'That sound's fine,' said Joe. 'But why temporary?'
'I see it as a base to hunt and build up our food sup-plies and our strength. As long as there's carrion, there'll be nightstalkers for food.'
'Oh goody,' said Joe.
'Don't complain,' said Con. 'You should try what I had.'
'I've seen that carcass,' said Joe. 'I can't believe you ate that thing.'
'Remember, I was sleeping under it,' replied Con. 'I got used to the smell.'
'We could do a lot worse 'than eat nightstalker,' said Rick.
'You still haven't answered my question,' said Joe. 'Why a temporary camp?'
'Soon as the weather clears, we'll head out,' said Rick.
'To where?' asked Con.
'We'll follow the river to the sea,' said Rick. 'To the sea and back to Montana Isle.'
'You call that a plan?' said Joe. 'What's the point of going there?'
'I think there's a chance people will return to the ob-servatory now that the impact's over.'
'You're kidding yourself,' said Joe. 'No one's coming back there.'
'You don't know that for sure,' retorted Rick. 'This time-altering thing is only a theory. It's just as likely they vacated the observatory for safety reasons.'
'You agreed it was pointless to return,' said Joe.
'That was when we still had the plane.'
'So now, when we have to slog through cold rain, it's suddenly a good idea?'
'With the dust layer blocking the sun,' said Rick, 'the water cycle will shut down. Things will dry up and stay dry until sunlight returns.'
'I'm for staying here,' said Joe. 'We can settle down and a make a place for ourselves.'
'Look, Joe,' said Rick, 'let's not argue about this in front of Con.'
'Don't go off,' said Con. 'I'm part of this, too. You can't decide without me.'
'She's right,' said Joe. 'It's her life you're risking, too.'
'Okay,' said Rick with a sigh. 'I was hoping it wouldn't come to this.' He sighed again. 'We have to go because the ecosystem has collapsed. We're subsisting on scavengers that are living off carrion. It's an inadequate diet to begin with, especially in cold weather. It'll be snowing next and...'
'Snowing?' said Con.
'Yeah,' said Rick. 'And soon, even the nightstalkers will run out. If it were just you and me, Joe, I wouldn't care. But Con, I can't... I can't watch you starve. If we stay here ...' Rick stopped speaking, unable to utter the words that weighed so heavily on his mind.
Rick, Joe, and Con were but inches apart beneath the poncho. Con peered into Joe's dark eyes, saw his hesi-tation and sadness, and realized that the decision was hers alone. She was quiet for a while before she spoke. 'I want to try to go to back to the island.'
'All right,' said Joe. 'We'll spend this 'summer' by the shore.' His lips formed a smile, but the sadness never left his eyes.
JOE, RICK, AND Con breakfasted on raw nightstalker. When she wasn't chewing the tough meat, Con recounted her adventures while Rick and Joe listened in amazement. Rick was relieved that the talk centered on Con and that he was not pressed for the particulars of his plan. For the moment, it was enough that it had been accepted. There would be plenty of time for details later. After breakfast, Rick and Joe went through their duffel bags to provide Con a wardrobe. Rick was closer to Con's size, but Joe insisted in contributing equally. The
