Warden doesn’t say much around the campfire.

He broods.

He knows what he’s doing out here, though; that’s for certain.

And he’s pretty cute.

But Dawn doesn’t think about Warden much. She’s too busy enjoying hanging with Lucas.

Lucas is goofy. He has funny stories to tell Dawn about life back home in Fort Collins, and he likes country music and sings songs in a terrible cowboy yodel until Dawn’s ears are nearly bleeding and she’s begging him to stop, but she’s laughing while she does it because he’s so freaking into it—and she’d never tell him, but he’s actually a pretty good singer, when he’s being serious.

(And even when he’s not being serious, his terrible singing takes her mind off her blisters and her aching muscles and her empty stomach, and it feels good to, you know, laugh every now and then.)

Among Lucas’s talents is he does a pretty good imitation of Christian’s ghoul voice. “Bear Cub,” he tells Dawn when she’s slacking. “Pick up the pace, you’re falling behind.” It’s exactly what Christian would say, and how Christian would say it, and Lucas even gets this look on his face like Christian, like he’s got a stick so far up his ass it’s propping his head up.

It doesn’t make Dawn walk any faster, but it does make her laugh.

It’s good to laugh out here.

It makes Dawn almost feel almost normal.

Chapter 19

AMBER FALLS IN STEP BESIDE DAWN and Lucas a few days into their second week on the trail. “Hey, Lucas,” she says. “Do you mind if I talk to Dawn on her own for a little bit?”

Lucas is in the middle of telling some story in Christian’s voice.

“Sure, no problem,” he says, and it comes out in Christian’s voice and he immediately goes red and looks panicked. “I mean, shit. Sorry.”

Amber laughs. “No worries,” she says. “That’s Christian, right? It’s pretty good.”

Lucas looks down at the ground. “Please don’t demote me.”

“I’m not going to bust you,” Amber says, rolling her eyes. “Come on, dude. Just don’t let Christian hear you, or you’ll be a Bear Cub for life.”

Lucas exhales and looks relieved.

“Now, can I get some time alone with Dawn, please?” Amber asks him.

Lucas nods. “Yeah, of course,” he says. “I’m really sorry.”

Then he hurries up the trail a little bit. Joins Kyla where she’s hiking. Dawn watches him start a conversation with Kyla and feels stupidly jealous.

But Amber’s touching her shoulder.

“So, Dawn,” she says. “How are you doing?”

It’s a stupid question. The answer is self-evident.

How am I doing? I’m marooned in the woods doing forced marches until I die, Amber. I hate everything.

How are you doing?