Lost on Jord

by Allan Joyal

  "I'm surprised it didn't wake me up."

  "Not likely. Because the way the wind blows, I couldn't hear them from the fire, so I moved over to the stone, and could just barely hear them from here. I'm sure that they were loud up there, but our clearing was shielded from the noises." Albert gently kicked a rock into the coals, sending up a small shower of sparks.

  I was going to say more when Eddie roused himself. The groans and complaints as he shifted his body from the ground and sat up were loud and angry. "Where's my coffee?"

  Two other angry voices quickly joined his. I tried to ignore the complaints and looked for Martha. The young woman proved to be sitting up on the far side of the coals. She smiled and began cutting the steak saved from the night before.

  Victoria was the next to speak. "We don't have any coffee. If you want water, you can take a drink from the stream. I'm afraid we don't have cups though. If you saved the plastic from the bottle you used yesterday, you can use that to collect some."

  "Drink stream water," Elizabeth spat. "I'd never drink anything so contaminated and vile."

  Lisa Little walked over and picked up the empty water bottle that Elizabeth had drunk from the night before. She ran a finger along the label. "Pure mountain spring water."

  Elizabeth snatched the bottle away. "Get away, you mangy trollop! So you proved you can read a label. You always had trouble with legal documents."

  Lisa froze as if smacked and then returned to near the fire. Behind me, I could hear Steve sigh as he sat up. "That woman is going to be a problem," he whispered.

  I nodded. Martha was circling the fire and handing out small cuts of cooked steak. I claimed my share and ate quickly as the rest of the group got to their feet and walked around. Groans and moans made it clear that the hard ground and cold night had left joints stiff and unresponsive. I rotated my arms several times to get the blood flowing before getting up and walking over to the packs.

  Martha had followed me over to the packs. "I feel a bit stupid right now."

  "How so?" I asked as I examined the packs.

  "We could probably have used some sticks to hold the meat over the fire. I thought about it when I woke up. We were going to be at a bonfire on the beach and planned on roasting marshmallows over a fire. We could have just used sticks to roast the meat."

  I nodded. "Well, how awake were we when we finally stopped? We probably walked for miles while stressed because of where we are, and none of us are experts in survival. We did the best we could."

  "But I also should have been able to get more meat from the deer. It wasn't that small, but I think we only got about twenty-five pounds of meat. And now that I think about it, we might have tried to cut the skin to carry more meat."

  "Want to do that now?" I asked.

  Martha shook her head. "I checked it this morning. My butcher's job last night must have released something from some glands or whatever. The meat smells rancid now."

  I gave her a quick hug. "We won't tell anyone," I whispered. Martha accepted the hug. After giving me a light squeeze, she returned to the coals to gather up her cloak and some empty water bottles. I watched her go and then knelt by the packs again.

  No one had touched the packs during the night. Most of the contents proved to be packages of dried or salted foods. I counted up the packages and estimated that there was enough to provision our group for about 3 days if rationed carefully. Both packs also had multiple full waterskins. I could not identify the three other packages that remained. I took the first and opened it.

  The package had been made from stiff leather and once I opened it I found four shaped rocks. Two appeared to be made of a gray metal and had been roughed up considerably. The other two were of a black and gray stone. I guessed as to what the purpose was and carefully set the package down. I then picked up one of each kind of rock and struck them together sharply. I was rewarded with a small shower of sparks.

  "Neat," I heard a voice say. I looked up to find Heather standing in front of me with a rolled up fur. She held it towards me. "I figured you'd want to attach this to the pack before we set out."

  "I can do that. I see you like the fire starting equipment I found. At least I hope that it's for fire starting. The sparks suggest that." Reaching up, I took the bedroll from Heather and began tying it to the pack. The process was quick, and then I repacked both packs, putting the two packages I had not yet identified in last so they could be investigated at our next stop. Once both packs were filled, I held one up to her. "Want one?"

  Heather shook her head. She raised her right hand and I noticed she was holding the axe she had found the day before. "No, I think having one coed with a weapon might keep the libidos of a couple cavemen from exploding. I can give it to Jennifer though, what about the other one?"

  "Steve will take the other one so that Ron can lead us and carry the spear." The voice was a bit rough and Steve coughed as he walked up to us. I handed him the pack, and he slung it on his back. The pack smacked against him awkwardly. For a moment I thought he would fall, but with the strain showing on his face he steadied the pack and slid his free arm through the straps.

  Heather sighed. "So where do we go?"

  I looked over at the fire. The other coeds had gathered up the remaining cloaks and were distributing them for carrying. All were avoiding William and Eddie, who stood apart from the group, an angry red handprint adorning the right side of William's face.

  Lydia was glaring at the man. When she turned to face me, there was a fierce scowl on her face. "That toad is even worse than Eddie the Ego. He tried to force Lisa this morning. At least she decided to show some spark and slapped him."

  I sighed and shook my head. William and Eddie were not my favorite people, but open conflict in our small group was not going to help in the days ahead. I did see that Elizabeth was helping the coeds rather than standing with the two men. From the expressions on the faces of those near her, she was not a very welcome assistant, but she tried and appeared to listen to Martha and Victoria when they spoke to her.

  The group finally straggled over to stand near me. Heather walked to stand just to my right. "We're ready to go. Which way do we head from here?"

  I looked up at the road, which cut along the hillside above us. "We know that the inhabitants of this land use the road. I don't think we want to try to climb back to it, but it's clearly heading off that direction," I pointed across the clearing to the stream and beyond. "It makes sense that if we travel that way, either the road will cross our path, or we'll find another trail to follow."

  "Or the road could bend off to the left of our path and we never realize it," William spat. "Your suggestion is foolish. We need a plan."

  "My plan is simple. We don't have enough food to last more than a day or two so we need to find more. The only item we have to hunt with is the crossbow, and none of us really know how to butcher and cook what we find. Martha did great last night, but we still left a lot of meat behind. Meat that will probably attract scavengers."

  "But no insects," Lydia observed. "I haven't seen any kind of fly or other bug. It's very strange."

  I noticed a couple others nodding. William glared at me, locking his gaze on mine in a battle of wills, but looked away without saying anything.

  "Right," I said. "Now I suggest that we try to buddy up and walk in pairs. I'll take the lead. Steve, I suggest that you and Lydia take the rear. Don't ready the crossbow, but have it out. I know it takes time to load, but it's our only range weapon."

  Eddie opened his mouth and turned to the coeds, as Heather grabbed my arm. He never said a word though as Jennifer and Natalie joined hands, the two Lisa's joined arms and Esme hugged Victoria from behind.

  "That's bull," William spat. "One of you should be buddies with me. I can help you over and around obstacles."

  Elizabeth laughed. "Like yesterday when Steve, Ron, and Albert did all the work. Albert, I know I'm not a sexy coed, but do you think you could escort an old lawyer around without embarra
ssing yourself?"

  Albert nodded. "I can do that."

  "Great," I said. "Anyone with plastic bottles can fill them as we cross the stream. After that we'll try to find a trail. Let's go."

  I started off. Heather skipped forward to catch up with me, holding the axe before her in both hands. Eddie and William muttered a bit, but soon everyone was stumbling over to the stream.

  At the stream, I bent down to fill a pair of plastic bottles Heather had handed me. The water was clear and cold, much like any stream I had seen on my rare camping trips. I did not see any fish in the water. As the bottles filled, I looked around and noticed that there appeared to be an absence of any water-dwelling insects as well. This bothered me, but I said nothing. Once the bottles were filled, I drank from one and returned it to the water to fill it a second time.

  The others had spread out along the stream to fill bottles and drink their fill. Elizabeth grumbled about the lack of filtration and all the germs she was sure were present, but she drank all she could.

  The stream did not appear to be very deep. A glance upstream revealed a small cluster of stones that looked like they would allow us to cross without getting our feet wet.

  The crossing required stepping on two relatively flat rocks that sat in the stream. The first one was about three inches out of the water. The sun-dried surface was rough enough to grip any shoes easily, and the leap to this rock was uneventful. The second was just barely out of the water, and its surface was slick with algae and spray. I slid slightly upon landing and quickly jumped again to land on the far side of the stream.

  I stumbled a bit on landing. It took stabbing the spear into the ground to steady my feet. Once stable, I turned around to see Heather standing on the dry rock, the axe held in front of her in both hands.

  "Move, please. I don't want to stumble into you," she said nervously.

  I scrambled to the side and then watched as she jumped forward to the slick rock and again onto the shore. Her landing on the shore was even less secure than mine. As she fell forward, her right arm flashed out, tossing the axe to the side. Twisting her body to the left, she tumbled onto the ground. The loose cloak she was wearing billowed up and out to cover her body.

  "Heather!" I cried and dashed over to her. I found her on her knees crouched facing away from the stream. Muffled sounds came from beneath the cloak and I knelt down. She lifted her face to show that she was taking in deep breaths and giggling.

  "Oh, that was fun," she said as she stood up. "Better than any roller coaster." She looked me in the eye for a moment, challenging me with her gaze. I stared long enough for her to nod and then looked down.

  Nothing was said, but a small smirk crossed her face. She could see that I had noticed that my sport coat had fallen open. The bikini top she had been wearing was twisted and I was having a far too close look at her charms. Deliberately I looked over her shoulder at the rest of the group. They were milling around in confusion.

  "I think I can help the rest of you," I said. "I'll hold the spear out and you can grab it before jumping on the slippery rock. This should make the final jump a bit less of an adventure."

  "Aww, but I was looking forward to you picking me up from the ground after I stumble," Esme flirted.

  Heather giggled and stepped around me, allowing my body to shield her from view. She pushed me forward with her hip as her hands moved up to fix her clothing. I walked to the edge of the stream. Once there, I reversed the spear so I was holding it near the blade and stretched the shaft out over the water.

  Esme was next to jump to the first rock. I had to stretch out over the water for her to reach the spear, and she was leaning a bit when she grabbed it. However, the effort proved worthwhile. With the spear there to steady her on the next two jumps, she easily crossed the water, landing softly on the bank. Once across, she moved quickly to stand next to Heather, who had retrieved her axe and was now looking into the woods.

  Esme's successful jump clearly inspired the others, and the rest of the coeds quickly followed. Elizabeth then pulled away from Eddie, who had been trying to chat her up, and jumped to the dry rock. She swayed alarmingly while reaching for the spear, but the instant she grabbed it she jumped forward to the next rock and then performed a flip to get to the shore. The pressure on the spear nearly ripped it from my hands, and I dropped to my knees to avoid losing it.

  The rest of the group gasped as Elizabeth put her arms above her head like some teen gymnast after landing a vault. She had a huge smile on her face and waved back at Eddie before skipping over to stand by me.

  "Reliving a past life?" I asked sardonically.

  "Only a misspent childhood," Elizabeth said as Albert jumped to the rock and reached out to grab the spear. "My parents wanted me to be in the Olympics and forced me to take gymnastics from the time I was five until I graduated high school. I enjoyed it, but hated competing."

  "You compete now," I replied as Albert landed on the shore.

  "In some ways, in others I can't," Elisabeth replied. At this point William jumped forward to the dry rock. I was a bit distracted by Elizabeth and was surprised when William grasped the spear and attempted to yank it from my hands.

  His weight dragged my torso forward, but after Elizabeth's flip I had found a rock on the shore I could use to anchor my left foot. I shifted my weight to that foot and levered my body away from the shoreline. William fought against my momentum, but the rock was smooth and small. With William having no way to gain leverage, I pulled him from his feet, causing him to fall on his face in the stream.

  The splash stopped all conversation as everyone looked at the man lying in the stream. He arose from the water sputtering and angry.

  "Damn you! I should be in charge! I'm worth more than the rest of you combined, even with the rates that bitch Elizabeth charges her clients. Why should this salesman be in charge? He wasn't even in charge of the salesmen at the company he worked for. Eddie was in charge," William screamed.

  The man staggered to his feet and waded ashore, splashing me several times but making sure to stay away from the spear. His conservative gray suit was covered with algae. Smears of brown mud now marred the formerly immaculate appearance of the man. No one helped him as he struggled to shore and then marched stiffly upstream before sitting on a large rock.

  I watched him go and then held out the spear for Eddie. "Well, former boss, it's your turn. Can you get across dry, unlike your new best friend?"

  Eddie scowled and made the leap to the first stone. I attempted to hold the spear steady for him to reach, but his hands described circles around the shaft until I finally leaned forward and smacked the butt end of the spear into his hand. Reflexively he grabbed it, but he did not pull back.

  "Jump you idiot!" Steve shouted from behind him.

  Eddie jumped to the second rock. His momentum had him falling off. I could see him trying to gather his energy for a second leap and I twisted my body to pull the spear toward the shore. Somehow he managed to put enough of a jump together and cleared the water, falling to his face on the grass at the shoreline where he lay gasping.

  "Oh god. He's useless," Elizabeth groaned. "Any of you coeds want to help me drag him away so the others can join?"

  No one spoke to acknowledge her challenge, but Jennifer and Lisa Rhodes did come forward. The trio struggled with the bulky body of Eddie, but after rolling him onto his back, they managed to drag him from the shore.

  Only Lisa Little, Steve, and Lydia remained on the far shore. Lisa went next. She had some trouble with her balance and nearly joined William in the water, but managed to reach the shore safely. Steve then took the crossbow from Lydia and allowed her to cross. Her crossing was without incident.

  I was going to reach out with the spear one last time when Steve shook his head. "Don't bother. I have to hold the crossbow. And if I get wet, I'll survive; the water isn't that cold."

  I nodded and stepped back. Steve managed the first jump easily. He then seemed to measure the dis
tance to the second rock before changing his angle and jumping from the rock direct to the shore. The coeds all gasped that he attempted what looked like a fourteen-foot jump, but Steve managed to stretch out his left leg and put his foot on the shore. As he was falling into the water, he then brought his right leg forward and fell forward onto the grass. It was a spectacular leap, and the coeds gave him an ovation as he got back on his feet and handed the crossbow to Lydia.

  I looked around at the group. Everyone appeared to be gravitating to their buddy except for William, who was still sitting on the rock with his arms crossed across his chest. I turned away from the stream and thrust my left arm forward. "Let's move out!" I cried, setting off a storm of giggles from the coeds.

  Heather fell into step just to the left of me. The sport coat was buttoned back up and pulled closed over her bikini top. She noticed my gaze and blushed slightly, but looked directly at me. I thought she was about to say something when Elizabeth appeared to my right and spoke.

  "You don't like me, do you?"

  I shrugged as I turned my gaze forward, scanning the forest for any trails we could follow. "I don't know you. And what I've seen so far suggests that you aren't the nicest person here."

  "I never claimed to be," she said, preening. "But I am smart and have experience being in charge."

  Heather leaned forward so she could look directly at Elizabeth. "We are lost in a forest, on a planet that makes no sense to us. You've already shown that you don't know any of the skills we've needed so far. I haven't seen you making any suggestions or attempting to help the others with anything. We need someone who does more than just delegate right now."

  Elizabeth took a deep breath and appeared ready to argue. I grasped the spear in my left hand and thrust my right at her, palm first. "No! I know you want to strike back, but if you ever want to lead, you can't."