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Ed and Claudia lost track of time. Although they both owned watches, they were unaware of how long they had been on the run.
Claudia looked down at Ed’s leg and noticed it had been bleeding more than she cared to see it bleed.
Ed caught her staring at it and stopped. He half-chuckled. “Looks like we got another job for Nurse Chan.”
She smiled back at him. “Well, it means we must stop if you want me to take a look at it.” She deferred to him and his opinion. “Only if you think it’s safe.”
Ed was appreciative that she acknowledged him as someone with life skills. “I think we’ve traveled far enough that we can afford to rest for a bit.”
She helped him as he began to lower himself onto a large boulder. But she quickly pulled him back right before he sat down. So forcefully that he fell into her arms.
“What did you do that for?” He asked.
“Well, the last boulder we saw turned out to be our friend, the monster.”
“True.” Then he sheepishly grinned. “For a moment, I thought maybe you were trying to get me in your arms.”
She playfully smiled back at him.
“And what if I was? Any objections?”
“Well, if you ‘were’ trying to get me in your arms, then maybe I might just do this?” He gently caressed her hair away from her face and lightly kissed her. They smiled and hugged each other.
Claudia refocused her priorities, “Uh, maybe I should continue to treat your leg?”
Ed smiled and said, “I’m your willing patient. Proceed.”
He sat on the boulder and cringed ever so slightly as he remembered the incident which led to Vincent’s death. He lightly tapped the boulder with his gun. There was no movement of any kind.
Claudia chuckled at his actions, to which he responded. “Hey! It’s your fault. Besides, it never hurts to check.” He reached down and grabbed his leg. “Speaking of hurt, boy, does it ever.”
Claudia pulled up his pant leg and examined it. She removed her jacket, followed by her blouse. Ed’s eyes widened. “Turn your head around,” Claudia said as she grabbed the top of his head and forced it around. She took her blouse and ripped off the sleeves.
“What are you gonna do?” An attentive Ed asked.
“Just tie up a few more spots on your leg to better control the bleeding.” Ed cringed. “You can face me now. I put my blouse back on.”
Ed turned his head and faced her. “Go ahead and sit back. This might take a little time.”
Ed held his gun ready and continued to look around. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.”
Back at the campground, Cora had been hiding in the bus long enough. She decided to risk taking a peek outside. She figured as much since it had been some time since she had drowned out the screams she had heard.
With that in mind, she removed one of the light blankets she had wrapped around her head and cautiously raised it to the window. She glanced around just long enough to see if anyone was still out there.
It appeared her prayers had been answered when she saw no movement whatsoever. Even though it seemed to be safe, she was reluctant to come out of hiding. And, she would have remained in her self-imposed fortress had it not been for spotting a small ice chest that had been left out during all the commotion.
That's when her hunger pangs and her desire to eat outweighed her fear. There was no denying that she also wanted to see if anyone had survived the encounter with the Carl. “Maybe they got away?” She thought.
She opened the bus doors and proceeded outside with extreme caution. It came as no surprise to her that she began talking to herself. Something she did when she was nervous, “Lucky, lucky. Just stay lucky.” She whispered.”
She managed to take several judicious steps away from the bus. She looked around the campsite that appeared to be in complete disarray. Nonetheless, she was able to snatch up the small chest. She thought,
“Please have something good to eat inside. Please.”
She slowly opened it and, to her dismay, found something she did not expect. “Caviar! I hate Caviar!” She cupped her hand over her mouth as she realized she had spoken louder than necessary. She told herself,
“All right, Cora. You got your food. Now, get back to your hiding place.”
Then, she saw them in the distance- two legs lying on the ground. She could not see the rest of the body as it was obscured by shrubbery.
She warned herself, “Don’t go there, Cora. It ain’t any of your concern.” Her intuition went into full mode. “Get back to safety! Get back now!” She started to walk back to the bus, but she knew she had to make sure those legs weren’t attached to someone who needed help.
“Damn you and your concern for others!” She stopped abruptly and raced back to the scene. As she turned the corner, she saw something so disgusting, that it almost made her throw up.
Eric’s head had been compressed into something that resembled what could be described as a vertical pancake.
“No, no, no, no, no....” She kept repeating as she slowly shook her head and backed away. Then she ran into something. She felt it. It was massive. It felt as though a stone wall was behind her. But, she remembered there was no stone wall there a few moments ago.
She looked down and saw gigantic petrified feet made of stone. She turned and screamed as she fell to the ground. The giant stone man was standing over her.
“Why did you have to go and look?” She thought as it slowly began to lean down to grab her. She knew her luck had run out.