stay cool. I’ll go over, get it out, and come back here. No screaming, okay?
She could tell he was watching her, waiting.
—Okay. But go slow. Only not too slow. Get it done and go back.
He began to crawl toward the pack. She pushed back against the wall as far as she could go. It was only once he’d actually begun to rummage in his pack that she remembered he might have a gun. She sucked in a gasp just as he held up his prize.
—Got it!
—Got what? If he had the Glock out, she didn’t want to play games. Best to establish new ground rules right away. They both knew he wouldn’t dare shoot it here.
—Glowstick. He began to back up toward his corner.
Something drained from inside Sue-Min and she almost laughed. A spasm ran through her and she had to fight off the shakes, but when she realized he still might’ve got his gun out too, ice water welled up to refill the vacuum within her and she calmed.
When she looked over she saw the cold green glow already defining Pete’s face, his knees up to block the light from the cave mouth all he could. Then he shook his head. —What the fuck?
—What?
—My watch says 9:12 . No way is that right. We haven’t been here that freakin’ long. The sun would be up, it wouldn’t matter what time zone, what canyon we’re down.
She struggled to process this new frustration. The only timepiece left to them and it had run amok. Nothing was working right. Everything was breaking down. On top of that she still had to go. Now.
—Okay, so while you’re figuring that out, it’s my turn to pee. Will you do the same for me?
—The same what?
—As I did for you. Promise not to watch while I pee.
Several seconds of silence then —Yeah yeah, of course. Fair’s fair.
—If you don’t I’ll—
—You’ll scream. I know. I won’t look. Promise.
She doubted him but she had no more choice. She made her way around the wall, skirting the moth wings, to the place she calculated as furthest from Pete. She squatted so as to face him, keep some kind of lookout, but far as she could tell in the dark, he kept his word.
Finished, she realized the only paper they’d brought remained buried in Ron’s pack. Shuffling over there dripping with pants around ankles was not an option, so with wiping a lost cause, she waited and wiggled as many long seconds as she dared before she tugged up her jeans and underwear and scuttled back to her sleeping bags, feeling that much more unclean.
Yet sleep still would not come. Sue-Min continued watching Pete though she saw little more than his blurred dim form. Of all the people to be stuck with in this insane situation. Of course, she’d seen him enough to know that he was decent looking, in a corn fed white guy kind of way. Sort of guy who was destined for a career in sales if he didn’t become a fireman or a cop. Sandy blond buzz cut, bulked out biceps. He’d go to fat once he had a family, but he didn’t and hadn’t yet. Stamina would be his best quality in bed. This was a guy who could do pushups for an hour. If only he weren’t such a creeper. Yuck.
She shuddered to shake off that train of thought and marshaled her mental focus back to priorities. They might both die here. How long could they survive? They had, she guessed, half a water bottle each plus maybe a backup liter stowed. She knew she did, was pretty sure about Ron. A handful of Clif bars stashed in their packs, possibly some other food too. Her pack held a little Ziploc of walnut halves, another of carrot sticks. That was all. She was pretty sure Pete packed some jerky, and Ron had maybe brought a couple foil-wrapped single serving vacuum packs of salmon or tuna that should still be in his pack. And the worse than useless popcorn. Even if they could make a fire. . . She shuddered at the thought of those tiny explosions in their deliberate silence.
If they stayed trapped for long, water would be their problem before food. She’d noted several fuzzy streaks of algae along
She could tell he was watching her, waiting.
—Okay. But go slow. Only not too slow. Get it done and go back.
He began to crawl toward the pack. She pushed back against the wall as far as she could go. It was only once he’d actually begun to rummage in his pack that she remembered he might have a gun. She sucked in a gasp just as he held up his prize.
—Got it!
—Got what? If he had the Glock out, she didn’t want to play games. Best to establish new ground rules right away. They both knew he wouldn’t dare shoot it here.
—Glowstick. He began to back up toward his corner.
Something drained from inside Sue-Min and she almost laughed. A spasm ran through her and she had to fight off the shakes, but when she realized he still might’ve got his gun out too, ice water welled up to refill the vacuum within her and she calmed.
When she looked over she saw the cold green glow already defining Pete’s face, his knees up to block the light from the cave mouth all he could. Then he shook his head. —What the fuck?
—What?
—My watch says 9:12 . No way is that right. We haven’t been here that freakin’ long. The sun would be up, it wouldn’t matter what time zone, what canyon we’re down.
She struggled to process this new frustration. The only timepiece left to them and it had run amok. Nothing was working right. Everything was breaking down. On top of that she still had to go. Now.
—Okay, so while you’re figuring that out, it’s my turn to pee. Will you do the same for me?
—The same what?
—As I did for you. Promise not to watch while I pee.
Several seconds of silence then —Yeah yeah, of course. Fair’s fair.
—If you don’t I’ll—
—You’ll scream. I know. I won’t look. Promise.
She doubted him but she had no more choice. She made her way around the wall, skirting the moth wings, to the place she calculated as furthest from Pete. She squatted so as to face him, keep some kind of lookout, but far as she could tell in the dark, he kept his word.
Finished, she realized the only paper they’d brought remained buried in Ron’s pack. Shuffling over there dripping with pants around ankles was not an option, so with wiping a lost cause, she waited and wiggled as many long seconds as she dared before she tugged up her jeans and underwear and scuttled back to her sleeping bags, feeling that much more unclean.
Yet sleep still would not come. Sue-Min continued watching Pete though she saw little more than his blurred dim form. Of all the people to be stuck with in this insane situation. Of course, she’d seen him enough to know that he was decent looking, in a corn fed white guy kind of way. Sort of guy who was destined for a career in sales if he didn’t become a fireman or a cop. Sandy blond buzz cut, bulked out biceps. He’d go to fat once he had a family, but he didn’t and hadn’t yet. Stamina would be his best quality in bed. This was a guy who could do pushups for an hour. If only he weren’t such a creeper. Yuck.
She shuddered to shake off that train of thought and marshaled her mental focus back to priorities. They might both die here. How long could they survive? They had, she guessed, half a water bottle each plus maybe a backup liter stowed. She knew she did, was pretty sure about Ron. A handful of Clif bars stashed in their packs, possibly some other food too. Her pack held a little Ziploc of walnut halves, another of carrot sticks. That was all. She was pretty sure Pete packed some jerky, and Ron had maybe brought a couple foil-wrapped single serving vacuum packs of salmon or tuna that should still be in his pack. And the worse than useless popcorn. Even if they could make a fire. . . She shuddered at the thought of those tiny explosions in their deliberate silence.
If they stayed trapped for long, water would be their problem before food. She’d noted several fuzzy streaks of algae along
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