Risen To The Top

CHAPTER 53

She was panting by the time they reached the roadblock, her back and face soaked in sweat despite the cool air. Someone screamed Pablo’s name. The boy’s head snapped up and Joanne spun around. A young woman was racing toward them, her face crumpled with fear and grief. Pablo shoved at Joanne so she let him go and watched the little boy run into the woman’s waiting arms. Joanne swallowed back tears when the woman caught her son and fell to her knees there on the dirt road, sobbing as she rocked him.

“We’ve gotta go,” Alex said impatiently, dragging her forward.

Joanne resisted, reluctant to leave them until she was sure they would be okay. “How will they get home? How do we know they’ll be safe?”

“The military and police will handle it. We have to go,” he repeated. This time he jerked her forward hard enough that she had no choice but to follow. The sound of Pablo and his mother crying followed them down the hill to where a familiar black SUV was roaring toward them.