They crept along the gravelly earth, deeper into the desert. The lights from town cast a soft glow on the horizon, and Leila pushed aside the longing to turn back to civilization. As much as she hated to do this, she knew they had little choice. They couldn’t risk being stopped at the border. The faster they got to Greece, the faster they could get out of this mess.
Whenever one of them spoke, they kept their voices to a whisper. Every step was light and careful. Leila feared even her unsteady breaths could be heard by all border guards within the next two miles.
Her foot was in mid-air when something long and pale brown slithered along the rocks in front of her. She gulped down a scream and stumbled back into something hard.
Xander.
His arms held her firmly. She looked up at him, even though he wasn’t watching her. His eyes were on the desert viper as it slithered deeper into the shadows.
“Is it gone?” Leila breathed, resisting the urge to turn and wrap her arms around him.
He came. He actually came.
“Yeah,” Xander whispered. She could feel his heart thumping against his ribs. Oh, how she missed having his arms around her and feeling the strength, the warmth.
Before she could get too comfortable, he moved his hands to her upper arms and gently pushed her forward. “Keep going.”
Though the rest of her body grew cold, she could still feel the warmth of his hands on her arms.
Act like it’s no big deal.
“So, you’re coming with us?” she asked slyly, unable to contain the smile that twitched her lips.
“I have to cross the border too,” he muttered.
Well, he had a point. No need to get excited yet.
After another half-mile, the floodlights came to an end, leaving them to continue their hike in darkness with only the moon as their guide. None of them turned on their flashlights. None of them dared to speak.
Her nerves began to settle as they put distance between them and the lights. They didn’t see anyone patrolling the border. The wall was no longer a concrete barrier, but now made of a ten-foot-tall chain-link fence with a curl of barbed wire along the top. Leila wondered if it would be just as easy to snip a hole through the links and slip through.
“Why don’t we just go through the fence?” she asked quietly.
“More likely to be seen,” Drake explained. “There’s not much cover for a half-mile on either side. You’d have to run. Fast. The tunnel will take us past all that. It exits in another ravine and is fairly close to the highway. It makes for an easy escape. But if the tunnel fails, we’ll try the fence. There’s a hole about a mile ahead.”
After it felt like they had walked ten miles over the uneven terrain—though it was probably more like three, like Drake had said—they paused and took sips of water.
“We’re just about there,” Drake said between swigs. “We need to head a bit in that direction,” she motioned with her water bottle, “and search for the tunnel entrance. It’s well hidden, so you’re lucky you’ve got me with you. I know exactly where it is.”
“Lucky like a dung beetle on a camel farm,” Xander muttered with the water bottle rim against his lips.
They recapped their bottles, shoved them back into their bags, then turned left and clattered farther into the mountains, away from the wall.
Five minutes of skirting around sharp rocks, Leila’s foot caught on an unseen obstacle, and she flew face-first onto the ground. Her knees and palms stung from the impact.
“Great,” she huffed, pushing herself into a sitting position. Xander appeared at her side and helped her to her feet.
“It’s hard to see anything,” he said, holding on to her arm as she took a few steps. She considered telling him to just leave it there, but once she picked up her pace, he dropped his hand from her arm. Her heart dropped with it.
At the edge of a cliff, Drake came to a stop. She pointed to the floor of the canyon below. “Down there.”
Leila peered over the edge, but couldn’t tell what Drake was pointing at, exactly. Without waiting, the woman began the descent. Leila and Xander followed, rocks clattering from underneath their feet toward the canyon floor.
She ground her teeth, praying she wouldn’t trip again. This would be the worst possible moment to be clumsy. She could easily envision herself flying into Drake’s back, taking her down with her.
Although, it would make the descent go a lot faster… She shook the thought from her mind and tightened her jaw. Concentrate.
Foot by foot, they made their way down. Aside from a few small chunks of rock falling onto Drake’s head, the three of them made it down without incident. They marched through the ravine for a minute until Drake stopped and pointed to a cluster of sharp rocks.
“There it is.” She rested her hands on her hips. “Looks like it’s closed. Hopefully that means it’s not in use.”
Leila stood next to Xander and squinted. She still couldn’t see the tunnel entrance, but one thing was clear… she never would have found it by herself. Drake marched forward, slipped between the jagged boulders and, using both hands, she gripped a piece of rock jutting out like a handle and pulled. The stone swung outward, like a door, and bounced against the face of the ravine.
Leila stepped up to the opening that had appeared and placed a hand on the door. It was light, a wooden frame covered with ripped foam sloppily painted to look like rocks. The black hole was silent, uninviting. Their passage to Israel.
“Go,” Drake whispered.
Xander stepped into the tunnel, but Leila lingered in the doorway.
“Move,” Drake said firmly.
Leila took a deep breath. What if this was the last time she stepped foot in Egypt? What if they failed and went to prison? What if they failed and were killed?
“Leila, come.” Xander’s voice floated toward her from the darkness.
No more worrying. It’s time for action. She nodded and walked in after him, ducking to avoid hitting the ceiling. The scent of dry dirt filled her nose. Something hard knocked on the top of her head. “Ouch. I can’t see a thing.”
Drake stepped in behind them. “We’ll turn on our flashlights once we get the door shut.” She dug hers out of her bag and stuck it into her belt, then turned and dragged the door back into place.