Part 33

"It's hot," Riley whines as he stares up at the arch hovering over his head, "These are the ugliest horse heads I've ever seen. Can you even see the Fiery Furnace from here?"

"We're staring down at a valley," Victor laughs. "You can see everything from up here."

Evan comes hiking back to them from wherever he had taken off to while the rest of the party had stopped to rest. "You can see it a lot better from that end of the plateau over there," he says, pointing off to the right of where they stand. "And Vikki, good to hear you laughing again, dude!"

"Yeah, what's with the good mood all of a sudden?" Riley asks.

Victor just smiles and turns away, his eyes glancing over at Bobbi for just a split second. She is standing beside the arch staring out over the valley floor below, pieces of her hair that have fallen out of her ponytail sticking lightly to her face. She had removed her dress shirt along the hike and tied it around her waist, the white tank top underneath revealing her toned figure.

Having caught the flicker of eye movement, Riley turns to look over at Bobbi, then looks back to Victor. "…I could be wrong, but I think you already sort of blew your chance," he tells Victor quietly.

"I never really had a chance with her to begin with," Victor answers, "but, as I already told Ben, it doesn't mean I can't enjoy the view."

Bobbi turns around and sees them both looking at her. She rolls her eyes and walks over to sit down next to Abigail and Ben, who hands her a water from the pack.

Elizabeth, who has been sitting with Joseph up on a large rock further away from the group, stands and walks down to them. "Are we ready to continue?" she asks. "Evan, do you need a break, first?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Good to go," he beams.

"…So, what now? Do we drive over to the Furnace trailhead and start from there?" Victor asks.

"No," Ben shoots him down, "Cro walked straight from here to the maze, meaning he probably entered the Furnace at the first place he came to. I think we should stick to the story there."

"Yeah, but from what Evan says," Victor argues back, "we can see it from here. Can't we just scope out the entrance from here and find it again once we get there?"

Riley is nodding his head in agreement.

"Not a good plan," Evan says, then explains. "There are a lot of ways you can get into that maze and all those fins look pretty much the same. Plus, they're gonna look totally different up close than from back here. It'd be pretty much impossible to know whether the entrances we see from up here are the same ones we're looking at down there."

"I guess we continue walking, then," Elizabeth says, and Riley's shoulders slump as he makes a little frowny face.

"How far is it?" he whines again.

"Oh, I'd say about three miles," Evan smiles.

Riley drops his head down to his chest as Evan turns to lead the way back towards the maze.

"Don't they rent out camels or something?" Riley asks as Elizabeth passes him.

"What desert do you think we're in?" Bobbi asks as she follows behind Elizabeth.

"Or maybe donkeys?" Riley continues as Victor passes with no reply. "How about an ATV?"

"Just walk," Joseph orders.

Ben and Abigail move to either side of Riley. "Come on, Riley," Ben says, placing an arm on Riley's shoulder to turn him in the right direction. They walk off after the others, Joseph falling in line right behind them.

They had walked about two miles when Riley calls back over his shoulder. "Hey…Joseph," he says awkwardly.

Joseph stops walking. "Whatever it is, no," he says curtly before he starts moving again.

Riley turns around to face him, walking backwards. "You won't even let me ask?"

Ben and Abigail, who are ahead a few paces, slow down a bit and glance over their shoulders curiously as they walk.

"You don't call me by my name, ever, so I assume whatever you want must be something idiotic," Joseph continues.

Riley, still moving backwards, flashes his innocent smile. "I'm gonna ask anyway. You ever give anyone a piggyback ride?"

Joseph stops again, as does Riley, followed by Ben and Abigail who have looks on their faces that are a mix between shock and amusement.

"What?" is all Joseph can get out.

"You know," Riley steps forward, still smiling, "a piggyback ride – you carry someone on your back…" he mimics the piggyback stance as he talks.

"I know what it is," Joseph says, becoming irritated. "No."

"I haven't asked yet."

"No!"

"Fine, have it your way," Riley throws his hands up in the air before he just plops himself down onto the ground.

"Stand up," Joseph says, no real malice in his voice for once - his tone more like that of a parent instructing their child how to do something that should have been common sense.

"Wow, no threats? Mental note: the creature becomes docile in the full heat of day."

Ben trots back over to where Riley is sitting as he sees the anger creeping onto Joseph's face. "Okay, Riley," he says reaching down to help his friend stand, "no more animal planet for you. Come on."

Riley pushes Ben's hands away. "No, Ben," he says sternly.

"Enough of this," Joseph mumbles, moving towards Riley.

"Wait, wait," Ben pleads, holding one hand up at Joseph and dropping his pack down off his other arm. "He hasn't been drinking a lot of water. He's not thinking clearly. Here, Riley, drink some water."

"I don't need any water, Ben."

Abigail cautiously moves over and squats down next to Riley, as well. "Riley, what's wrong with you?" she whispers. "Please, just have some water and let's go."

"What's going on here?" Elizabeth's voice suddenly calls from behind them. Ben and Abigail answer her at the same time with excuses of heat exhaustion and dehydration. "I wasn't asking you," Elizabeth snaps.

Without saying anything, Riley reaches down and pulls up his pant leg to expose his bad knee, which has become swollen and turned nearly the same shade of red as the sand he is sitting on. Abigail gasps.

"How long has it been like that?" she asks. "I hardly even saw you limping!"

Riley just shrugs and, still looking at Joseph, speaks to Elizabeth again. "We either take another break – a long one - or Vin Diesel, here, gives me a piggyback ride. I don't think anyone else here has the muscle to carry me the last mile."

"Um…more like a mile and a half I think," Evan corrects as he, Victor, and Bobbi circle around the others.

"Move," Elizabeth says as she waves Ben and Abigail away from Riley. She begins inspecting his knee just as she had when he first injured it, and though Riley is doing his best to keep his face straight, she sees the little winces of pain as she proceeds through her inspection. "You should have said something sooner," she sighs. "We're only on our second stop and this doesn't look very good. Joseph, you'll have to carry him."

"What? You can't expect me to-"

"You did this to him in the first place," Elizabeth says coldly as she stands to face Joseph. "Take responsibility for your actions. Besides, look at him – he can't possibly be that heavy."

"Hey, what does that mean?" Riley starts, but Ben nudges him with his foot to shut him up.

"Riley," Elizabeth says, turning back to him, "the least you can do is stand so Joseph doesn't have to bend down to pick you up."

Riley nods and Ben and Abigail help him to his feet. Joseph stands still until Elizabeth plants her hands on her hips, staring him down. Eventually, he shifts his jaw and stomps over to Riley, turning his back to him.

"Can you…bend down just a little?" Riley asks, unable to keep the smile off his face.

Joseph lets out a sigh and bends down enough for Riley to hop on. "Bet you wish you had taken that backpack," Riley can't keep himself from saying.

"You say anything else, at all, for the rest of this walk," Joseph warns, his voice now nothing but malice, "I will beat you just within an inch of unconsciousness before I bury you alive in this desert."

Riley swallows and nods his head.

"Good," Joseph says, then looks at everyone else. "Well?"

Quietly, they head out on their journey, once again.