Southern Stars

by Melissa Good

  He called down the slope. “Hey?”

  Dar hauled one of the shaken crew to her feet. “You okay?”

  The girl was covered in dust, and her knees had lurid scrapes on them. “What the hell was that!” She turned to her companion, a short red headed teenager still seated on the ground. “Pete, you okay?”

  The boy grimaced. “My ass is broken. I landed on my tailbone.” He cautiously rolled over and pushed himself to his feet, hissing. “Oh shit.”

  Dar went over and grabbed his arm as he started to waver. “I’ll help you get up there.” She got one arm around him as he limped forward.

  “I’ll help too.” The girl went to the other side and took his arm. “I just got a few bangs. I landed on my head, lucky me.”

  Dar frowned. “That’s not lucky.”

  The girl smiled at her. “Just kidding. I landed on my knees and side and rolled. Just road rash.” She indicated her legs. “I ride a bike at home, I know how to fall.”

  Above them, Kerry stood watching, and then Todd appeared at her side. He had a rope circling his shoulders. “Two more people went down up ahead,” Kerry yelled down. “One of them was Janet.”

  “Oh, fuckety do dah,” Pete muttered. “Maybe she fell on her mouth.”

  Dar hastily stifled a laugh. “Toss the rope down,” she called up to Todd. “He hurt his lower back.”

  Todd shook his head, but did as he was asked, throwing the end of the rope down and then backing up a step and bracing his legs as he positioned the rope across his shoulders and around his waist, ready to belay them up the slope.

  Kerry slid past him and started up the path. “I’ll check it out.”

  Dar looped the rope around Pete’s chest and they started to climb, Todd taking in the slack and pulling as they did to help the effort. Dar took hold of an outcropping and hauled herself up, then she levered her body up onto the path and turned to grab Pete’s hands to help him upward. “Easy.”

  “Ow.” Pete grimaced as he got one knee up on the path and then was up onto it. He rolled onto his side. “Son of a bitch that hurts.”

  The rest of the crew gathered around him and helped him to his feet, and the girl, Tracy, came scrambling up after him, dusting herself off.

  Amy came trotting down the path. “They’re going to need some med there,” she told Todd. “Not sure we can keep going.”

  “Figures.” Dar shouldered past her and moved up the path and the two turned and followed her.

  They reached the bend in the path and came around it, to a wider area where the rest of the group was gathered. Two people were seated on the ground, Janet and Sally, and there was blood visible.

  Kerry knelt in front of Janet, talking to her. A moment later she turned and met Dar’s eyes. “Hon, they’re going to need the first aid kit.”

  “They need it down there too,” Dar responded, looking around at the watchers. “But I’m sure someone can go get some bandages.” Her eyebrows hiked.

  “Right,” Rich started and hurried past. Dar heard the snort from Todd, who was just behind her.

  Janet had a cut across one knee that looked deep and painful. As Dar came closer she could see how pale the woman was. “That might need stitches,” she said. “Anyone here a medic?”

  Everyone stood there in an awkward silence. Then Dar folded her arms. “Someone want to go up the trail and find a place to camp? I think our trek’s done for today.” Her voice changed, a little. Maybe even unconsciously. “Anyone?”

  “We’ll check,” Todd said, after the silence had lengthened and become uncomfortable. “C’mon, babe.” He reseated his rope and moved past them, the rest drawing aside to let him by. “See if we can find a crick, too. Need some water for that.”

  Kerry suppressed a smile. Just like that Dar had stepped into the void of leadership, and even Todd, the asshole, had accepted it. “Let's get you moved into the shade,” Kerry said. “Give me a hand, guys.” She waved the rest of the group forward. “Over there, against the wall in case some other wildlife decides to come flying at us.”

  Dave joined her immediately and he and Kerry carefully helped Janet up.

  “Let's get the rest of the gear up here,” Dar said to the rest of the them. “C’mon.” She turned and started down the path and they all followed, with an air of something like relief.

  THE SUN WAS starting to go behind the rock walls when Todd and Amy returned. Rich had just finished an awkward attempt at stitching up Janet’s knee, and it was hard to say which one of them had suffered more from it. Janet won points, however, for grit as she had her mouth and eyes clamped shut and made no sound of discomfort.

  They were all gathered in the wide area of the trail, the supplies piled up around them for a meager kind of protection.

  Todd went right over to Dar. “We’re screwed,” he said without preamble. “There’s a cave up ahead, but no one’s gonna make it up to the entrance except maybe me and Amy. It’s thirty foot up. This is pretty much as good as it’ll get.” He indicated the wide area.

  “You can’t use the cave anyway,” Tracy said. “That’s a medicine cave. It’s off limits.”

  “Okay,” Dar said. “Let's make the best shelter we can in case it starts raining again.” She eyed Todd. “Cave nearby?” He nodded. “Let me go look at it.”

  “I said you can’t use it,” Tracy repeated.

  Dar turned and regarded her. “If it’s between some rule, and survival, the rule loses,” she said, flatly. “Besides if they get pissed at us maybe they’ll report us and we can get the hell out of here.” She motioned Todd to move forward and he did, with a smirk.

  “That's not cool.” Tracy frowned, but made no move to interfere, and instead started rummaging in the supplies for a folded tarp.

  Kerry looked around. “I’m going to go find whatever wood I can to make a fire,” she said. “Anyone up for that?” She was pleased when Rich and Dave joined her, and two of the crew as well. They trooped up the path, to where there was an outcropping of weathered trees and scrub grass visible.

  DAR STARED UP at the side of the cliff, where the entrance to the cave was very visible. “Huh.”

  “No one’s getting up there,” Todd said, both hands clenched around the rope still circling his neck. “I mean most of those dipshits won’t.” He regarded the wall thoughtfully. “There’s some hand holds.”

  Dar folded her arms over her chest. “Yeah, I can’t see it happening,” she said, with a regretful sigh.

  Dar looked to the left of the entrance, where a splash of green was visible. “That water?”

  Todd looked where she was pointing. “Maybe.”

  “That might be more useful than the cave.” Dar started toward it. “Let’s find out.” She started up off the pathway, through a slide of rocks toward the bottom of the wall.

  “Right behind ya.” Todd started up the slope after her, his climbing shoes giving him solid purchase. “Don't have to ask me twice.”

  Closer to the wall, Dar could now see pictographs, faded and yet with pungent color against the flat part of the wall. “That say keep out?”

  Todd just laughed.

  KERRY GAVE THE rope tied to the edge of the tarp a tug, and stepped back. The blue fabric was providing a bit of shelter, enough to cover where they were sitting. Janet was laying on a folded piece of canvas, and Pete was curled up on his side next to her, in obvious pain.

  Not good. Kerry went over to where they’d dropped their harvest of wood, and both Rich and Dave were putting stones in a circle in preparation to using it.

  They heard the scuff of boots and looked up to find Dar and Todd returning, both holding water bottles that dripped faintly on the rocky ground.

  “Good news,” Dar said. “We found some water.” She held up the bottle. “Might want to get everything filled up.”

  Several of the crew stood up and came over, looking relieved. “We’ve got purification tabs,” Tracy said. “Where is it?”

  “Just below that
cave,” Dar said. “It’s coming out of a crack in the wall. You can see the green stuff near it.”

  Tracy grabbed her water bottle and headed off with the rest of the crew behind her, and a scattering of the passengers. Dar came over to where Kerry was and they stood together in silence for a few moments.

  “Really hope it doesn’t rain,” Kerry said.

  “Me too,” Dar said. “Now we have three people we have to carry out of here. Don’t need any other bad luck.”

  Kerry regarded the stone circle. “Do you know...oh, yes, that’s right you do. I remember you started the fire on the island when we were there the last time.”

  “I do,” Dar said. “But most of these people do too, and I’m better at using a soldering iron.” She steered Kerry back over to the shelter, sitting down on a bit of rock outcropping near where she’d spotted their duffel bag.

  They were at the end of the tarp, in a small bit of ground that had been cleared of pebbles. They sat down next to each other regarding their surroundings with simultaneous sighs.

  Janet heard them. She eased herself over, keeping her leg outstretched. She waved them off as they started to get up to go to her instead.

  They settled back down and waited, as she got herself arranged. Her leg was covered with thick bandages but there was a line of dried blood that had seeped through. “This sucks,” she said, simply. “Thanks for finding water and getting things sorted out. I hope my severance pay is going to cover taking out these stitches.”

  She seemed resigned. “I just wanted to tell you both how sorry I am this happened. I know what it’s like to wait for a vacation and have something go wrong.”

  Dar removed one of the remaining packets of crackers from her bag and opened it, handing two of the crackers to Janet and two to Kerry.

  Kerry paused to consider. “Yeah, it does kinda suck, not only for us, but for everyone else. Your crew as well.”

  “It does,” Janet said. “I’m worried about Doug, and Josh, and now Pete.” She glanced over at the young man, curled in almost a fetal position. “That must really hurt.”

  “Janet.” Dar cleared her throat a little. “This stuff doesn’t happen much, does it?”

  The woman sighed. “We have rollovers, sure,” she said. “It’s a wild location, you know? We have stings and knee cuts, and that sort of thing. But all this?” She looked around and shook her head. “No. In my ten years on the river I’ve never had anything close to this happen.”

  “Hm.” Dar grunted thoughtfully.

  “Hm.” Kerry echoed her.

  Far off they heard a soft rumble of thunder, and Janet sighed again, resting her head against her hand. “Just bad juju. I should have listened to my gut when that other team didn’t show. Just started everything off wrong,” she said. “But you know, everything was fine until the flood.”

  “It was,” Kerry said. “We were having a great time. You all were doing a great job. And the weather, that wasn’t your fault.”

  “Or the jerk going up into that cave,” Dar said, suddenly. “That night.”

  Janet lifted her head. “What jerk...oh. Todd. Getting the natives pissed off at us...” She regarded them thoughtfully. “You know there is something to all that stuff. Tracy wasn’t wrong saying not to mess with the medicine cave.”

  “Yeah,” Dar said, after a moment. “You can call it medicine, or mojo, or karma, but what you put out in the world is generally what you get back from it.”

  Thunder rumbled again, and as they all looked out from under the tarp, dark clouds were now gathering and obscuring the deep blue sky.

  KERRY PULLED HER waterproof jacket more tightly around her, huddling against the stone wall as the rain pelted them, the tarp providing little shelter against its wind driven deluge.

  Dar was behind her, and as she shifted, her partner put both arms around her bringing a very welcome warmth against her back abating the shivers that had started. “This sucks.”

  “This sucks,” Dar confirmed. “As in what did we do to deserve this kind of sucks.” She glanced past Kerry, where all the rest of the group was looking miserable and wet, and the fire they’d hastily cooked some fish over was now washed out and down the slope.

  It was cold. Most of the rest of the group was shivering and Dar could hear teeth chattering, even from where she was. She looked out in to the darkness and tried to think of some reasonable plan of action and found herself coming up empty.

  Even climbing up into the cave at this point, was a nonstarter.

  Even in dry weather, it was probably a nonstarter. Dar started to consider the very real possibility that they were in true trouble, with little she could do about it.

  On the other side of them was Janet. Beside her was Tracy and two more crew members. Then Todd and Amy, Rich and his gang, PJ and the college kids, then the rest of the crew. They had pulled down the front of the tarp as much as possible, but there was no real protection from the weather even with all the coolers piled in front of them.

  No one was sleeping. Everyone was miserable, even Todd, who had put on a waterproof poncho and was sheltering Amy under it.

  No smartass remarks. Everyone, in fact, looked more than a little scared.

  Dar considered that. She hugged Kerry a little more firmly, watching the faint outline of her profile in the weak light from the lantern they’d left going. Her expression was calm, dealing with the discomfort in a stolid kind of way characteristic to her nature.

  Kerry wasn’t a whiner. Never had been. Dar had recognized that from the start, from the beginning when she’d thrown all kinds of business bullshit at her and had only gotten back either determination or anger.

  There’d been a toughness there she hadn’t understood until much later, after they’d fallen in love and become partners.

  “Know what?” Kerry said, half turning so she was facing Dar. She snuggled up next to her and reached over to wipe some rain off Dar’s nose, gazing at her damp profile with gentle affection.

  “What?” Dar smiled a little.

  “So, freaking glad we timed this to avoid our periods.”

  Dar started laughing in pure, surprise reflex. “Wasn’t expecting that comment.”

  “Could you freaking imagine?” Kerry sighed. “C’mon, Dar. Gotta take the good where you find it, you know?”

  Dar touched her forehead to Kerry’s. “I know.”

  “What’s so funny?” Janet asked, softly. “I could use a joke.”

  Kerry looked over her shoulder. “I was just telling Dar I was so freaking glad we missed that time of the month.”

  Janet also reflexively laughed, reaching up to cover her mouth. “We use birth control pills.” She murmured. “But yeah, what a horror show that would be.” She pulled her hat more firmly down on her head and looked out at the weather. “Shit.”

  Kerry relaxed a bit, the shivers working out of her as Dar’s body heat drove them out. She leaned her head against Dar’s shoulder, catching a scent of sun block she now wished they still needed to have on. She looked up to watch Dar’s face, as she looked out at the storm. A lightning bolt struck somewhere relatively close by and lit the area up in silver.

  She saw Dar’s eyes pop wide open, pale blue irises ochre in the dim light. “What?”

  Dar pointed past her. “What the hell was that?” She asked Janet.

  “What?” Janet repeated, in a flustered tone. “I didn’t see anything. What did you see?”

  Dar’s whole body went rigid, as she peered out into the rainy darkness, the muscles around her eyes tensing, and on the side of her face moving her ears forward.

  Kerry watched her in fascination. It was pitch black past the lantern and she knew there wasn’t anything there for her to see if she looked. “What did you see?” she whispered.

  “Some big cat,” Dar said immediately. “Big as in, bigger than me.” She started to untangle herself from Kerry, hand scrabbling in her pocket for her folding knife. “Like a panther or something.”

>   “What?” Janet yelled, hearing her. “Did you just say you saw a cat?” She started to haul herself to her feet, grimacing in pain. “Mountain lion! Everyone watch out!”

  “Fuck!” Tracey and Rich both stood up. “Smell that?” Tracey said. “She’s right!”

  Now they could all smell it, a musky scent brought in on the rain and in a moment the camp was in chaos. Dar got to her feet and got in front of Kerry with her small knife unfolded in one hand.

  “What are you going to do with that, Tarzan?” Kerry muttered. “Where’s my shotgun when I need it?”

  Todd staggered to his feet, bleary eyed. He and Dave went to the front of the tarp and looked nervously out. “Don’t see anything.”

  “Maybe we scared it off,” Dave said.

  Todd stooped down and picked up a rock, about the size of his head, and hefted it, throwing it overhanded into the darkness. They heard it hit the ground. On the next flash of lightning, all eyes stared hard at the path and found it empty.

  “That was a good idea,” Kerry said.

  “The rock?”

  “Yeah.” Kerry moved out from her somewhat ineffective knife wielding partner and used her boots to kick over a few rocks toward where they’d been sitting.

  Dar folded up the knife and put it in her pocket then went and joined Rich, Dave, and Todd at the point in the tarp, closest to the fire circle, where they were all standing and staring out into the dark.

  “You sure it was a big cat?” Rich asked. “Not just, like a bobcat I mean?”

  Dar half shut her eyes. “It was kind of either silver or goldish,” she said. “It was hunkered down, but it had a round head not the whiskery kind.”

  “Huh.”

  “And it had a tail,” Dar concluded. “It was moving back and forth.”

  “Definitely not a bobcat,” Rich said sadly. “But boy, you’ve got a pair of eyes on ya.” He looked at Dar with respect. “Even with the lightning.”

  Dar was still studying the path, as lightning flashes periodically lit in the distance now. “Photographic memory,” she said absently. “Useful sometimes.”