Disclaimer: The following chapter is the non-edited draft of what was written during NaNoWriMo 2018. My apologies in advance for plot holes and other inconsistencies. I know they're there.

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"They're coming," Lincoln said between breaths as he leaned up against the passenger door after running down from the top of the stadium. Marie sat in the passenger seat, maps in her lap.

"Are you sure?"

Lincoln nodded. "I'm sure. It's the same dust cloud as before, just visible to the south."

"Do you think they're still tracking us?"

"Not by satellite they're not but I have no doubt they have skilled trackers that can pick up on the way we went, one way or another."

"What do we do? Run?"

Lincoln shook his head. "The wind has picked up. Not a lot but enough that whatever tracks we may have left behind will be destroyed. They may end up in this city, just like we did, but unless they search each building, they're not going to find us."

"They'll search this one," Marie said without hesitation.

"I think you're right. It's the one structure in this city that seems to have held up the best. It's the logical place for someone to seek refuge. If we move now, any sign of our movement will be wiped out before they get here."

"So we hide somewhere else and wait them out?" Marie said, eyebrows raised.

"Exactly. I spotted a few buildings a couple of blocks over. They look like they may have been mechanic shops or gas stations. We can pull the truck in and lay low until they're gone. With any luck, they'll keep heading north."

Marie pondered Lincoln's suggestion for a moment then nodded. "Let's do it."

Moments later, they left the stadium behind. Lincoln drove the next few blocks slower than he typically would to avoid creating any obvious signs that they had been there. With the window down, the wind whipped through his open window, to him a sure sign that the plan he had hatched would work. Get away from the obvious places, wait out Hastings and his crew and hope that was enough.

What he hadn't told Marie was that he had a secondary reason for not just running. They were getting low on fuel. Although he had discovered that it also had an electrical component and could run on solar power, it wasn't ideal for longer treks. In fact, he intended to take full advantage of the battery power but that times wasn't now. He was gambling that Colonel Hastings brought fuel with him and with any luck, they'd be able to siphon some from their fuel carrier.

He turned a corner and found himself in front of the rusted remains of a metal door. He sighed and felt doubt creep into his mind. Had he seen it wrong? Was this not usable, after all.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Marie said. Lincoln saw the same worry in her face that he felt himself.

"This is what I saw from the stadium. I just didn't look this worn down."

Marie sighed and shook her head. "So now what? We're out in the open."

"Relax, Marie, relax. Let's check out the side."

Lincoln drove around to the side of the building and then around back. A tall and wide opening in the back wall revealed a cavernous garage. Roof beams had collapsed and with them, the roof, but there was enough space up against a wall and back from the opening to park the truck. It would also give them visibility through the front, with a clear view down the street towards the stadium.

"This will have to do," he said and back the truck into the shadows.

"I'm not sure I like this place," Marie said as he turned off the engine and they exited the cab. "It looks like this place could collapse at any moment."

"That's what I'm counting on, that Hastings will think the same."

Marie sighed and walked up to the broken windows facing the front of the building. "At least we'll see them when they come," she said as she walked back to the truck. "Now what?"

"We wait. I suggest you try to get some rest. I'll take first watch. If we have to make a run for it, I'd rather not do it on adrenaline alone."

Lincoln sat down on a workbench next to one of the windows, where he had a clear view of the street outside but was still hidden in the shadows of the building. He glanced towards Marie and saw she was making herself as comfortable as she could inside the cab of the truck. What are we doing? His mind told him there was no possible way this could end well. One of them, or both, would die, either from some freak accident or just exposure to the elements. Worse, they'd be captured and Hamil would carry out the Council's wishes in regards to Marie.

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Was the shelter even a realistic option? He wasn't sure. Marie's optimism was contagious but he couldn't really tell whether it was based on hope or confidence. Time would tell.

The more urgent problem was the fuel. If he was right, with nighttime only hours away, it was unlikely Hastings would continue. Without a solid track to follow, there wasn't much he could do and besides, continuing in the dark, even with a clear trail to follow, was dangerous to say the least. Lincoln's plan for the night was simple. Use the spare gas cans of the truck, sneak up to the tanker in Hasting's party, get the fuel they needed and then get out of there under cover of night.

The next few hours seemed to drag on for an eternity. Dawn approached and as the shadows grew longer, Marie relieved Lincoln. His mind initially refused to let him sleep but eventually, pure exhaustion pulled him into a fitful slumber. He was woken by a hand pushing him hard and Marie's voice hissing in his hear.

"Lincoln, wake up. They're here,"

Lincoln blinked a couple of times and was wide awake. "They're here?"

"Yes, at the stadium, just like you said."

He had been right. Hastings had gone to the one place in the city that it made sense to shelter at. How predictable.

"What are they doing?"

"It's hard to tell in the dark but it looked like a bunch of the soldiers were running around a little bit ago, checking the place out."

"Any movement this way?"

Marie shook her head. "No, not yet."

Lincoln jumped out of the seat and quietly headed over to the window. He took the binoculars offered to him by Marie and trained them on the vehicles parked by the stadium. From the dome lights inside the few vehicles in view, he counted half a dozen personnel. Whether Hastings was one of them, he couldn't tell.

"We need to get closer," he said, turned and walked towards the back door.

"What, what?" Marie said and grabbed his arm. "Closer? I thought we were going to lay low?"

"We are, but I need to get an idea of how many there are and what they're doing."

Marie shook her head and sighed. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just forget it. Don't forget that as far as firepower goes, we're no match for them."

"I don't intend on being caught. It's just reconnaissance."

"If you say so. Lead the way."

Lincoln hesitated. "It may be better if you stay here."

"You're kidding, right?"

"If they spot me, at least you can still get away. You'll have the truck."

"Lincoln, if I'm on my own, I'm pretty much screwed, ok? I can read a map, sure, but I'm used to civilized society, not a post-apocalyptic one."

"Ok, ok," Lincoln said and relented. If she was with him, at least he knew where she was. "Let's go, just stay down, ok?"

They snuck through an alley next to the garage they had parked in. Twenty minutes later, they had covered the relatively short two block distance as quietly as they could without being spotted. They hid half a block away from Hasting's vehicles, inside an old brick building that consisted mostly of piles of bricks and rusty equipment.

Lincoln had been right. There was a tanker that was part of the group. It was parked a bit separate from the other vehicles. Lincoln wasn't sure whether that was smart or stupid. If someone wanted to take out the whole group, blowing the tanker wouldn't do it but if someone did, the rest of the vehicles would be on their own. Regardless, it presented Lincoln with exactly the opportunity he was looking for.

"We should hit that fuel tanker," Marie whispered into his ear.

Lincoln turned and looked at her, surprised to hear her say that.

"Why, you don't think I know how to read a gas gauge?" she continued with a smirk.

Lincoln smiled and nodded, then pointed over his shoulder. "Let's pull back a bit." They retreated away from line of sight of Hasting's troops and kneeled next to each other in another dark corner of the building.

"You're right, we should hit the truck," Lincoln said in a hushed voice. "We do need fuel. Not desperately, but I'd rather have it than not."

"We can't just walk in there and ask for it though."

"You're right about that."

"How about I create a diversion?"

"A diversion?" Lincoln said and looked up.

"Yeah, you grab the fuel, I'll make sure the guards are otherwise occupied."

"I'm not sure I like that. They'll know we're here, it kind of takes away our element of surprise."

"Perhaps, but it could also be the distraction we need to get the fuel and get out of here."

Lincoln couldn't argue with that. In fact, it wasn't too far off his own plan.

"Ok, but I don't like it."

They returned to the truck where Lincoln removed two empty fuel cans from the roof of the truck. The plan was simple. Marie would create a diversion to the east of the stadium, forcing some of the soldiers to investigate. Lincoln would take advantage of the rush to find them to get fuel from tanker.

"What kind of diversion are you going to make anyway?"

"Don't you worry about that. Just get yourself in position, ok?"

Lincoln felt the urge to give her a hug but refrained. Once, he wouldn't have thought twice about it but at this moment in time, he wasn't yet sure Marie was ready for that kind of expression. Instead, he nodded and they parted ways without any additional words.

Ten minutes later, Lincoln was back in the same position they both had occupied earlier. Then, he just had to wait patiently for Marie to do her magic, whatever it was.

~~~

Lincoln and Marie have been discovered, but it sounds like they have a plan. What do you think the diversion is going to be? Will it be successful?

Vote if you like what you're reading, I'd really appreciate it!