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“Definitely not.”
As we make our way down the trail at a painfully tedious pace, Spencer mutters to himself. Stuff like,She’ll be fine. You can do this. All my fault.
He probably blames himself for my being out here with Troy. Or the fact that he was in such a rush to reach us, he didn’t bring his phone. Arguing over why this isn’t his fault will only make things worse. I need to distract him. Keep us both focused.
“Anti-venom kits are controversial,” I blurt out.
“Huh?” he grunts.
“That’s why we don’t carry them.”
“Oh.”
“They offer a false sense of security. Turns out people are more likely to be reckless when they think they’ve got a safety net.” I eye him sideways. He clenches his jaw. Tight. “For the record,” I add, “somepeople are stupid enough to fall into a bush even without a kit.”
I force out a chuckle, but Spencer doesn’t laugh. “Still not funny,” he mumbles.
“Anyway, people sometimes act dumbafterthey’ve used anti-venom too. Like they keep going on their hike or their bike ride or whatever. Some of them run, which is the worst. They don’t get help because they think they’ll be fine. But they’re not fine.”
Spencer’s arm stiffens around my shoulder. “You shouldn’t be moving now, is what you’re saying.”
I try shrugging, but the pressure’s too tight. He’s practically doing all the walking for me. “We’re going slow,” I tell him. “I’ll be okay.” Even as I say this, I feel a numbness in my lips. My head is stuffed and dizzy. Blood pressure’s dropping. I could be going into shock. This is bad. But I don’t want to scare Spencer.
“So this thing might happen now,” I say.
“What thing?”
“I may faint.”
He freezes in the center of the trail. “You’re going to pass out?”
“Hopefully not.” I tip my chin up trying to reach him at eye level. But I’m about six inches short. “If that happens …” My vision swims.
“What?” he spits out. What do I do?” His question is a panicked growl.
“You … can … it’s …”
The last thing I hear before the world goes black is Spencer’s voice.
“Tess?”
