Sinkler is the trusty for his chain gang. This means that unlike his fellow inmates, Sinkler can be trusted, and thus has the ability to be freed from the chains to perform certain tasks. In this case, Sinkler's job is to find farmhouses where he can fill up buckets of water for his fellow inmates. The next farmhouse Sinkler finds has a beautiful woman, Lucy, standing in front of it. She allows him to fill up the buckets after getting permission from her husband. Each day, they begin to talk a bit, and Lucy asks if Sinkler has ever thought about running away. He says of course, and asks if she has too. She doesn't answer him. Even after he leaves the farmhouse, Sinkler can't stop thinking about Lucy. He begins to fantasize about her. One day, Lucy tells Sinkler that there is a way for him to escape through the mountains. He feels like a key has opened up a world of possibilities for him, and he leans in to kiss her. She doesn't resist. Lucy tells Sinkler that she wants to run away too. Her husband gets drunk and belligerent, and given the chance, she'd love to take off with Sinkler. Sinkler takes a night to think on it — especially to think about whether or not he should let Lucy travel with him the entire way. The next day, he decides to do it. Lucy reminds Sinkler to bring the money he has saved up for when they leave. A few days later, as they escape through the mountains, Sinkler becomes more and more tired. He stops to cup water from a stream into his mouth any chance he gets. As he set his palm down by one stream, he saw that his handprint was already there. He knew no one would be around to hear the gunshot. He knew they would want his clothes and money, so he began to unbutton his shirt.