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LUNA
My eyes are heavy, and my body is tense, from the night before. We're all a little skittish, leery of staying here. None of us are comfortable anymore. Our easy spot has turned into…what, a murder scene?
"What do you think happened?" I ask, squeezing the water from my hair. I took a quick bath in the creek, feeling gross and sweaty from nerves and a night of restless sleep.
"Do you think someone got shot?" Trish asks.
"Maybe it was just a hunter or something? Maybe they were shooting an animal," Shauna suggests.
Neil shakes his head. "Didn't you hear how many shots there were?"
"Or that fucking scream?" Willie chimes in, a shiver taking over his tanned, naked back. "I'm pretty sure it was a murder."
I stand up, wrapping the worn towel around my body. "I need to get out of here. Does anyone else need to get out of here?" It's like there are eyes on me, or one million spiders crawling over every inch of my body.
I've seen some creepy critters out here. Scorpions, snakes, huge-looking spiders that would make me run across state lines if they were on me.
But nothing,not one thing, has scared me as much as hearing those gunshots and that scream.Nothing.
"That's a good idea, babe," Willie says, and my stomach hollows out from the nickname. "Where should we go?"
"Dude." Neil stands up from his spot by the fire. "Hold on." He hops over the flat rock he was sitting on, running barefoot inside the Winnebago. The small home rocks as he jumps up the front steps. Coming back out, he has a map that's been folded one too many times. The middle crease is ripped, and some of the locations are so worn you can barely see the names on them.
"I've been wanting to go to Superstition Mountain." He points at a spot on the map not far from where we are. “We can hike there today, get away from here for a bit. Clear our heads."
We all look at each other with excitement and relief that we get to get out of here for the day.
"Yes! Let's do it!" Trish stands up, Shauna right behind her.
"Ugh, thank God." I grab my things, packing up the little belongings I have and put them in the Winnebago. I don't trust any of my stuff out here now. I just feel like this entire place is unsafe.
"Are we going to walk there or drive?" Willie asks. He grabs a bucket, walking to the river to fill it up. Carrying it to the fire, he pours it over the flames. It sizzles and steams, the logs smoking once the flames burn out.
"We'll walk. It shouldn't be that far." Neil looks at the map again, using his knuckle to check the miles. He looks up at the sky, checking the sun. "We'll just make sure we bring enough water for the day."
We all nod, not really caring what we do or how long it takes. We just want to get out of here.
"Shit, it's hot," I gasp, grabbing the canteen from Trish’s hip. The strap snaps around her hip, yanking her toward me. I don’t care. I’m so thirsty. I take a small sip, knowing we're only a short way up the mountain. We've got a long way to go and make it back to camp before we'll be able to get more water.
"What's the story of Superstition Mountain, anyway?" Shauna asks, looking at the rock walls and jagged peaks. The canyons are beautiful, but it's very dry out here, and the higher we climb, the drier it becomes—the closer we get to the sun.
It’s bright, and I don’t have sunglasses. My eyelids ache, each blink dry and heavy.
"From what I've been told, there's a gold mine here somewhere that was hidden by the Lost Dutchman."
"So, you're saying we might come across a fucking mine of gold?" Willie asks, his own glasses going to the top of his sweaty head as he looks around.
I roll my eyes, panting, "Don't even try. You'll never find it. I'm sure people come here all the time scoping it out. It's probably not even real."
He lifts an eyebrow at me. "I wouldn't count it out until I've scoured every inch of this mountain." He continues looking around, and I let him, too hot, too tired to argue.
"It is really fucking hot today." I look up at the sun. Today, there isn't a cloud in the sky. The sun burns bright. I want to sit down, but everything is sharp in the desert. Beautiful, but one wrong move and you get stabbed with cacti or a bush or bitten by some kind of fucking animal.
"It really is hot," Shauna whines, "maybe we should head back early."
Yes. Please yes.
Neil laughs. "We can't head back yet. We’ve barely started. And honestly, would you rather go back to that place already? Or would you rather stay out here, far away from those gunshots?"
