hurts.”
“It’s going to get dirty if you do that. I think it would be better to leave it on.”
Jess continued peeling the cloth away from her leg. “I don’t like the way it feels. I want it off.”
“Your ankle is pretty bad. It might still be bleeding.”
Jess removed the makeshift bandage and uncovered the whole scrape. Her ankle was still seeping, like Chris said it probably would. It didn’t hurt much, but the skin was torn up around that spot. She was absolutely repulsed to see the way her skin was folding and damaged, like torn vellum paper.
“Is it okay?”
“It’s bleeding, but I think it’ll stop. I mean, tons of people in medieval times could get whacked with an arrow and still walk around for days, right?”
Chris got to his feet and dusted himself off. His stature was a little hunched. “I guess, but I don’t think that would be my first option. I’d rather keep it covered.”
“Well,” Jess replied with a little edge in her voice, “I’m the one walking on it, and I think I’ll be fine for now.” She softened her tone. “Are you okay?”
“My back isn’t great, but there’s not really anything I can do about it now.”
“I guess we’re walking out?”
Chris grunted his agreement. “Or we need to get back to where we have a signal.”
“How will we tell the cops about where to find… her?” Jess’s eyes darted back toward the ledge they’d fallen from. She wasn’t particularly keen to head back up in that direction.
“I think if we just tell them that we found someone they’ll have to comb the woods again. Maybe they’ll do a better job this time. Now which way should we go?”
Jess pointed off in what seemed to Chris like a random direction. “I think north is that way,” she explained. “The sun is sort of toward west in the sky and we’re a little past noon, so it should be setting. I think.”
“Told you that you were the better survivalist,” Chris responded. He gave a grand hand gesture as if to suggest ladies first. “Would you like to lead?”
They began to head in the direction Jess had chosen. She hoped she could get them back to the lake. Following the shore to help would be easy.
Chris followed as close as he could to Jess as she limped along. “So who do you think put that girl there?”
“Can we not talk about that?”
A silence fell between them. The sun slowly dragged itself across the sky. The woods no longer felt welcoming and serene. Instead it felt like every patch of shadow was a spot someone could easily hide in. It felt like eyes were watching from everywhere. Every thick, luscious bush and group of old, wide trees could offer a surveillance spot.
“Do you still think we’re heading the right way?” Chris said as he flopped down onto a fallen log for a rest. He was certain their injuries had slowed them to maybe a mile an hour and he couldn’t even guess how far it was to the lake from where they were. If they’d picked the wrong direction, even by a few hundred feet, their walk could become hours longer.
Jess leaned back to look up at the position of the sun. “I think we must be. The sun is even lower toward west.” She took the wadded up jean wound covering out of her back pocket and then sat down next to him. She placed it in a small pile of leaves.
“Shit. Did you just set that on the ground? Now that’s going to be even dirtier.”
Jess gave an exasperated sigh. “I’m not putting it back on. It doesn’t matter. And you weren’t about to use it on yourself were you?”
Chris rested his elbow on his knee and then rested his forehead on his hand. “I don’t know. I didn’t really expect to be lost in the forest like this. I was going to use everything we had for whatever we needed.”
Jess shrugged her shoulders. “Well, too late now. So whatever. It’s not like we’re going to be in here much longer. We have to be getting close to the lake.”
“How’s your ankle?”
Jess tugged down the edge
“It’s going to get dirty if you do that. I think it would be better to leave it on.”
Jess continued peeling the cloth away from her leg. “I don’t like the way it feels. I want it off.”
“Your ankle is pretty bad. It might still be bleeding.”
Jess removed the makeshift bandage and uncovered the whole scrape. Her ankle was still seeping, like Chris said it probably would. It didn’t hurt much, but the skin was torn up around that spot. She was absolutely repulsed to see the way her skin was folding and damaged, like torn vellum paper.
“Is it okay?”
“It’s bleeding, but I think it’ll stop. I mean, tons of people in medieval times could get whacked with an arrow and still walk around for days, right?”
Chris got to his feet and dusted himself off. His stature was a little hunched. “I guess, but I don’t think that would be my first option. I’d rather keep it covered.”
“Well,” Jess replied with a little edge in her voice, “I’m the one walking on it, and I think I’ll be fine for now.” She softened her tone. “Are you okay?”
“My back isn’t great, but there’s not really anything I can do about it now.”
“I guess we’re walking out?”
Chris grunted his agreement. “Or we need to get back to where we have a signal.”
“How will we tell the cops about where to find… her?” Jess’s eyes darted back toward the ledge they’d fallen from. She wasn’t particularly keen to head back up in that direction.
“I think if we just tell them that we found someone they’ll have to comb the woods again. Maybe they’ll do a better job this time. Now which way should we go?”
Jess pointed off in what seemed to Chris like a random direction. “I think north is that way,” she explained. “The sun is sort of toward west in the sky and we’re a little past noon, so it should be setting. I think.”
“Told you that you were the better survivalist,” Chris responded. He gave a grand hand gesture as if to suggest ladies first. “Would you like to lead?”
They began to head in the direction Jess had chosen. She hoped she could get them back to the lake. Following the shore to help would be easy.
Chris followed as close as he could to Jess as she limped along. “So who do you think put that girl there?”
“Can we not talk about that?”
A silence fell between them. The sun slowly dragged itself across the sky. The woods no longer felt welcoming and serene. Instead it felt like every patch of shadow was a spot someone could easily hide in. It felt like eyes were watching from everywhere. Every thick, luscious bush and group of old, wide trees could offer a surveillance spot.
“Do you still think we’re heading the right way?” Chris said as he flopped down onto a fallen log for a rest. He was certain their injuries had slowed them to maybe a mile an hour and he couldn’t even guess how far it was to the lake from where they were. If they’d picked the wrong direction, even by a few hundred feet, their walk could become hours longer.
Jess leaned back to look up at the position of the sun. “I think we must be. The sun is even lower toward west.” She took the wadded up jean wound covering out of her back pocket and then sat down next to him. She placed it in a small pile of leaves.
“Shit. Did you just set that on the ground? Now that’s going to be even dirtier.”
Jess gave an exasperated sigh. “I’m not putting it back on. It doesn’t matter. And you weren’t about to use it on yourself were you?”
Chris rested his elbow on his knee and then rested his forehead on his hand. “I don’t know. I didn’t really expect to be lost in the forest like this. I was going to use everything we had for whatever we needed.”
Jess shrugged her shoulders. “Well, too late now. So whatever. It’s not like we’re going to be in here much longer. We have to be getting close to the lake.”
“How’s your ankle?”
Jess tugged down the edge
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