It was an all-too-familiar feeling, one he experienced whenever he thought about making his way through a crowd or talking to someone new. But in the wilderness, it was even more eerie. The quiet night begged him to calm down, but he wouldn’t find peace until he’d checked the food and started that fire.
And checked the food again.
Brendan’s car came into view, and Jace angled toward it. He dropped the sticks next to the pit the last camper had left, and pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. A long sigh escaped his lips, the white mist catching the light before his phone went dark again. He didn’t have nearly as much time as he’d like.
Jace set about checking off his mental list of to-dos, starting with the food. It was mostly junk food, easy to grab and go, though his mom had made sure they had healthier alternatives, like trail mix and protein bars. But the stuff he worried about the most was the bacon Brendan had insisted on packing. Jace double-checked the double-bagging, then stuffed it back into the ice as far as he could, surrounding it with the prepared pancake batter and protein bars before placing the cast iron griddle on top and shutting the cooler. For good measure, he placed the sleeping bags around the cooler. They would need those later, but for now, the more layers between bear and food, the better.
He shut the trunk, cooler snug inside, and then made sure all the windows were up and the doors closed tight.
By the time he’d finished, he found he barely had enough time to start the fire. But something had to be better than nothing.
He made sure the pit was cleared, then stacked the sticks he’d gathered into a conical shape. Grabbing the lighter from their supplies, he lit some of the kindling and stuffed it at the base.
It took a few minutes of feeding the flames to turn it into a real fire. He leaned in, letting the warmth flood his face, even as his back prickled against the chill.
Taking a deep breath, he let his hold on the overwhelming feelings of the day melt. He shook out his hands and tapped his foot as he counted backward from one hundred. That’s all the time he could afford right now.
It was hard turning it all off, especially without his games. He thought about pulling out his phone again, but left it in his pocket, focusing on the numbers instead.
Thirty-nine.
Thirty-eight.
Thirty-seven.
A piercing howl stopped him cold.
He looked around the area, taking his time as his eyes adjusted to the dark beyond. The wildlife sure was busy tonight. It took a few minutes to convince his frayed nerves that the wolf was far from his site, but he eyed the tent warily. He’d be sleeping in the car.
Jace took another minute to rewarm the hot cocoa, then knocked over the fire, watching the flames die. He didn’t want to put it out entirely, hoping it would be easy to start back up when they returned, but he didn’t want to start a forest fire, either. Too bad he didn’t have more time. There wasn’t enough leftovers if he needed to start a new fire.
Satisfied that the fire was tamed, he grabbed the thermos and filled it with the warmed cocoa. He rinsed the pot and set it on top of the coals, smiling when a sizzle crackled through the still air.
He paused to survey the landscape again. But there wasn’t much time left, and he wanted to make sure the assignment was done right. He hadn’t recorded their environmental factors yet, and there was little chance the other two had done it.
The thought set his feet to moving, though he couldn't shake the sense of unease. It felt as if the dark had grown eyes. He began to hum a tuneless song to make up for the uneasy silence. He would've thought nothing would be better than the growls and howls of predators, but it wasn't.
Chances are the creatures I heard earlier are long gone, he tried to reassure himself. Still, his hair stood at attention, the sense that he wasn’t alone eating at him.
It was actually a relief when he spotted Brendan and Leo.
Jace hurried to the spring, but sat on the log where the clothes and towels rested, rather than jumping in again. He was so exhausted he could’ve curled up on the cold, hard ground and drifted off, but they had work to do. He opened his thermos and took a long swig instead.
“What are you doing? Get in here,” Brendan said.
“I don’t want to get the notebook wet.” Jace didn’t look at his friend, using what little light there was to jot down a few notes. His fingers trembled, and he hoped his writing would be readable in the morning. He’d have to rewrite everything before turning it in. Or type it up.
Brendan rolled his eyes.
“Did you see anything while you were out there?” Leo asked, coming to the edge closest to Jace.
Jace shook his head.
“Aw, cut it out man,” Brendan said.
Leo swatted water at Brendan. “Hey! I really did see something.”
Jace looked up from his notebook. “I think there’s a bear nearby. And maybe wolves.”
“See!” Leo peered around as if the bear might jump out at them at any moment.
“I think the bear was headed further north,” Jace added, though he wasn't sure if it was for his friend's benefit or his own. “I heard it when I was by the woods. The wolf sounded pretty far away. Oh, and I made sure our food’s in the car. You’re welcome.”
“Speaking of food, you gonna share any of that cocoa?” Brendan asked, jumping on Leo’s shoulders and pushing him under the water.
Leo came up spluttering. “Hey, not cool, man!”
“It was just a joke!”
“Yeah. Not funny,” Jace deadpanned. “And the chocolate’s for me, since I’m out here doing all the work.”
“Spoilsports,” Brendan said, sulking to his former spot in the hot spring.
***
A few hours later, three sleepy and shivering young men made their way back to camp. Jace had all but forgotten the noises from earlier, thanks to the work and spectacular light show. He’d have to double-check the math, but they’d counted approximately fifty meteors per hour, plus three fireballs. Overall it had been a good night, but he was ready to feel his fingers again and get a bit of sleep.
Jace’s shoulders slumped when he saw the firepit. Even turning the ashes over revealed nothing left of the fire he’d started earlier. So much for making this easy.
“Who wants to go gather more firewood?” Jace asked, knowing where this was headed.
“F-f-f-forget that, m-man,” Brendan replied, the warmth of the hot springs obviously worn off. “S-s-s-sleeping bag, car, h-heat.”
Leo cast a side-long glance at Brendan, obviously wanting to do the same. “I can go.”
“Let J-j-jace do it. He was s-s-supposed to have this c-c-covered.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “Go warm up, both of you.” He was cold too, but not nearly as bad as the others. And they couldn’t run the car all night. They’d need that fire if they didn’t want an awkward spoon fest. Or to freeze their butts off.
Leo’s face screwed up with uncertainty, but Jace shook his head. He’d rather take care of it himself.
“Just don’t fall asleep in there,” Jace warned.
“Yeah, yeah,” Brendan said from the driver's seat of the car as he cranked it up. “Just hurry.”
Jace shook his head as the door shut. He didn’t need to be told to hurry.