Chad blinked in the bright daylight. He was at the back of the garage. He could see 8 foot fences on 3 sides topped with barbed wire. There were tires and car parts everywhere. He saw a flash of green by a stack of tires. There was a whole at the bottom of the fence. Chad heard voices and footsteps approaching. He pressed himself flat on the asphalt and wriggled his body through the small gap at the bottom of the fence. As he pulled himself up in the vacant lot behind the auto repair shop, the seat of his borrowed jumpsuit caught on the fence. He pulled himself free with a loud ripping sound. He hoped nobody else heard. He got to his feet and looked around. Where was he? Which way should he go?
The flapping of torn fabric blowing in the wind drew his attention to his butt. He rubbed his scarred butt cheek, no wonder it itched. He had been branded!
Chad started moving toward the trees on the far side of the vacant lot. He hoped it was Mayers Wood. He hated being out in the open where snake might see him.
About 15 minutes later, Chad found a trail. He wasn't in Mayers Wood, but this trail would connect with Mayers Wood but Chad would be exposed on the trail along the 5 miles of interstate running between Mayers Woods and Henderson's Grove. The Mayers Wood trail went by his high school and home. But Rick and Bruno lived near the Grove. Chad crouched in the woods, and thought.