***
Austin groaned immediately as he woke up, the throbbing pain in the back of his head dulled somewhat due to the rest, but definitely still there. He put two fingers to his temples and massaged them slowly, looking around the dorm where he had woken and trying to figure out what had woken him. The painkillers he’d taken had made him slow and groggy, longing to stay in bed for just a few hours longer.
Then he heard a noise. That must have been what had woken him. Samuel was nowhere to be seen and the sound of an engine being revved outside filled the air. Austin hauled himself out of bed and staggered over to the door, flinging it open to look out into the campsite. There, standing over the seat of a quad, Samuel revved the engine and grinned, waving his arm over his head when he saw Austin emerge.
“Incredible,” Austin exclaimed as he walked over to Samuel, his friend cutting off the engine so the two of them could talk. “Where did you find it?”
“There’s a bunch of them in a shed by the offices,” Samuel replied with a smile. “Don’t worry, we don’t need to share.” Flinging his thumb over his shoulder, Samuel gestured to another quad that he’d wheeled over for Austin. He’d already tried the engine on both of them and checked their gas tanks, picking the two with the most gas. He’d also found a jerry can that they could fill and take with them. The act of him revving the engine had been more for show, Samuel unable to resist the temptation when he realized Austin was still asleep. Much like having never been to a camp before, Samuel had never ridden a quad, but he was overcome with a childlike enthusiasm to try.
“Do you think we’ll be able to get these to Poughkeepsie?”
“Definitely,” Austin remarked. “This is great. Nice one, Sam. How long have you been up?”
“Only a couple of hours,” Samuel replied. “Thought you could do with the extra rest. How are you feeling? How’s your head?”
“Not great,” Austin grimaced, “not sure I want to keep taking those painkillers though, they’re making me feel all fuzzy.”
“Stick to regular aspirin?”
“Yeah maybe,” Austin chuckled. “Don’t want to go losing my head now, do I?”
Samuel laughed, too, glad to see his friend was in higher spirits. He had every reason to be; they’d rested up and now had a way to continue the journey to Poughkeepsie and to Austin’s family. Samuel wasn’t sure what kind of speeds the quads could get to, but he knew they would be faster than walking and that was good enough. Continuing to tell Austin about what else he’d found around the campsite, the two men sat and talked for a while until they were both ready to get moving.
“You ready?” Austin asked as they both stood over their respective quad not long later. He had ridden one before and had more of a handle on it than Samuel, the former businessman a bit shaky and tentative. “Just follow me, we’ll take it nice and slow at first. It’ll be easier once we’re on the road.”
Samuel gave his friend a nod. “Good to go,” he shouted over the sound of the engines, hoping that Austin was right. They’d taken a few turns around the campsite and he found it difficult to turn and keep control of the quad in the mud at points, he was really hoping that it would be more straightforward when they reached the tarmac.
And to his delight, it certainly was. Samuel and Austin made it back onto the main road on their quads and were quickly zooming toward Poughkeepsie, the empty road inviting Samuel and pushing him to keep his hand on the throttle, the bikes hurtling along at their maximum speed.
It was almost like a dream to Austin. Not long ago he had believed he was about to be torn apart by a potentially rabid black bear, never getting the chance to see his husband or his little boy again, never able to hold his family in his arms. But now they were speeding toward them. The journey shouldn’t even take an hour and so if everything went to plan, Austin could have Bowie cradled against his chest before the sun started setting. With the wind in his hair and a smile on his face, the road sped past quicker than he could’ve anticipated and before long signs for Poughkeepsie were appearing, the bridge into the city drawing ever closer.
“We’ll be turning off soon I think,” Austin shouted over to Samuel, both driving much slower now as they neared the bridge so Austin could figure out where the turning was. He had only entered Poughkeepsie a couple of times from this direction before and was relying on his memory to guide them, the pair already having to double back once due to a wrong turn.
Samuel nodded and sat back in his seat. Finally, their journey was almost over. Samuel could count the number of days he had known Austin on his fingers and yet he felt like the man was such a huge part of his life already. The experiences they had shared together were unmatched by anything else in his life and he honestly couldn’t wait to see him reunite with his loved ones. If anyone deserved to see their family again and to be happy, it was Austin.
Turning the last corner on their quads, the two men
