Steve vaguely heard that familiar, bright voice calling him from the woods. He glanced up from unrolling his sleeping bag and saw Jesse running for camp full speed. "Jesse, what in the world is going on? And where's the firewood?"
"Steve, we gotta get outta here!" Jesse panted, sounding like a lunatic. "There's these two guys, about half a mile away, through the woods, they killed this lady, and they saw me looking, and they tried to shoot me, and they're gonna come after me, I just know it, we've gotta go now, help me Steve!" He continued to panic, jumping into Steve's arms.
Steve just stood there, a bit more than mildly puzzled. He was accustomed to Jesse's rants, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was going on this time. Finally he simply dropped Jesse to the ground. "What are you talking about?!"
Jesse clambered to his feet, rubbed his bum, and continued rambling at his consistent pace of about a hundred words per second. "I'm a murder witness! Those guys are trying to kill me! We've gotta leave!"
Steve started to get the feeling that this was serious. "Jess, are you sure they saw you?"
"He looked right at me! And besides, who else is up here at Bear Creek Mountain?!" he exclaimed, beginning to calm down from exhaustion.
"True." Steve tried to reason with his still hyper friend. "Well, they don't know exactly where you are, we're in a very secluded area, and it's getting pretty dark. We'd better just have dinner and get some rest. We can take turns keeping watch, then leave in the morning and notify the police."
"No!" Jesse shouted, getting jumpy again. "No dinner! Dinner equals fire, fire equals light, which means they find me, which means dead Jesse!"
"Fine, we don't need a fire, but if I don't eat something, they'll find you because they hear my stomach growling." Steve rummaged through their belongings and pulled out a pack of crackers.
Jesse still wasn't convinced. "Steve, let's get out of here now." He began to pace, but his exhaustion started to get the better of him.
Steve opened his mouth to say something but closed it as he caught Jesse, who had stumbled and started to fall. He lowered his bleary-eyed friend to his sleeping bag. "You, buddy, need sleep. We're not going anywhere tonight."
"No, Steve," he panted, "we have to leave, now."
"Jesse, look. What do you see?"
Jesse lifted his eyes and tried to focus on anything besides the thick blackness. "Nothing, where?"
"Exactly. Jesse, these woods are dangerous, and hard to travel, especially in the dark. We're secluded, they won't find us here." He made himself comfortable for the long night ahead of him. "I'll take the first watch and wake you up in a couple hours, okay?"
His only response was a light snore accompanied by a few owls and the sounds of a few other miscellaneous nocturnal beings.
"Hey Jess?" Steve turned to his friend, who was already sound asleep.
Steve chuckled. He remembered what his dad told him about not being too hard on Jesse if he couldn't keep up. *Poor little guy. His first camping trip, and I drag him halfway up a mountain, only for him to witness a murder and get scared out of his mind. Oh well, he'll live.* Steve chuckled to himself again, draping another blanket over Jesse's small, shivering form.
"Steve, we gotta get outta here!" Jesse panted, sounding like a lunatic. "There's these two guys, about half a mile away, through the woods, they killed this lady, and they saw me looking, and they tried to shoot me, and they're gonna come after me, I just know it, we've gotta go now, help me Steve!" He continued to panic, jumping into Steve's arms.
Steve just stood there, a bit more than mildly puzzled. He was accustomed to Jesse's rants, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was going on this time. Finally he simply dropped Jesse to the ground. "What are you talking about?!"
Jesse clambered to his feet, rubbed his bum, and continued rambling at his consistent pace of about a hundred words per second. "I'm a murder witness! Those guys are trying to kill me! We've gotta leave!"
Steve started to get the feeling that this was serious. "Jess, are you sure they saw you?"
"He looked right at me! And besides, who else is up here at Bear Creek Mountain?!" he exclaimed, beginning to calm down from exhaustion.
"True." Steve tried to reason with his still hyper friend. "Well, they don't know exactly where you are, we're in a very secluded area, and it's getting pretty dark. We'd better just have dinner and get some rest. We can take turns keeping watch, then leave in the morning and notify the police."
"No!" Jesse shouted, getting jumpy again. "No dinner! Dinner equals fire, fire equals light, which means they find me, which means dead Jesse!"
"Fine, we don't need a fire, but if I don't eat something, they'll find you because they hear my stomach growling." Steve rummaged through their belongings and pulled out a pack of crackers.
Jesse still wasn't convinced. "Steve, let's get out of here now." He began to pace, but his exhaustion started to get the better of him.
Steve opened his mouth to say something but closed it as he caught Jesse, who had stumbled and started to fall. He lowered his bleary-eyed friend to his sleeping bag. "You, buddy, need sleep. We're not going anywhere tonight."
"No, Steve," he panted, "we have to leave, now."
"Jesse, look. What do you see?"
Jesse lifted his eyes and tried to focus on anything besides the thick blackness. "Nothing, where?"
"Exactly. Jesse, these woods are dangerous, and hard to travel, especially in the dark. We're secluded, they won't find us here." He made himself comfortable for the long night ahead of him. "I'll take the first watch and wake you up in a couple hours, okay?"
His only response was a light snore accompanied by a few owls and the sounds of a few other miscellaneous nocturnal beings.
"Hey Jess?" Steve turned to his friend, who was already sound asleep.
Steve chuckled. He remembered what his dad told him about not being too hard on Jesse if he couldn't keep up. *Poor little guy. His first camping trip, and I drag him halfway up a mountain, only for him to witness a murder and get scared out of his mind. Oh well, he'll live.* Steve chuckled to himself again, draping another blanket over Jesse's small, shivering form.