She stood, wiping something from her eye—was it rain, or was it a tear?
Chapter 4
"Shouldn't we move him to the road?" Haley asked as Peyton and Brooke left.
"I don't know," Nathan said. "I'm not really inclined to move him at all right now. And besides, the trees offer a bit of cover from the rain."
"I see," Haley said, and then was silent.
"Ok, Brooke," Peyton said as the two headed back toward the road, "I know you hate me. And I've said I'm sorry so many times that I've lost count. But right now, it doesn't matter. Both of us care about Lucas, in whatever capacity, and it is important that we not kill each other for the time being. So can we call a temporary truce?"
"Alright, fine," Brooke said. "A temporary one."
A moment later, they emerged from the trees, finding themselves on the side of a wet and empty road. Peyton looked back to the left, the direction from which they had come, and then looked to the right. "Which way should we go?" she asked.
"Right," Brooke said. "We know that civilization is at least fifteen miles back to the left. Surely we'll find something on the right sooner than that."
"I certainly hope so," Peyton replied as they began to walk in the direction Brooke had chosen, "because I'm not sure how long Lucas will last without some help. For a little stick, that arrow certainly produced a lot of blood."
"Haley, why don't you run out to the car and see if you can find us something to keep warm and dry with," Nathan said. "A blanket, a towel, anything." It was a logical suggestion, but Nathan had really just been trying to get her mind off of the situation. Haley was not handling the stress well, having quickly become withdrawn and irritable.
"Ok, fine," Haley replied, walking toward the road.
With Haley gone, Nathan looked at Lucas, the gravity of the situation setting in. Lucas was still losing blood, although the flow had slowed somewhat, and was growing paler by the minute. There was no way of knowing how long Brooke and Peyton would be gone, and the possibility that Lucas would bleed to death seemed likely. Nathan maintained steady pressure on the wound, despite Lucas's groans of protest, knowing that the pressure was the only hope Lucas had for survival. There was nothing more that Nathan could do for Lucas, and so he concentrated on Haley. He had to keep her occupied, keep her mind off of what was happening...It couldn't be easy to watch your lifelong best friend slowly bleeding to death in the middle of a rainy forest.