Southern Stars

by Melissa Good

  Just down slope, she spotted the crew managing to set up their camping loo, the poles that held up the tattered and almost ragged tarp around it bent and crooked. One of the crew looked up at Dar and shrugged and she gave him a thumbs-up for at least trying.

  The previous night, they’d all just walked out into the rain and did what they had to do. Dar had felt a distinct envy for the men, who’d had a definite advantage. Even Pete, who couldn’t walk, was able to do the needful since the driving rain just washed everything away.

  They would be able, she hoped, to get more rest tonight. Her eyes felt sandy and sore, and though the hike hadn’t been very strenuous, the lack of sleep was wearing on her. She was looking forward to being able to sit in relative comfort, preferably dry, tonight.

  The bucket was full, and she started back down the slope to where they were making camp. Dar heard cries of pain. “What happened?” She asked Rich as she reached where he was standing.

  “Pete,” Rich said, briefly. “I think someone hit his back or something.”

  “You stupid piece of shit!” Tracey’s voice echoed suddenly, in a raw angry tone. “I’m going to kick your ass!”

  Dar sighed. “Oh boy. Just what we needed.” She started for the shelter, and Rich came right after her, holding a large branch in one hand.

  THE SCENE WAS unfortunately dramatic as Dar came around the side of the rock wall and skidded to a halt, the bucket of water splashing a little around her boots.

  Pete was on the ground, writhing in pain and crying out. Tracey was standing over him, arms outstretched, face red with anger.

  Todd stood with his hands lifted, palms outward, a smirk on his face.

  Dar moved sideways to where Kerry stood, hands on hips. “What happened?”

  “That asshole kicked Pete in the back,” Kerry pronounced crisply. “Before you ask, for absolutely no good reason.”

  “He’s just a fucking baby,” Todd said. “I got tired of his whining.”

  Dar shifted her head just a little, tilting it as she stared at him. “So, you figured kicking him would make that stop? You’re stupider than I gave you credit for.” She put the bucket down and started walking toward him. “C’mere and let me kick you in the nuts. See if that helps your attitude.”

  Kerry hesitated, caught between wanting to comfort Pete and wanting to back Dar up, who actually didn’t really need much backup.

  “You can’t touch me,” Todd scoffed.

  Dar’s eyes twinkled, not with amusement. “Want to bet on that?” She came to a halt about a body length from him, and shifted her center of balance up over the balls of her feet, her knees unlocking and taking on a slight bend. “Last time someone thought that I ruptured their middle ear canal from this distance.”

  Todd stared at her intently.

  “Hurting people who can’t defend themselves is the act of a coward,” Dar said in a quiet voice. “No one respects that.”

  “Ah, screw you all.” Todd backed off and stomped out of the shelter, shaking his head. Amy hurried to keep up with him, turning to look at Dar as she passed, but remaining silent.

  Dar relaxed as Kerry came past her and gave her a pat on the back. “I feel ya, hon. But honestly, do we need more hurt people? I’ve seen what that kick can do.”

  “Mmph.” Dar grumbled. She followed Kerry over to where Tracey was now kneeling next to the rough litter and they both joined the young woman as she gently eased the sweatshirt Pete was wearing up and exposed his back. “Oh crap.”

  There was a lump on his spine about the size of a baseball, and bruising now extended on either side halfway across the small of his back. “That piece of shit,” Tracey uttered. “I’m going to go smack him.” She started to get up, but Kerry gently grabbed her arm. “Let me go.”

  “He’s not worth it. Stay with your friend,” Kerry said.

  Tracey stared at her. “You were going to let her mix it.” She pointed at Dar. “I can kick him just as fast, probably faster”

  Kerry regarded her seriously. “Are you a black belt in martial arts?”

  “No,” Tracey admitted.

  “Dar is. So, chill and let’s see if we can help poor Pete.” Kerry put her hand on his hip. “Wow, that’s so swollen.”

  Dar was now kneeling next to her. “Probably why it hurts so much. Pressure,” she said

  Don came over to look over her shoulder. “Wow. I was a medic, back in the day. We might need to drain that.” He very gently touched the skin above the bulge, getting a howl from Pete. “Easy, son. Try to relax, heh?” He got closer and removed his glasses from his vest pocket and put them on. “Don’t suppose we have any first aid stuff left have we?”

  “I’ll check.” Tracey got up and went over to the now stacked supplies, opening a plastic box and rooting inside it as the rest of the group slowly dispersed to set up the camp as best they could.

  Kerry gave Pete a gentle scratch between his shoulders. “So sorry you have to suffer like this, Pete. It’s not fair.”

  Pete was now half rolled on his stomach, his head resting on one arm. He looked back at her and smiled a little, tears visible in the lashes of his eyes. “I’ve never gotten hurt like this,” he said. “I mean, you know, sprained my ankle, stuff like that, but nothing like this.”

  “I dislocated my shoulder once, and have had cracked ribs.” Kerry scooted over a little to give Don space. “Of the two, the shoulder was worse.” She offered him one of the water sacks that had a sip spout. “

  Willing to be distracted, Pete focused on her. “How did it happen?”

  “A building was collapsing on top of me,” Kerry said. “I was trying to visit my sister, who was giving birth at the time, while avoiding seeing my parents, and something blew up.”

  Pete blinked at her. “For real?”

  Kerry nodded. “For real. The ceiling came down on us and Dar had to put it back in place. My shoulder I mean. We were trying to get out ahead of a huge fire and not moving wasn’t an option.”

  Don turned his head and looked at her, both eyebrows lifting.

  “But it really hurt,” Kerry said. “Still moves a little weird.”

  “What about the ribs?” Pete asked, peeking back at her.

  Kerry’s face scrunched up a little. “You know, I’m not actually sure I can tell you about that. It might be classified.” She glanced at Dar. “Is it?”

  “Mm.” Dar wrinkled her nose. “You can tell them you slipped and fell into the corner of a raised floor,” she said. “I wouldn’t mention where the raised floor was.”

  “Or about the rats.”

  “Now I’m dying to know,” Pete said. “But thanks for distracting me.”

  Tracey came back with a plastic kit, and put it down next to Don. “Whatever we have is in there,” she said. “Did you say you were in an explosion?” She asked Kerry. “Did I hear that?”

  Dar got up and went over to the fire pit, helping Rich arrange the broken pieces of pine for the campfire. Dave came up and pitched in, both men watching her from the corner of their eyes. It was funny, a little. “That lump looks bad,” she finally said.

  “Yeah, poor kid,” Dave said.

  “You were really going to kick him?” Rich finally gave voice to the question they both obviously wanted to ask her. “I mean, he’s a big guy.”

  Dar considered that, as she continued to break the smaller branches. “Well,” she finally said. “Kerry’s right. We don’t need any more injuries. We might need him at some point.”

  She looked up to find both staring at her with wide, round eyes It made her chuckle audibly. “I would have if he got me mad enough and hadn’t backed down,” she admitted. “I have an ass-hole triggered temper.” She picked up a large, thick main branch and braced her hands on it then brought her knee up sharply and snapped it in two. “Gets me in trouble sometimes, but gets other people in more trouble more often.”

  She put the two pieces down on the back side of the fire and dusted her hands off, somewhat
amused at their expressions. “Not all nerds live in their mom’s basements spending all their time playing video games.”

  Rich gave her a thumbs-up. “Rock on.” He returned to getting the fire started, kneeling and shoving a handful of dried pine needles into the center of the kindling, then striking a match to set them on fire. “Tonight will be a better night.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Dave said. “But wow I’m getting sick of fish.”

  DAR SAT AGAINST the back wall of the little shelter, relatively content with her grilled fish and portion of canned peaches dug up from the box of leftover supplies they had hurriedly grabbed. Kerry was curled up on the ground next to Dar, with her head in Dar’s lap.

  Across from them the fire was sedately burning, the occasional spark popping up into the air. They had moved Pete to the other side of the fire. Don was seated next to him. Don had Dar’s pocketknife in his hand, and was holding the blade in the fire, applying heat in the attempt to sterilize it.

  Everyone was silent. Todd and Amy were in the far corner, watching with noncommittal expressions. Tracey was holding Pete’s hand.

  Dar felt her eyes wanting to close, and she shifted her head a little bit against the folded shirt placed against the rock to provide some small amount of comfort.

  Kerry was already dozing. Dar could feel her steady, even breathing under the arm she had draped over her, their fingers tangled together loosely. She really wanted to join her, but she was also curious about what Don was going to do to help Pete.

  No one could agree if it was a good idea or not. Pete was in the desperate place where he was almost past caring, just wanting something, somehow to relieve the constant pain he was in, made worse by Todd’s asshatery. Don was the closest thing they had to someone who knew what they were doing.

  “Okay,” Don said, having heated the blade up to his satisfaction, and now was watching it cool down. “I’m just going to make the smallest cut possible, to let all that pressure out.”

  Pete nodded briefly. “Okay.”

  Don swiveled around on the small rock he was seated on and then carefully got down onto the ground next to the litter. Marcia was sitting nearby, holding the packet of small antiseptic wipes they had found in the first aid kit, and a roll of gauze.

  It was an almost surreal scene. The light of the one lantern, and the fire, painting everything and everyone in gold and tarnished silver. The rest of the group watching in silence.

  Dar felt a shiver go down her spine and she blinked a few times, tightening her grip on Kerry’s fingers. She watched as Don leaned over Pete’s back, and Tracey winced in reflex seeing the point of the knife press against his skin.

  Don pressed forward, and Pete gasped as the blade pierced his skin. The sound was loud and Dar jerked a little, but then she heard a slight popping sound and her own body tensed as Don’s hand twisted a little to widen the hole he’d made.

  “Oh shit.” Tracey got out from between gritted teeth.

  Dar looked away, not wanting to see the blood, feeling a distinct sense of nausea.

  “Okay, son, its finished,” Don said. “Marcia, give me that gauze.”

  “I’ve got it.” She leaned across and pressed a large wad of the fabric against Pete’s back. “Oh my.”

  Tracey peered over. “Wow.” She watched as Don pulled the gauze back to reveal a mixture of blood and pus that was ochre tinted and profuse. “That’s gross.” She returned her attention to Pete’s face. “There’s all kinds of stuff coming out.”

  Pete let out a long held shuddering breath. “Ohh.” His head fell against his arm and his fist relaxed, fingers spreading out along the pallet. “Boy oh boy.”

  Don applied the gauze again, and shifted, and pressed very gently. “How does that feel?”

  “Better,” Pete said. “Oh my God better.” His voice was weak with relief. “Thank you.”

  Marcia patted Don’s arm. “Good job, honey.”

  “Okay.” Don replaced the gauze with some of the antiseptic wipes, and carefully cleaned the area. “Here’s the problem. This kinda thing, it keeps filling up if you don’t put a drain in it and we don’t have any drains unless someone has some surgical tubing in their gear.” He looked around at the group. “No, huh?”

  Not something they would have packed. Dar thought, regretfully, as she shook her head no. “Nothing in that kit?”

  “It’s just for scrapes,” Janet said. “We lost the big one. We had all kinds of stuff in there, but this is just the basics.”

  Amy got up and went over to their backpacks and knelt.

  “What are you doing?” Todd asked.

  “I have some tubing as part of my water system,” Amy said. She stood up and walked over to where Don was. “I don’t know if this is what you need but...” She handed him something.

  “Hey! You need that!” Todd stood up and scrambled over, but not before Don had taken the item and examined it. “Give me that, old man!”

  Amy got in his way. “Todd, leave it alone,” she said. “It’s mine to give if I want to.” She frowned at him. “Stop being a jerk.”

  Dar’s eyes opened a bit wider, and she slid one booted foot up to get ready to rise. She relaxed, though, as Dave, Rich, Tracey, Sally, and Janet all got up and got behind Amy.

  “Okay fine.” Todd rolled his eyes and went back to his spot, thumping down and extending his legs out across the sandy floor.

  “When you dehydrate don’t come asking me for one of mine.”

  “No problem,” Dar said. “The rest of us will share with her.” She felt a squeeze on her hand and looked down to find Kerry looking up at her through half open eyes.

  Don examined the bit of rubber. “That’ll do I think, young lady. Let me clean it up, and see what we can make of it. Thank you.”

  Amy smiled briefly and went over to the other side of the fire and sat down to feed it some twigs, while the rest of them dispersed and went back to what they’d been doing.

  Kerry wriggled a little bit closer and closed her eyes again. “The Grand Canyon trip to hell, where some men are men, and some women are also men.”

  Dar chuckled softly.

  “And other men are weasels,” Kerry concluded. “I think you’re encouraging them to find their backbones, Dardar.”

  Dar snorted slightly in brief laughter. “Always like to be a bad example.”

  Kerry patted her leg in affection.

  Dar relaxed at last, the gaps in the rocks blocked by boxes, and the fire giving as much of a sense of safety as she reasoned they were going to get. She let her eyes close and felt an almost immediate sense of dislocation as the sounds took on a slight echo.

  It didn’t even seem like it was going to rain.

  THE NEXT THING Dar knew it was morning, and there was a faint pink light catching the edges of their shelter. She was half on her back with her head pillowed on one of their day bags, Kerry pressing up next to her still asleep.

  She blinked a few times, surprised she’d slept through the night. She looked around the little campsite and saw the rest had done so as well.

  It was quiet, and across from her she could see the faint glow from the banked fire that had burned down, and the air held a damp chill. She heard wind whistling through the stone walls, and far off, the waterfall hitting the ground across the valley.

  Kerry stirred and rolled over, hiking herself up on her elbows as she regarded their surroundings. “Morning.”

  “Morning,” Dar said. “That wasn’t completely awful.”

  “Wasn’t completely awful.” Kerry sat up and twisted her body back and forth. “Want to take a walk?” She lifted one of their day bags and looked at Dar in question. “Be the first at the watering hole?”

  Dar nodded and gave her a thumbs-up.

  They both stood up, trying hard to be quiet, and walked around the rest of the sleeping camp to step over the cooler, and emerge into the canyon. The sun wasn’t yet visible, but the sky was painted in golds and corals, and the effect on
the stark landscape made them both stop and just look.

  “Wow.” Kerry took in a breath of the cool air.

  They continued walking, crossing the center and turning up toward the water, the pressure of its passing having carved out a little channel overnight.

  There were birds overhead, and Dar glanced up at them as they drew close to the pool near the wall. She felt the spray, carried with the wind, dampen her face. “What a difference a morning makes,” she said, holding out one hand to catch the water.

  Kerry smiled, and put the day bag down, going over and putting her own hands under the flow, testing its temperature. “That’s not actually too bad.” She stripped out of her jacket and put it on the rock then studied the water. “Its less than yesterday.”

  “No rain last night.” Dar also removed her jacket. “I think I feel like a shower,” she said.

  Kerry quickly looked around. “Um.” She glanced back to find Dar removing her shoes. “You know, hon...” She started to say, then stopped, deciding on a slight shrug instead. “You know what? Me too.”

  Dar grinned and pulled her shirt off, then her pants, then she removed a tube of the biodegradable soap they’d brought and stepped under the water. It was cool, and made her inhale sharply, but she squeezed a bit of the soap out and scrubbed her skin with a sense of pleasure.

  Though she’d spent most of the previous day damp it felt good to get clean, and a moment later it felt even better as Kerry joined her and took the tube from her hand. She smiled as their bodies pressed against each other and she reached around to scrub Kerry’s back as her partner did the same for her.

  It was too cold to completely enjoy, but the contrast of the chill of the water and the warmth of the skin touching provided a moment of intense sensation, and she took the opportunity to kiss Kerry, as the water pounded down on them.

  It was like a massage, a little, and Dar surrendered herself to the experience. Kerry’s hand dropped lightly to her thigh and the chill was driven back by sensual heat.