Cretaceous Sea

things would be the last of their kind, from pretty clothes to pastry. She was already beginning to miss them. All the while, James's question echoed in her mind— Can you really conceive of what you're fleeing to? Each regret was a bleak hint.

Rick was running down the path in the opposite direc-tion. He slowed only momentarily to call, 'Stay at the plane. I'm getting the last load.'

Con turned to watch him speed away. 'Okay,' she said weakly. He was all hustle now, shouting orders and run-ning frantically. She understood why, but she still felt abandoned. Her thoughts returned to that moment on the beach, when he had held her and kissed her. Though she knew it was absurd, the idea of embracing by the sea as the world ended seemed wondrously romantic. Standing alone on the path, Con feared Rick's adoring look might never return, that it would be worn from his face by the hardships ahead, and her only moment of love was al-ready past.

Con moved slowly toward the plane. When she reached it, she heaved her burden atop the jumbled heap in the rear. A bag toppled from the pile and a cake, snatched half-baked from the oven, fell to the floor. Con picked up the cake pan. It was still warm. She set it back in the bag and looked at the wet batter spilled at her feet. Its sweet aroma filled the plane, and she felt the pangs of hunger. How can I be hungry at a time like this? Yet she was. She squatted and scooped the batter from the floor with her hands. This is the last cake, she thought, as she licked her fingers clean. When she was finished, she col-lapsed in a seat and began to weep, convinced her descent into savagery had already begun. RICK AND JOE lugged the heavy camp stove up the path to the plane. Although the day was still cool, and a breeze blew in from the sea, they were both drenched in sweat. They moved as fast as their exhaustion would allow.

'Are you sure this is worth bringing?' asked Joe. 'We're going to run out of propane.'

'We'll find some use for it,' said Rick.

'Yeah,' said Joe. 'Set it over a campfire and pretend we're still civilized.'

'Look, Joe,' said Rick crossly. 'This is our only chance to supply ourselves. There's no coming back.'

'That doesn't mean we should drag off everything we can lay our hands on. This extra weight will slow us down.'

'So what?' countered Rick. 'You said that plane could cruise forever.'

'What about the dark?' answered Joe. 'You said it will get dark.'

'What does that have to do with it?'

'Those solar panels won't be much good then.'

'Oh, great!' said Rick. He suddenly let go of the stove. As Rick's end fell, the stove wrenched free from Joe's grip and crashed on the ground, barely missing his feet.

'What the hell!' shouted Joe.

'Why didn't you mention the panels earlier?'

'I thought it was obvious,' answered Joe. 'Maybe if you stopped running around shouting orders and thought for a second .. .'

'We carried this thing halfway to the plane! You should've said something before.'

'Well, I'm saying it now,' said Joe. He shook his head. 'You've got to get a grip, man.' Joe and Rick glared at each other over the stove. Joe was the first to make peace. 'Neither of us is thinking clearly. Who can blame us? The world doesn't end every day.'

'It's not going to end,' said Rick irritably. 'That's the whole point of leaving here.'

'Then let's leave,' said Joe. 'Are we taking this stove, or not?'

'Leave it,' said Rick.

'You sure?'

'Hell, Joe, I'm not sure of anything,' said Rick. 'Look, I'm sorry I blew up.'

'Forget it,' replied Joe.

Mindful that every minute counted, they broke into a tired, shambling jog to the plane. They arrived to find