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"Here," I heard Lucky say and then something cool and wet was being pressed against my lips. I had no clue where Lucky had gotten a water bottle from, but I didn't care either. I took several long sips in the hopes that the liquid would ease the burn in my throat.
I managed to keep myself from drinking the entire contents of the bottle. I opened my eyes and lifted my hand so I could push the bottle toward Lucky. "You," I said.
Lucky shook his head and said, "I'm fine."
"Drink," I insisted. "Please," I added in the hopes it would prevent me from having to fight with Lucky about taking the drink. I had no doubt he was trying to conserve our water and would put himself at risk to do so.
His eyes met mine and then he slowly took a small sip of the water. He returned the bottle to his backpack, which I'd only just noticed. "Radio?" I asked hopefully.
Lucky dropped his eyes and shook his head. "I dropped it." He paused and then added, "I'm so sorry, Zach, I dropped it. If I’d just put it in my bag instead of holding on to it—"
I managed to put out my hand and grabbed his chin. I held it firmly as I said, "We are alive because of you, Lucky." I refused to release him until his eyes met mine and even then I held on to him longer than I probably should have. His face was covered in scrapes and dirt, probably from me pushing him to the ground and landing on top of him. I found myself reaching to touch one of the larger cuts, but Lucky grabbed my hand and held it in his.
"They don't hurt," he said softly. It shouldn't have surprised me that he knew what I was focused on. We hung there for another moment and then Lucky climbed to his feet. I didn't miss the fact that he was careful not to put too much weight on one leg. He leaned down to help me stand. The pain returned all at once as soon as I was upright, and I was forced to lean heavily on Lucky as my head spun.
"I've got you," Lucky said softly as his strong arms went around me. I could've easily stood there like that for hours, but I knew that although we'd outrun the fire, we now had another aspect of Mother Nature to worry about.
The elements.
Already the wind was howling and Lucky and I were both underdressed for the cooler weather. I wasn't sure what supplies Lucky had in his backpack, but I knew they'd be pretty limited since neither of us had planned for anything like this. The warming hut would at least give us a chance to get out of the wind. The temperature at this altitude would undoubtedly drop below freezing before sunrise, and we’d need to figure out a way to keep from freezing to death until someone came for us. With that in mind, I forced myself to bear most of my weight so Lucky and I could continue up the pass. It was slow going and I had to take several breaks, but just as night began to fall around us, the small stone structure came into view and for the first time since I’d smelled the smoke, I felt a measure of relief.
I heard Lucky calling out in the hopes of attracting the attention of any other hikers who were using the warming hut for the night, but there was no response. When we reached the stone building, it was dark and cold. Once inside, Lucky helped me sit and then began fussing over me. Within minutes I had a thermal mylar blanket thrown over my body and Lucky had given me more of the water. Pain and exhaustion consumed me as I watched him move quickly around the space, presumably looking for any kind of supplies previous hikers might have left behind. I actually heard him let out a cry of frustration when there was nothing to be found.
I tried to climb to my feet so I could help him figure out the next steps, but before I could rise, Lucky was there, his small hand easily keeping me where I was. "Stay still, Zach. You're still bleeding, and I don't want it to get worse."
"Can help," was all I managed to get out. I wondered why I couldn't form a complete sentence.
"I've got this. Trust me, okay?" Lucky said. His eyes met mine and I quickly nodded. I did trust him and would've told him so if I could've found the energy. I let him ease me back to the ground. He placed something soft beneath my head, but I wasn't sure what it was. As Lucky moved around the warming hut, he began talking aimlessly about what he was doing and that we would be okay. I suspected his words were meant to comfort himself as well as me. I wanted nothing more than to take him in my arms and promise we would both be okay, but I was too tired to do even that. I tried to keep my eyes open, but they refused my order.
