Matteo shook his head. “I’ve been here a dozen times, and it’s safe. The water comes in through narrow gaps, and the only way in and out of this cave is through the entrance. The second chamber is big enough if the little ones would rather sleep in there, but I think it best if you keep them in here. You might have to move out quickly.”
Christian stared at the sparse pile of sticks before heading out. “I’ll gather more wood.”
Viktor guarded the entrance while Matteo stoked the fire.
I approached Claude, hands on my hips. “Can I borrow your flashlight? I need to wash my hair.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Yes, you do. Want me to help?”
I shrugged and followed his lead.
After crawling through a crooked gap between two massive rocks, we entered a larger room. The ceiling was maybe ten feet high, and while I could hear the constant rushing of water, I couldn’t see it.
Claude went left and stood on top of a flat rock with his flashlight aimed at the clear water trickling through. “It’s shallow, but maybe I can pull some of the rocks out so we can submerse your head.” He handed me the flashlight. “Be right back.”
“Bring me my bag.”
Claude slipped through the crevice and out of sight.
There was no point in wearing Matteo’s camouflage cologne anymore, especially since I’d sweated like a horse and bled like a stuck pig. Eager to ditch my dirty clothes, I stripped out of my T-shirt and flung it into a corner. After taking off the boots and my weapons, I tossed my jeans in the corner with the shirt.
“Holy crap!” My voice reverberated off the chamber walls. The icy water burned my scalp, so I quickly scooped up handfuls of it to wash my arms, torso, and neck.
“Um… maybe you need Christian,” I heard Claude say.
“Now isn’t the time to be bashful. You’re lucky I’m wearing a bra today. Toss me my bag.”
The backpack hit the spot behind me, but Claude remained by the door with his head turned. How adorable.
To my dismay, I hadn’t packed a full wardrobe. I had clean underwear and sweatpants, which I put on, but no extra shirt. Just my leather jacket. This would teach me a valuable lesson about packing in the future.
“I’m ready for my makeover,” I sang. “Hurry up. I’m freezing to death.”
When he approached, his eyes swung down. “You should cover yourself.”
“I don’t have a shirt. Let’s get this over with, because this stone is going to be cold as hell against my back.” I widened the beam of the flashlight and set it down.
Claude suddenly took off his long-sleeved black shirt and tossed it at my feet. He had a T-shirt on beneath it, but it wasn’t enough to keep him warm. “I have another shirt,” he said, encouraging me to accept his offering.
“Thanks. Let’s wash my hair first so this doesn’t smell.”
The stone slab against my back was enough to wake me up into my next reincarnation. It numbed my skin, and Claude must have scented my discomfort, because his magic hands were moving faster than usual. He’d also put a dollop of shampoo in my hair that he’d brought in his supplies.
Leave it to Claude. That man would have great hair even during the apocalypse.
My teeth chattered, and I tried to think of warm things like campfires, cocoa, hot summer days, and Christian’s hands on my body.
“That’s it.” He washed his hands in the water and then stood up. “We should mark this spot and draw water from the opening. If anyone has to pee, they should do it on the far right so they don’t contaminate the drinking source.”
“Why not in a corner, away from the water?”
“Better to let the water carry it out. It’s sanitary that way. If for some reason we wind up staying here a week, do you want to contend with a urine pool? The stream moves in one direction, so the source on the left is fresh.” He rubbed the spot below his bottom lip with his index finger. “I’m afraid the kids might get sick. This isn’t purified water, and we don’t have anything to boil it in.”
I squeezed out my hair and put on Claude’s shirt. “Shepherd probably has medicine. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“Three children with diarrhea in a small cave.” His nose wrinkled. “That’s the worst that can happen.”
I laughed. “To you or them?” The sleeves on the shirt flopped around, making me feel like I was five again and wearing my father’s clothes. I rolled each one up to my wrists. “We need to hunt down those lions tonight. If they don’t attack, they’re going to wait until we starve to death.”
