Page 71 of Totally Wrecked
Fuck, I’m useless at small talk. I give up and we walk through the trees in silence. Leander is the chatty one in our group; he can charm information out of anyone. He’s what people call “a hub”. His vibe attracts people into his world. It’s Leander’s world and we all just exist in it. And the charming thing is…he’s not even aware of his power.
“Bananas.” Harvey points to several clumps of green fruit. “Not ripe, but still.”
“Nice one,” I tell him, but I can’t give it any enthusiasm. I’m struggling. I’m struggling without Gray or Leander here.
My foot sinks into mud. Water?
Another spring is up ahead. I dip my mouth in and take huge gulps. The water is bliss on my sore throat. “Harvey, water.” I say, turning around. But Harvey isn’t there.
What now?
I back track to where I last saw him, and he’s there, half hiding behind a large tree trunk.
“What are you doing?” I ask him.
“Shhh, I saw something. I think it was an animal, a big animal.”
“I very much doubt it, the only big animals out here are probably…”
Shit! Maybe it’s my big animal friend.
“GRAY!” I yell.
After a second a voice bellows back. “REX?”
“COME TO THE SOUND OF MY VOICE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? IS KILLIAN WITH YOU?”
This time the voice is a little clearer. “I’M HERE TOO,” says an Irish accent, “SHOUT AGAIN…”
“WELL IT’S ABOUT FUCKING TIME YOU LAZY MOTHER FUCKERS, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? TAKING THE SCENIC ROUTE?”
And that’s when I see them, and they see me.
“No need to shout,” Killian laughs. “Hey, Harvey, good to see you.”
Harvey smiles and nods back, “Glad to see you.”
Gray grunts, then pulls a bottle from his deep shorts pocket. I always made fun of his cargo shorts, but man, they must be so much better than jean cut-offs right now.
“Drink this,” Gray says, handing a bottle to me.
“I’ve got water.”
“Not like this, try it.” says Killian. “It’s from hot springs, going to be full of minerals and shit.”
“Hot springs?” Harvey finally looks interested. “Close by? Are you sure it’s OK to drink?”
“The high temperature kills bacteria,” I tell Harvey. Our crew had hiked to many a hot spring; there was nearly always signage saying the water was potable. I take the bottle and unscrew the cap.
The taste brings back memories.
With Alicia, Hutch, Stephan and Carlo.
Rest in power.
I drink half of the water and give Harvey the rest.
“Everyone, let's head to the beach and take five, then make a plan,” I say.
