Joel nodded grudgingly, but looked at the banks with concern. “Could be awkward walking along here.”

Alice did a double take. “Shen, didn’t Barney say something about avoiding the river until we have to?”

“Of course. It’s a focal point for predators, more risk of parasites, that kind of thing.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” said Joel. “So we’ll follow the river as far as we can, but from a distance.” He turned to Tom. “Do you have anything to add, Tom?”

Tom shook his head and started back the way they’d come. He didn’t care how they came to their decisions, or that Joel imagined himself as the leader of this escape, as long as they came to the right decisions, and kept heading in the right direction.

CHAPTER 27

Everyone was allowed to eat and drink. It wasn’t enough, but they were already so exhausted by the heat that there were no complaints. Joel stood in the middle of the group and explained the problems they’d encountered at the river and what the plan would be from here.

Then he said, “We should swap the boat-carrying teams now, I think.”

A murmur went through the camp, a few people volunteering, but George chipped in, saying, “I can do another hour, no worries.”

“Me too,” said Chris, and the other two agreed.

“That’s appreciated,” said Joel. “Okay, so let’s get ourselves together and get on the move.”

With an effort, people started to get to their feet. Chloe seemed to stagger and sat back down again, laughing in confusion and shaking her head.

Barney was standing nearby and said, “Are you okay?”

She looked up and smiled uncertainly, a look that made Tom think of Freddie kneeling in a stupor on the slope.

But she climbed to her feet now and said, “I stood up too quickly. I’m all right, though.”

Barney nodded, but looked at her closely, a look of concern on his face, and finally he smiled and said, “Would you like me to walk with you for the next stretch?”

“Would you mind?”

“Not at all. Let’s take some of the drinks and things from your pack and put them in mine.”

Tom smiled as he looked on. A casual observer might have thought Barney had a romantic interest in Chloe, but Tom already knew him well enough to know he’d have done the same for anyone. It was an even more impressive act of kindness in the light of the way Chloe had spoken to him just the day before.

Slowly, the column peeled away along the path, following Joel and Shen as they had before. For the most part, people kept the same position they’d had on the first leg, so that in the end, the clearing had only Chris, George, Tom, and Alice, the only person to break ranks.