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Carrie woke up during the night with a certain urge. She had drunk too much water before going to sleep, even though Fred had warned her this might happen. She'd simply had a thirst and had drunk as much as she'd needed to quench it. She thought that the dangerous excitement of the afternoon had done something to her body, draining it of its moisture.
"Curses," she breathed quietly to herself, not wanting to wake anyone.
She and Bia were sharing the blankets this evening, while Fred had graciously excused himself to the opposite side of the fire. Carrie knew he would have preferred to sleep next to her, as she would have preferred herself, but he'd put up no fuss about it. If he had but said that Bia should be the one to sleep alone, Carrie did not think she would have had the strength to tell him no.
He was asleep now, not snoring, but breathing heavily. Carrie propped herself onto her elbows and looked at him. He rolled back and forth, unable to find a comfortable spot. Carrie should have insisted that he take one of the blankets. She and Bia could have made due with less, but she knew he would never have allowed that. Her comfort was far more important to him than his own.
Bia lay perfectly still except for one small corner of her mouth that twitched repeatedly. Her breath rose and fell evenly, despite the tremble on her face. Carrie wondered if she was dreaming. She hoped they were good dreams, but judging from her twitch, she feared the opposite was true.
Carrie rose from the bed and looked around her for something she could use to light her way. They had no lantern. Fred had told her once that he used to carry a lantern, but it kept breaking so he had forgone the object long ago. He was a man. If he had an urge during the night, he need only to stand up and take three paces. Women did not have it quite so easy.
Fred's voice suddenly filled the air, "Carrie," he muttered and rolled over onto his back, still asleep. She paused to watch him. If possible, he looked even more handsome when he slept. She could see his eyelids fluttering as he dreamed and wished they could be snuggled under the blankets together this night. She supposed it was a good thing Bia was here. She was an unintentional chaperone. Now that their plan to wed had been established, she'd had a hard time talking herself out of getting even closer to Fred... physically.
"Carrie," he muttered again and she went to him.
"Sssh," she whispered, laying one hand on his forehead. He calmed instantly, a soft smile playing upon his lips. It was as though her touch was all he needed for peace in this world. She left her hand there another moment before bending over and kissing his cheek.
He rolled over again and Carrie rose from his side.
She sighed and carefully made her way into the trees. If she did not go far, then the firelight would be enough. As she walked from the fire, she realized she had little problem seeing beyond it. A thousand stars were out this night, lighting her way. There were so many that even the canopy of trees could not hide them.
The air was cool and crisp. Autumn would be coming soon enough. She wondered where she might be when it came. Certainly not here in this forest. But in Helena? With Fred? That was an equal certainty. She hoped Tom and the others would understand her departure. She would write them as soon as possible and let them know she was all right. Sarah she would speak to once they reached Helena, whenever that might be. She found she did not care so very much about it as she once had. As long as she had Fred, all seemed well to her.
A massive oak tree blocked her path up ahead, hiding everything from her view. She saw only darkness beyond it, surrounding it. The firelight did not reach here, and the starlight barely scraped through the millions of leaves on its bountiful branches.
Carrie took three steps back and paused, looking toward the camp. Perhaps she had gone too far, but if she stood in this spot, she could still see the glow of their fire. The tree would give her the cover of darkness that she desired. She walked toward it, lowered herself, and did her business.
Rising from the grass, she stepped back toward camp. The cracking of the ground behind her made her stop. Her feet froze where she stood. It's them! she thought, afraid the outlaws had discovered them. But as she listened, she realized it had only been her imagination. There was nothing there, except perhaps some forest creature.
She took another step and there was another crack. Her breath faltered. She tried steady her shaking hands but couldn't. There was another crack. Something was coming toward her. She turned, not sure she would be able to see whatever it was. But it was impossible to miss.
The largest black bear Carrie had ever seen raced toward her. At least six hundred pounds and nine feet tall on its hind legs. It stood watching her. Its dark eyes puzzled by her sudden appearance. It opened its mouth and let out an irritated roar.
Carrie could not think. Her heart stopped beating. They had no black bears in Indiana, but they did have coyotes and bobcats. Tom had always taught her to stand perfectly still if encountering one. Don't move and don't show fear. Those had been his exact lessons. Carrie did the opposite of that now. She screamed.
Her cry pierced through the night air like a whistle on a Sunday stroll. The bear roared, bearing its teeth at her. She turned and ran as fast as she could. Her lungs were not able to keep up with the speed of her feet. She was already panting, and she was still several yards away from camp.
She knew the bear was just behind her. This was most certainly the bear the trapper's hole had been dug for. Its feet pounded along the ground. Its breath was heavy. The sounds it made as it ran only made everything worse. It sounded as though it wanted to eat her. She did not think it was her imagination. She thought the bear meant to make her a late-night snack.
Something tugged at her hair. She thought it was a tree branch and flicked it away from her, only to feel the soft fur of the bear's paw as its claws ran through her locks like a comb.
"Aaahhhh!" she screamed again.
A gunshot sounded through the air. The bear slowed but did not stop. It roared louder at her, or perhaps at the sound. Fred suddenly appeared before her. His face was white as a sheet, his eyes black as coals.
"Carrie, run!" he cried.
She dug her boot heels deeper into the dirt and picked up her pace. Fred was running toward her, his gun aimed at her head.
"Duck!" he yelled. She did so without hesitation.
Fred hit the bear in its massive body. It stopped running and reared up on its hind legs, its mouth open. Its teeth like vampire fangs. Fred told Carrie to get to the campsite.
"What about you?" she asked.
The bear did not give him a chance to answer.
"Run!" he shouted at her, giving her a shove in the direction he wished her to go. She took several paces before hearing another gunshot. She looked back and the bear was on top of Fred. Its massive paw flew through the air, hitting him to the ground. It began to trample him.
"No!" Carrie cried, taking two steps toward it. Its head shot up, its sharp, angular teeth flashed in the starlight. There was nothing she could do.
The bear sliced at Fred's chest with its claws. He screamed.
"Fred."
"Carrie, go!" The words choked out of him, his voice alarmingly soft.
She searched the forest floor for something to throw at it. Rocks had worked with the outlaws, why not now? She picked one up and threw it at the monster. It bounced off its large body like a rubber ball. Its cry thundered back at Carrie. It was clearly annoyed with her. Carrie shrieked.
Sudden footsteps were running behind her. "Here," Bia said, handing her a makeshift torch. It was no more than a long stick of wood she had set on fire. She was holding two of them. Carrie took one and saw that the bear did not like it. She took a step toward it, brandishing the fire through the air, her new favorite weapon. The bear stepped back, its roar an explosion of anger at her and Bia for daring to use fire against it. Carrie would have hugged Bia were they out of danger. She would do so as soon as she had the chance.
"Out! Away with you!" Carrie shouted at it. Slowly, it came off its hind legs, deciding that Carrie and Bia were not worth the trouble. It turned and walked back into the cover of the forest.
Carrie ran to Fred, kneeling next to him as Bia held both the sticks now. They were starting to burn low and soon she would have to get rid of them or risk burning her hands.
"Fred? Are you all right?" Carrie did not know why she was asking such a stupid question. He was clearly not all right. His clothes were tattered, his face, bloody. His eyes were shut.
Tears fell freely from her eyes. "He's going to die," she cried, looking to Bia.
Bia nodded, only making Carrie cry harder. She dropped her head to his chest. He was still breathing.
"We must do something," Carrie said. "I-I love him!" Why had she not told him that before? He had said the words to her, why had they been so difficult for her to stay back? They were not difficult now. "I love him!" she yelled again.
She grabbed Fred's head on either side, wiping the blood away with her dress. "Do you hear me, Fred Connor? I love you. And I'm going to marry you. So, you must live."
Bia placed one hand on her shoulder. "We must stop the bleeding, and then we must leave this place at once. We cannot wait till sunup, it will be too late."
"But where can we go? It is the dead of night. I don't even know where I am."
"I do," Bia replied. "You must be brave now, brave for your love. I shall ask the spirits of my grandfathers to watch over him. Come with me now, before it is too late."
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