Into The Darkness by Doug Kelly

hugged the riverbank with their rafts. Beth
explained that it was a civilian airport and the military base was further down
on the right side. Dylan did not want to get closer to the city and pointed to
a little island splitting the river. They put ashore on the island and carried
the rafts and equipment into the shrubbery for concealment. They all gathered
driftwood for a fire and Kevin found grubs under a fallen tree to use as bait.
Kevin set the lines for the night and joined the group back at the campfire. He
found an abandoned cooler by the riverbank and offered it to Beth to use as a
seat for her and the baby.
    “What
do we do now?” asked Richard.
    After
a brief silence Dylan said, “We need to eat. I think we’re all starving at this
point. It would be best to eat what we got from the hotel first. It’ll spoil
the soonest.” Dylan stood up and looked around before speaking again. “Go ahead
and split up the food. I’ll take a walk around to see if there is anything else
to eat.”
    “Oh,
not more cattails,” Richard moaned.
    Dylan
pointed to the bow staves and said, “If I can get those done, we’ll have more
options for food.”
    “Need
any help looking?” asked Kevin.
    “No,
this won’t take long,” replied Dylan. “Try to get some fish for us.” He gestured
toward the far end of the island. “I don’t hear any frogs nearby. The best I
can do will probably be some greens.” Dylan walked away to forage and Richard
grabbed the axe to get more wood for the fire.
    “You’re
home,” Kevin said, smiling at Beth.
    Beth
smiled back. “Almost. The best thing for me would be to go further downriver
and go ashore just before you have to go around the first bridge. It wouldn’t
be good to start walking the rest of the way now that it’s getting darker.”
Beth began to rock her child. “I keep wondering if, at a place like this,
martial law would be declared. Nervous people can get trigger-happy. I don’t
want to get shot in the dark.” The baby began to cry again. “I really need to
get a new towel on her and clean this one in the water,” she explained and
excused herself to go to the riverbank.
    Kevin
toasted a bagel in the flames and thought it tasted delicious. As he ate, he
noticed Dylan moving about in the tall grass. He felt guilty sitting there, so
he got up and trotted over to Dylan. He noticed Dylan had an armful of some
green plants.
    “What
is that?” inquired Kevin.
    “I
call it lambsquarters. I remember my grandmother showing it to me when I was
young. She told me they gathered and ate it all the time on the farm. I have it
growing around my house, too. It grows like a weed.”
    “That
reminds me. Did you tell Richard that I’m continuing to Kansas City with you?
Did you invite him, too?”
    “No,
I am dreading that, but I should get the invitation over with,” Dylan said, as
he shook his head in doubt.
    At
the campsite, Dylan pulled each green leaf from the plant, making a mound of
primitive salad. Dylan grabbed a handful and began to chew. It had a bitter
taste, but he thought it would suffice. They were at nature’s mercy now and had
to make do with what they had.
    “Is
it any good?” asked Beth, not realizing the grimacing expression on her face.
    “Not
as good as a fancy restaurant salad with lots of ranch dressing, but it’ll do,”
said Dylan.
    Beth
took a bite. “Bitter, but okay. Kind of tastes like spinach.”
    “Well,
I like spinach and I’m starving. Here goes nothing,” said Kevin.
    Richard
was the most reluctant and the last to try the greens. He gagged slightly and
said, “I need a cigarette.”
    The
next morning Dylan woke to the noise of green wood crackling on the fire. The
Montana air smelled fresh and complimented the hint of pine smoke from the
fire. Dylan saw that it was Richard stoking the fire and approached him to
speak.
    “Kevin
is going to Kansas City with me. You’re invited too. You can stay at my place.
If we all work together, maybe