Roy still carried the luggage up front, with Aisling following behind him.
Following the marks on the map, Roy and Aisling walked north for over two hours. Then, suddenly, a highway appeared before them, cutting through the endless prairie.
There was not a single vehicle on the empty country road in rural America. Standing by the roadside, Roy set down the luggage, took out the map from his chest rig, and unfolded it beneath the sunlight.
"Where did you get that map? Did it drop from one of the soldier boxes too?"
Aisling, who had remained silent behind Roy the entire time, suddenly asked.
"Yes." Roy checked the map, used the sun overhead to determine their direction, then beckoned to Aisling behind him. "Let's go. If we follow this direction for another fifteen kilometers, we'll reach Valentine Town."
The May sun in central America was so scorching it drained all strength from them. Although Aisling and Roy had eaten their fill before setting out that morning, marching under the blazing sun for more than two hours had left her exhausted.
Still, Aisling did not ask to rest. Watching Roy carry the luggage after staying up all night, charging through the sweltering heat while still full of energy, she gritted her teeth, said nothing, and continued struggling onward behind him.
"Let's rest for a while." Roy spoke first. He took out a bottle of water and handed it to Aisling before dropping onto the roadside.
"Maybe a car will pass by soon. If we can hitch a ride, we might not have to walk anymore."
Aisling accepted the water Roy handed her, copied his posture, and plopped down by the roadside. She twisted open the cap and gulped it down.
The two rested beside the highway for quite some time, but