Page 20 of Five Survive

They rounded the other side of the RV.

“Well, anyway,” Simon whispered to Red. “I approve of the pairing.”

“You approve of all pairings,” Maddy added.

“Not true.” Simon paused again by the door, his foot on the lowest step. “I think it’s weird that Jess T’s new boyfriend is twenty-two, and that they’ve only been together two months and she’s bringing him on spring break.Andthat he’s called Marco. Red flags everywhere.”

With another push, Red finally got him into the RV, stepping up behind him and shuffling in. Everyone was at the front, Reyna settling back into the driver’s seat.

“Really, I can take over,” Oliver was saying. “I only had one beer earlier.”

“It’s fine, I got it,” Reyna said.

“Can you make the turn?”

“Yes I can make the turn.”

“Right, okay,” Maddy said, pulling the door closed behind her. “All in. Let’s get out of here.”

“Finally.” Oliver looked back at them all, a wide smile cracking his face. “Well done, everyone. Overcoming adversity.”

Probably the most adversity Oliver Lavoy had ever encountered.

“It makes for a good story, at least,” Maddy said. “Much more exciting than everyone else’s journey tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Simon nodded. “UnlessMarcomurders them all on the plane.”

Reyna turned the keys in the ignition, and the RV roared into life, ready to go.

Simon whooped again, Arthur clapped and Maddy cheered.

“Oh wait,” she said, fumbling for her phone. “Let’s get a victory selfie. Come on, everyone in.”

Maddy outstretched her arm, trying to fit them all in the screen.

“Red, in closer. Reyna, turn around.”

Red shuffled in closer to Arthur and Simon. She’d already been smiling too long, her cheeks aching. Maddy held up two fingers on her spare hand.

“Okay, everyone say:Team RV!”

“Team RV!” they called, voices out of time and out of tune.

Maddy pressed the button on theV,and Red could see everyone’s teeth in the photo.

“Perfect,” Maddy said, lowering her arm to study the picture.

“Team RV,” Simon called again, turning it into a chant. “Team RV! Team RV!” He stopped when no one else joined in. There was such a thing as too much celebration.

Reyna released the parking brake and the RV rolled steadily forward. She pulled to the left, slowly coming off the road and intothe surrounding dirt and grass, headlights scaring away the shadows. But there were always more behind. Expectant, waiting. Reyna turned the steering wheel as far as it would go, bringing the RV almost parallel to the road.

“Okay, back up now. Back up,” Oliver said.

“I know.” Reyna put the RV in reverse, and the screen in the center console lit up. A grainy black-and-white image from the rearview parking camera mounted at the back. Red watched the screen as the RV reversed over the road, Reyna pulling the wheel all the way to the right. The rough gravel and dirt gave way to a high patch of grass, beckoning to them in the wind. Or waving them goodbye. But there was something else in the image now, hidden behind the grass. Something crouching, dark and still.

“There’s a rock,” Oliver said, leaning closer to the screen. “Careful, there’s a huge rock right behind us.”

“I can see it,” Reyna said coolly, backing up a couple more feet before stopping and shifting into drive. She inched forward, straightening up the wheel as the RV staggered back onto the road, facing the way they’d come in.