“What do you mean that god-awful smell is a bear? Exactly when where you planning to tell us we were sleeping with a grizzly bear?” I whisper. There’s no denying the stench in the cave. The first greasy, musky waves hit me when we crawled in here but I was too tired to care. Then, I guess I got used to the smell. I certainly woke up too distracted to be curious about it. 

The second energy bar I just ate barely put a dent in my ongoing hunger. But I don’t dare eat another bite in case we need it later. My lips are so painfully chapped I’m sure they will crack open if I smile, though there’s not much chance of that happening any time soon. Shoveling snow in my mouth certainly didn’t help them one bit, though it slaked my desperate thirst. The little bit of my cheeks and nose that have been exposed are sunburned. Well, windburned. Judging from the ruddy skin I can see peeping through Emma and Kate’s hoods, they’re experiencing the same discomfort. My eyes stream periodically from the cold. I’ve almost gotten used to having saltwater icicles on my face. Add to that my dream, the shock and fear we’re all dealing with and, well, I don’t really have room for one more bad thing.

 

“I just did, Libby. Calm down. It isn’t like the bear is going to wake up or anything. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s freezing, and bears hibernate until it warms up and thaws. You were never in any danger.”

 

 While I gape at Janelle, Emma says, “How about this. The next time we take shelter with a wild animal or any other potential danger, you let us know immediately.”

 

Instead of answering, Janelle pops another chunk of frozen blood into her mouth. 

 

I take a few deep breaths and try to calm my nerves down. I study Emma and Kate. Both have dark circles under their eyes, as though they never slept, look as haggard and painful as I feel. 

 

But I know Janelle is right and though nothing else of the dream remains, the urgency to move, the prevailing sense that something is wrong rides me. I nod at Janelle. “Okay. We’ll do it like last night. Janelle, if you will take the lead and plow a path for us, we’ll stay in single file behind you and move as quickly as possible. All I know is to put distance between us and the plane. Do you have any idea where we should head?”

 

Janelle crunches a few more times and swallows. “I know the general direction and I should be able to get a better bead on the location today. But since we don’t have the storm covering our tracks, we should engage in evasive maneuvers.”

 

“Which is what, exactly?”

 

“Walking in a way to throw off any trackers. Stay under trees to avoid overhead surveillance, avoid walking in a straight line for long. We won’t be able to double back and loop around as much as I’d like so we’ll have to make up for it by moving as fast as possible.”

 

I sigh. Well, I asked. “Kate? How’s your head?”

 

She shrugs. “To tell you the truth it’s mostly numb. But then, the rest of me kinda is, too.”

 

“Yeah, I hear that. Em? How’s your arm?”

 

Emma snorts. “As long as I don’t have to do any rock or tree climbing, I should be fine.” She tilts her forehead at me.

 

“How about you?”

 

I feel like I could sleep for a week and I’m ravenous. “My side is sore and I’m probably covered in bruises, but basically numb, too.” Dregs of the dream still haunting me, I avoid Emma’s insightful eyes and turn to Janelle. “You think it’s dark enough, yet? We’ll warm up when we can move around.”

 

Janelle nods. “I think so. I haven’t heard a drone in a few hours. We should be good.”

 

Emma and Kate had been talking but now they spin around and give Janelle the same incredulous look I give her. “You heard drones?”

 

“Not drones, no. A drone. As in one. What? You guys were all asleep. It wasn’t an issue.”

 

“Janelle, is there anything else you know about that you haven’t told us, yet?” Maybe if I wasn’t frozen, stressed, and starving I could have succeeded in the patience I meant to convey, rather than the anger that actually came out.

 

Janelle levels a red gaze on me. She smiles, showing her fangs. “If you have a problem with me girlie, we can settle it pretty easily.”

 

“Ah, Janelle?” Emma steps between Janelle and me. Which is dangerous given I’m just as likely to attack her right now as that vampire is. But her next words take the wind out of my self-justified sails. “Janelle? How many bags of blood would it take to heal your head wound?”

 

I step to the side so I can see Janelle. Gods. I forgot all about her injury. She isn’t just hungry. She really isn’t herself right now. Janelle stares at Emma and her eyes slowly change from red to brown. Her face softens and her teeth retract. She shakes her head hard enough to set her locks flying. “Right. Good point. I think two more would do it.”

 

“How many bags do you have left?” This from Kate who steps up and leans against me. I link my arm through hers. 

 

“Ah,” Janelle pats her pockets. “Three. I guess I only had five to begin with? I don’t really remember.”

 

Oh, damn. Oh, that’s not good at all. “Janelle, the two you’ve had so far provide barely enough energy to replenish you when you need to heal and we spent the night running for our lives. In fact, it probably hasn’t helped your head much at all. It’s a wonder you are doing as well as you are. I agree, you need to be healed. You have to go ahead and have two of those bags right now. But my question is, what will you do when you are out of blood?” Beside me, Kate stiffens. Emma turns around to shoot daggers at me. I meet that eyes-wide-open gaze. “What? It isn’t like we aren’t all thinking about it.

 

It’s better if we just keep everything out in the open.” I meet Janelle’s steady gaze. “We’re all on edge, but we have to depend on each other here. If we don’t, we won’t survive. So I’m asking you to think about how you will feed yourself when those bags of blood are gone.”

 

Janelle nods. “You’re right to ask. It’s something I do need to think about. Let me get these in me, and hopefully I can think clearly enough to figure it out.”

 

While she crunches her way through two of her remaining three bags, the three of us quietly settle back onto the hard ground and huddle together. Just hearing her chomping on the ice chips makes me cold. I try to think about something else. Of course, my mind turns back to Jo. Which brings an acidic wash of anxiety. It feels like it’s on top of the plane crash and us just trying to survive out here. I wish I understood why just thinking of Jo now makes me so panicky. There’s certainly no guarantee I will ever see her again. But if I do, if I get another chance to talk to Jo, to see her handsome face, to feel the comfort of her strength surrounding me, I’ll make certain that not a day goes by that I don’t tell her what she means to me. 

 

Janelle walking over to us and holding out a hand interrupts my musings. “Good call ladies. And I apologize if I frightened any of you.”

 

She looks like herself. I accept her proffered hand and let her pull me up. Then she does the same for Emma and Kate. I smile at Janelle. “It’s so good to have you back!” I give her a hug. “Sorry I was pissy.”

 

“Yeah, well, I would be if somebody wasn’t telling me what the hell was going on. Bygones, clean slate, and all that. And now it’s time we put some serious distance between us and anyone looking for us. Y’all ready?”

 

“Let’s do this,” Kate says.

 

Emma nods. “I’m ready.”

 

“Lead on, Janelle.” With a curt nod, Janelle turns. After listening closely for a full minute, snow flies as she starts shoveling the snow from the cave entrance with her hands. I don’t know how I’ll force my exhausted, aching, freezing body to walk through that deep snow all night long. But I meant what I said to Janelle. If we can’t depend on each other, we won’t make it. And nothing is going to make me abandon my friends.