Tomb of the Snake by David Berens

Author:David Berens [Berens, David & Thacker, Nick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

33

Some think the hardest part about hiking in the western United States is the heat. Leah knew that was only half of it. Daytime was a cauldron of lava-hot air that blew in your face from all directions like a super-sized furnace. Nighttime though, was freezing cold. But the crazy swings in temperature were only the beginning.

The heavy, pelting raindrops began to fall like miniature water balloons just as the sun was falling over the horizon. Claude did not carry a tent, as he preferred to forgo the extra weight in his pack. He did prove to be an expert at finding shelter, but not before they were all soaked to the bone. Leah was certain she had been dryer after her plunge into the river to escape LaFitte than she was now. The old man led them into one of the myriad of caves they passed. Jack had asked why they weren’t ducking into the first one they came to and Claude had said very little.

“Scat. Black bears, bobcats, coyotes, you name it. They’ll all be lookin’ ta get out of this deluge and if they’ve been in one of these caves before, they’ll be back. If you smell the droppings, pass it by. What we need is one that smells of humans.”

Leah shivered and couldn’t decide whether it was the plummeting temperature or the mention of wild predators at their heels that made her do it. She had no idea what humans smelled like — at least not out here — but Claude seemed certain, so she trusted his instincts. Once they had found a suitable cave to hunker down in, the old man took a few covered branches and sticks and had a fire going within seconds.

“Now that’s how you do it, Leah,” Jack said. “Man has a fire going before we can even get out of the rain.”

“Impressive, Claude,” Leah agreed. “How did you do that? Couple of sticks? Flint?”

He smiled under his dripping wet fedora and held up a Zippo with an engraved dragon on it.

“Oh,” Jack said, deflated.

“So much for your Boy Scout methods,” Leah said.

“Alright, kids,” Claude rummaged into his sack and pulled out two blankets. “Get outta them clothes. We gotta get ‘em dry before tomorrow.”

Leah looked down. Her clothes were stuck to her body leaving little to the imagination anyway. She put the blanket over her shoulders and began to strip out of them. When her shorts dropped to the ground, she noticed that both Jack and Claude were both staring at her. Jack’s mouth was the shape of an orange.

“Excuse me,” she glared at them and twirled her finger indicating that they should turn around as she said it. “Do you mind?”

“Oh, uh, ok… right.” Jack cleared his throat and turned away.

Claude did the same. When she was completely naked under her blanket, she looked over her shoulder to see that Jack was peeling out of his clothes too. First, Leah found herself imagining what Jack’s body looked like under his blanket.

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