Read Online Surviving the Fog by Stan Morris - Free Book Online Page B

 Were there others
around like the bikers?
    Mike took a breath.  Like the others, he
was wondering about the answers to these questions, too.  But
unlike the others, he felt that it was his responsibility to ensure
the safety of his tribe.
    "You can't sleep anywhere except on this side
of the river.  That's final," he replied.
    No one challenged him on this, although some
girls resented that he could decide for them.  All of them
knew by now that the Spears would enforce Mike's orders.
    "Can't we at least bring the bunks and
mattresses over here?" Yuie asked.
    "I guess that would be a good idea," Mike
admitted.
    "Does that mean that we can get our bunks
back?" a boy asked eagerly.
    "No it doesn't," answered Mike sharply to the
crestfallen boy.  "We are going to have to share the sleeping
spaces."  Everyone was silent.
    "Look,” Mike continued.  “There's a lot
of room in the Chief's Headquarters.  And there are futons
upstairs.  John, take a couple of mattresses and put them in
the loft.  Four girls should be able to sleep up there.
 I'll give up my bed for now.  It's big, so two girls can
share it.  John, you and Desi will have to give up the
counselors’ cabin.  Six girls can sleep in that cabin.
 So, some of you guys can move back into your bunks.
 I'll need one though.  Um..."
    He stopped.  That was about all that he
could think of.
    "Mike," Desi said.  "Can John and I move
into the cave?  I mean into the small part that's really a
cave?"
    "Uh...well if it's okay with John, I guess
so," he replied.
    "Do you think that we could move one of the
cabins over to this side of the river?" asked Rasul.  "Since,
we're going to move them anyway."
    Not all of the kids had heard about this
plan, so Mike had to stop and take the time to explain their plans
for the cave.  It was plain to see that many of the kids
thought the plan was crazy.
    "But that means we would have to dismantle
the cabin twice," Howard objected.
    "True, but it would give us some practice,"
argued Eric.  "We could find out if we really can move a
cabin.  If we can't, then we better make another plan."
    "That's a good point, Eric," said Mike.
 "Okay.  Tomorrow we'll try to move a cabin.  Then
the girls from that cabin can sleep in their own bunks."  This
brought a murmur of cheers from the girls.
    After the meeting, some of the boys went to
help move the two mattresses to the loft in the Chief's
Headquarters.  With regret, Desi agreed that she and John
would have to wait until morning before they could move into the
cave.
    The activity caused the boys and girls to
cheer up.  Things were moving forward again.  It was good
to have something to do.  There was a lot of joking; boys
offering kindly to share a bunk with a girl, girls politely
declining.  The task of moving more bunks and mattresses into
the counselors’ cabin took them until late into the night.
 The more they worked, it seemed the better they felt.
 Mike decided that everyone would get a late night snack, so
pudding cups were opened and enjoyed.
    Eventually, Mike went to his cabin.
 There, he found a flurry of activity as girls prepared to
sleep.  He sat down at his desk.  He had taken to writing
down notes each night, so he could remember what had happened that
day, what had been discussed, and what had been decided.
 Around him girls were chatting and preparing for bed.
 When it got quiet, Mike glanced around to see what was
happening.
    The four girls upstairs were hanging their
heads over the edge of the loft.  The two girls downstairs
were watching him.
    "Is everything okay?" he asked.
    "Uh, Chief, we're ready to go to bed now,"
Makayla replied.
    "Oh, okay, go ahead.  I'm just going to
work for a bit."
    The girl blushed.  "Uh, Chief, the thing
is, it's kind of warm right now so...," she looked at the others
for help.
    "So we sleep in our underwear," explained a
girl from the loft.
    "Oh," Mike said looking at them.  "Oh!"
 Hastily, clumsily knocking