The black leather with which Helen's shoes were made had begun to move up and down on her sore heels. On either side of the path, there was nothing but dense stands of trees emerging from pine needle and moss covered ground. She was not certain how much longer she could walk when, without warning, the path veered sharply left revealing a high thickly flowered shiny green hedge, surrounding a complex of square buildings of which only rooftops were visible above the cultivated barrier.

Where the path ended, a steel guard station was embedded in the hedge. As Helen approached, a woman carrying a heavy rifle stepped out of this structure.