Page 10 of Shadow of Hope
“Then in that case, how about not treating me like I’m fragile all the time?” she asked, turning the discussion to her physical stamina and away from the past.
“Is that what I was doing?”
“Did you ask the other guys if they needed a slower speed?”
“No, but…” He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Probably comes from my need to protect my sister. Others. Not from any prejudice against you being able to hold your own in the world.” He gave her a sweet smile. “I’m sure your determination has and will see you through.”
“You got that right.” She stood, hating that she was bordering on rude to shut down any questions about her past. Or maybe she was running away from what the sweet smile did to her heart rate.
Either way, she needed to be on guard around him, or she might slip up and find herself revealing too much and end up serving a life sentence for murder.
“Who’s fished before?” Micha asked from his place near the large firepit as the others gathered around him.
Ernie shot up a hand, the tiredness in his expression flooding away. “One of my hobbies.”
“Then you’ll probably have the hardest time of all. We’ll use a very primitive method, and I’ll bet you have all the latest gear at home. Am I right?”
Ernie grinned. “You know it.”
“Today we’ll make our own hooks, starting with scavenging for the materials. You can make hooks from all kinds of things people leave behind, such as metal soda can tops, a safety pin, etcetera. But let’s assume we can’t find any of those items.”
“Would be odd not to find anything to use,” Jamal said. “So why not skip it?”
“Because you can probably figure out how to use those items. But I want you to know how to make a hook with only a tree and your knife.” He waited for Jamal to toss out more questions, but he simply pressed his lips together behind his full black beard.
Micha shifted his stance to take in the others in the group. “We’ll make what’s called a gorge hook. First you’ll use your knife to collect a strong branch from a sturdy tree, like a pine. Find a stick about a third of the thickness of your finger and bring it back to me at the river. You can use your knife, but bonus points if you don’t have to. It would be good to try. Never know if you might find yourself stranded without a knife.”
“How long of a branch?” Ernie asked.
“I’d try for around a foot, but we’ll be cutting it down to pinkie size so use your judgment. You’ll also want to find bait. Insects or worms will work.” He waved his hands in a dismissive gesture. “Bonus points to the first one back to the river, too.”
Jamal arched a dark eyebrow. “What do these bonus points get us?”
“Nothing but bragging rights.”
“Not worth it then.”
“It is for me.” Kari shot to her feet and shouldered her pack.
“You can leave that here,” Micha said, hoping to lighten her load.
“Not a chance.” Her vehement tone shattered the quiet, sending birds flapping from trees above. “First rule of survival for me is never leave my belongings behind.”
Oh, really.Micha had a similar philosophy. Probably the same for a lot of kids who lived most of their life moving from foster home to foster home before aging out of the system. Could she be a former foster kid? He’d seen things stolen and discarded often enough—his things included—and he’d learned to keep his stuff packed and ready for moves, plus his sentimental items close at hand.
“Make sure each of you have your walkie-talkie and don’t go far. I don’t want to lose any of you.”
“We’re not babies.” Jamal rolled his eyes and set off at a slow pace.
“At that rate, you won’t be eating tonight,” Micha said.
Jamal shrugged and didn’t speed up but disappeared over a ridge.
Micha liked most of their clients. Even the zealous preppers as they had a cause that they believed in. But guys like Jamal, who seemed to think the world owed them something, didn’t sit well with Micha.
And speaking of sitting, he needed to get a move on. He got out his satellite phone from his backpack and texted home base.
Arrived at camp. All is well.
