DESPERATE RUNMy boots were falling apart. The soles were flapping with every step I took, and the wet leather rubbed my heels until they were raw and bleeding. I had been walking since the sun went down, and now the morning light was starting to bleed through the trees. It was a pale, sickly grey light that didn't bring any warmth.

"Just one more mile," I told myself. My voice sounded like dry leaves scraping together. "Just find a place to sit for five minutes."

I leaned against a tree, my ...