Laura had originally been practical. Lee had turned her away; encouraged her to keep going and not to look back.
They didn't have the time or energy to dig a grave. They couldn't even spare a blanket to cover the body.
But after a few paces in the direction of the tomb, she'd paused. Ignoring the 'Madam President, we must go' calls from the others, she'd turned back and fallen heavily onto her knees next to the body.
She'd tugged Elosha's scarf loose and carefully wound it until it covered her friend's expressionless face. The long robes, seemingly unsuitable for hiking, and yet Elosha hadn't lagged behind once, were easily manipulated until no bare skin or blood was visible.
She hadn't wanted any animal (although, truth was, she hadn't even seen a rodent amongst the undergrowth, let alone a larger carnivorous scavenger) to desecrate the body.
Now, as she traversed along the path they had taken two days ago, she knew that the silken material would have been no barrier against any animal that had caught the scent of fresh blood and warm meat. She was mentally preparing herself for the worst.
A branch snapped in the distance and she stopped, swinging around automatically, trembling. A bird flew from its perch high in one of the tall pines that surrounded her. For a moment its wings beat as fast as her heart. And then, she stood alone, staring up through the canopy, an ominous silence hanging heavily in the air along with the low clouds.
Taking a deep steadying breath, she plucked the knife from her back pocket and slashed a rut into the nearest tree before turning and carrying on. The ravine had to be over the next rise or she was hopelessly lost.
Her prayers, on this at least, were answered.
She stumbled down the bank, ignoring the scratches she was earning on her exposed skin.
Once on level ground, she used the knife again, slashing a mark into a moss covered log.
Quickly, she pressed on, determinedly averting her gaze from the rocky ridge that loomed above her, remaining focused on her objective.
Mere minutes later, layers of distinctive deep blue stood out like a beacon amongst the planet's multiple shades of green.
She moved closer, gasping as the sharp smell of death burnt her senses.
The robes were drenched, their thin protection now moulded into the shape of the body. Elosha's face was thankfully still hidden. A line of ants marched down the side of one boot.
Shaking herself physically and mentally, Laura began what she had come for.
The noise from the rush of water flowing through the ravine made it easy to locate. Removing her jacket and using it as a sling, she knelt at the water's edge, heaping as many of the larger stones into the garment as she could.
Just a little longer, she repeated to herself, as her arms began to ache from the unfamiliar exercise on only her third trip back to the body.
Her window of opportunity was so small. In a couple of hours, darkness would descend.
When Bill had suggested they stop early for the night because the next leg of the journey was the trek down the mountain and he had worried they would not find a flat area to set up camp, she had realised she had to do this.
They should be on their way back to the Fleet by noon tomorrow. A Fleet that she and Bill would reunite.
So now, she kept moving, murmuring prayers to keep herself on task.
On her next trip back to the water course, she squeezed her eyes shut as she knelt, cursing the Gods for the fine mist that had began to fall, making her mission that tiny bit more uncomfortable than it had to be. She began to pile up another load of rocks onto her spread out jacket, resiliently disregarding her body's insistent begging to carry less weight.
She reached out blindly and screamed in fright when her hand brushed against a foreign material. Her eyes flew open. It was another jacket covered with a camouflage print.
She sat back on her haunches and gazed up into a set of too-blue eyes. Wordlessly, their owner squatted, his large dark hands efficiently gathering rocks and placing them onto his jacket.
She stared at him for a long moment, before reaching out to touch his sleeve softly, checking he wasn't an apparition. He smiled across at her before diligently picking up more rocks.
For the next hour, they silently worked together. He began to collect all the rocks while she placed them over Elosha's prone body.
When it was finally covered to her satisfaction, she collapsed onto the ground not far from the grave.
"Here," Bill said, offering her a flask and a ration pack.
She gratefully gulped at the water, and then slowly unwrapped the plastic to discover two dry crackers.
"I know you're tired, but we'll need to get back soon, before the light goes completely. I've got a flashlight, but—"
"I don't even have that," she choked out, shamefully aware her planning of the trip hadn't included the basics of food and water, let alone a flashlight.
"You did pretty well. The cuts in the trees were a good idea. Led me straight to you."
She sniffed.
"Of course, I would have preferred you just told me you were coming here in the first place."
"I'm sorry," she said, rubbing her aching hands along her thighs, which were burning and chafed in her jeans. "It's not that I didn't trust you," she added.
"You didn't think I'd allow you to come?"
"There was that," she admitted slowly. She knew it was a foolish idea, and that no one in the camp would have agreed to let her do this if she'd told them beforehand. "That, plus..."
"Plus?"
"Plus, I really needed to do this for myself."
Bill grunted and she wondered if Billy had voiced his concerns to Bill when she took too long to return from 'being alone for a while'.
"But I would have never done it without you," she bowed her head and whispered the admission.
"Let it be a lesson to you," he rasped.
She jerked her head up and blinked over at him. He was grinning.
"Together from now on?" she asked, offering him a tentative smile in return.
He struggled to his feet, and then dropped his hand out before her. Without even a hint of hesitation, she reached up, allowing him to grasp her much smaller one within his and drag her up to her feet.
The End