Thin Ice by K. M. Fawkes

Author:K. M. Fawkes [Fawkes, K. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-19T22:00:00+00:00

“Let’s go ahead and set up camp here for the night,” Lee said, breaking the silence several hours later.

The sun had begun to sink in the western sky as they descended into a little valley. It was surrounded by a thick copse of trees so there wasn’t much snow on the ground down there. As they walked to the bottom, Brad realized that the wind that had kicked up again wasn’t buffeting him quite so hard now. This would be the best place to camp, even if they could reasonably have walked on for several more hours.

“There’s no point in stumbling around,” Lee said, as if reading Brad’s thoughts. “Or in putting a spotlight on ourselves by using one of the lights.”

Brad nodded, catching his breath. They’d put in a punishing pace since they’d stopped talking. He’d had a stitch in his side for a few miles now and his back had begun to twinge again. He wasn’t sure how much good a night on the ground was going to do it, but anything would be better than walking along mile after mile.

Lee shucked off his pack and began to pull things out of it. Brad was amazed at how much his father had managed to bring along with him. The tent that he pulled out of the bag was small, but it was made of thick, sturdy canvas.

“Where did you find this thing?” Brad asked as he helped his father slide the poles into the channels created for them in the thick fabric. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Friend of mine down in South Carolina made them,” Lee said. “I picked one up the last time I went down south. It’s got six coats of weatherproofing sprayed over the canvas. That really helps keep out the wind, too.”

Brad could feel the waxy substance as they pushed the tent upright. Why the hell hadn’t he ever thought of doing that? Even a layer would have been helpful, especially on the lightweight tents he’d been carrying.

They staked the tent down tightly. Even if they were out of the wind here, it was better safe than sorry. Lee flicked his lighter and Brad was surprised to see the red embers of a cigarette in his father’s mouth.

“Where did you get that?” Brad asked.

Lee laughed. “There’s not a lot of competition for them these days,” he said as he dusted the snow off of a fallen log and sat down. He tilted his head back and exhaled toward the deep gray sky. “I’d give a lot to see the stars again.”

“Are you worried that we’re off course?” Brad asked, pushing his hands back down into the pockets of his jacket and bouncing slightly on his toes. Setting up the tent had gotten him warm, but now that he was standing still again he was starting to cool down once more. He kept eyeing the sleeping bags that his father had pulled out of the pack. They’d been stuffed down in vacuum-sealed bags so that they were less than a third of their real bulk.

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