Knight studied the grav-bike, Kitty 2.0, as it lay in the ditch on the side of the snow-covered highway. He hadn’t been in an accident, and he hadn’t done anything to make it fall over like this. It just slowed down in the middle of the snowstorm and stopped. Luckily, he had been only about two feet off the ground when it finally stopped, and he jumped off the bike when it fell.
If Knight was out with Kitty, he would be able to fix her temporarily to the next stop and go on his merry way. Mal had split off with him in lower Michigan, heading back to Detroit, telling Knight to take some time for himself. He headed across Illinois, was heading into Iowa when this happened.
And then there was the snow. Summer weather to Mal, but damn cold to him. He had learned his lesson and dressed in layers.
He had passed the city limits of Carlisle about half an hour ago. It could mean an hour walk, maybe half an hour if he shifted and ran in the snow. But he was an African leopard, not a snow leopard, and he’d be naked when he got there.
But then, he never left Kitty. He wouldn’t start now.
The snow started coming down in earnest. Soon, the trail he had left was filled in and covered in white. Knight bundled himself up a little tighter. He checked his phone again, and it only had one bar for a connection. There was no way he was going to get anyone or anything in this storm.
Knight stomped the ground to keep the blood flowing, walking back and forth along the side of the road. He could barely see in front of him. He looked out into the horizon and thought he could see something black coming his way. He hugged the side of the road.
It turned out to be a brown SUV with yellow lettering of POLICE on the side.
“Shit,” Knight spat.
