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Eric scornfully looked at Curtiss and got up in his face. “Don’t start that shit with me! There’s no Petrified Man - you and I both know it. So, don’t pretend like there is.”
Curtiss backed off a little. “All right, all right, take it easy.” Curtiss responded, “Maybe there is, and maybe there isn’t, but what I’m worried about right now is my uncle. He genuinely believes in the legend of the petrified man.”
Eric considered Curtiss’ words. “So much so that he would sabotage the group, leaving us out here without a means to get back to civilization?”
Eric suddenly had an epiphany. “Wait...a minute. What the Hell is wrong with me? The truck! The one you have hidden. Maybe our bus is disabled, but your truck isn’t. You can get me out of here with it.”
Curtiss looked towards the darkened woods. “Possibly, but I’m not planning on going anywhere just yet.”
Eric looked perplexed, “Not going anywhere just yet?” He paused and realized something important. Then he smiled devilishly. “Tell you what, Curtiss. I’ll make it worth your while to get me out of here right now.”
Curtiss whipped around and got up into Eric’s face.
“Look, you son of a bitch, I told you I’m not leaving until I’ve found my uncle.” Curtis's resistance to leave angered Eric.
“Forget about him! For all you know, he may already have gone back home.”
“Didn’t you hear me? He may be a crazy old coot, but he’s family...my family.” Curtiss backed off a little. “Besides, I think Y’all should be able to survive a few hours of being lost in the dark, at least until I find him.”
Eric tried to reason with Curtiss. “But...” Curtiss cut him off.
“The way I see it, you wanted your people to get the scare of their lives...well, that’s what they’re getting, you along with them.”
Eric tried to make Curtiss reconsider, “I’ll make you wealthier than you were yesterday, more than you could imagine. I...we.. gotta get out of these woods. It’s not safe.”
A realization came over Curtiss. He shook his head and laughed. “Boy, Lester’s story musta really scared you.”
Eric turned away, not wanting to acknowledge Curtiss’ statement. He looked down at the ground rather than face him.
Curtiss bent over and peered up into Eric’s face. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re scared. You’re terrified!”
Eric turned his face to the side. “You’re nothing but a fool, Curtiss.”
“Maybe I am. But, I’m not the one lost in the woods.” Curtiss pointed out. Curtiss read Eric’s facial expression, and the face told him all he needed to know. He knew then he was the one who possessed the power. “All that money of yours doesn’t make a difference now, does it?”
Eric decided maybe Curtiss needed to be threatened. “Why don’t we see what the authorities have to say about this?”
Curtiss wasn’t going to have any of it and shot back. “Roll the dice, St. Clair. I’ll be happy to explain all the arrangements that ‘you’ paid for.”
“Screw you, Curtiss! You know what? You can go to Hell!”
“Well, Mr. St. Clair, that I probably will. But, right now, if I were you, I’d head back and try and join your group. There’s greater strength in numbers. Or, maybe in y’all’s case, there’s greater fright in numbers?” Curtiss laughed.
Eric looked around, unsure what direction he should traverse. He started moving in one direction but abruptly stopped when Curtiss laughed louder.
He turned and saw Curtiss had pointed in a different direction, “I’d go that way if I were you.”
Eric scurried off as Curtiss’ laughter grew louder.
The rest of the team had been on the run so much that they had become disoriented and out of breath, except for Cole, who appeared to be enjoying his time.
Cora pleaded with Stacie, “Can we please stop for a while?”
Stacie caught her breath and looked around in all directions. “I guess we can. But, just for a few minutes.”
Jack rubbed his eyes and looked off in the distance. “Say, this area looks very familiar!”
Cole snapped, “It should- we were here about 20 minutes ago.”
“What do you mean?” Stacie asked.
Cole pointed at a rather large tree with lines hanging from it. “See that tree and that branch, the one with ropes hanging from it?”
“Yeah, I see it. So, what?” Jack sarcastically asked.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Cole started to laugh quietly. “All you’ve done is run around in circles!”
Stacie became angry at Cole, “You knew all along, didn’t you?! Why didn’t you say something?”
Cole snickered, “I needed a good laugh. It was fun watching you fall all over yourselves.”
Jack was pissed. “That isn’t funny, Cole!”
Cole shot back, “It was to me.” He then let out another bellowing laugh and walked away.
Cora started crying, “We’re never going to find our way outta here!”
Stacie forcefully told the group, “Look! Out here, it’s survival of the fittest: It doesn't mean the strongest or smartest. It means survival for those who are the most adaptable to their surroundings. They’re the ones who are more likely to survive. All we need to do is adapt.
Cora was still trembling, “But we’re not survivalists. We’re city people. That means we haven’t got a chance.” Cora looked beyond the tree. “If that’s the tree where we started from, then the bus is nearby. “
“Yeah, a bus with no tires.” Ed pointed out.
Cora was fixated on the bus. “At least it has an inside. Tires or no tires - that’s where I’m headed.” She started walking slowly toward the direction where the bus had been parked.
Stacie looked around and then realized someone else was missing. “Hold on. Cole. Where’s Cole?”
Suddenly, the trees and bushes directly ahead of where Cora was headed began to move. Something had started to thrash about. Cora froze, unwilling to move another step.
Stacie yelled out. “Cora! Cora, get back here. Now!!”
The trees and bushes opened up, and Cole emerged. He walked toward Cora as he loaded items into his backpack. He stopped directly in front of Cora, who still shook in fear. He flung his arm forward, stopped, and patted her on the head. “That’s right, little one, it’s just me. Go ahead, keep on walking. The bus is right over there where we left it.”
Cora stooped down and darted as fast as she could while Cole laughed as he continued to load up his backpack.
“Cole, where were you?” Stacie inquired.
“Relax; I had to go back to my tent to gather up a few more....” He reached in his backpack and pulled out some specially made arrows. “...essentials for survival.”
He smiled with pride as he displayed them.
Stacie appealed to Cole. “Cole, as the person with the most outdoor training, it’s up to you to help us by leading us out of here?”
Cole chuckled. “Help you losers? He smirked, “That’ll be the day.”
“But, Cole...”
“You know, Cora was right when she said you all haven’t got a chance. As for me, I intend to survive, and that means going alone.”
He began to walk away.
“Cole...Cole! Come back!” Stacie pleaded.
Claudia cried out. “Don’t leave us here! Cole!”
As Cole departed, Stacie put her hand on Claudia’s shoulder, “Forget it. He won’t hear you no matter what you say.”
Jack stood in front of the group. “Well, like Stacie says, ‘Time to face facts. We’re on our own, so let’s start adapting.”
Ed moved in front of Jack and the others, “I think St. Clair’s the one who holds the key to our survival. I’m going to find him and get some answers.”
Claudia ran up to Ed, “Mind if I tag along?”
Ed was impressed. “Fine by me.” He answered.
Stacie shook her head. “No! Wait! Please, we’ve got to stick together!”
Ed stopped and looked back. “No one’s stopping the rest of you from sticking together. But, someone needs to confront St. Clair.”
Stacie then acknowledged a simple truth to Ed and Claudia, “I’m sorry. I have no authority over you. Take care.”
Ed nodded, “Don’t worry. We’ll be back.”
“And, with answers.” Added Claudia.
As Ed and Claudia walked away, he leaned in close to Claudia and whispered, “Listen, all we gotta do is find the road out of here and follow it back to that little town we passed on the way up here.”
Claudia was a little confused, “But, what about finding St. Clair?”
Ed was taken aback by what she asked.
“I only said that so we could get away from the others.”
Claudia was a little disappointed. “But, Stacie and the others...what will they do?”
“We can’t worry about the others. They’re only gonna get themselves killed along with us if we stayed with them.”
At that moment, Claudia was unsure whether her decision to leave was the right one. “Don’t you ever think about anyone else but yourself?” She chided him.
“Not for a long, long time. By doing so, I learned the hard way; you only suffer the consequences.”
She disagreed with Ed’s assessment. “I agree that sometimes doing what’s right makes one suffer the consequences, but it can also be satisfying.”
Ed gave her a half-smile, “Maybe...if someone cared about you, it would.”
Claudia reached out and grabbed Ed’s hand. “Maybe somebody does.” She looked at him, and half smiled back. They stopped and looked at one another. At that moment, there seemed to be nothing else in the whole world that was important. They took a step closer to one another and gazed into each other’s eyes. Their bodies met, and their lips were about to touch when they heard it. The sound of something thrashing through the brush. The sound got louder and louder until it was finally upon them.