let him grind all his teeth apart.
Glen had an idea.
'Just wait, Carl. This can work. Chrissie, give me your cigarette lighter. Carl, give me the shears.'
Carl hesitated, but handed over the shears.
Chrissie offered her lighter, but jerked it back as Glen reached out. 'If this is a trick to stop me smoking....'
‘It’s not,' said Glen sincerely. 'I promise. This is for Carl.’
Chrissie gave Glen a warning glare and then the lighter.
Glen thumbed the lighter once, twice, three times before the flame appeared. He held the frozen nut precisely over the flame.
'The heat will liquefy any lubricant,' he explained. 'The nut will expand a bit too. It might be enough.'
'Don't use all my gas,' warned Chrissie. 'I still need that.'
Glen ignored her.
'That's enough,' insisted Chrissie, reaching for it.
Glen turned his back on her. 'You ready, Carl? You'll have to be quick.'
'I'm ready.'
Carl's hands waited just inches from the shears.
'There,' said Glen. 'Go.'
Carl snatched the shears.
And dropped them.
He lashed out to catch them, but instead sent them skittering across the floor.
Fuck no , thought Glen. We only had one chance at that.
But Megan stomped on them. Lightning fast she snatched them from under her bright orange sneaker and tossed them straight to Carl.
Carl didn't drop them this time. He wrapped the belt once around the nut and tried again.
We only lost a few seconds , thought Glen. This can still work .
Carl took longer to position the nut this time, perhaps learning from painful experience.
Megan didn't cover her mouth or turn away this time.
Alex said out loud, 'Come on, you good thing. Turn, you little bastard. Turn.'
Glen prayed Carl could do it. He'd learned in school that the jaw muscles were the strongest in the human body. From the intensity in Carl's eyes, either the nut would turn or Carl would bite the shears in half.
With or without his teeth.
Is that turning?
Almost imperceptibly the handles moved. By bare degrees at first, the handles began turning without the sound of Carl's teeth disintegrating.
'He's got it,' yelled Alex. 'He's got it!'
#
'That was frigging awesome!' yelled Alex. 'You want me to finish it off?'
Carl shook his head and unscrewed the nut with his fingers. The bolt slid free. The shears fell apart.
He held them up.
'Two knives,' said Megan.
‘Two icepicks,’ said Glen, accepting one.
'Stronger than a pocket knife,' mumbled Carl. 'Each is a single piece of metal.'
Chrissie shook her lighter. 'It's almost empty, Glen!'
'There's enough for your cigarettes,' Glen replied, tying his belt back on. Carl had bitten holes in it.
Alex tested their new icepicks.
'These work great. Now we have three tools. Three people can dig while three people move ice.’
Megan touched Carl's arm. 'How's your mouth?'
'Never mind that. Let's get digging, get warm, and get that lock buried.'
Carl pointed at Ericsson. 'Chrissie and Megan. Could you two make a space between Ericsson and the ice for the lock? We'll bury them together. Ericsson’s body will absorb radiation.'
'We haven't enough loose ice,' countered Victoria.
'Not yet,' replied Carl. 'Glen, Alex and I will start digging. You gather our ice chips with your sunhat, Victoria.’
No one argued with the man who'd wrecked his teeth for the group.
Carl turned and began smashing into the ice with a pick.
Glen found Victoria's gloves and tossed one to Alex.
Oh, crap , he realized. I've kept the left hand glove. Alex and I are both right-handed.
'Turn it inside-out,' said Victoria.
‘What?’
'Here, I’ll show you.'
She wanted the glove.
Glen passed it to her. 'I'm right-handed.'
‘I know.’ Victoria turned the glove inside-out. 'Now it's a right hand glove.'
It was. I'd never have thought of that.
'Thanks.'
The glove made a huge difference. Glen was still pounding the ice hard when Megan called out.
'The hole’s ready.'
Carl approached the lock.
'Everyone stay back.'
Doesn’t he
Glen had an idea.
'Just wait, Carl. This can work. Chrissie, give me your cigarette lighter. Carl, give me the shears.'
Carl hesitated, but handed over the shears.
Chrissie offered her lighter, but jerked it back as Glen reached out. 'If this is a trick to stop me smoking....'
‘It’s not,' said Glen sincerely. 'I promise. This is for Carl.’
Chrissie gave Glen a warning glare and then the lighter.
Glen thumbed the lighter once, twice, three times before the flame appeared. He held the frozen nut precisely over the flame.
'The heat will liquefy any lubricant,' he explained. 'The nut will expand a bit too. It might be enough.'
'Don't use all my gas,' warned Chrissie. 'I still need that.'
Glen ignored her.
'That's enough,' insisted Chrissie, reaching for it.
Glen turned his back on her. 'You ready, Carl? You'll have to be quick.'
'I'm ready.'
Carl's hands waited just inches from the shears.
'There,' said Glen. 'Go.'
Carl snatched the shears.
And dropped them.
He lashed out to catch them, but instead sent them skittering across the floor.
Fuck no , thought Glen. We only had one chance at that.
But Megan stomped on them. Lightning fast she snatched them from under her bright orange sneaker and tossed them straight to Carl.
Carl didn't drop them this time. He wrapped the belt once around the nut and tried again.
We only lost a few seconds , thought Glen. This can still work .
Carl took longer to position the nut this time, perhaps learning from painful experience.
Megan didn't cover her mouth or turn away this time.
Alex said out loud, 'Come on, you good thing. Turn, you little bastard. Turn.'
Glen prayed Carl could do it. He'd learned in school that the jaw muscles were the strongest in the human body. From the intensity in Carl's eyes, either the nut would turn or Carl would bite the shears in half.
With or without his teeth.
Is that turning?
Almost imperceptibly the handles moved. By bare degrees at first, the handles began turning without the sound of Carl's teeth disintegrating.
'He's got it,' yelled Alex. 'He's got it!'
#
'That was frigging awesome!' yelled Alex. 'You want me to finish it off?'
Carl shook his head and unscrewed the nut with his fingers. The bolt slid free. The shears fell apart.
He held them up.
'Two knives,' said Megan.
‘Two icepicks,’ said Glen, accepting one.
'Stronger than a pocket knife,' mumbled Carl. 'Each is a single piece of metal.'
Chrissie shook her lighter. 'It's almost empty, Glen!'
'There's enough for your cigarettes,' Glen replied, tying his belt back on. Carl had bitten holes in it.
Alex tested their new icepicks.
'These work great. Now we have three tools. Three people can dig while three people move ice.’
Megan touched Carl's arm. 'How's your mouth?'
'Never mind that. Let's get digging, get warm, and get that lock buried.'
Carl pointed at Ericsson. 'Chrissie and Megan. Could you two make a space between Ericsson and the ice for the lock? We'll bury them together. Ericsson’s body will absorb radiation.'
'We haven't enough loose ice,' countered Victoria.
'Not yet,' replied Carl. 'Glen, Alex and I will start digging. You gather our ice chips with your sunhat, Victoria.’
No one argued with the man who'd wrecked his teeth for the group.
Carl turned and began smashing into the ice with a pick.
Glen found Victoria's gloves and tossed one to Alex.
Oh, crap , he realized. I've kept the left hand glove. Alex and I are both right-handed.
'Turn it inside-out,' said Victoria.
‘What?’
'Here, I’ll show you.'
She wanted the glove.
Glen passed it to her. 'I'm right-handed.'
‘I know.’ Victoria turned the glove inside-out. 'Now it's a right hand glove.'
It was. I'd never have thought of that.
'Thanks.'
The glove made a huge difference. Glen was still pounding the ice hard when Megan called out.
'The hole’s ready.'
Carl approached the lock.
'Everyone stay back.'
Doesn’t he
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