by J R Hogan
She folded her arms, keeping the briefcase close to her chest. “How far is it from here?”
I frowned. “Maybe ten minutes while running, twenty or thirty while walking. But with this,” I looked down at the bags, “I’m not sure. I think we’re going to have to ferry them back and forth. It’s a lot to move, even with two of us.”
“Not strong enough by yourself?” she asked.
That’s exactly the type of question that kept me off guard. What was I supposed to say? Agreement gave her the upper hand and made me look helpless, but denial was setting myself up for self-contradiction and failure. The only option was to draw on my professorial skills in rhetoric in an attempt to find the perfect witty response that made me seem clever while maintaining control of the truth.
“Um,” I began, “nope.”
She held my gaze another moment before looking at the sky. “And how much longer do we have before sunset?”
I looked down at my feet. “Probably less time than it’s going to take to find our camp while carrying this equipment.” I stared up at her figure; she was the only person I’d ever met whose curves could fill out a lab coat in just the right way. “You’re not really dressed for jungle exploration.”
She walked confidently over to the duffel bags and evaluated them. “Mark, I spend every day in the lab wearing a dress and heels because Melvin Stringer was only willing to give me a chance if I was at a disadvantage.” She lifted the first duffel with surprising strength. “I’ve spent my life being underestimated by men, and I learned long ago to turn that to my advantage. Now. Which way forward?”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
TOC
Chastity slipped off the fallen log as I tried to catch her, but my own footing was wrong. The two of us collapsed in a heap as the duffels crashed to the ground by my head.
“Ow,” I grunted.
“I hate to judge your pathfinding skills,” she heaved, “but I get the distinct impression that you’re not one hundred percent sure where we’re going.”
I sat up, gasping for breath. “I’ve got one large backpack strapped to my chest, another one on my back, and I’m carrying a duffel that weighs more than I did at age ten.” I sighed. “I’m not lost. It’s just much slower going than I’d hoped. If you’d let me carry the briefcase, we could re-distribute our loads-”
“No thanks,” she shot back. “It’s almost completely dark. Are you sure you can find your way back? Did you think to bring a flashlight in this mountain of garbage?”
“Yes, I’ve got one in my camping backpack,” I snapped. “Chastity, you know this jungle is filled with dinosaurs. Do you really want to poke around in the dark with a spotlight on ourselves for the viewing pleasure of every nocturnal predator?”
I couldn’t see her expression in the fading light. “Fine. What do you suggest?”
I stood, gathering the luggage together as much as possible. “We’ll be able to move quickly after the sun rises, but I think we should call it a night. I’ve got a sleeping bag and blanket. We can make do until morning.”
“Lovely,” she responded. “Just – just lovely.” Her voice betrayed rare vulnerability that seemed genuine. While I took everything that Chastity Wiggum said with a grain of salt, I really did want to believe that she was being authentic in that moment.
“So – look, Chastity, if you say that Melvin tricked you into coming with me, I’m open to believing-”
“Mark,” she cut me off, her voice quiet, “please just shut up and get the blanket.”
I didn’t know what to say, so the wisest option was to say nothing at all.
The sleeping gear was tricky to extricate in the dwindling light, but I managed to get everything set up without resorting to the flashlight. By the time I was done, night had set in.
I had, of course, made sure to keep the weapons bag close by while I was working. I’d put the AR-15 and katana back inside; with all my eggs sitting in one basket, I wasn’t going to let that bag out of my sight.
“Now what?” she demanded. “I don’t suppose you thought to pack any water bottles?”
“No,” I retorted, forcing myself to remain calm, “there are several freshwater streams nearby, and I have a purifying straw, as well as tincture of iodine for emergencies. I had enough to carry without heavy, redundant resources. Why didn’t you ask for water before it got dark?”
I took her momentary silence to mean that she was sulking.
“Well, how about a toothbrush? If you didn’t pack something so basic, then what do you have in this metric ton of luggage?”
“Obviously, I have toothbrushes,” I responded through gritted teeth. “Brand new ones. Of course, accepting such a gift from me would be implicit acknowledgement that you’re depending on us, since you clearly can’t take care of yourself without help. You’re happy to take advantage of us when we’re defenseless, but expect kindness when it suits your needs.”
We brushed our teeth in silence.
“So what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?” she asked after we finished stumbling around in the dark. “It’s way too hot to use a sleeping bag, and I noticed that you only packed one pillow and one tiny air mattress.”
“Well, Chastity,” I snapped, “this was the best I could do on short notice. It seems that the people turning my life upside down didn’t even give me the courtesy of adequate warning, so I had to make do with what I had on hand, which is camping gear for one.” I stepped closer, seething. “Do you really think you’re the only one who’s been hurt because you let someone get too close? Is that why you’re so self-centered? I’ll have you know that I’d learned to be completely self-sufficient until these four women made me-”
I stopped, unable to go any further.
She waited.
And then Chastity found me in the dark and hugged me close. I hated her, and I hated that I needed someone to hug in that moment.
“I’m so sorry, Mark. You’re right. About me, about everything. I’m so sorry that I hurt you.”
She squeezed tight, then let me go, and I missed her warmth as soon as she released me.
“So,” she breathed, “we’ll just have to share a blanket. We’ll make it work.”
There wasn’t enough light to see how much of her outfit she stripped off.
I kicked off my shoes and grappled around for the covers.
“Mark,” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“That’s my breast.”
I recoiled like I’d burned my hand, unsure of what to do next.
But there was nothing else to do except try again. Chastity’s hand quickly found mine, and she guided me safely to my target. The only way to share the narrow mattress was by spooning her, and sharing the pillow meant burying my face in her red-brown locks that smelled like licorice. I didn’t want to find out how much she had disrobed, so I kept my hands above the blankets. But I could feel her nylon-clad legs gently scraping mine like the delicate bow of a violinist hitting just the right strings. I considered moving away from her, but my left hand was perfectly positioned to grab the weapons bag in case of an emergency, so I didn’t want to budge. I figured that it would probably just be easier to stay up all night, and that’s the last thing I remembered.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TOC
“He definitely fucked her.”
I opened my eyes independently of one another.
I usually prefer to collect my thoughts before waking up, but instinct told me that I had to act first and think much later.
I wheeled around, caught my legs in the blanket, fell, swore, stood, untangled my legs, and looked for the intruder.
It took several seconds to remember where I was. Once I did, I realized that I should have grabbed the guns before standing. I swore again and turned around.
Daisy, Ling, and Sarah stood before me, their faces grim. My heart soared, and I lunged to greet them.
I
stopped upon realizing that they weren’t returning my gesture. The feeling of wrongness throbbed, growing into physical pain.
I’d never felt such a longing as what those six hours of uncertainty had produced. Now that three of the women were within reach, it hurt to hold back.
But their embrace would mean nothing if they didn’t feel the same way toward me.
“What – what’s wrong?” I asked, my words slurred with fresh sleep. “Is Jessica okay?”
“Jessica’s fine,” Daisy said as she lowered her bamboo spear. She folded her arms while the other two remained stock-still.
My stomach sank.
Slowly, I turned around to see Chastity sitting up. She was wearing nothing but a lacy white bra, panties, garter belt, and nylons.
Slower still, I turned back to the women. “It’s not – we just slept together.”
“Clearly,” Daisy retorted.
“Um,” I answered, “but we didn’t sleep together.”
Of all the terrible times for the stilted, awkward-middle-school-version of myself to make an appearance, this was probably the single worst.
“It’s fine, Daisy,” Ling answered in an ice-cold voice. “It’s not like he was committed to any of us. He’s free to do whatever he wants.”
“Or whomever,” Daisy answered, her face etched in disappointment.
“I – we didn’t – there isn’t anything between us, I promise. I’m not attracted – we didn’t do anything-”
“Then why is your rail spike about to rip a hole in your jeans?” Daisy pressed.
I stared down at my crotch in horror. “It - it’s, um, just morning wood. It doesn’t mean anyth-”
“Mark, could you help me find my clothes?” Chastity called from behind me.
I squeezed my eyes shut in fury.
Then I heard the three women turning to walk away.
“Wait. Wait! Please, Daisy, Sarah, Ling, I came back for you, I came with supplies!”
Ling stopped, looked back, and raised an eyebrow.
I leapt to the nearest bag and opened it. “We have enough toiletries to last – I don’t know a long time, look – toothpaste, toilet paper, tampons-”
“You bought tampons?” Ling asked, stepping closer.
“Yes, I knew you would need – I didn’t know what brand would be best, so I just grabbed some of each,” I babbled.
“So what’s in the other bags?” Daisy added, arms still folded.
I leapt to the second duffel and unzipped it. “Enough to start a functioning kitchen. I hope you like Gatorade powder,” I pressed.
“Why?” Ling asked without emotion.
“Well they didn’t have any other brand, and I’ve always liked their Lemonade flavor-”
“No,” Ling cut me off. “Why did you just disappear on us? Why did you come back? And why did you bring her?”
I turned around to see Chastity adjusting the dress around her thighs.
I looked at each of the three women in turn. “Because I had to. There was no other choice.”
“So staying with us wasn’t a choice. Got it,” Daisy answered, trying to hide the fact that she was wiping away a tear.
“NO!” I shouted, falling to my knees in and clutching two fistfuls of my hair. “The way I traveled wasn’t a choice! I didn’t know how to get back home until the last second, and she was tricked into coming with me. Everything – everything has been for you-” I pointed at the bags.
When I tried to speak again, I found that I couldn’t. My head burned and my throat was clamped shut.
I didn’t immediately recognize that I was on the verge of tears.
“Well then,” Ling answered, her voice cool, “welcome back.” She stepped toward me and held out a hand.
I took it and got to my feet, the burning edges of hope almost breaking through. I cupped her cheeks and slowly leaned in for a kiss.
“We’re not there yet,” she answered quickly.
“Right,” I responded, hopping back.
Nobody spoke for several seconds, so I decided to grab one of the bags. “We’ve got enough equipment here to set up an elaborate camp, so if we could all work together to-”
“Wait,” Ling interrupted, “what about her?”
We all turned to face Chastity, who was buttoning up her lab coat with a smile.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TOC
“Don’t worry, Chastity can carry more than you’d think,” I offered.
“No,” Ling responded with a shake of her head, “I mean what are we supposed to do with her?”
Chastity walked confidently toward us. “Oh, trust me, little girl, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here. But where else can I go – out to fight the dinosaurs by myself?”
“Works for me,” Ling shot back.
“I never assumed you were on the Honor Roll, but even a mediocre student should be able to see the disadvantage in that plan. I’m the one who knows most about what’s happening. Do you really want to make an enemy of me?”
Daisy lifted her spear. “You say that like you’re a threat,” she snapped, the tip of her weapon trembling. “But there are four of us, and one of you.”
Was she including Jessica as the fourth, or me? My head buzzed with the hidden layers of female messages that flew over and under the heads of the men who loved them as I tried to regain control of my thoughts.
Chastity laughed and pulled up her briefcase.
“We have guns!” I shouted.
Everyone froze.
“Enough for each person. Ideal against dinosaurs, inevitably catastrophic in fights with other armed people. She’s got a gun in the briefcase, remember?”
“Okay,” Ling announced, lifting her hands, “enough with the surprises. We’re going to help you get back to camp, and then you both will tell us everything. Understood?”
I had opened my mouth to speak when Chastity interrupted, a tone of dawning realization in her voice. “You’ve seen his dick, haven’t you?”
Ling folded her arms. “Yes. And the only reason I’m open to hearing his side of the story is that it’s obvious you tried to do the same and failed.”
• • •
“The Asian girl has quite a mouth on her,” Chastity complained as she ducked under a tree.
My heart beat faster as my crotch flooded with warmth at that comment. I cleared my throat. “Her name is ‘Ling.’ Stop calling her ‘the Asian.’”
Chastity grunted as she pressed down on a low log and vaulted slowly, awkwardly over it in her narrow dress, lab coat, and heels.
“You could walk easier if you split the dress, you know. Or at least accept my offer to borrow my shoes.”
She scoffed as she snatched the briefcase up and walked onward. “I have no desire to look like these three, thank you very much.”
I glanced at Sarah, Daisy, and Ling. Sarah had wordlessly put on the camping backpack as Ling and Daisy lifted one of the duffels between them, and the three had moved ahead to separate themselves from the two of us. I was clearly not out of the doghouse yet, and knew enough to let them have their space. The three of them were moving expertly through the foliage, bending their lithe bodies around every obstacle that caused Chastity to stop and struggle. They, of course, were dressed very differently, but seemed perfectly content with that fact. Daisy still wore her thin t-shirt and very short shorts; Sarah had somehow kept her blouse and skirt looking sharp and well-kempt; and Ling wore nothing but a black bra and matching panties. Ling had black socks while the other two were barefoot, but they navigated the deceitful terrain to find the softest dirt possible, seemingly by instinct. Chastity had no such luck, as her high heels clearly had become an enormous liability. Fortunately for her, she only needed to carry her own briefcase, as I had insisted on not letting her hold the weapons, and I didn’t feel right leaving her to haul the heavy duffel bag.
“They look like women who’ve ad
apted to an unforgiving environment much better than you have,” I answered.
Chastity grunted. “Well, I guess it shows just how little it takes to win you over. And here I thought you had standards.”
I stopped and blocked her advance. “Chastity, you have been nothing but a bitch to these women. They’re only here in the first place because you dismissed them as collateral damage. Now listen to me very carefully,” I whispered. Our eyes met. “You will stop insulting them, totally and completely, and you will treat them with respect, or I will remove that briefcase from you and leave you to be dinosaur fodder. No amount of information that you have is worth disrespecting the women in my life. Tell me that you understand, or pay the consequence immediately.”