Disclaimers: None.
If you’re still reading my stuff at this point, you pretty well know what
you’re getting into. If you don’t have
an open mind or if you find something you think needs disclaiming, you are
still more than welcome to let me know.
It won’t change anything, but it may make you feel better. Ugliness will earn you a smack to the back
of your head.
Thanks: To
Author’s Notes: This was an idea that occurred to me on an
interminable flight home from
The Storyteller’s Cardinal Rule is in effect.
Aftermath
Sometimes it is easy to see what is right in front
of us – and sometimes the things that should be obvious are the most difficult
to see. This is one such story.
They were enemies from the first – there was
simply no other way to describe them... at least as far as they were
concerned. Always on the opposite side
of every argument. Everything always a
fight... a competition. Nothing was easy
between them.
And why should it be? They were nothing alike... NOTHING. They only thing they seemed to share was a
passion for their work – and even that put them at constant odds with one
another.
One would think – watching them – that they hated
one another... that there was a deep resentment between them. One wealthy and cultured; the other rough and
unpolished. One athletic and strong; the
other graceful and delicate. One hot
tempered by nature; the other cold as ice.
Both brilliant in their own regard; both passionate and sensitive.
Every time they were forced to interact, their
colleagues gathered around to watch the sparks fly and place bets as to who
would give in... who would take the first swing. Not that they had actually come to blows –
YET – but most only believed it was only a matter of time.
Yet neither of them were prepared to give a
quarter – both equally unwilling to be the first to lose their self control.
And so it continued... day in and day out. Then without warning, something drastic
changed.
They no longer argued – they no longer spoke at
all. The animosity most had perceived
between them before became all too real, and the atmosphere in the workplace
became heavy and unwieldy with unresolved tension.
After only a week it had become completely
unbearable - to the point where no one was getting any work done while waiting
for things to explode – their co-workers stepped in and decided to resolve the
problem. That is when things got
interesting.
************
Blue eyes blinked open and looked around
blearily. She couldn’t remember what had
happened the night before, but judging from the pounding going on in the back
of her head,
She didn’t recognize where she was, except that it
was outdoors. The sunlight in her eyes
and the obnoxious cheerfulness of some stupid twittering bird were proof enough
of that. The tickly properties of the
grass she could feel against her face and see if she crossed her eyes, along
with the oddly fresh air were only further evidence that something drastic had
happened.
A low groan pulled her attention from taking
inventory and
She slammed her eyes shut when she moved her head,
breathing deeply to keep from throwing up at the pain screaming through her
skull. Someone was going to die when she
figured out what the hell was going on.
Then she eased her eyes open again... and groaned herself, closing them
once more. Things had just gone from bad to worse.
“I’d blame this on you,” came the mumble from
almost closed lips, “but you look as bad as I feel right now, Bleeding Heart.”
“Still not talking to me,
“Shut up, Miser.
I have enough to deal with here without listening to you whine about
it. Go bother somebody else, why
dontcha? I have no intention of
suffering any more because of you.”
“Take a look around, hotshot. It’s just you and me and a pile of stuff I
have never seen the likes of in any of the stores I shop in.”
“You don’t – that is your whole goddamn
problem. You expect the world to cater
to you. Now shut up before I puke all
over us both.”
Neither woman could have said how much time had
passed – literally. Watches and cell
phones had been removed from their persons.
But it was obvious to both of them that quite some time had passed as
the shadows were much longer than they had been in their little glade even if
there was apparently a portion of daylight left.
They opened their eyes virtually simultaneously
and the walls returned between them as quickly as they realized the truth of
their situation.
She reached for the pile of what she suspected was
camping equipment, only to find a note from her work partner on top. She opened it and read it slowly, then
actually tossed it towards
Guys, (it said)
We’ve had
enough of whatever the hell is wrong with the two of you and decided to take
matters into our own hands and force the issue between you. You’ll find all you need to survive out here
for quite a while and if you follow the map that has been included, you’ll find
food staples left for you every couple days.
If you keep up a steady pace, you should be able to make it out of here
in about a week or so. But do us all a
favor and fix your problems with one another before you return to
civilization. We’d hate to have to do
this again. – Martin
Sara just blinked at the brazenness of the entire
thing. Surely they knew that kidnapping
was against the law – and what about the drugging she was convinced had
happened to them both? Somebody’s ass
was going to be hers when they got back – several somebody’s in fact – and then
they’d find out that this was no practical joke. What would her father say when he heard about
all this?
Simone stomped back into their tiny space and
resumed going through the pile, separating things out and placing them into
smaller piles. Sara watched for a while
before she spoke. “Can I help?”
Simone shrugged.
“I dunno... can you?”
“You are such a bitch.”
"You’d know,” Simone countered and continued
separating. She finally found what she
was looking for at the bottom of the stack – a single, solitary, two-person
tent. She growled. Sara saw what she was glaring at and sighed. Things were definitely worse than she
thought.
Their co-workers had been kind enough to leave a
set of instructions, confident that neither woman had ever been camping
before. Simone opened them up to read
them – only to find that they were written in a language that she had never
seen before. She balled up the paper and
flung it from her in great disgust.
“Just fucking great,” she cursed and threw the
tent aside.
“Careful with that, Bleeder. That’s the only protection we’ve got to sleep
under out here. I have no desire to be
soaking wet when it starts raining.”
“Then you figure out how to put the damn thing
up. I’ll go collect firewood or
something else useful.” She disappeared
back into the underbrush.
Sara got up and found the instructions Simone had
tossed away in her anger – then she understood why. They were written in Mandarin Chinese and while
not many knew she was fluent in the language, there was one notable exception
to that. Things were getting curiouser
and curiouser.
************
Simone came back and dropped a small load of wood
to one side. Then she shook out the
sleeping bags and set them on either side of the stack of wood. The small supply of food they’d been given
went between them. Then Simone turned to
watch Sara wrestle with the instructions, poles and tarp, snickering just
slightly when the blonde woman growled.
“Would you like to help me or would you like to
chance sleeping in the great outdoors with no protection from those clouds?”
pointing to the growing line of darkness creeping up behind Simone.
“Whaddya want me to do?” Simone asked grudgingly.
Sara thought about all the possible responses to
that question before deciding to go with stark truth at the moment. “I can read this,” shaking the crumpled paper
in Simone’s direction, “but I can’t read and build at the same time. I need you to do the building.”
“Of course you do – somebody else has always got
to do your dirty work, don’t they?”
“Look, Simone,” Sara ground out, stopping just
short of stomping her feet. “I know you
don’t like me – I think the entire office is completely clear on that fact. It doesn’t really matter.” She continued
before Simone could interrupt. “What
does matter at this point in time is the fact that we have been set up – very
cleverly, I might add. We have to work
together to make this work at all.”
“Look, Miser,” refusing to call Sara by name. “I’ll work with you only as much as is
necessary to get us out of here and home again.
When we get back, I’ll turn in my resignation and that’ll be the end of
things, all right?”
Sara shrugged.
“Whatever. Can we just get this stupid thing put together before it
starts raining?” At Simone’s brisk nod,
Sara started reading, absently handing the dark-haired woman the correct pieces
and parts. The tent started to take
shape and Simone’s hands were busy trying to keep it together.
Sara took over the last bit, pounding the stakes
in place as Simone brought the sleeping bags in and dropped them inside. A rumble of thunder made her hustle to grab
the rest of the supplies before the rain began falling in earnest. Sara pushed in right behind her, nearly
tumbling them both and the tent to the ground.
Simone glared at her for a moment, then moved to the far corner of the
small tent. She took one sleeping bag
for herself and tossed the other in Sara’s direction.
“Guess we should be thankful they’re not making us
share a sleeping bag as well,” Sarah muttered, but it was loud enough that
Simone heard. The dark head whipped
around and blue eyes bore a hole into green.
“Excuse me?” her voice icy.
“I told you we’d been set up, Bleeder. I’m a little surprised he didn’t go that far
actually; it would certainly have made his point.”
“He who... Martin?
His ass is so gonna be grass when we get home. I even know a couple guys who’ll take care of
the body – no muss... no fuss.”
Sara stared at Simone in disbelief. Then she blinked and shook her head. “No... not Martin. He may have signed the note, but only one
person in the world with the influence to do this also knows I speak Mandarin
fluently. And he is the one who would
benefit most from our learning to work together.” The confused look grew on Simone's face and
she held out her arms impatiently waiting for an answer. Sara sighed.
“My father, Bleeder; he owns the company, remember? My father is the CEO of Wainwright
Industries.”
“Guess he’s in for a real shock when I haul his
ass up on charges before I walk.”
“I guess he is.
Right now I’m not so sure *I* won’t.”
That made Simone snicker. She finished straightening her bed for the
night, then rose and picked up a backpack.
She rifled through it briefly, then threw it to Sara. “I think this is yours,” was her only
comment. Simone snatched up the second
bag and put it by her temporary bed, then picked up the small cooler and set it
between them. “Hope we don’t have to
cook this stuff or we’re gonna be hungry tonight.”
Sara didn’t answer. She was too busy looking at the sealed note
addressed to her in her father’s hand – confirmation in and of itself of what
she had told Simone about who was behind this little kidnapping. At the moment, however, while Sara’s thoughts
were buzzing, Simone didn’t care. She
was still exhausted from whatever machination they had used to get her to this
place. She lay down on her sleeping bag
and was soon snoring softly from the depths of sleep. Sara sat up enough to be sure Simone was
truly sleeping before ripping open the envelope.
Sara, my dearest, (it read)
I am
sorry to have resorted to such extreme measures, but something must be done to
resolve whatever issue has become between you and Simone. Separately, you’re the best we’ve got and
together you’re unstoppable, but lately the two of you are only causing
disharmony and chaos throughout the company to the point that it is disrupting
the work. People are starting to take
sides and I am afraid what will happen if something is not done about the
situation immediately.
Stay
out there until things are resolved between you – one way or another. Do whatever it takes, but fix it, Sara.
There
will be someone close by keeping an eye on you both – to ensure that you remain
safe and that you can be taken care of in an emergency. Otherwise, they will not interfere in any
way. I trust that by the time you are
home, you will have forgiven your old man for such drastic interference. Always your loving father, Billy.
Sara looked at the map he had enclosed and knew in
an instant exactly where they were. She
had spent her summers in this place, investigating every nook and cranny she’d
been allowed to explore. Sara had the
distinct feel by the signature he’d used that William Wainwright the third had
put them somewhere she hadn’t been yet.
A second, more thorough glance confirmed her worst
fears and she closed her eyes briefly.
Screw the charges... she’d kill him for this. Regardless of what happened between now and
then, Sara was going to kill her father for putting them in this position when
it was all over. She figured Simone
would be willing to help once she knew what was going on. Sara dropped her bag down beside her and
closed her eyes again. It wasn’t long
before she joined Simone in slumber.
************
Daylight woke them with a groan again, though at
least this time it wasn’t a drug induced hang-over. It was just bright.
“Goddamn it – I was hoping it was going to be a
dream. This sucks.”
“More than you know, Bleeder... more than you
know.”
Blue eyes only a moment before glazed in sleep
sharpened and glared in Sara’s direction.
“What do you know, Miser?” For
answer, Sara handed over the paper Simone had discovered in her bag the night
before. Simone didn’t quite snatch it
away, but Sara could feel the restraint rolling off her in waves. Simone’s face grew red as she perused the
note. “You have got to be fucking
shitting me. Is the man a moron or just
selectively stupid??”
Despite her own anger at her father for his
actions, Sara felt her ire grow at Simone’s tone. “He is neither. Otherwise he would have settled the problem
himself instead of having us do it ourselves.
He’s a brilliant businessman....”
“... and a lousy father.”
“How dare you?!”
“Easily, but whatever. My opinion of your old man is as irrelevant
as yours here. What we need to do right
now is find those watchers and have them take us home. Then this foolishness will be over with and
we can go our separate ways.”
“You hate me so much.” The statement was flat but Simone could see
something unexpected in the green eyes facing her – something that appeared to
be akin to pain.
“About like you do me, yeah,” she answered with a shrug,
but her eyes didn’t meet Sara’s. “Look,
I’m gonna go outside and see if I can find these clowns. No reason to stay here any longer than we
have to, right?” Simone didn’t wait for
an answer, but clambered out of the tent as quickly as possible.
“But I really don’t hate you,” Sara said to the
still, empty space.
************
Sara had a small fire built and had cleaned up in
the nearby creek by the time Simone returned hot and disheveled. Simone threw herself down on the ground in
disgust.
“He lied,” she accused.
“No... you won’t be able to find them. I doubt they are anywhere close. I’d be willing to bet we are being monitored
electronically and they are some distance away.”
“So we have to play his game until we get back to
civilization.”
“Well, we have to follow the map, yes. I see no
reason for any more conversation or interaction between us than is absolutely
necessary.”
“Agreed,” Simone said, “so let’s get started.”
“Can you cook?”
“Excuse me?”
“Can you...?”
“I heard what you said – why do you need to know?”
“I thought we could decide on a plan of
action. We need to eat and we have to
break down and set up camp if we are going to be moving every day. If we can both cook, then neither of us will get
stuck doing one thing or the other.”
“Yes, I can cook.
You?”
“Actually, yes.”
"All right... since you started the fire,
I'll go ahead and break down the campsite if you want to fix breakfast. I think it might take both of us to do the
setting up, but we can worry about that tonight. There are other chores we can split to even
up the workload," Simone said in a fit of verbosity.
Sara blinked.
That was the longest non-confrontational speech Simone had ever graced
her with. Even as she watched, the blue
eyes which were regarding her coolly grew even colder at her lack of
response. She nodded curtly.
"That's fine.
We only have to make it work long enough to get out of this." She went into the tent and dragged out the
cooler; Simone snatched up the two backpacks and they each grabbed a sleeping
bag to roll up and set aside with the rest.
Then Simone started breaking down the tent while Sara turned her
attention to preparing a substantial breakfast.
Simone discovered that taking the tent apart was a
much simpler proposition than putting it together had been, but that making it
ready for travel was even harder. Still,
she got it packed up and turned to find Sara plating up what looked to be a
respectable breakfast. She accepted a
plate with a murmured thanks and dug in with relish.
Sara took a seat across from Simone and focused on
her own plate. It wasn't the best she'd
ever eaten, but it wasn't the worst by a long shot and she was ravenous.
It only took a few minutes for both of them to clean
their plates. Simone stood from her
place and walked around to where Sara sat looking at her empty plate
forlornly. She extended her hand. "I need to clean up, so I'll wash the
dishes if you want to put out the fire."
Sara nodded her head mutely, then watched Simone
walk out of sight before she doused the small fire carefully and picked up
around the small camp to make sure everything was tidy. Simone came back into camp, hair and face wet
from the scrubbing she had given them.
She placed the wet dishes on top of the small
cooler and removed a small towel from her backpack, wiping them off before
handing one to Sara and putting the other away in her pack with a spoon. She wiped her face off with a dry corner then
looked at the wet towel with a frown.
"Clip it to your backpack – it'll dry as we
walk." Simone looked her question
at Sara and Sara hefted the pack up, offering it to Simone who turned and
extended her arms. She slid under the
weight, then Sara took the towel from her and clipped in onto one of the many
jangling bits Simone had noticed but had no real clue what to do with. She nodded her thanks and snatched up Sara's
pack, returning the courtesy brusquely before retrieving the tent pack.
Sara hefted the cooler, thankful for the strap
that had been included as she slung it over her shoulder and settled it beneath
her backpack. Then she looked at Simone
who was waiting with her arms crossed over her chest. Sara arched a brow in question; Simone threw
her hands up in exasperation.
"You have the map?"
"Shit!
It's in my backpack – can you...?"
Simone sighed but motioned for Sara to turn around. With surprising tenderness to refrain from
upsetting Sara's precarious balance, Simone eased the pack open and removed the
map from inside. She handed it to Sara
over her shoulder, then zipped up the compartment and stepped away from the
other woman.
Sara accepted the paper, biting her lip for a long
moment. Then she pointed. "We need to head east." Simone motioned her ahead with a wave of her
arm. Sara rolled her eyes, but took the
lead.
They didn't speak – there was no need to. It was fairly smooth walking for the first
part of the day and when they stopped for some rest and a bit of lunch, Sara was
pleased with their progress. By mutual
consent, they dropped their gear and ate trail rations, then stretched out for
a short nap.
Simone woke first, stretching slowly to work out
the stiffness she could feel settling in muscles unused to this particular type
of exercise. She twisted, readjusting
her back with a long string of pops. She
grimaced, then jerked her head when Sara spoke, causing yet another crack to
shimmy its way up her neck.
"That sounds painful."
Simone shrugged.
"Nothing I can't handle. You
ready?"
Sara yawned and stretched, then nodded as she
rose. "Yeah. I think if we keep going at this pace, we
should be to our next campsite by late afternoon."
For answer, Simone hefted her pack again, waiting
for Sara to do the same. Then they
headed out again under a truce of silence.
************
Simone and Sara were beyond happy to see the small
campsite William Wainwright had marked on the map. The journey hadn't been difficult, but it had
been long. And since they were unused to
the extra weight they were forced to carry, it made for slow going.
When they reached the cleared spot, they dropped
their gear as quickly as they could manage and groaned as they fell to the
ground. After a moment of complete
stillness, Simone stirred and grabbed up the tent bag, shaking it out and
watching dispassionately as pieces clanged together as they fell to the
ground. Sara didn't even protest, but
started sorting through the pieces. Then
she opened the directions and started reading as she passed Simone the parts
she needed.
In short order, the tent was ready for occupation
and the campsite set-up complete.
"If you are cooking tonight," Sara said,
"I'll go collect the firewood and water we need." Simone nodded her agreement and went to fetch
the small cooler that had been left to mark the spot. She pulled off the cover, surprised to find
salmon fillets wrapped in dry ice along with, of all things, ice cream. Taped to the top was another note and she
debated whether or not to open it or leave it for Sara – since she felt fairly
confident it was meant for her reluctant companion.
She left the note alone and moved the cooler
closer to the tent. Then she started
clearing a circle for a fire pit.
About that time, Sara reemerged from the woods
with an armload of wood. "I know we
need more, but I thought this would get us started. This ready?" waiting for the dark head
to nod and dropping the wood into the cleared pit. Then she crossed to the cooler. "What's this?" lifting the lid
before Simone could answer. Sara
chortled when she saw the ice cream, then she saw the note. "You didn't read this?"
"We both know it's not for me," lighting
the moss she'd packed between the wood she'd stacked and waiting for it to
catch. Then she got up and removed the
salmon from the cooler and moved away, leaving Sara to read her missive in
private.
Sara ripped the envelope carefully and slid the
single sheet of paper from inside.
Dearest Sara, (it read)
I
thought to provide something of a treat for the completion of your first real
day together. You will find dry supplies
for the next couple days hanging in the tree above the cooler, since it is a
rather long hike to the next selected campsite.
Leave the coolers and whatever trash you cannot dispose of there and
someone will be around to collect it after you are both well on your way.
I hope
things are going well between the two of you.
I have high hopes you can settle this like adults quickly – you are
capable of so much together if you'd only try.
Be honest with her, sweetheart.
It will make such a difference.
Trust me – I know. With much love
for you always....
Your old man Billy
Sara folded the letter and put it neatly in the
envelope, though she made a point to leave it on the cooler for Simone if she
chose to read it. Then she left to
collect more firewood.
Simone, however, had decided to get through her
current trial with as little interaction as she could manage and kept her mind
on fixing dinner. She emptied her
canteen and picked up Sara's, shaking it to find it was nearly empty as
well. She started for the small stream,
just as Sara stepped from the brush.
"Hey, I thought that was supposed to be my
job, Bleeder. Don’t want you thinking
I'm not holding up my part of this arrangement," and she placed the wood
beside the small fire.
Simone rolled her eyes and tossed both canteens in
Sara's direction. "Whatever,
Miser. I was thirsty. Figured I'd... you know what? Never mind.
It doesn't matter. I need to find
something to go with dinner."
"Check the tree."
"Huh?"
Sara cut her eyes at Simone before bending down to
pick up the two canteens. "Didn't
you read the note? Check the tree,"
motioning to the larger tree where the cooler had been. Then she stalked off towards the creek.
"No, I didn't read the note... not any of my
damn business, is it?" Simone muttered under her breath. She walked back to the tree and looked
around, spotting it rather easily, although reaching it.... She realized almost immediately that it would
take the two of them working together to retrieve it. Simone plopped down on the ground with her
arms across her chest and stretched her legs out, crossing them at the ankles
and waiting for Sara to return from fetching the water.
After a few minutes, Sara reappeared looking
cooler and freshly scrubbed. She noted
Simone's position and raised an eyebrow.
Simone simply pointed upwards.
Sara followed the direction she indicated and let her shoulders drop and
her chin fall to her chest.
"I'm going to kill him myself. I don't care if he did give us ice
cream." She stomped over to stand
beside Simone who stood languidly to her feet.
Sara cupped her hands together to give Simone a boost. Simone just bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Sara shook her head.
"No – I don't like heights, and he knows you
rock climb at the company gym; so come on and let me give you a boost."
Simone sighed and stepped back a couple
paces. "Ready?" Sara nodded and Simone moved so swiftly, Sara
barely had time to register her weight before Simone was in the tree. Sara watched with her heart in her throat as
Simone lightly moved to the bag and unhooked it, lowering it into Sara's grasp
before sitting on the lowest branch and jumping. Then Simone snagged the bag and took it over
next to the cooler.
"That was unnecessary, you know. I could have managed." Sara waited but Simone didn't even
acknowledge her words. Sara stalked over
and grabbed Simone by the shoulder, jerking until blazing blue eyes were gazing
back at her, the fury in them clear.
Simone pulled out of Sara's grasp roughly.
"Don't do that again," the rage in her
eyes easily conveyed through her tone.
"What the hell is wrong with you??"
"We've been forced to work together by
necessity to get out of this place. That
doesn't mean we have to share conversation or personal space. So, unless it's necessary, just be quiet and
keep your hands to yourself and I'll do the same, all right?"
Sara clenched her jaw, but nodded her head
briskly. "Fine... whatever. What's in the bag?"
Simone didn't throw it at her, which surprised
Sara. Instead she passed it over and
stood up, potatoes in her hands as she headed to the creek. Sara watched her out of sight then turned her
attention back to the bag. A couple
loaves of bread, peanut butter, trail bars, some raw vegetables and a bag of
chocolates. Sara smiled... at least they
wouldn't starve and with the addition of chocolate, they might not even kill
one another before they reached the end of the journey.
Simone returned from the creek, pulling a small
penknife from her pocket and poking holes in the potatoes before easing them
into the heat. Then she grabbed up her
backpack and sleeping bag and went into the tent. Sara listened, not surprised when Simone
emerged a few minutes later bearing clean clothes and her towel. She didn't even glance Sara's way as she made
her way back to the tiny brook. Sara
just sighed and shook her head.
"No, Dad... I don't think being honest is
going to help. I don't thing anything is
going to help this situation except for it to be over."
Then she placed the bag next to the cooler and
moved to set her own things up in the small tent.
************
Dinner had been an almost silent affair, save for
the scrape of utensils on their plates and the courtesies of 'thank you' and
'you're welcome'. Now the campsite was
completely quiet save for the crackle of flames and the whisper of the wind as
it blew through the trees. Sara was
sitting close to the fire, squinting at the map. She didn't know what nitwit had given the
instructions on what to remove from them before they were dropped off, but she
was less than amused by her missing glasses... especially in the less than
perfect light she was forced to use.
Simone, for her part, lay flat on her back looking up at the stars.
Sara glimpsed in her direction – wondering what
she was thinking about and how they had come to have such discord and passivity
between them. At least when they had
been fighting it had been fiery and passionate.
Surely that had been better than the uneasy truce of nothingness they
had now. She sighed loudly and Simone's
head turned in her direction. Sara
rubbed her eyes and shook her head.
"Problem?" Simone asked carefully. Her
voice was completely neutral, betraying neither concern nor antagonism in her
tone.
Sara shrugged.
"My eyes hurt. The idiot who
took all our stuff also took my glasses for some reason. Guess we're lucky he left you your
penknife."
Simone leaned up on her elbows. "I'll bet that reason has something to
do with this," motioning around their little home away from home. "What better way...."
"... to force us to work together again. Damn!"
Sara rubbed her eyes again and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know the sucky part – I only use
them to read with. It's this
light...."
"Is it important?" gesturing to the
paper Sara still held.
"It can wait to daylight, I suppose,"
but she trailed off when Simone lay back down and resumed her study of the
stars as though the conversation was over.
Sara decided to take a page from Simone's book and just enjoy the
peace. Real life was usually so hectic
that she couldn't remember the last time she'd *seen* the stars... much less
*appreciated* them.
Silence reigned but for a change it was
comfortable between them.
************
The next two days passed in similar fashion – the
first day taking them out of the treed area and into rockier terrain. It was more treacherous and made for much
slower going. Still it didn't require a
good deal of communication, so despite William Wainwright's machinations,
things remained mostly status quo between them.
They were happy to find the campsite by the time
they reached it sometime late that second afternoon. By Sara's best estimate, they were close to
halfway to the end and nothing had changed.
Simone was still touchy and reactive and Sara was knee-jerk in her
responses in return. Their truce was
unstable at best, but it seemed to be holding for the moment, which was all
either could hope for given the peculiarity of their current situation.
At least the lack of words meant fewer arguments
and fights.
They stopped by the now familiar cooler and eased
their gear to the ground with a sigh.
Though not a forced march, neither of them were dawdling and that made
their pace less than leisurely. They
were both glad for the chance to stop and rest.
Simone dropped the tent, emptying it out of its
carry bag and assembling the pieces with practiced ease now. Sara opened the cooler to find two steaks,
another bit of ice cream and the expected note.
Sweet Sara, (it read)
I trust
this finds you and your companion well and that you are making great strides
towards resolving the issues between you.
Considering your rapid-fire pace thus far, I am cautiously
optimistic. If not, and you are simply
trying to make it to the next marked campsite, please take the alternate blue
route marked on your map – it will take you into the more familiar paths of
this land, but will also provide you with whatever time you need to insure that
things are settled.
I have
high hopes for the two of you, daughter, and when you return successful in your
quest, I'll arrange for a more enjoyable holiday for both of you to spend
somewhere nice.
I hope
you know I have only your best interests at heart and will one day find it in
your heart to forgive me for this.
Your
fresh supplies are in the cave located in Rifleman's Hill; it will require both
of you to make the climb in order to retrieve the supplies that have been
provided.
Still your loving father, Billy
"ARGH!" Sara screamed and threw the
crumpled note on the ground. "So
help me, when we get back...." She
turned and looked at Simone who continued to put the tent together. Sara stomped over and started to yank on
Simone's arm before thinking better of it.
Instead she cleared her throat loudly and shoved the letter towards
Simone as soon as she was sure she had her attention.
Simone finished the bit she had left then accepted
the missive, reading through it with increasingly darkening features. She blew out a breath, easily noting Sara's
fury over her father's actions and attitudes.
Simone checked over the tent once more, securing the lines tightly and
rising to her feet.
"C'mon," she invited, returning the
letter to Sara. "Let's go get those
supplies. I'm hungry."
Sara just hoped Billy had remembered to leave
firewood; otherwise those steaks were going to go to waste, and that would just
be a damn shame.
Rifleman's Hill was a rather steep climb, arduous
after the speed they'd maintained for the past three days. Halfway up the slick rock trail, they came to
the cave. Sara muttered under her breath
and edged into the cave first; Simone couldn't stop the smirk that crossed her
lips as she picked up on the gist of what Sara was fuming about.
Inside was a travois holding their fresh dry
supplies, firewood and a second, small cooler.
They exchanged looks and shrugs before Simone lifted one end and Sara
took the other. They grunted at the unexpected weight and slowly made their way
out the cave mouth with Simone in the lead.
She deliberately shortened her stride – the path was narrow and slicker
than either of them was comfortable with considering their burden.
They were making good progress – working together
and cautiously easing down the hill. So
naturally something had to go wrong to upset the balance they'd found.
Simone had been very careful in placing her steps,
calling back to Sara when she found rocks or slick spots. Then without warning, Sara hit a rock Simone
had missed and the force of her stumble caused Simone to hit a location that sent
her skidding. Simone fell backwards and
Sara fell forward and they slid several feet before Simone hit a stone large
enough to impede their forward progress.
There was complete silence for a moment, then –
"Goddamn," Simone muttered, wincing as she shifted beneath the pile
of stuff that had slid forward onto her.
"That hurts."
"No shit.
Ow," Sara moaned as she struggled to sit upright. She grimaced when she saw the tumble of stuff
now piled up between her and Simone.
"Damn, Bleeder... are you all right?"
"I'd be better without all this shit lying on
top of me, but I'll live. You?"
"I've done something to my ankle, but
otherwise...." She groaned. "Getting down from here is going to be a
bitch."
"Getting *outta* here is gonna be a bitch if
you can't walk. I hope your old man wasn't
lying, or this is gonna get uglier than it already was real damn
quick." Simone gripped the items
closest to her and pushed them away from her.
With a little wiggle room, she was able to transfer more until she could
actually sit up and see Sara's ashen face.
She ran a cursory check over herself, observing a
number of scrapes and scratches and absently making note of the muscles that
were going to be protesting soon. Simone
eased her way back to where Sara still rested, eyes closed as she focused on
her breathing.
Simone placed a hand on Sara's shoulder to alert
her to her presence, then laid a wary hand on Sara's leg. The blonde woman didn't even flinch... until
Simone tried to remove her shoe.
"Fuck, that hurts!" she panted, trying
to keep from screaming aloud as the shoe finally came off. Simone ran a gentle hand around the swelling,
bruised flesh, then met Sara's eyes.
"I don't think it's broken," she said, "but it *is* a
really bad sprain. Do you trust
me?"
Green held blue for the longest moment as they
took one another's measure and then Sara nodded slowly. Without warning, Simone scooped her into her
arms enough to place her onto the pallet with infinite care. She looked at their supplies, then back at
Sara.
"I think I can get you and all this down in
one trip if you can handle being a little squished."
"That's fine," Sara agreed in a
whisper. "Whatever it takes to get
back to camp. I'd say just leave it
here...."
"... but we need it – I know. Wait here," Simone instructed without so
much as a twinkle in her eye. But since
Sara's eyes had closed to allow her to focus on her breathing again, she didn't
even notice.
Simone slowly straightened and began recovering
the supplies she'd pushed from the edge of the pathway. The firewood was the most scattered as it
hadn't been bundled... simply stacked.
She picked it up a piece at a time, laying it evenly on either side of
Sara's body. The cooler went at the
bottom near Sara's good leg and the dry good went on the other side. They might end up with squashed bread, but at
least it would provide a little protection while doing the lease amount of
damage.
Simone slipped off her jacket, shivering a little
at the sudden chill she was exposed to, and placed it over Sara's body. Green eyes slowly tracked open and Sara
looked back at Simone blearily.
"Try to stay still," Simone
instructed. Sara nodded and closed her
eyes again. Simone went back to the
front of the pallet and lifted the ends, moving forward slowly once again. Sara bit her lip to keep from crying out and
inch by painful inch, they made their way back down the hill.
When they reached the bottom again, Simone
unloaded the travois first, concerned that Sara did not move or open her
eyes. The fire was laid and the excess
wood placed to the side, and the cooler and dry supplies placed to the side
next to their tent. Only when that was
done did Simone reach out to Sara, to find green eyes staring back at her
pitifully.
"This sucks," she mumbled.
"Yeah and it gets worse. The sun is going down and you need to soak
that foot... see if you can get some of the swelling down."
"You look like you could use some soap and
water and a few band-aids yourself, Simone." Simone shrugged.
"Maybe later.
I've gotta get the fire built before the sun sets and get dinner
started. Can you make it to the stream
or do you need my help?"
For answer, Sara sat up slowly, handing Simone
back the light jacket that had covered her.
Simone took her hands and helped her balance as she stood... then caught
her as she slipped to the ground with a yell.
"C'mon," Simone encouraged, taking the
injured side and supporting it.
"Put your arm around my neck."
Sara opened her mouth to protest and Simone glared her into silence. "Look, Miser... it's not my first choice
either, all right? Work with me here a
little."
Sara thought about complaining for the split
second it took her to see her own pain and exhaustion reflected back at her
from those telling blue eyes. With a nod
of her head, she acquiesced and together they made very slow progress towards
the tiny trickle of water that appeared to be guiding their travels.
Simone seated her as comfortably as could be
managed, then rolled up her jeans as far as she could before slipping the ankle
into cold, clear water. Sara gasped at
the sensation, holding her breath for a long moment. Then she released it with a discomfited sigh.
"Thank you, Simone."
Simone jerked her head awkwardly but otherwise
said nothing as she turned and walked the short distance back to camp. She still had a lot of work to do...
especially since Sara was no longer in a position to help much. Not that she blamed Sara for this particular
problem – she'd been as unhappily surprised by the turn of events as Simone
had. But it didn't change their
circumstances either.
She looked at the firewood, wondering how long she
could make it last, then shrugging. It
wouldn't really matter if she couldn't get it to light – she'd never tried
without some sort of packing or kindling wood before. She thought briefly, then created a small
pile of shavings with her penknife.
Using that as her kindling, she was able to make it catch and from
there, laying the wood was easy.
Simone found more potatoes and took them to the
creek to wash, surprised to see Sara laying completely on her back with her
eyes closed while the water continued to flow over her ankle. Simone just shook her head and got on with
her work, never noticing that Sara was observing her through the slits in her
lashes.
Once the potatoes were put into the heat, Simone
scrounged through the dry supplies to find more of the same. Then she opened the smaller cooler and found
a six-pack of soda and another note. Her
lip curled, not believing the man's audacity, but she set it aside. It wasn't her business at the moment, and
when it was, she was going to have the power of the Family to back her up. She wouldn't let the boys kill William
Wainwright the third, but they would for damn sure put the fear of the Family
into his ass... one way or another.
"I shoulda just stuck to what I know
best," she muttered, then went into the tent to dig through their packs
for some sort of first aid kit – which was naturally at the bottom of Sara's
pack. Simone left the stuff of both bags
neatly stacked on their sleeping bags to make a point, then hefted the kit and
her towel and headed back down to the small creek with her flashlight in hand.
She made enough noise to alert Sara to her
presence, then knelt close enough to her that she could be seen, but far enough
away that she couldn't be touched.
Simone poured a generous helping of soap into her hands, hissing at the
stinging it caused to the cut skin. Sara
sat up, but didn't speak, waiting to see if Simone would ask for help. Simone ignored her, scrubbing her hands until
the cuts began to bleed again, hoping to force the dirt and impurities out that
way if she couldn't any other.
After a while, she plunged her hands into the icy
water, glad for the cold that immediately numbed the feeling. Only when Sara reached over her arms
awkwardly and pulled her out by the wrists did she breath, and then she glared
at Sara for interfering.
"Don't bother, Bleeder. I know it hurts like a son of a bitch. I also know you need disinfectant poured on
them as well as on your face and sides where you got scraped and bullied by
that damn hill. Let me help you
now. You've done enough on your
own."
Simone regarded green eyes for a long moment, but
finally relented. Sara felt the thrill
of victory, but kept it out of her expression.
Instead, she took the towel and patted the hands dry, then moved her
attention to the first aid kit between them.
"You get this out of my bag?"
"Yep."
Sara waited for more of an explanation, but none
was forthcoming. "All right
then," she acknowledged, "let's see what we've got." She looked down at the flashlight and sighed. "I need for you to.... Can you hold it still between your
knees?" Simone nodded and together
they got the flashlight situated so Sara could see to work.
She worked as swiftly as she was able; Simone sat statue still as the light touch skimmed over her face, ribs