rainwater pouring off the rock over their heads. Within seconds the can was full, and Lucas rinsed out the rusty mixture and set it back under the stream.
âWonderful,â muttered Alex. âAt least youâre right at home.â
The smile dropped from Lucasâs face. It was one thing for somebody like Zack to call him a hillbilly, but he didnât expect it out of Alex.
George didnât even notice the sudden change in Lucas. âYeah, and what are we gonna eat?â he pleaded. âIâm starving already.â
âDang, George!â replied Lucas angrily. âWhen ainât you hungry!?â He picked up a fist-sized rock and stared at the younger boy. âBesides, the way I see it, if I get to starvinâ, I got plenty to eat.â He looked at Alex. âI mean, me beinâ a dirty olâ hillbilly and all, Iâm liable to eat just about anything, ainât I?â
âI didnât mean it, Lucas,â said Alex. âI guess Iâm just pissed at myself for going along with this.â
âYeah, and Iâm tryinâ to make the best of it,â said Lucas. âLook, we ainât gonna die, yâall. We just gotta be smart from here on out.â
âBut wonât Aaron just call for help?â George asked hopefully. âHeâs got to have a cell phone.â
Lucas shook his head. âHe probably canât even get a signal in these mountains. And even if he could, there ainât no way somebodyâs gonna come lookinâ for us in this storm. And they ainât gonna be lookinâ after dark neither. So we make the best of it and wait for morninâ. Then weââ
âThen we what ? What if they donât know where to look for us? What if they just find our bones in here a month from now?â George motioned over his shoulder at the back of the cave. âLike those.â
âTheyâll know where to look,â said Lucas. âTheyâre gonna look over where we got lost in the first place. And when they do, weâll be right there waitinâ for âem.â
Three hours later, the wind had eased some, but the rain was still a steady downpour. The storm brought the darkness on quickly, and soon the only light came from the distant flashes of lightning in the east or from Georgeâs watch, which blinked on every time he nervously checked the time.
Lucas tried to start a fire by striking the lid from one of the tin cans against a flat rock. Every once in a while he sent a spark or two into the small pile of dry twigs and leaves theyâd collected from the back of the cave, but he never got more than a feeble glow.
âDonât matter anyhow,â he said, giving up. âEven if I got it goinâ, there ainât enough dry wood around here to keep a fire all night.â
Eventually the boys tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible, lying on the rock slab at the opening of the shelter and staring out into the blowing trees. They were protected from the wind, and the flat rock beneath them still radiated a little warmth from the dayâs sun. Alex found a long, stout stick and sharpened it by rubbing one end on the rockâin case the panther came around, he said. In the flashes of lightning that lit up their primitive shelter, Lucas told him he looked like a caveman with a spear.
For a good hour, Lucas tried to get comfortable, but between the hard rock, the wind, and worrying about being back on the opposite ridge at first light, he knew heâd never sleep. Eventually Alex fell silent next to him and even George stopped rustling around and moaning about his empty stomach. Just when Lucas assumed both of his roommates had managed to drift off, Alex whispered to him.
âLucas, you still awake?â
âYeah.â He sat up and looked to where Alex was lying, just a shadowy lump in the dark of the cave. âThis rock donât exactly make a great
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