“Do you want to sit up so you can eat and drink?” He’s gone all day with nothing.
“Yes, but we need to decide if we trust the food and water.”
“They want my help.”
“That doesn’t mean some asshole didn’t piss in it first.”
I stare at him. He hasn’t moved, but he’s no longer a lump on the ground. I can see his face, if not his expression.
“I’ll take the chance.” If I don’t eat, I’ll pass out and be useless to everyone.
“I was going to. I wanted you to be aware it’s a possibility. Help me sit…slowly. I think I’ve stopped bleeding.”
I’m not sure if he’s telling the truth, and I won’t be able to check the bandage until morning. It’s not easy, but I haul him upright and lean him against a wall. It can’t be comfortable having his hands behind his back like that, and he makes a few pained noises.
“Did it tear open?”
“No, just hurts like hell.”
“Sorry.”
“You’re going to have to feed me.”
Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. I glance at the toilet bucket by the door. With his hands behind his back…
“Hey, one thing at a time. Water first.”
I lift the bucket and he takes a few small sips.
“Tell me about your day.”
As we eat, I tell him about the layout of the camp, how many people I saw, and then the mine. There were only two workers. I don’t know where the others are, or maybe they only have two.
The food is rice and beans that I scoop out with my hands, so it takes a while for us both to eat. He doesn’t eat as much as me.
“Where are we? Best guess?”
I’m familiar with these mountain ranges. I know the curve of their contours on a map, and I know the ground where the company’s mining licenses are, not that the numbers will mean much to Reed. “To the west, in a nearby valley. We’d need to hike up or around to reach the main mine.”
“Not far by air.”
“A long way on foot.”
He falls silent. “I need to consider our options. You don’t want to sleep next to the food. It will attract pests.”
“I’ll put it by the door.”
“And come back with the other bucket.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to take a piss.”
I frown. “How are you going to do that?”
“I finally get your hands in my pants.” I can hear the grin in his voice as he tries to make light of the situation.
I don’t share his sense of humor and I have limits. “We need to escape.”
