“I don’t believe this,” Bert said.
“I knew you wouldn’t like the idea. That’s why I kept it out of sight. But it’ll do us a lot more good than knives and a hatchet.”
“You wouldn’t shoot anyone?”
“If we’re attacked ... This isn’t fun ’n games, Bert. We’ve got to be ready to protect ourselves.”
“But a gun.”
“They’ve got knives, too, you know. You actually think we’d stand a chance if it came to a fight?”
“I don’t want anyone getting killed.”
“As long as it’s them and not us.”
“You and Dirty Harry. Maybe we shouldn’t take any weapons at all.”
“Are you looking to get yourself gang-raped? Or chewed up by a cougar?”
“Yeah. Cougars.” The color drained from her face.
“It’ll stay in my belt unless they try for us.”
“Promise?” she asked in a small voice. “You won’t wave it in their faces and threaten them?”
“They’ll never know I have it. If I pull the gun, it comes out firing.”
“Don’t let the girls know about it, either. Andrea—she might start something with the guys if she knew you had it.”
“It’ll be our secret. You and me.”
“I wish it was just your secret.”
“Well, now at least you know we’ve got some protection.”
“A real comfort. You didn’t happen to bring along a nuclear warhead?”
“Wouldn’t fit in my pack.”
Bert sighed. “Let’s go. My teeth are floating.”
He followed her out of the clearing. They leaped the small stream. A distance beyond it, he stopped and Bert went ahead. She stepped behind a tree. Rick heard her belt buckle, the rustle of fabric as she lowered her pants.
She didn’t take it well, he thought. But at least she didn’t go ape. She’ll be damn glad I’ve got the gun if things get so bad that I have to use it. The look on her face when I mentioned getting gang-banged. Hell, she’d probably use it herself before she’d let that happen.
Give the gun to
I don’t think so. No, I don’t think so. Not such a hot idea. She might not even know how to fire the thing, and even if she did, she might chicken out until it’s too late. Too late for all of us.
I’ll just keep it, thanks.
Just let them try something, they’ll be dead meat.
Dead meat.
The words had a chilling ring to them.
Rick began to tremble. His breath hissed through his clenched teeth.
If I’d had a gun last time, Julie would still be alive. They wouldn’t have fucked her and killed her. I’d have blown their heads off and saved her and we wouldn’t have been alone together until Dad got back with help and Dad wouldn’t have acted like
All because I didn’t have a gun.
Well, I’ve got one now.
Bert came out from behind the trees, fastening her belt. When she saw Rick, her face darkened. “What’s wrong?” She looked around as if expecting to spot the guys.
“Everything’s fine,” Rick said.
“Is it?”
“I’m just worried about what might happen.”
“What’s to worry about? You’ve got your equalizer.”
“Thank God.”
They returned to the clearing. The girls were out of their tent. Both had changed into jeans and jogging shoes. Bonnie wore a sweatshirt, Andrea a red plaid shirt with long sleeves. It looked too big for her, and it wasn’t tucked in.
“Do you have knives or something?” Rick asked.
Nodding, Bonnie patted a bulge in a front pocket of her jeans. Andrea lifted the front of her shirt. Sheathed at her hip was a hunting knife with a staghorn handle. “Bonnie has a tomahawk we could take along,” she said.
“It’s my brother’s old Boy Scout hand-axe. But we probably shouldn’t take it with us. I mean, we don’t want to look like we’ve come to do battle.”
“I agree,” Bert said. “I think we should just play it very cool.”
“Maybe you should do the talking,” Rick suggested. “You were good with them this morning.”
“Okay.”
“And no mouthing off,” Bonnie told Andrea.
“You think I’m stupid?”
“You flipped them off, didn’t you?”
“That was different. They were ten miles away.” She scrunched up her face and said, “Uh-oh. You don’t suppose that’s why they came down? Maybe I pissed them off and they came down to pound the shit out of me.”
Her tone was half joking, but Rick could see that the possibility had her worried.
He’d read, last month, of a motorist being killed because he gave the finger to the driver of a pickup truck that cut him off. The pickup stopped, blocking the road. The driver got out, pulled the man from the car, and beat him to death with a tire iron.
“I’m sure your gesture didn’t help the situation,” Bonnie said.
“I doubt if that’s why they’re here,” Bert said, and Rick nodded in agreement.
“Good. Glad of that. So all they want to do is fuck our butts off.”
“Hilarious,” Bonnie muttered.
“Come on,” Bert said. “Let’s get it over with.”
She led the way. Rick followed. His leg muscles felt soft and shaky. Everything, he realized, felt soft and shaky, as if his skin was filled with jelly.
“Oh, and incidentally,” Bert murmured, over her shoulder,
“I came across cougar tracks when I went for a pee back there.” She glanced at the girls’ faces and saw that she had all of their attention. “Just thought you ought to know.”
“Should we whistle a happy tune?” Andrea asked.
“Should we shut up?” Bonnie suggested.
“Everybody wearing clean panties?”
Rick heard a soft whack.
“Hey!”
“Just cut it out,” said Bonnie. “There’s nothing funny going on here.”
“Why don’t you lighten up.” Andrea sounded hurt. “Just because we’re walking toward our imminent defilement and demise, you don’t have to be so fucking tense about it.”
Rick looked back. “We’ll be okay,” he said.
Andrea made a grim smile. “Encouragement from the male. You ever hear the one about the Lone Ranger and Tonto? They’re surrounded by an Injun war party, they’re out of ammo. The Lone Ranger turns to Tonto and says, ‘Looks like we’re gonna buy the ranch.’ And Tonto, he says, ‘What you mean
We’re not out of ammo, Rick thought. He wanted to lift his shirt-tail and let her see the revolver, but he’d promised Bert to keep the gun secret from the girls.
It would ease their minds, knowing.
But Bert was right. If Andrea knew about the gun, she might become very brave and make matters worse.
