"Brian! Brian! Wake up!" Something hit me in the side of the face.

"Aww…" I moaned and turned over.

"He's waking up." A voice said. I couldn't tell who's it was or where it was coming from.

"That was too close." A new voice echoed inside my head.

I tried to open my eyes but I got dizzy and closed them again.

Slowly feeling came back to me. The cold, my wet hair, the damp ground. Slowly I sat up and held my head.

"You alright?" AJ's voice became clear again.

"I…think…" I said slowly almost unable to form the words.

I was alive!

"Did…I…was it…the kit?" My lips were numb and the words came out sounding all funny.

"Yeah, don't worry." Kevin smiled.

I slowly opened my eyes. The fire was going again and we were all sitting around it. I had been covered with a blanket and placed near the fire to keep warm. I spotted my clothes hanging over the heat of the flames but far enough away from the sparks.

A pitiful moan suddenly came from behind me.

We all looked back at the shelter. Nick's body moved.

Kevin wasted no time in reaching him. I didn't move. Neither did Howie nor AJ. We all just watched. Nick was in sheer pain. We could see that easily from where we sat.

He moaned loudly and didn't hold back his sobbing. Kevin was talking to him but we could only see his lips moving. Finally Kevin helped Nick to stand and Nick leaned on him like a crutch and they came over to the fire. Nick held the end of the branch sticking out of his side with his right hand.

Howie got up and helped Kevin bring Nick over by the fire.

"It hurts!" Nick's voice cracked as he sobbed.

"We know." Kevin said gently helping Nick to sit on the ground.

"Ow!" Nick winced.

"We're going to try to pull it out." Howie told Nick as he helped him to sit up.

Nick made a whimpering sound then finally shook his head. Then cried when he accidentally hit the stick.

My heart felt heavy. Blood dripped from his fingers, his cold white dead looking fingers. Slowly I got up and sat down beside him.

"Is there anything in the kit that'll…I don't know…something so he can't feel it?" Howie asked over Nick's shoulder. Kevin was bringing the kit over to us.

"He's already numb." Kevin retorted, "But I think there's something in here. Brian, get his shirt off." He ordered.

I helped Nick and at the same time watched the two rummaging around the kit. Kevin pulled out a syringe and checked the needle. Howie pulled out a container, "Morphine. We got lucky." He said to Kevin.

"I don't call this luck." Kevin said as he came over to Nick and I.

When Nick spotted the syringe his eyes widened, "What are you going to do to me?" He asked eyeing Kevin's hand.

"We're going to get that thing out of you." Kevin said then handed Howie the syringe. Howie got the morphine ready as Kevin tried to calm Nick down who was almost hysterical.

AJ came over "Nick! Look, it's going to help you okay? Now just let them get it done and over with!"

Normally Nick would have told Bone to shut up but he just sobbed.

We had to cut his shirt off. But finally having it off, I looked at the branch and almost threw up. I would have, just that I hadn't had anything to throw up. About 3 inches of Nick's skin, around the branch was red, not from blood but it was infected. We all seemed to stop for a few minutes and just starred.

Howie stuck the syringe into Nick's side.

"Ah! What the hell!?" Nick cried not expecting it. He looked up at Howie.

"The sooner we get it out the sooner we can go for help."

"Alright." Kevin sighed, "Nick stretch your legs out straight."

Nick shook his head.

"Do it!"

Nick shook his head again. I had my hand on his shoulder and could feel how scared he was.

"Now!" Kevin yelled louder. His voice echoed off the side of the mountain.

Nick jumped then moved his legs. He was turned around now, and had his back to me. It was the same around the branch on this side.

Kevin got down and sat on Nick's legs. AJ helped him. I took Nick's arms, startling him.

"Brian, what-what are you doing?" He tried to look at me. I held his arms over my shoulder so he couldn't get loose.

"Brian!" He whined.

"Shh Frack." I whispered.

Howie came over and placed his hands on the branch.

"No!" Nick struggled to get away. But we held him tight.

Slowly Howie pulled.

Nick screamed at the top of his lungs, not to mention right into my ear.

Ignoring Nick's please to stop Howie pulled again.

Nick's response wasn't a good one.

Talk about Jerry Springer. I thought as I held Nick's arms tighter. All we needed were the little beeps every time he swore.

"Nick, I'm sorry." I whispered.

Howie pulled again and the branch came loose. I let go of Nick's arms. He fell against me holding his side. Kevin and AJ got off him as Howie grabbed a rag and handed it to me. I held it against Nick's back where the branch had been.

"Ah!" Nick sobbed as blood streamed down his fingers as he pressed against the wound at the front of his body.

Kevin came over. "Lay back." He told Nick.

Nick looked up at him as if he'd kill him when we got back home, but he finally laid back, using me as a pillow. Kevin whipped the blood from around the wound and pressed a clothe soaked in rubbing alcohol over it then handed me another soaked clothe to put over the back wound. I did and Kevin and I wrapped Nick up with gaze. The rubbing alcohol was stinging Nick and he had a good hold of my ankle and was tightening his grip.

I looked down at myself. I was covered with his blood.

"You feeling better?" I asked Nick. He had crawled into the shelter and hadn't come out again. It had started to rain again and I was getting tired.

"No." He moaned.

"I'm really sorry Frack." I said, crawling in beside him. And sitting beside his head.

"It's okay." He yawned, then painfully moved and laid his head on my leg.

"It's great to know you're alive." I said.

He didn't reply. I didn't hear the others come in.

I was cold…water everywhere…no air!…Need to breath…help! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! Pain! I opened my eyes to a growling sound. Startled I looked around the quiet shelter expecting to see a gigantic bear looming in the door way, ready to chomp us all into little bits. Kevin, Howie and AJ were all fast asleep. Nick was too. He was still using me as a pillow. But where had the growling come from?

Suddenly I got an answer to my question. I was hungry. I bet everyone else is as well. I sighed and starred out into the dim light outside the shelter.

Nick rolled over, sat up and winced, then rubbed his eyes. He looked around sleepily. He looked at me with a confused expression then turned and looked out of the shelter.

"I'm going to go see if I can find some food." I whispered, starting to crawl out.

"I'm coming." He said.

"No, you stay here and rest." I looked back at him.

"I want to come." He said calmly.

"Nick." I shook my head.

"Please Brian? It's not like something's going to happen!"

I sighed, "Fine. But you better be careful. Or Kevin's gonna have my ass for this."

He smiled and carefully crawled out. I held out my hand and as he took it I helped him to his feet. I went over to the fire pit. My clothes were still handing from a high branch. I had to jump to get my pants. That's why I was so cold…I didn't have my pants on…geez. I sighed. I had been so tired I hadn't realized it.

Nick stood beside me. He only had to reach up to grab my shirt.

"Show off." I hissed as he handed it to me.

"Being tall comes in handy." He smiled again.

I shook my head then looked at the shirt it my hands, then at my friend who was walking away but shivering. Nick's shirt had been ripped from the branch and we had to cut it to get it off him and it was soaked with blood. Kevin had just said to throw it away. I could still see it sitting at the edge of the clearing right beside the mountain's high wall. A small red pile.

"Hey," I said as I caught up to him, "You should wear the shirt." I handed it to him.

"I don't need it." He said through chattering teeth.

"Take it." I said as I started to pull my pants on. Jeans are always so damned stiff after being hung to dry. I finally pulled them up.

After looking down at the small valley and stream Nick found a small trail that had been worn down through the trees. Probably a deer path.

We followed it for about an hour, stopping every so often so Nick could rest. But we finally came to another small clearing. Bushes with berries were everywhere!

"They eatable?" Nick read my mind.

"I don't know…try one and if you don't choke we'll take some back to camp." I joked.

He threw a handful of mud at me, which hit me square in the face.

"I'll get you back later." I said, clearing the mud away from my eyes.

He had a smile of triumphant across his face.

It took us about another hour before we had the shirt full of berries and carried them back to camp. But along the way we had to stop at a huge mud puddle and paint mud pictures and camouflage on our faces, arms, chests and backs.

"Where the hell were you?!" Kevin yelled at Nick. "And where did the mud come from?"

"Nature called." He shrugged as we placed our treasure on the ground. Nick, ignoring the mud comment.

"You found food?" Howie looked up from something he was doing.

"Yeah! We would have brought back more but Brian wouldn't stop eating them." Nick rolled his eyes at me.

I shrugged, "I got hungry!"

"We haven't had food for about two days." Kevin said.

Two days? Is that all? It's seemed like such a long time…

"What're you doing Howie?" Nick went over to Howie to see. "You're carving a bowl?" Nick looked confused.

Howie looked up at him; "We got the same idea as Brian. Only we figured that you two were looking for food. We need to cook things some how." Howie said.

"I guess…" Nick started.

"Brian, can you go fill these with water?" Kevin asked as he handed me 3 large water bottles.

"Where'd you get these?" I asked.

"They were in the bus, a bunch of things were. Remember? We had just put that stuff in there to transfer to the other tour bus?"

"Oh yeah…I'll be back in a while." I said as I started. Footsteps followed me. "Yeah," I sighed, "You can come too."

Nick and I climbed down the muddy path made by the bus. Nick stood shivering by the water's edge as I filled the bottles with water.

"When we get back to camp you better go into the shelter to get warm." I said, looking around.

"I know." He said through chattering teeth.

After filling the second I spotted a fish near by. "Hey, Frack." I called Nick who came up beside me.

"What kinda of fish is that?" I asked.

He looked. "Trout." He replied, "Why?"

"Because, I think if we can get what we need we can go fishing." I said, finishing with the third bottle.

"Oh." Nick replied.

I looked at him. "Let's go you fool." I shook my head and climbed behind Nick.

"Thanks." Kevin said when I handed him the bottles.

"We saw a fish in the stream, maybe that means there's more." I said.

"That'd be good. Who knows how long we'll be out here." AJ sighed.

I noticed the homesick look cross Nick's face but then he turned around and crawled into the shelter.

That evening we had berries and hot water to drink. And for the first time in days I felt warm! It felt great to feel full for once.

I watched as Nick ate about 7 berries and took few sips of water.

"Not hungry?" I asked.

He shook his head.

I gave him a look. We had been without food for about two or three days and he wasn't hungry? Normally we could have just eaten and he'd still be hungry!

"Nick, you don't look so good…" Howie started.

Nick shrugged.

"No way. No chances out here." Kevin got up and came over beside Nick. Kevin lifted part of Nick's shirt.

"Gross." Kevin made a face.

"What?" We all asked.

"The infection. I think it's spreading." Kevin looked at Nick who had a scared expression on his face.

Kevin then felt Nick's forehead, then sighed, "You have a fever."

"Why don't you go to bed?" Howie suggested.

"Alright."

Kevin helped Nick to his feet and Nick went over to the shelter.

"Goodnight." He called.

We all said goodnight as he crawled in.

"One of us needs to go get help." Kevin sighed, sitting down where Nick had been.

"Kevin, we don't know where we are! We could be out in the middle of nowhere. I mean the road we were on, it wasn't that busy, and who knows how far we fell." I said.

Kevin shrugged. "Brian, we need help soon or Nick's going to die." He sighed.

"What?" I looked at him.

"The wounds are turning green and puss and all that crap is coming out of them. If it keeps spreading it'll kill him."

I didn't want to believe it, even though I knew it was true. "Don't talk to me about any of us dying Kevin." I hissed and got up, "Good night." I stormed over to the shelter and carefully crawled in just in case Nick was asleep.

He wasn't.

He looked at me; "I don't want to die Brian." He whispered.

"I know." I hugged him; "I don't want you to die either. We're gonna get out of here. All of us." I pulled up a blanket and wrapped it around Nick's shoulders.