Chapters 23 and 24 Summary

As Chapter 23 begins, Rick is climbing in his hang glider, and he sees the Humvee heading off toward town. He also sees M1 heading back toward home. He's at 7,560 feet. Calming himself, he flies on, rocked by turbulent air. At 11,000 feet, he starts feeling cold. He tries to break out of the thermal, but can't. At 16,000 feet, he's finding it hard to breathe. Soon he would be in the clouds, and then he would tumble. He fights and struggles, and finally begins losing altitude. Then he is dropping fast, and suddenly he is more stable, out of the thermal.

Rick flies over the canyons, looking for Lon and calling on the radio. He flies lower to see. Finally, he sees the red of Lon's jacket and hears Lon on the radio. The storm's about to break, and Lon wants Rick to...