Griffin entertained himself by popping in and out as they walked.
"Stop it!" Anne snarled. She was hot and tired and dirty and hungry and something about his power annoyed her.
"Sorry." He sounded hurt.
"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing." Anne said quietly, guilt eating at her.
"Rudy. Rudy!" Anne shouted.
Rudy, afraid she had seen a vision, hurried back to her. The rest of the group, grateful for the pause, slumped against trees, rocks, whatever was near.
"What is it, Anne?" He was too tired to hide his concern.
"We have to stop!"
"Why? What did you see? Was it Kate?"
Anne shook her head. "It's not a vision. Wait!" He started to walk away. "We are going to collapse. Then how are you going to get to the river? Carrying us all?" She swung her hand at the others.
Rufus moved to Anne's side. "She's right. I for one am not moving another inch until we eat, drink and have a proper rest. Maybe even a nap." He smiled to soften the threat. "Heck, even Shadow looks like a beaten dog. Pun intended."
Rudy looked at the exhausted dog where he lay at Lucy's feet. His fur was filthy, matted with mud, leaves and twigs. His tongue lolled out.
"Right, then. Everybody pull out an MRE, grab some water and let's have a picnic. Don't forget the purification tablets! Up to you if you want to roll out your BIVVY. We'll wait until the sun dips a bit before we move on, although I don't think it will be any cooler."
Rufus helped Lucy set up her BIVVY., then sat on a rock and mixed his MRE. "Mmm cold chili." Rudy had said no fire.
Griffen spit his meal out, looking suspiciously at the label "Eww, the fried rice looks and tastes like concrete!"
Anne rifled through her backpack and came out with a Pop Tart. Memories of her childhood: her mother passed out on the sofa, her stomach growling, a five dollar bill on the counter. She would drop into the corner store and buy a box of Pop Tarts, tearing into the box, stuffing the treat in her mouth before she left store. With a shrug she bit into the sugary pastry.
Kate moved restlessly in her sleep. She was dreaming she had fallen into the bottom of a poorly drained pool. Slime covered the sides and her face hurt where she'd slipped and fallen in. Her hair was stuck to her face and her clothes were wet. Everything smelled bad. She groaned.
"Kate." Georgie unzipped her BIVVY and patted her foot, careful not to shake her too much. "Wake up."
She didn't answer. Georgie looked around helplessly. Where was Ethan? Georgie had fallen asleep and had no idea how long Ethan had been gone. His breath started to catch in his chest. Maybe Ethan wasn't coming back. Georgie would have to find his own way to the river. And care for Kate. He jumped to his feet, peering deep into the jungle, hoping to spy Ethan. He was gasping now. The short, shallow breaths lacked oxygen in the thick jungle air. He was starting to feel light-headed. His hands tingled. He swayed on his feet.
"Georgie, breath!"
"What?" He spun at the sound of Kate's voice and almost fell over. "Georgie! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." He took a deep breath. Then another. "You were having a nightmare." He waved his arm around. "Daymare, daytime nightmare, whatever."
"How long has it been since we left the Hive?" Kate struggled to sit up. "How long have I been out of it?"
"I don't know." Georgie couldn't help the whine in his voice. "Yesterday? Last night? Ethan said we shouldn't move you."
"I appreciate that." Kate pulled herself out of the BIVVY and slipped on her shoes. She noticed the look on Georgie's face. "Do I look that bad?"
Georgie just nodded. The left side of Kate's face, from her hairline to her chin, was an angry blue- purple. Her eye was grotesquely swollen. Her hair was stuck to her head and her clothes were streaked with mud.
"No beauty contest for me then!" Her smile looked more like a grimace.
Georgie didn't smile. "Ethan's gone."
"I'm sure he will be back." Kate spotted her backpack. "Would you mind, please?"
Georgie grabbed her backpack and laid it at her feet. Without being too obvious, Kate checked that her gun was still in the front pocket. She kept digging in the pocket, frowning, finally, with a resolved sigh that what she was looking for was not there, she zipped the pocket closed. Flipping the backpack over, she spotted a tear in the fabric.
"Let's eat, while we wait." She dropped a tablet in her water and pulled out an MRE. Soup would probably be best.
Georgie ate another chocolate bar.
Ethan found the clearing in front of the Hive empty. The building itself was almost completely destroyed by the fire. Smoldering wood and singed foliage added to the heat and stench. Ethan hid, waited patiently, alert for any sign the army was nearby. Satisfied he was alone, he pulled his scarf over the lower half of his face and carefully moved into the clearing.
The door they had exited from hardly twelve hours ago hung crookedly from its charred frame. Ethan looked through the opening, but decided there was nothing salvageable inside worth the risk of entering the building when it looked ready to collapse. He had his bearings now and was confident he could use the map to lead Kate and Georgie to the rendezvous. He turned to leave the clearing when a glint of light, near his boot, caught his attention. Curious, Ethan bent to inspect whatever had caused the reflection.
Ethan used his shirt to clean the silver star and eagle design, then dropped it in his pocket. He had no doubt who it belonged to. Ethan tamped down his anger and disappointment, more determined than ever to gather up Georgie and Kate and meet the others at the rendezvous point.