"Home, sweet home," Charlie sighed as he half-carried his injured brother through the mouth of the small cave. "Considering our alternatives, I guess I really shouldn't complain."
"Can we sit down?" Don quietly asked.
Charlie looked despairingly at his brother. "Of course," he answered, alarmed by Don's drawn features and lack of energy. "Let's move to the very back, though. I think that'll be safer." His big brother gave a tired nod that ended with his head sagging onto Charlie's shoulder. "Hang in there, bro," he whispered encouragingly.
"Don't worry about me," the older man said.
"Right," Charlie laughed bitterly. He led Don to the back of the cave which curved around out of sight, and carefully lowered him to a sitting position with his uninjured shoulder resting against the wall. "Stay put while I get some stuff done." Don nodded as his eyes closed and Charlie lightly stroked his cheek. "I'll be right back."
The young professor dug a spool of fishing line out of Don's pack and returned to the mouth of the cave. He carefully strung five lines all the way across the entrance at varying heights, hoping that if someone tried to sneak up on them in the night, they would be tripped up and make enough noise to wake them. Of course what he really hoped was that no one was actually following them, but his gut feeling was as strong as ever.
Charlie returned to the back of the cave and sat next to his brother. He dug two more Tylenol out of the first aid kit and a canteen and helped his brother down the pills. Charlie then pulled out a bag of trail mix. "I know you're probably not feeling hungry," he said, his suspicion confirmed by the look of disgust on Don's face. "But you need to eat – keep your strength up. I will get us out of here, but I need your help."
"I'm not much help right now," Don said bitterly. "You should probably just leave me and-" He stopped speaking as Charlie seized his jaw, digging his fingers in and fixing him with a blazing stare.
"I'd better never hear those words coming from your mouth again," the younger man growled. "You got that?"
Don was speechless for a moment, shocked by the ferocity and conviction in his little brother's voice and eyes. "Sure, Buddy," he finally whispered. "I'm sorry, too. I don't know what came over me..."
"You're hurt," Charlie stated matter-of-factly as he released Don's jaw. "You're not thinking clearly. So eat and I bet you feel better soon." He pressed the bag of trail mix into his brother's hand and looked at him expectantly.
"You?" Don queried.
"I've got my own bag," he promised.
Don nodded and popped a raisin in his mouth, tamping down a wave of sickness as it threatened in the back of his throat. He didn't tell Charlie, though, certain the younger man would worry about him even more. He has enough on his plate just trying to get us out of here, without knowing every single unpleasant feeling I have. Once he'd eaten as much as he could stand, which happened to be just enough to appease Charlie, he handed the bag back and rested his head against the rough wall.
"Tired?" Charlie questioned softly.
"I could sleep for a year," the injured man mumbled.
"How about we start with a night?" the younger man joked.
"Sure. Damn wall is uncomfortable, though."
"I can fix that," Charlie told him. Don heard him shifting around and soon felt Charlie's hands on his shoulders tugging him to the side and toward the ground at the same time. Trusting that his little brother would take care of him, Don obeyed without opening his eyes, and was pleased to feel something soft and warm beneath his head and shoulder.
"I've got you," Charlie whispered as he cradled his brother against his chest. "You just rest."
"You going to stay awake all night?"
"I'm going to try. Don't worry, though. I set up a 'burglar alarm' to wake us up if anyone comes in here without knocking." And really I hope it works, he added silently.
"Good thinking, Buddy." Don yawned and pressed his cheek into Charlie's shoulder. "Wake me if you need me."
"I will," Charlie promised. "But for now, you just rest." He started lightly stroking Don's good arm until his breathing evened out and he fell asleep.
--
So they had been here.
Monroe stood under a large overhang and studied the trash the younger man had left behind. Gauze wrappers, pieces of tape, scraps of shirt, and a large pool of blood were all signs that they had rested here for a while before moving on. It also spoke to how bad off the injured man really was. They would be moving slow and he should be able to overtake them by tomorrow afternoon and then his problems would be gone.
With that comforting thought in his head, Ralph settled in for a long wait until morning.
--
Charlie was having no problems staying awake during the night. All of his worries and fears were more than enough to deprive him of sleep. Any time he thought he might be relaxing enough to doze off, either Don would shift uncomfortably in his arms – reminding Charlie that they needed to get help soon – or he would hear a strange noise outside and tense in expectation of an intruder.
Don restlessly shifted again, and Charlie squeezed him in a gentle embrace. "Shh," he soothed as he rested his head on top of his brother's. He frowned at the warmth he felt against his cheek. The last thing he needs is an infection on top of the injury itself, Charlie groaned inwardly. He wasn't really surprised though – he knew puncture wounds had a high likelihood of becoming infected if left untreated. He just hoped they got help in time to stop the infection from becoming too severe.
Don tried to roll onto his other side, but Charlie held him even tighter. "Hold still," he spoke softly, easily restraining his weakened brother. Don continued to fight him, so Charlie began gently rocking him, whispering soft assurances in his ear. The combination of the two finally got through to the injured man and he fell into a deeper sleep against the younger man's body.
Charlie sighed wearily and wished for the hundredth time that one of them had brought their cell phones. He knew there probably wasn't any chance of getting a signal – that was why they had left their phones behind to begin with – but he longed to have one in his hand right now, just to make sure. Hindsight's twenty-twenty, he thought bitterly.
A rustling noise bounced off the walls, coming from the direction of the cave entrance, and setting Charlie's senses on alert. He reached down to the ground on his side and loosely gripped the handle of his brother's weapon, ready to pick it up and fire if necessary. The sound died away and left Charlie to listen to the frantic beating of his heart and Don's soft snores.
Wide awake and more than a little frightened, Charlie prayed that morning would arrive soon.
--
Ralph woke just before sunrise, his internal alarm clock as sharp as ever, and made his way from the alcove. Although he'd only gotten a few hours of sleep, the thrill of the hunt was keeping his adrenaline levels high. He paused only briefly to down a breakfast of jerky and bottled water before following the two men's tracks back to the main path. He settled his backpack comfortably on his shoulders and rested his rifle in the crook of his arm.
As he walked, Monroe scanned the terrain around him looking for any sign that the two men might have deviated from the path and taken an alternate route. As he suspected, the younger man was religiously following the established path, unwittingly making him and his companion even easier targets for the skilled hunter. Ralph figured the uninjured man either knew nothing about hiding his tracks or he didn't think anyone would be following them. In any case, Monroe would definitely have an advantage when he caught up to them today.
--
"How are you feeling?"
"Like hitting you if you ask me that again," Don snapped. He was tired, his shoulder ached unbearably and he'd reached his threshold for tolerating Charlie's mother hen routine.
"Sorry," the younger man apologized, his tone hurt.
Don sighed. "I didn't mean it like that, Buddy."
"I know," he tried to sound reassuring. "It's just the pain talking. Do you want a couple more Tylenol?"
"Won't do any good," Don told him. "About the only thing it's good for now is my fever, and that's already gone down. Better save them until later."
"Okay." Charlie reluctantly nodded, knowing that Don had a very good point. They would be here for at least another day, no matter how fast they managed to hike, and Don's fever would undoubtedly return with a vengeance at night.
"Should have brought our phones, huh?" Don attempted to make conversation.
"They wouldn't have worked," Charlie grumbled. "Don't talk, Don. You need to save your strength."
"Talking keeps my mind off..." he trailed off, not wanting to say 'the excruciating agony I'm in', so he opted for, "...Other things."
Charlie understood his meaning and squeezed his brother's hand. "We should have let Dad come with us."
"No," Don disagreed. "Then he might be the one shot. There's no way he would make it out of here."
Like you have a much better chance. "Good point." Charlie looked up at the sun overhead, frowning as he realized it was still early in the morning and already uncomfortably hot. "We should take a break soon. You need to drink something."
"I'm fine." Both brothers chuckled at Don's ridiculous statement.
"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England."
"You've got the hair for it," Don ribbed his little brother.
"You're going to pay for that remark when you're better," Charlie warned as he allowed a smile onto his face. The fact that Don was trying so hard to be upbeat was really helping Charlie stay motivated and confident. Even when he's the one who's in need, he still takes care of me, Charlie thought in awe. You're amazing, bro.
"You know," Don spoke up. "That break sounds really good."
"Sure thing," the younger man replied, leading Don to patch of grass shaded from the morning sun. He lowered Don to the ground with the utmost of care, and then plopped down beside him. Charlie pulled a canteen and the bag of trail mix from the pack. "Drink and eat, Don."
"Fine," Don sighed as he forced down a few handfuls of mix before tossing the bag back to his brother. "Remind me to pack real food next time."
"I've got jerky if you'd rather have that," Charlie offered.
"No, that was plenty. Not sure my system's up for jerky. It seems to be taking to the trail mix, so let's not push it."
"You're feeling sick?" Charlie demanded, angry that Don hadn't told him before now.
"Off and on," the injured man confessed. "Not too bad, but like I said – I don't want to push it."
"You have to be honest with me," Charlie pleaded. "I can't help you if you don't tell me these things."
"The only way to help me right now-" He stopped mid-sentence, looking at his lap and shaking his head. "Never mind." He was startled as Charlie gently gripped his chin and lifted his face. He hesitantly met the younger man's eyes and was shocked at the tearful expression he found there.
"I can't lose you, Don. Don't you understand that? I won't let that happen, no matter what it takes."
"Charlie-"
"No!" the other man shouted. "I mean it. I won't let that happen. That's not up for discussion." He stuffed the mix and water back into Don's pack and stood up, reaching for his brother's hand. "Let's go."
Don stared at him in silence as he felt a growing sense of pride in his little brother. "Yes sir," he nodded as he allowed Charlie to haul him to his feet. "Hey, Buddy?"
"Yeah," the young man nodded without meeting Don's gaze.
"Thanks."
Still looking only at the trail ahead, Charlie's face broke out into a smile. "You're welcome... you stubborn old man."
"You're going to pay for that remark later," Don echoed his brother's words from earlier.
"Yeah? Well then, I guess you'd better make sure you're around later to carry out your threat."
"Count on it, Buddy."
I am, Charlie thought silently. I am.
--
Gary was hiking almost twice as fast as Ralph, and knew he would catch up to him pretty soon. He hadn't heard any gunshots, which meant either Ralph had yet to catch the two men, or he had finally learned not to be so dense when it came to disposing of witnesses. He sighed as he remembered the previous three people that his friend 'hadn't meant to hurt'. Each one of them had gotten close enough to the cabin to smell the fumes from Gary's meth cooking and was therefore a potential liability. The problem was that Ralph's attempts to scare them off always resulted in a severe injury and, with the exception of one, always an arrow related injury. Gary knew there were few enough bow hunters in the area that Ralph would quickly become the prime suspect, leading the local authorities to the clandestine lab. So every time he'd had to help his friend get the bodies back to the cabin where they could be disposed of in places where no one would ever find them – at least not for a few decades.
Gary couldn't believe Ralph had done it again and was starting to think that his companion was doing this on purpose. And he was going to be irate if Ralph killed the two men all the way out here, this far from the cabin, leaving the two of them to haul two dead bodies back to their place in the woods.
Sighing, Gary sped up his pace and hoped that he'd catch Ralph before he made another stupid mistake.
TBC
