Page 36

Crosshairs

Calvin

S weat comes out of every pore in my body.

Easton’s too. Even Haley has taken a turn.

But the digging’s done. A month ago, Zane and I decided to make a spot that overlooks the beach.

One cemetery. Someday I’ll move the others that I buried last fall.

But not today. I really didn’t think Haley would want to be here.

I flick my eyes over to Haley. “Why don’t the two of you go collect the fruit while I?—”

“Do all the hard, painful stuff by yourself? No.” She’s got a hand on her hip. The early afternoon sun shines from around her back, castling a halo above her head.

“Thank you,” I say.

“Wow, he might be changing,” Easton grunts.

“No, that’s not happening,” I say.

“What next?” Haley asks.

There are five mounds; all the details are written in my notebook in my pocket. In college one summer, I worked for an archeological firm that moved a small family cemetery. There’s a new highway that goes through their old family plot now. We haven’t done things exactly to the same standard.

Haley’s on one side of me, her head close to my shoulder, Easton on my other side. “Do we say something now?”

I glance at her. Because I don’t... That doesn’t matter to me... but then, that’s another layer of the respect I wanted to give to them. The respect they weren’t given when they left this earth. The respect I’m expecting to not have when we leave it too.

“Wait, I did bring something.” Haley scurries down the side of the hill to the beach.

“You doing okay, Green?” Rockwell doesn’t turn when he talks to me. He’s watching Haley reappear into view on the beach, grabbing her backpack. She’s trying to entice a mostly feral cat to take some fish jerky from her hand.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“You haven’t seemed fine in a long time.”

Now I’m giving him the look. I know it well—it’s a family look. Furrows between the eyes, a cocked smile, one that says you’re wrong and you’re nuts.

“I’m right as rain,” I say.

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“I have no damn idea. It’s something my grandfather used to say. I’m good. Don’t worry about me. I’m worried about what this is going to do to her. She holds it together during the day. But...”

“Yeah, she has nightmares,” he says.

“She thinks we don’t notice.”

Easton turns sideways. We’ve both taken our shirts off in the heat. There’s a set of bruises along his back that he points to. “From when she woke up a few nights ago.”

“Damn.”

“Damn, what?” Haley says. She’s already crested the hill.

“Damn, you’re fast,” Easton replies.

She scoffs, not believing him, but doesn’t press further.

“I brought flowers.” From her pack, she pulls a few birds of paradise.

“I don’t like picking them. But this is different.

” She places the first couple, pausing to pluck a spent flower off and toss it to the side before putting the rest down. “Do you mind if I say a few words?”

“That would be nice,” Easton answers for both of us.

“I’ve thought about all of you for a while.

Actually, I think I kind of knew you were here before.

” Her eyes flick to mine. “That’s kind of woo-woo, but this place has almost always felt safe.

What would it have been like if you were all alive when we arrived?

Would we have been friends? Would you have gotten us help?

I’d like to think the answer is yes. But we’ll never know.

But in my imagination, you’re all happy.

You’re happy that we’re here and that we’re trying to be as respectful of your home as possible.

Our home. I’m sorry we didn’t do this sooner.

I hope you can forgive me for being cautious.

” She squeezes my hand. I’m not sure if she’s talking to them or me now.

Easton glances at me and then starts singing. I have no idea what he’s singing, but Haley knows it and she sings along while I stare at the flowers in the dirt. I don’t know what I thought I would feel when we finally finished, but this isn’t it.

I lie on the edge of the platform, floating outside the cave.

I’ve lost track of how many times Easton and I have come here.

We’ve cut through two ropes. That’s it. We’re no closer to opening the lid.

When the ropes are gone, we’ll have to figure out how to pry the top off.

Whatever’s in there is heavy. Not even Easton, Sam, and I together could budge it.

Easton’s still down there. I’ll give it to him—he really can hold his breath a hell of a lot longer than the rest of us. Everyone’s been out here at least once. But we only stop by after we’ve made a fruit run. About once every two weeks.

I’m staring at the stalagmites on the ceiling of the cave, catching my breath, thinking about everything and nothing, when I realize that next week is my birthday. I’m fucking hoping that Haley’s forgotten. But I know she won’t have.

Easton bursts to the surface and tosses a two-foot length of rope onto the raft. “Three pieces down. A million more to go. I’m ready to go back. You?”

“Yeah, let’s call it.”

We’re halfway past the bluff when I see a flicker of a glint on the horizon.

“Watch where you’re going,” Easton calls out into the wind.

The glint distracts me, and I turn the machine into the current. The waves crash hard against the sides of our legs.

“Out there.” I incline my head. “Is that something?” I yell into the wind.

Rockwell’s body shifts. “Yeah, it’s something. With the waves, I can’t get a handle on it, though.” I’m already turning into our camp beach when he answers.

I race the WaveRunner up onto its sled. Easton jumps off as I lash it down, and then we yank it up to its blind. “Fuck.” I scan the beach. It screams we’re here. But there’s nothing I can do about it now. “Get things secure,” I say to Dante and Zane as I head straight up the ladder.

“What’s going on?” Zane asks, following me.

“Easton will fill you in.” The binoculars are on the peg on the living room platform. I grab them and scamper up the ladder. The tree shakes with someone else coming up as I’m still tuning the lenses for my eyes.

“What is it?” Sam asks.

“Not sure... incoming. Fuck. It’s the same pirate boat that took the Rock Candy.” My stomach lurches. But then, I knew this would happen.

“You’re sure?”

“Same half-inflated red fenders hanging over the side. Yeah. I’m sure. We’ve got maybe ten minutes from their speed. And they’ll have to launch their tender.”

“Fuck. Can you make out anyone on deck?”

“A couple of guys on the bow. One with a gun strapped to his back.” I take the binoculars away from my face.

Sam scrubs his hand over his scruff, but then he’s making his way down the ladder. Descending like a captain of a submarine. I’m right on his heels.

“Haley?” Sam yells.

“She’s using the head,” Dante replies.

“Pirates are coming in hot,” Sam tells him. “We’ve got maybe a ten-minute head start.”

Dante, Zane and Easton are there. Easton’s already moving around the campsite, collecting things into a backpack.

“We don’t have much time,” says Sam. “Calvin, take Haley and Penny and head for the cave near where you first found me. Take the gun. Like we planned.”

“Gun’s already in there.” Easton hands me the pack. “Water, clothes, and some of Dante’s jerky.”

“Good.” Sam says. “Now make one for yourself. You need to head the other way and go toward the derelict into the thicket. Dante, Zane, we’re going to greet our guests.

With Zane’s bag of tricks.” Sam’s got Penny’s vest and her leash.

“Go with Calvin.” He clasps the lead onto her collar, and for once she doesn’t twist away.

“Bloody right. Get going,” Zane says.

“What’s going on?” Haley turns the corner. “Sam, you were calling for me?”

“Yeah, Sugar. Pirates are on their way in.” He gives her a quick kiss and a hug.

“We’ve talked about this. It was a hell of a long time ago. But what do they want? Rockwell, most likely, and you. So as much as I hate to do it, we split up,” Sam says. We’ve talked about only part of the plan with Haley. But not all of it.

“That always works so well in horror movies.” Dante mumbles. I shoot him a look.

“There are supplies in there from last fall. I checked them not long ago.”

“No. You need the gun here,” Haley says.

“If they catch up to you in the cave, you’ll need it more than us. Go.”

I’ve got a rope around Penny’s collar. She’s on alert. Sam grabs Haley and gives her a quick kiss. Dante, Easton, and Zane do the same.

“I don’t like it, but okay? I don’t want to leave you all.” Haley’s sitting in the chair I made, pulling on her tennis shoes.

“Go—we can take care of ourselves,” Zane says.

“Let’s go.” I stand next to her, wanting to pull her away, but she’s still putting on her shoes. “Easton, you’re the other thing they want. They’re going to follow all of our trails. Get going.”

Easton gives a nod and runs down the path to the derelict. He’ll cross the stream and head into the jungle afterwards.

“Now we can crush some stormtrooper ass.” Zane wiggles his eyebrows.

“Get going,” Dante says and pushes us out down the path.

“All right, Bunny, show us what you can do. I want to get as much distance between us and the beach as possible.” We head down the trail.

“Give me the leash; you’ve got the pack.” Haley cocks her head to the side and holds her hand out as she’s lightly jogging.

“I can do it,” I say.

“You go first. You know she loves you as much as Sam. She’ll run faster if she’s running after you.”

“No, you first.”

“Calvin?”

“No, Haley. I’m a bigger target.”

“I’ll go first, but give me Penny.”

I hand her Penny because arguing is just slowing us down. Haley kicks up, and Penny stays glued to her side. When it counts, this dog seems to know what the hell is going on.

The jungle’s loud and the ocean beyond it is even louder, but I can’t help straining to hear anything that might be happening behind us.

Above the normal din, there’s a bang. Haley falters for a second but then continues her charge forward. “What was that?”

“Don’t know. Keep going.” The damn waterfall and the mountain beyond it have never felt this far away before.

And of course it starts raining.