'Aaaah!' He shuddered and dug his fingers into the earth as she yanked on the knife. She worked it back and forth and jerked it free. Nick's muscles unclenched. He lowered his face to the ground. He was gasping and sobbing.
'Let's get over to the fire,' Karen said.
He pushed himself to his hands and knees. Julie and Karen, gripping his arms, lifted him. He staggered between them as if his legs were too weak to support his weight.
When they reached the fire, they sat him down on a stump with his back to the blaze. Julie plucked at the knot of the wet bandanna around her neck. She loosened it, took off the kerchief, and squeezed out the water. Gently, she patted the wound. The gash was less than an inch in length. It bled freely, but the blood wasn't pumping out.
Karen said, 'It doesn't look too bad.'
'It doesn't feel too good,' Nick said. His voice sounded tight and shaky.
Julie folded the bandanna into a thick pad and pressed it firmly against the wound. Nick flinched.
'I'll get his clothes,' Karen said. She hurried away. Benny went with her.
Holding the pad in place, Julie leaned close to him. She pressed her face against his wet hair, kissed the top of his head. Her free hand reached down and rubbed his chest. He was trembling badly.
'I guess I lucked out,' he said.
'Real luck,' Julie muttered.
'She couldn't get the knife out. She blew it.'
'Sure.'
'This time,' he added.
Karen returned, holding Nick's clothes bundled in her arms. Benny had the hatchet.
'You did luck out,' Julie said. 'You've got dry clothes.'
'We've gotta rig something to keep the bandage tight,' Karen said. 'Won't be easy. It's in a bad place.' She tugged Nick's belt from its loops. 'You'll have to keep your arm down.' She wrapped the belt around his upper back. Julie pressed it to the bandanna while Karen slipped one end under his left armpit. She pulled the other end over his right arm just below his shoulder, and buckled it tightly at his chest. 'How's that?'
'It's okay if I don't lift my arm.'
'Don't lift your arm.'
'Okay. Unless I have to.'
'I'll get him dressed,' Julie said.
'Fine.' Karen and Benny stepped away.
Karen sat on a rock so close to the fire that steam curled off the wet legs of her jeans. The heat felt very good, but it only warmed her front. The back of her sweatshirt and pants were frigid against her skin.
Benny, on the other side of the fire, stared at her through the flashing lenses of his glasses.
'Keep a sharp eye out,' she told him. 'We don't want anyone sneaking up.'
Nodding, he swung his legs sideways and stared toward the lake.
Karen stood up. She turned away from the fire, and peeled off her sweatshirt. She sighed as the warmth soothed her back. Scanning the darkness beyond the fire's glow, she wrung water from her sweatshirt. When she finished, she glanced over her shoulder at Benny. He was watching her. He quickly looked away, and she turned around. She held her sweatshirt over the flames. Steam rolled off it like smoke and was whipped away by the breeze.
Nick, to her left, had his flannel shirt draped over his back. One arm was in its sleeve. He stood up. Julie, crouching in front of him, pulled down his jockey shorts. He held onto her shoulder to steady himself while she pulled the shorts off his feet and helped him into his jeans.
Karen turned her eyes to Benny. He was staring at her. 'No fair peeking,' she warned, and he looked away.
The sweatshirt was still damp when she put it on, but at least it felt warm. For the moment. Sitting on the rock, she took off her boots and socks. She opened her jeans, and drew them down along with her panties.
Julie was putting socks on Nick.
The rock felt cold and gritty under Karen's buttocks, but she stayed seated as she wrung out her panties. She held them close to the fire while Benny continued to scan the shoreline and Julie finished with Nick's socks and boots. Then Karen stood, brushed some grit off her rump, and stepped into her panties. They felt warm and dry.
She turned around to heat up her back, and did her best to twist the water out of her jeans. The stiff material was difficult to work with. Finally, she gave up. She faced the fire and held them over the flames.
Nick swung around toward the fire. With his right arm inside the shirt, Julie hadn't been able to button it.
'How you doing?' Karen asked him.
'A little better. Kind of sick.'
Benny looked over his shoulder. Karen nodded to him, and he brought his legs around. He leaned close to the fire.
'Guess she's trying to whittle us down,' Nick said.
'Apt phrase, that,' Karen told him.
'I think she's planning to freeze us to death,' Julie said. She stepped to the fire. Karen could see her shaking. 'What the hell,' she said. 'Since I'm freezing anyway, I might as well go ahead and get the packs.'
Nick gaped at her.
'Why not? I'm already soaked.'
'Let's just leave them till morning,' Karen said.
'We don't even know for sure our sleeping bags are wet. They're in stuff bags. They might be fairly dry. Besides, there's the food, the first-aid kit. Especially the first-aid kit. It's got disinfectant. We can put a real bandage on you, Nick. It'd.sure be better than keeping you all strapped up.'
'You can't do it,' he said.
'We know right where the packs are.'
'What if
'You think she's gonna stay in the lake all night, just hoping we'll go back in?'
'Maybe she knows. Maybe she's
'Don't be a dork.'
Karen sighed. 'It's not a smart idea, Julie. She could be waiting.'
'If she is, she hasn't got a knife.'
'We don't know that for sure,' Nick said.
'If she had another one, she would've used it on you.'
'You don't need a knife to kill someone,' Karen said.
'Killing can go both ways,' Julie said. She stepped over to Nick and lifted the sheath knife from his lap. He clutched her wrist.
'You can't,' he said.
'We need those packs. Don't tell me no, or I'd just have to go against you.'
'Julie.'
She leaned closer and kissed his mouth. Then she whispered to him. He whispered back, and released her wrist. 'Keep the fire hot for me,' she said. 'I'll need it.'
She moved closer to the flames. She pulled off her belt and slid the sheath onto it. Sitting on a rock beside Benny, she took off her boots and socks. She stripped down to her bra and panties. 'You want to heat these up for me?' she asked, offering the wet clothes to Karen.
'I'm going with you.'
'You don't have to.'
Karen smiled. 'Sure I do.'
'We'll all go,' Nick said.
'You and Benny aren't wet.'
