I tapped Rafael’s shoulder and motioned for him to stop, then climbed down from my uncomfortable perch on the back of the scooter. I used the amplification system in my cyberear, filtering out the noise of the sputtering scooter engine, and turned in a slow circle, listening for the sound of the van. Nothing. But then I stopped. Had that been a scream, off in the distance where the hills were clustered more thickly together? The sound had cut off abruptly—as if the breath had suddenly left the screamer’s body. I winced, imagining the worst.