They drove, and it would appear that they were flying at great speed, or that they had been in the same stretch of forest or mountain
"Possibly," Alex said. "I guess they think we can't get far. They might go in the morning. Also, they need to alert Canada about us."
"Why would they do that?" Sarah asked. "International police alerts for accessory to larceny?"
"I'm still wondering about that," Jake said.
"That's a fair point," Anthony said. They were all amazed at how relaxed he was behind the wheel. He appeared to be alright, an hour after his last cigarette, but Alex was sure he would break down, and then they would have to find somewhere to get some—a large waste of time. "We're probably safe. No point wasting the time, manpower…"
"Money," Alex cut in.
"Listen, Jake, I want to ask you something. How did you know how to hotwire the engine?"
Sarah looked very surprised at this. Even Alex (and this was a very rare occurrence) looked visibly unseated. " You did it?" he asked.
"I've, um…I've read some books." Jake, oddly enough, seemed both embarrassed and scared. Not scared in the way the boy is when he thinks there is a monster under his bed…but the way a man is when he has something to hide.
For a while they drove in silence.
Jake could drive too, it turned out. It being midnight, Sarah and Anthony were very tired. The time came when Anthony's eyelids began to drop, and they decided it wasn't safe for him to drive anymore. So they pulled over, and he got out, sat in the back, and immediately fell asleep. Jake took the wheel, and Sarah fell asleep after another half-hour.
Alex and Jake stayed up, possibly out of apprehension or fear, or possibly out of excitement. Alex, certainly, was very happy—for the first time since Niagara, he had made a plan that had worked.
"Why do you do things like this?" Jake asked suddenly.
Alex was caught off guard. "Huh?"
"Why do you act like you do to Sarah? To Anthony? Why do you see them like you do?"
"Because…" Alex hesitated. Obviously, what was about to come out of his mouth was something he didn't want to say. "Because…I'm scared."
"You're what ?"
"I'm scared. Ever since we left Woodsbrook, I've been thinking—what have I gotten myself into? This plan…the food will be eaten here, we'll sleep here, spend money here…it's a way to know what's going to happen. If I know how everything is going to work, I'm not scared."
"Makes sense…but what's there to be so scared of?"
"I don't know," Alex said, sarcastically. "Starving? Dying of hypothermia? Getting shot ? It's a fact we're all going to have to accept, and it's better if you learn it now. We are going to die."
"What? How can you say that?" Jake was getting scared himself. It was not like Alex to be so pessimistic. He could be sarcastic, cynical, at times annoying…but never pessimistic.
"Maybe not soon. One or two of us might make it to Manitoba. But we will die. One way or another."
"Why did you start this, then, if you were sure we were going to die?"
"Remember, at the beginning…it was just going to be me. I thought I could do it. In Woodsbrook, in the park, I tried to bail out. I'd realized, then, just for a moment. But the two of you wouldn't let me go."
"No, Alex!" Jake said. It came out more forcefully than he had intended. "Sarah and I were trying to give you a chance to be someone. You act like a cynic, you act like a skeptic, and you look down on people to shield yourself from yourself. If you just looked up for a moment, you'd realize who you are! You are our leader!"
"I don't know, Jake. I don't know," Alex said, quietly. "I'm too tired for this." He rolled on his side, and was asleep in seconds.
They lay there, hurtling into the night.
CHAPTER 9
Into Canada
For the next day, time seemed to have no meaning. They drove, and it would appear that they were flying at great speed, or that they had been in the same stretch of forest or mountain
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