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Good news: the smoke works to our advantage as much as theirs.
Vaughn has crept up beside me. “How is he?”
“Just ducky,” Charlie gasps out.
“Gunshot wound right shoulder,” I clarify.
“Charlie, man, we gotta move.”
“Right-o. On that. In a minute.”
Aolani materializes in front of us. “I don’t see any sign of either of them.” She looks questioningly at Vaughn.
“My cabin. Can hold the most people and is surrounded by water on three sides. Gather whomever you can find, and let them know.”
She strides behind us, where I can hear her whispering urgent instructions into the bushes, followed by the rustling of leaves and crackling of branches as the crew begins to move toward us.
“Not gonna make it,” Charlie gasps out.
I’m offended. “You just said you were ducky.”
“Vaughn’s cabin, luv. Too far… for me to walk.”
Ronin is now beside us, Marilee deposited off to the side. I understand Charlie’s point. The able-bodied should have no problem making the ten-minute traverse to Vaughn’s lodge, perched at the far end of the barracks. Our two wounded comrades, however…
“Bathhouse,” Ronin suggests. “Has first aid supplies.”
“Not an option,” Vaughn informs him. He glances up. “That’s where Jason is.”
I can see Ronin processing, then arriving at the suitably horrible conclusion.
“My cabin is close,” I whisper. “And I have some first aid materials. Maybe not enough, but something.”
Ever since Wyoming, I’ve traveled with the essentials. Maybe a symptom of my PTSD. Maybe learning curve. When it comes to survival, preparedness is key.
More forms emerge behind us. Elias, shepherding MacManus and Leilani, who are tucked behind him.
“Did you shoot her?” Vaughn asks Elias.
“No. She bolted last minute. Moves faster than you’d think.”
“Dammit. You still got your pistol? Give the Remington back to Aolani; we need to spread out our firepower among as many of us as possible. Aolani, here.”
Vaughn holds out his hand. She gifts him the shotgun, while taking the rifle from Elias.
“Here’s the deal,” Vaughn clips out. The air is growing hot as the fire tears its way from the far edge of the mess hall to our rear corner huddle. It’s also incredibly thick, more and more of us coughing as fiery grit collects on our faces, in the back of our throats.
“Aolani: head to my cabin. Collect as many of our crew as you can and hunker down. There’s only one approach, and you have the high ground. You see anything move outside, fire first, question later.
“Ronin: you, me, and Frankie are going to get Marilee and Charlie to Frankie’s cabin, quickly, while we still have the haze to cover our tracks.”
Vaughn turns to MacManus and his group. “You’re welcome at either location. My cabin is more comfortable, but more ground to cover between here and there.”
“We’ll be fine,” MacManus coughs out.
“We should stick together,” Vaughn urges. “There’s more of us than them. That’s our only competitive advantage.”
“We gather in one place so they can burn us down together? I don’t think so.”
