Rico was practically breathing in her face—she could smell his sour tobacco breath--but the guy behind her had unwisely left her arms free. She had been terrified in custody, but now, with these two, she was furious. Adrenalin surging, she acted without hesitation.

She made a fist with her left hand, the third knuckle extended, and hit him sharply in each eye, pop pop, before he could react. He dropped to the ground screaming and clutching at his face.

It happened so fast the man who was holding her evidently didn’t realize what she had done. He dragged her back a step but didn't tighten his arms enough to prevent her from making a convulsive movement and turning within his grasp to face him. Her face inches below his, she swung her arms, palms flat, and slapped the man's ears as hard as she could, catching them flush. The man acted as if a bomb had gone off in his head, which it might as well have. He dropped to the ground alongside Rico, hollering in pain.

Darcy moved away quickly, before they recovered and tried again. The next vehicle in line was some kind of camper. In the darkness she could make out a sticker on the bumper. "Jesus is Lord," it said. The camper was idling and there were lights on inside. She knocked on the door, which was opened by a gray haired woman in capris pants and a flowered top. A white haired man stood behind her, holding a pistol down at his side. "Yes?" said the lady, looking surprised.

"I need a ride, ma'am," Darcy said, trying to keep her voice even. "Could you give me a ride, please?"

The lady looked stunned. After a second or two she began shaking her head. "Why no, dear, we couldn't do that. Where are your parents? Get your parents to give you a ride." And she shut the door. Below the window on the door was another sticker: “Love thy neighbor.”

That left only one vehicle at the far end of the parking area, an old rusty pickup with dents in the side and odds and ends of wire, drifts of hay, and a stack of large paper bags weighted down by metal bars and hand tools in the back. An old man seemed to be sleeping inside. Darcy knocked on the window. The man opened his eyes, blinked several times, looked left and then right, saw Darcy, and slowly rolled the window down.