Right, Amanda thought. But everybody took two bottles of water and left me only one.
“You bet it won’t happen again,” Derrick said. “We’ll each take a swallow of the juice. Then we’ll count how many pieces of fruit there are and share them evenly.”
“Whatever you want. Now that you’re running the show, let’s find that other rock.”
“I’m not running the show,” Derrick said. “All I want is what’s fair.”
“Sure. Right. Of course.”
“Over here.” Viv sounded like she hoped to change the subject. She picked up a rock that resembled a wedge. “We can use this to bang a hole in the top.”
Derrick set the can on a board. He put the wedge-shaped rock on the lid and prepared to slam it with the rock that was flat.
“Stop.” Ray wiped his mouth. “You’ll send juice flying. We don’t want to spill a drop.”
“It’s impossible to keep that from happening,” Derrick told him angrily.
“No,” Viv said. “The rubber gloves I took from the building.” She pulled one from a pocket, its yellow bright against her brown coveralls. “We’ll put the can in the glove. If juice sprays, it’ll stay inside.”
Viv held the can in the glove’s long sleeve while Derrick braced the first rock and slammed it with the second.
The impact made a dull thumping sound. The can’s lid pushed inward but remained intact.
“Hit it harder,” Ray said.
“I don’t want to crush the fruit.”
“Hit it,” Ray said.
Derrick slammed the rock down so hard he grunted. With the sound of metal breaking, juice leapt from a jagged hole but stayed within the glove.
“We’ll drink the juice,” Ray said. “When it’s gone, we’ll knock the can all the way open and get the fruit.”
“Is that what we’ll do?” Derrick handed the can to Viv.
Shaking, she raised it to her lips and took a swallow.
Ray stepped close, watching her. “How does it taste?”
“Warm.” Viv gave the can to Amanda.
“But not spoiled?”
“Sweeter than I like, but it’s fine.”
“Jesus, is that why you didn’t complain when I let Viv go first?” Derrick shook his head in amazement. “You wanted to find out if she’d get sick?”
The thought that the juice might be spoiled made Amanda reluctant to drink. Slowly, she raised the can. The thick sweet warm liquid was the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted.
Now Derrick reached for the can.
“No,” Ray said. “I’m next.”
“You think so?” Derrick glared.
“Let him,” Viv said. “Maybe he’ll calm down.”
As Ray brought the can to his mouth, Derrick watched carefully. Ray’s Adam’s apple moved in his long neck.
“That’s enough,” Derrick said.
The sun seemed hotter. Ray lowered the can. “I wasn’t going to drink from this after you put your lips to it, boss.”
Derrick screamed. In a blur, he surged to his feet, swinging the rock.
The attack took Ray by surprise. Stumbling back, he groaned as the blow meant for his head struck his left shoulder. Wailing, Derrick struck again. Ray jerked up a hand to protect himself, moaning from the impact of the rock against his forearm.
“Stop!” Viv shouted.
Derrick swung again and almost hit Ray’s jaw.
“Don’t!” Viv screamed.
Ray lost his balance, and fell to the dust. Standing over him, Derrick swept back his arm to hurl the rock at his head.
“No!” Viv wailed.
Ray kicked Derrick’s legs from under him. As Derrick landed, Ray scuttled toward him. Derrick threw the rock, hitting Ray’s chest, but the next moment, Ray was upon him, banging his head against the dirt.
Amanda couldn’t move. What felt like a minute was only seconds, she knew. At once, it seemed that a powerful spring was released, propelling her into motion. She ran and grabbed Ray from behind, straining to pull him off. She smelled sweat. Ray’s breath was vinegary from hyperventilating.
“Stop,” she said.
Viv joined Amanda and struggled to pry Ray’s hands from Derrick’s neck. Amanda tugged frantically at Ray’s shoulders. Derrick’s tongue bulged from his mouth. His face had a blue tint.
“You’re killing him!” Viv screamed.
Ray opened his hands.
Thank God, Amanda thought.
Ray took his fingers from Derrick’s throat.
“Yes!” Amanda said. “Let him go!”
Ray moved back.
“Yes!” Viv said.
Then Amanda’s heart seemed to slide loose in her chest as she saw Ray pick up the rock Derrick had thrown against his chest.
“Stop!”
Amanda grabbed him again, but Ray swung an arm, striking the side of Amanda’s head. The blow made her see gray. Feeling weightless, she dropped to the dust. Ray knocked Viv away from him. His hand streaked toward Derrick’s head. The rock made a brutal crunching sound. Derrick moaned. The rock came up bloody. It slammed down again, and this time, the crunch had a liquid sound.
Amanda hurled herself toward Ray at the same time Viv did. They each grabbed an arm, tugging in a frenzy. Ray squirmed to get free. They pulled him back, and suddenly he went with them, all of them dropping. With a yell, he rolled over them, his momentum twisting their arms loose. He dove toward Derrick. His hand still held the rock. He slammed with it. He slammed again. Blood dripped from the rock.
“No black son of a bitch—” He struck. “—is going to tell me—” He struck harder. Hair now clung to the blood on the rock. “—what to do!”
Derrick’s crushed face wasn’t recognizable. Viv shrieked and ran to him, but Derrick trembled and lay still.
Viv, too, became motionless, kneeling next to her husband. Her features were frozen in shock. Amanda felt as if the metal spring tightened now, squeezing her.
Ray squinted at the blood-covered rock in his hand and dropped it.
2
A breeze stirred up dust. For a long while, that was the only movement.
On her knees beside Derrick, Viv nudged him. He didn’t respond. His cap was blood-soaked. His eyes and nose were bashed in.
“Come on, baby. Wake up.” She sobbed.
Ray stumbled toward the can of peaches. It lay on its side in the dirt, where Ray had dropped it when Derrick attacked him. Some of the juice had spilled. Ray picked up the can and wiped grit from the opening. He raised it to his mouth, tipped it all the way up, and drained the remaining liquid down his throat. He put the can into the rubber glove, looked around, picked up another rock, and pounded the can until it split apart.
“Wake up,” Viv murmured to Derrick.
Ray pulled a peach from the can and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed and stared at Amanda, silently challenging her to stop him.
“You’ll be okay as soon as you wake up,” Viv murmured.
Ray hooked another peach from the can and crammed it into his mouth, hardly chewing before he swallowed. “It’s not my fault. He attacked me.”
“You provoked him,” Amanda said.
“He shouldn’t have given me orders.” Ray took the last peach from the can and ate it. Juice dribbled down his chin.
“Do you remember when Ray kept insisting he wasn’t a hero?” the voice asked, startling Amanda. “That was the truth.”
Slowly, Viv pivoted toward Ray. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“Oh, his jet was shot down the way I described,” the Game Master said. “And he survived for ten days on bugs and pools of stagnant water while Iraqi insurgents hunted him. But the reason he didn’t use his location transmitter wasn’t to stop the rescue helicopters from flying into an ambush. No, he didn’t use his location transmitter because it was broken. The truth is, he’d have done anything and risked anybody’s life to survive.”