The solution appeared quickly.
I glimpsed a rectangular opening in the embankment, almost at the edge of my night vision.
A burrow?
No.
A concrete drainage culvert.
When the sound of the engine faded in the distance, I dove toward the opening almost headfirst and pushed Andre so he would climb into the dry channel as well.
The hole was large enough for me to sit inside.
The moment I felt the frozen earth beneath my fingers, I didn’t hesitate.
It was time to let it happen.
I placed the restless Sasha in my son’s arms.
The girl no longer had the strength to cry; perhaps the smell of our desperation had frightened her beyond the urge to throw a tantrum.
I pushed Andre once more so he would turn his back to me and ordered:
“Hold your sister for a moment! And don’t turn around to lo
