After the ritual, Jared drew the longest stick while Barry drew the shortest one. Human behavior was so predictable that no one even called a watch; they all three already knew who was taking which shift. Jared assumed his first-watch position near the bend not more than forty feet from where the other two men spread out two sleeping bags before crawling in. There was no issue with insomnia after the event, especially on a long trek like the one they were currently experiencing.
As soon as a man’s head hit the pillow, so to speak, he would be fast asleep within seconds. There was no consumption of alcohol out on the trail, so the snoring was pretty much kept to a minimum, which helped in the health and safety department. At midnight, Jared nudged John, who, without a word, climbed out of his sleeping bag, leaving it for Jared to climb in before John assumed his post. Jared slipped into the bag and felt the warmth left behind by John’s body and was asleep almost immediately. The warm sleeping bag factor was the only luxury out here in the wilds of California, which made it all the more pleasurable.
Chapter 14
Barry rousted the two sleeping men just as the sun was beginning to cast a few scouting rays of light across the dark landscape. The three men went silently about their morning routine of heating water over small stoves to make instant oatmeal. There hadn’t been coffee for some time now. If there was an official list of coveted items post-solar flare, coffee would have a position among the top three items. They could grow crops, raise chickens, and even kill deer and other animals for meat, but what they couldn’t do was fly down to Central or South America and bring back a load of coffee.
Once their gear was repacked and on each man’s back, they silently moved down the draw to where they had entered, then hiked back to the military crest and resumed travelling north. By midday, Barry began to complain about his feet. John stopped the men and had Barry take his shoes off. His feet were showing signs of falling apart from walking on the side of the mountain for the past day and a half. The constant angle was playing hell with Barry’s feet, and John knew that if the man became unable to walk, they were all dead in the water.
They couldn’t very well leave Barry and just go on. They also didn’t know where this Dwight cat lived and weren’t sure he would make himself known to a couple of armed strangers even if Barry was able to give them usable directions. John pulled out a small first aid kit and went to work on Barry’s blisters. He used good old Dr. Scholl’s moleskin to protect the affected areas of Barry’s feet before directing the man to don a new pair of socks. John instructed Barry to string his sweaty wet socks on the outside of his pack to allow them to air dry.
Next, John told Jared and Barry to sit tight while he checked on something. John moved to the top of the mountain, which was no more than sixty yards straight up the uneven and slippery slope. There he found what he was looking for—a trail. Californians loved their hiking trails and, for that, John was thankful in his current predicament. John didn’t like the thought of moving along the open trail but didn’t see he had a choice if he wanted to keep Barry on his feet. To John, combat and basic survival were so instinctual the decisions were easy to see, just not always easy to make. If something was damaging him or his team, he could do one of two things: remove the cause, or remove himself from the cause. John knew what he needed to do; he just didn’t like the choice he was about to make.
John scouted the trail for a short distance, checking the ground for any sign of recent human activity, and found none. He slid off the trail and back toward Jared and Barry, grinding his teeth at the thought of walking straight down a well-established trailhead in broad daylight.
Barry had his shoes back on by the time John returned. “You can’t let your feet get wiped out, man,” John started. “You too,” he said, shooting Jared a quick look. “Everyone has to stay healthy, and your feet are probably the most important thing to pay attention to out here.”
“I’m good,” Jared said flatly.
“Good, ’cause he ain’t, and that can be a huge problem. We can’t leave him, and we can’t carry him all the way back to the house, so what are our options if he can’t go?”
John studied both men, but neither offered a solution. “Yeah, you’re right, there is no solution. This stuff gets guys killed, fellas. We’re now on Barry’s timetable. We move only as fast as he can, and if he can’t go, we all stop and wait till he can. From now on, if you gotta stop or something hurts, tell me and we’ll go from there.” John seemed done, but then started in again. “Don’t wait till you’re falling apart. It’s too late then,” he added, as if for good measure.
John stared at the other men for a moment, and when no one spoke, he turned and headed up towards the trail. Barry fell in behind him, with Jared assuming the tail-end Charlie position. When Barry reached the flat surface of the trail, John gave him a serious look.
“Bro, are you good? I mean really good to keep going, or do we need to take a day off? I’m not belittling you on this stuff, man. I am dead serious. We will all lie down for twenty-four hours and let you heal if that’s what it takes.”
“I’m good for now,” Barry said, his voice breaking
