Most of all, though, he felt thirst. They’d had no rain in days and trips to the stream to fill his pathetic water bottle needed to be carefully managed. Auma’s men were still out there. Silent now. Waiting for him to make a mistake.

By his count, they’d been there almost a week and a half. Pretty fucking impressive for three pampered scientists, but also concerning. If no rescue effort had been mounted by now, it seemed unlikely that one was forthcoming. Everyone would assume they were dead.

Ricci began a coughing fit and Chism felt his stomach tighten. The Italian wasn’t going to last much longer. There was no way to measure his fever, but it was high enough that he was no longer lucid. The infection was too strong for his body to fight off. Without antibiotics, his life was over.

Jing Liu, though, was a whole other story. With every day, she got even stronger, shaking off her privileged adulthood and returning to the impoverished child she’d once been. Her stomach seemed impervious to both their haphazard diet and the questionable water they were surviving on. She slept like a rock. And she was tireless in doing whatever she could for Ricci. Apparently, it was a role she’d played for her dying grandfather.

The bottom line was that, of the three of them, she’d almost certainly be the one who held out the longest. And that made turning himself over to Auma’s men seem smarter and smarter every day. There was no longer any question that she could make it to the road and bring back help for Ricci. All she needed was for Auma’s men to clear out.

Chism sat and pulled his knees to his chest. Time to put on his big-boy pants and be the hero. When Liu woke up and he wasn’t there, she’d figure out pretty quickly what he’d done. Then she’d wait another day or so to ensure that the coast was clear and make a break for civilization.

What was he so worried about? Obviously, there were the stories about Auma’s sect. The cannibalism. The crucifixions. The castrations. And that was just the Cs. But Auma needed him. He wouldn’t be worth much with his balls sawed off, nailed to a cross, or half-eaten.

He was lucky, right?

He let out a long breath and closed his eyes. No rush. The sun had only set an hour or so ago. He could procrastinate a little longer. Enjoy the closeness of his friends and the illusion of safety that the cave provided.

Just a little longer…

Chism bolted awake, confused by what had suddenly forced him back to reality. It didn’t take long for him to figure it out, though.

A helicopter.