NYTM Chapter 4

"Okay Vic I want you to pull on that rope and then count 1, 2, 3 and pull again. Keep doing that 1, 2, 3 and then pull, keep counting the pace and pulling, understand?"

"Yes, I pull then 1, 2, 3 and pull again. I'm setting the pace of our movement?"

"Right."

"You ready?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Pull."

As Vic made the first pull of the rope Walt clawed, with both hands, into the side of the ravine and hoped he was pushing significantly enough with his feet to inch himself up the side. He heard her count 1, 2, 3 and got the other foot up at the same time as she pulled. Hearing the 1, 2, 3 again he quickly repositioned his hands and got ready for the next pull. As she pulled he pushed his way up, little by little, they worked together to get Walt up the steep side of the ravine and onto the dirt beside the rear section of the truck. As soon as he got his body flat on the ground Vic rushed over to him.

She rolled him over and looked down at his face, "Well you may not've got yourself killed but that doesn't mean you still won't die. You're freezing!" She yanked her phone from her pocket, but saw there was no signal and cursed silently to herself as she shoved it back in her pocket.

"I know." he said through chattering teeth.

Vic helped him to his feet and untied the rope from around his waist as he shook and trembled.

She tried to help him walk but Walt said, "It would probably be best if you carried the gear Vic." So, she picked up his coat and started to hand it to him but he shook his head, "No, my shirt's too wet and my coat's still dry. I wanna keep it that way."

She didn't think she could manage both duffel bags and keep from dropping his coat so she put it on over hers, shoved the rope back into the bag it had come out of, grabbed the handles of that bag and the other, and looked at Walt, "Where to?"

He jerked his head to one side, "There's a clearing back around this little rise."

She could see what looked like a small worn area, one which wild animals may have used as their own personal hoof highway; a trail that hooked around the base of the truncated rise.

Looking back at him she asked, "Along this path?"

"Yup" Walt was watching his feet as he stepped, to make sure that his legs were staying underneath him and was surprised that for as cold as he was and as numb as his legs were he was still moving at a fairly decent pace.

Vic rounded the rise and saw a clearing straight ahead. She could hear Walt taking rapid breaths behind her and every once in a while his teeth would click together as he tried not to let his jaw chatter. She noticed, off to one side of the clearing, it looked like someone had camped there at some point in the recent past. Several rocks had been put together like a little table and chairs and there was a ring of rocks around what had obviously been used as a fire pit. She headed in that direction automatically, once at her destination, she dropped both duffel bags and slid Walt's coat off, and then turned and reached for him to help him make his way to sit on one of the rocks. Vic went over to the bags and pulled out one of the wool blankets she had seen earlier, taking it out she shook it open and then wrapped it around Walt's shoulders before returning and quickly digging through the previously unopened duffel bag, she prayed there was something in there that would help her start a fire quickly. She lifted a firestarter log out and tossed it over in the ring of rocks. Scrambling to her feet she headed off to the edge of the clearing where she'd seen some small, downed, dried pieces of wood; small dead trees or something like it that she could use. Vic began ripping small parts of the smaller limbs and branches from the downed little trees. She dropped a lot of what she tore, onto the ground, making a fairly significant pile in a very short period of time she frantically scratched and clawed at more of the small limbs and branches, gathering up a full arm load she went back and dropped it on top of the firestarter log she'd left in the ring of rocks. Next she dug into the duffle bag hoping there were matches or a lighter; something, anything to start a fire. Vic knew she was not the outdoor; fend for yourself, survival type, and she desperately needed to get a fire started for Walt soon.

Before long Vic ran across a flint striker, she pulled it out, looked at it, and then looked at Walt, "How in the hell am I supposed to use this thing?"

He reached a shaky hand out to her and she placed the flint striker in his hand, Walt clicked it towards himself several times, the rapid succession of movements caused several sparks to jump off of the flint. His eyes sought hers, "Got it?"

She snatched the flint striker from him and jumped over to the rocks, "Yep."

Pulling at the corner of the firestarter log wrapper she got the paper out to a point and used the flint striker just as Walt had done, sparking against the paper a few times until it caught.

Vic looked at the fire pit and doubted her handiwork, she turned to Walt. "Do you think this thing is really going to catch?"

He looked down at the fire pit with the starter log wrapper fully engulfed, "Yeah just sort of knock those upper limbs down around that log a little more, instead of being piled up so high in the middle."

She did as he instructed and noticed that some of the smaller pieces were already beginning to share and spread the flame from the firelog.

Vic looked at him quizzically, "I thought all the wood was supposed to be stacked up in the middle, something about oxygen getting in and helping the flame."

He nodded, "Ordinarily yes, but in this case you had plenty of flame it just needed to get the fuel down there so it could catch and burn too."

"Ah okay." Vic realized she was going to be on a very tight learning curve for the next little while. At least the sun had begun to rise and currently there were no clouds in the sky.

Walt removed his boots and socks; while Vic made the adjustments to the fire he dried his feet with a small towel she had given him. He was thankful he had only gotten wet from the chest down, his head and shoulders had stayed dry, although his arms had gotten wet as his knees gave way when he dropped into the ravine.

Vic picked up his socks and boots and set them on a rock near the fire, looking over her shoulder she said, "Come on, shirt and pants too. I'm not letting you freeze to death out here."

Walt unsnapped his shirt and tried to pull it loose from the waistband of his damp jeans the denim was too wet and clung to his shirt; holding it tightly in place.

Vic stepped over to him leveled her gaze at him, "You know you're going to have to take your pants off too. May as well undo them and get your shirt loose."

He stood there, shirt open, hands grasping the shirt just above his jeans, staring at her. When he failed to move, she reached out to unfasten his Levi's, he let go of his shirt and stilled her hands, "Vic, I don't think that's a good idea."

"You're freezing to death is not a good idea Walt you've gotta get out of those wet clothes.
What if it were me? Would you let me stay in my wet clothes?"

"No."

"Well okay then."

"But Vic…"

"What? You go commando?"

"No."

"Then take your damn pants off."

"Hand me one of the blankets."

Vic walked over to the supply bags to get a blanket, "Geez Walt afraid your virtue's at risk with me or something?"

When she brought the blanket back to him he had the top button of his pants unfastened and his shirt off, as he reached for the blanket and handed her his shirt, he looked in her eyes and said softly, "Or something."

For only two words Vic knew it was an incredibly loaded statement, she released the blanket and grasp his shirt never breaking eye contact with him, she rolled her tongue out over her bottom lip and then drug her top teeth back over her bottom lip as she drew her tongue back into her mouth.

"Right." She said as though she had just made the realization of what his issue was and turned to drop his shirt over another rock.