CHAPTER TEN

Darkness had fallen. Connors had vetoed turning on any lights. It was bad enough that they had lit the fire place. There wasn't supposed to be anyone in the cabin. Turning lights on would have been too obvious. Connors wasn't sure how close the next inhabited building was but he wasn't about to take a chance on being discovered. After devouring the meal Jared made with the canned supplies, the inmates amused themselves by cleaning up the disaster in the kitchen.

Not trusting Anderson, Connors left them to the mayhem and headed into Roy's room. In his hand he held a tall glass of water and a bowl full of the meal Jared had made. Juggling the two, he managed to get the door open and stepped inside.

Roy was still sleeping, or at least he seemed to be. Setting the food and water on the night table, Connors bent toward the man. He looked so serene he almost hated to wake him.

As soon as he got close however, the man's blue eyes flew open and he was peering at him. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you got something to eat and drink," Connors said, indicating the dishes. "I'll be back to get those later."

Not giving the man the chance to respond, Connors left the room. When he entered the kitchen it was spotless. He had a hard time believing that the three men had done this. The three of them were standing, leaning against the counter top.

"What's up?" Connors asked. There was a definite air of expectation floating around the room.

"It's dark. I think it's time for us to head out. The cops will be searching as hard as they can," David stated.

"You're right," Connors said. He knew this decision was coming up. He'd just been trying to postpone it as long as possible. He'd wrestled with his options and was no closer to a decision.

"I don't think the fish should be left here alone," Anderson said. He was trying to come across as innocent as possible. "I'll stay with him."

"That's not going to happen," Connors growled.

"Nah, you're coming with us," Jared said. He and David had discussed it earlier. There was no way they were going to let Anderson go on his own. They didn't want to have his actions on their conscious. If that meant sticking to him like glue they were going to do it.

"How about you, Connors, are you coming or staying?" David asked. While he talked, the older brother began packing tins of food into a back pack he'd found in one of the rooms. If he was going to be on the run, he wanted to make sure he and Jared weren't going to starve along the way.

"He'll be safe here until the cops find him," Jared suggested. He didn't much want to have to carry the man any further than he all ready had. Besides, the civilian honestly was safer where he was, not out in the woods with them.

"He helped get us out of that bus. A lot of people would have left us there to fall over the cliff or burn. I'm not going to leave him here alone to fend for himself. I guess that means I'm staying," Connors stated, his decision suddenly made.

"All right then," David said. He had as much of the food as he could fit in the back pack. Lastly, he stashed a can opener in its canvas confines. It was no use taking the food if they couldn't get into it. "After you."

David waited until Anderson took the lead. He didn't trust the man to be behind him or his brother. Then the brothers headed off after him. Standing at the dark doorway, Connors watched as the trio disappeared into the night.

The first thing you lose in prison is your sense of being alone. You are never alone, not really. There are always other men around, other inmates, as well as the guards watching everything you do. Connors revelled in the sensation that no one was watching him. No one had a hold of him at this very moment. Whistling softly to himself, Connors shut the door and locked it before going back into the bedroom to check on his charge.

OOOOO

"Damn it," Johnny swore. He was getting anxious to continue on. Roy had been here, the handcuff proved that. He knew why the police officers had decided to spend the night. In the dark they were likely to miss a clue or turn an ankle in an unseen hole. But the thought of his partner being out in the woods, unprotected, with the inmates was almost more than he could stand.

"Easy, Johnny. I know it's hard but we have to try to get as much sleep as we can. We'll be up with the dawn searching again," Mike tried to sooth the pacing paramedic.

The police officers had had supplies dropped to them from a helicopter so the searchers each had a sleeping bag, a full canteen of clean water and enough rations to stuff a horse. Johnny had barely touched his. His nervous energy had kept him from sitting down that long. The policemen had made a small fire just outside the old cabin but Johnny found little comfort in its warmth.

"I'll knock you out if I have to," Mike warned. He understood the dark haired paramedic's anxiety. He felt it too but wearing himself ragged wasn't going to help anyone. Beside him, two of the search dogs were snoring softly in their sleep. Mike wished he could join them.

"Very funny, Mike," Johnny replied. He'd all ready made a small rut in the earth. He knew he was being irrational. It was something he excelled at without Roy around to bring him down.

"I wasn't kidding, Johnny. We need to get some rest tonight so we can be ready for the morning. Lay down or I'll find something to knock you out with," Mike stated. He was bluffing but he didn't want Johnny to know it.

Grumbling under his breath, Johnny picked up his sleeping bag, shook it out of its bag and proceeded to wrap it around his shoulders. Still grumbling, he sank down to the ground beside the engineer. This was the last thing he felt like doing.

Now that Johnny had stopped moving, sleep crept up on him within minutes. Shaking his head, Mike made Johnny lay down on the rut he'd made. Otherwise he was going to wake up with a kink in his neck from sleeping sitting up. Satisfied that the paramedic was as comfortable as he could make him Mike settled in a short distance away. With any luck the search tomorrow would be short but Mike wasn't holding his breath.