At another time, when I was breathing with my mouth open, gulping air hungrily, I sucked in a large California beetlebug, coughed him out violently, and couldn’t stop coughing. But I was damned if I was going to say uncle. I was ready to drop first and be carried in. And I was also ready to cheat. I had weeded my twenty pounds of rock down to about three pounds. It helped.
When I was down to counting the minutes before I would probably pitch forward onto my face, I was saved by misadventure. Sister Nena took a good fast run to clear a creek, jumped well, and landed on a stone that turned as her foot struck *. She fell heavily on gravel, equipment clanking, and moaned as she reached for her right ankle. Her olive complemon was a yellow-white, her eyes squeezed by pain. I was first to reach her, and carefully unlaced
The Green Ripper the sodden sneaker and eased it off, then peeled the sock down and off her foot.
Chuck knelt beside me, and The others stood around looking down at her. “Busted?” he asked.
I told her to hold on tight, and I slowly manipulated the ankle joint. She sucked air. I made her work it herself. I knew from wide experience it wasn’t bad.
“Just a little sprain, I ark, but you shouldn’t walk on it right away.”
Chuck looked around at the slope of The land, the direction of distant peaks. “About a half mile back,” he said.
Barry was wearing a macho silk scarf, off-white. Chuck wrapped The ankle tightly and tied it in place. I said I could carry her back. She said she could hobble and hop. She said it was her own damn clumsiness. Barry said he’d carry her. I said he could take over when I got tired. I didn’t tell him I was already so tired I wondered if I could make a half mile by myself. Suddenly Me sun was covered and the rain began to fall again. Chuck took my pack, hefted it, looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and dumped out the remaining rocks. Two of them. Apple-size. Barry took the weapon. Nena stood up on one foot, with Stella helping her balance. I bent and put my shoulder in her middle and had her lean forward as I stood up with her, my right arm wrapped around her legs lust above her knees. She was smallish but solid. The rain rem freshed me. It cooled me off. I made pretty good time. A few times I lost my footing on the uneven ground, and when I caught myself it would drive my shoulder into her middle, making her gasp. And each time I apologized, and each time she told me not to bother. SteDa walked behind me, telling Nena how soon she would be up and around, which I knew was true. Barry offered twice to take over, but I said I was fine. I made it back in with her and, at Chuck’s direction, took her to the trailer she shared with Stella. It was larger and older than mine. I bent over and knelt and perched her on the edge of her bunk, and she thanked me with an unanticipated shyness.
After the noon meal they went out again in the rain, but I was excused.
‘we’re doing some target work'” Chuck explained. “We do it in bad weather when sound doesn’t carry well and there’s less chance of hikers around the perimeter.”
‘] could use some brushup on that.”
“You’re not cleared for live ammo, Brother.”
‘brother Persival is the one who’d clear me?”
‘~hen you’re ready.”
‘~What kind of weapon is that?”
He showed it- to me but didn’t let me handle it. “Pretty good. Better than it looks. It’s Russian. Ka- lashnikov Assault Rifle. It’s got a good reach, and it’s fast and accurate enough. Of course, for real long-range accuracy, we’ve got better stuff. Scopes
The Green Ripper and all. Haris is the best one here at that game. He can hit a pie plate at a thousand meters on a still day.”
“Good for Brother Haris.”