Virgo's Vice Read online

  “That’s pretty inventive,” Trip says.

  “Yeah. Thanks. I’m lucky I wear glasses and I can use them as a magnifying glass to make fire if I have to. I also brought some sneakers and jeans.” He pulls the sneakers on while we watch him. “Also, we were told to leave our cell phones ‘cause there are no towers here, but I brought mine,” he says, sliding it out of his pocket. “If I get lost, I can be tracked by GPS. There are satellites everywhere.”

  “I don’t think that GPS tracking thing works without batteries,” Trip says. “Unless you have some sort of solar charger, your battery will die after a couple of days.”

  Jared doesn’t answer and even smirks a little, as though he knows something we don’t about cell phones. Everyone is silent for a few seconds, probably hoping he’ll have an answer, but he just sits there and says nothing, and glances at the Mexican with the injured ankle.

  “Rafael Rodriguez. You can call me Rodriguez if you want. I’m used to it. I’m forty-two, and I’m a construction worker. I’ve done roofing, framin’, drywall, any type of construction work I can get. My item ees thees.” He has that strong Mexican accent. He holds up a black trash bag. A murmur goes around the circle. He has short dark hair and a brown skin. He’s wearing a brown suit and a long sleeve dress shirt and work boots. “I know you’re wondering about it, but in a rainstorm, it’s my rain gear. If it gets cold at night, I can use it as a blanket or if there’s a cold wind, as a jacket.

  “It’s also protection for my only suit,” he says with a grin, and I like him. “Now all I need is for my ankle to be taped.” He smiles and gazes around at the others. Most of them seem to approve. “I also brought another couple of T-shirts, but I wish I would have brought shorts.”

  “I, too, have a secret weapon,” Lela, the tall blond with the accent, says unexpectedly. “Like the cowboy.” She holds out her hand so everyone can see what’s inside it. “Yes, that’s a condom,” she says. “It can hold a gallon of water without breaking. I have a lot of them.”

  That’s just weird. I can’t be the only one wondering if she brought them because she planned to have sex with the other contestants. Why else would you bring condoms? She brought a lot, she says. Is she some sort of sex addict?

  “Which brings us to the other business,” Trip says. “Our supplies are still in that box. What do you say we unpack them and find a place for them?”

  Amid murmurs of approval Trip lifts the lid of the Samsonite trunk and lifts out the first thing he sees. “A cooking pot,” he says. “Good. Now we have two. Two folding shovels, an axe, a machete, actually two machetes. Here’s the first-aid kit.” He opens it. “Antibiotic ointments, Band-Aids, bandages, scissors, needles, thread”—he glances at the NBA dude with the cut on his head—“also syringes, morphine, antibiotic vials, snake-bite kits, Ibuprofen.” He hands the box to Maria and digs into the trunk again. “Here’s a pack of toilet paper. Anyone know what these are?” He holds up two rectangular canvas bags with openings at the top like a bottle and corks to seal them.

  No one answers.

  “These, my friends,” Trip continues, “are water bags. They’re quite ingenious and keep the water cool by evaporation.”

  “Great, there are six of them.” Andy takes them from Trip and sets them to one side.

  “Here’s some food. Rice,” Trip holds up the sack. “We’ll have to ration it until we find something else to eat out there.” He waves his hand.

  He lifts a familiar box from the trunk. “These are the only drinks in here.”

  Everyone talks at once and we all rush to grab a beer can. The Old Man has removed some of the cans, and left just fourteen of them in the box that originally held twenty-four. I pop mine open and glug half of it down. It’s like the Old Man to let us celebrate with beer. Champagne would have been too over the top. At least he put a beer in for me and Mark.

  “There’s a note here, under where the beer cans were,” Andy says, holding up a piece of paper. He reads aloud.

  “Cheers. Enjoy celebrating the start of your adventure. Instructions will come soon. Meantime, make yourselves comfortable. It’s signed Allan Dockery.”

  “He must have pre-planned to have his dog come with us,” Trip says as he pulls out the bag of dog food and two plastic bowls, one for water and the other for food. “And here are some mugs and plates—metal with a coating. Yep, fourteen of them. I reckon we should each scratch our initials in them.” He passes the cardboard box to someone and he digs into the box again. His hand comes out empty. “That’s it,” he says. “There’s nothing else in there. No forks or spoons.”

  Mark stands over the trunks and stares into each one with a wrinkled brow. I throw him a questioning glance. He leans down and whispers, “No sat phone.”

  “Are you sure? There’s nothing else in either trunk?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “So when did the Old Man say he would be back?” I know the answer but I’m hoping it’ll be different this time.

  “Three days,” Mark says, still talking quietly. “Meantime, if anyone gets injured we’re screwed.”

  My stomach tightens again. What kind of game is the Old Man playing? What else has he promised that he won’t deliver?

  “I guess,” Andy says, “we should decide what needs to be done today.” He checks his watch. “It’s already twenty after two and we have no shelter, no fire, and no water.”

  “And no lunch,” Rodriguez adds. “I say we search for the closest McDonalds. I could use a Big Mac right now.”

  Everyone laughs, but it makes me hungry.

  “We think we found water,” Sam says, pointing. “I mean, it’s more like a dirty puddle, but maybe a couple of us should go back there and carry some in the two pots.” She glances at Trip.

  “Oh, sure.” He gets his pot and hands it to her. So now we have a one quart pot and a larger one gallon pot.

  The beer hardly touches sides and I know from experience it will only make us thirstier in the end. But it was nice of the Old Man to think of it, and to include us, even if it wasn’t champagne.

  “I’ll go with you,” Kelli says, moving awkwardly on her stilettos.

  “I’ll start a fire,” exec Faith volunteers, staring at Andy.

  He gets the flint out of his pocket. “I’ll help you.”

  I pan the camera over to the nurse, Maria, who is already binding Rodriguez’s ankle, while Henry Grant waits nearby for her to dress the wound on his head. Mark moves to my side. “You should film the women fetching water. I’ll cover things here.”

  I’m a little nervous of heading out into the long grass again, but I need to pee real bad and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hold it. “Come on, Jake.”

  Chapter 7

  Mark pointed the camera at the attorney. “We need to figure out what to do about a shelter,” he said.

  “Right,” Billy and Trip both agreed.

  “What do you suggest?” Jared asked Rodriguez, who was still having his ankle bound. “You said you have construction experience.”

  “Like I said, get some of those saplings over there. As straight and long as you can find them. Bring them here.”

  The cowboy picked up the axe, and Trip picked up a machete. “I should help you guys,” Mark said. “There was supposed to be camping gear and food for us but it seems like we’re gonna have to survive like all of you.”

  “Bummer. When is the boss man coming back?” Jared asked, pushing his black-rimmed glasses back up his nose.

  “Three days. In the meantime, you’re stuck with us in your camp,” Mark said. “Unless the Assistant Producer shows up with some other crew members.”

  “I’m not gonna complain,” the cowboy says. “That Lexie is hot. Have you worked with her long?” He had reached a sapling and had started hacking a
way at it. It fell with a loud crash and a thud.

  “And the redhead,” Jared added. “She’s hotter than July, man.”

  “Three years,” Mark said. “I’ve been working with Lexie for three years.”

  “Is she single?” Billy cleaned off some of the leaves and small branches.

  Jared held the sapling for him.

  “Didn’t you dudes hear me? Kelli, the teacher. Hot or not?”

  Mark grinned at Jared. “Yeah. She’s hot.” He turned his gaze to Billy. “Lexie hasn’t had a serious boyfriend since I’ve known her. She’s been on one or two dates here and there, but nothing that has lasted. I think there was some sort of major problem with the last one. She arrived at work in a bad way.”

  “Bad way?” Billy said.

  “Yeah, she was a bundle of nerves and I caught her crying a couple of times, but she wouldn’t talk about it.”

  “Well, maybe that’ll be good information. Time will tell.” Billy nodded at Mark. “You can have the redhead,” he said to Jared. “I’ll take Lexie any time over her.”

  “Just go easy on her, man,” Mark said. “She’s kind of sensitive.” He hoped she wouldn’t have one of her panic attacks while she was out here. He had warned her that she might have problems, but she had said she wanted to do this as some sort of therapy to help stop those episodes. Now the Old Man had dropped them in the crap and he wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it. She was okay with things if she knew they were coming. It was the unexpected stuff that seemed to push her over the edge. He thought again about the interaction she’d had with Trip.

  “Don’t worry about Lexie. I respect women and I won’t do anything to upset her. At least I’ll try not to.”

  Jared trimmed the leaves and branches off two saplings and started dragging them toward the camping area.

  “You married?” Jared said to Mark.

  “Yeah. Two kids. I’m not complaining. Married life is pretty okay.” Mark set his camera down where it could film without him carrying it and grabbed the next couple of saplings.

  I’m getting desperate. I can’t have a meltdown out here. For one thing, I don’t think anyone will care. “Can you hold this?” I almost throw my camera at Kelli the redhead. “I have to, um, pee.” I feel myself going red. I hate that there’s no latrine or anything, but I can’t hold it any longer. I hold on to Jake’s collar to make certain he comes with me to the thick clump of bushes, and I make sure nobody can see me before I unfasten my jeans with a hammering heart.

  When I take the camera back, Kelli and Eve each take turns behind the bushes. I feel kind of good inside that I was the one to do it first. Like some kind of peeing pioneer. Me, Lexie King, who has never even been camping. I could still do with something to calm me, but the crisis is over.

  The tall model, Lela, and the skinny accountant, Faith, have opted not to join us on this expedition, even though they were keen to scout for water earlier.

  “We’re gonna have to make an area for the latrines,” Sam says.

  “I’ll second that,” I say.

  “I think that’s what the shovels are for,” Eve agrees.

  If the Old Man had stayed and brought the rest of the film crew we would’ve had them and I wouldn’t have had to go behind some bushes.

  “Yes,” Kelli yells. “Water.”

  I’m amazed that she’s managed to get all this way on those very fancy high heels down the rough path. She’s stumbled a few times and one time she actually fell on her ass, but she made it without getting badly injured.

  We stand at the top of a fairly steep bank and stare down at the pool of water, which is green and has lumps of something floating in it. Animal hoof prints and droppings are scattered around the edge. It reminds me we are in Africa and that there are wild animals around, even though we haven’t seen any yet. I glance around, trying not to show how nervous I am, and follow the others down the bank to the water.

  Jake wades in and laps the disgusting water up greedily.

  “I don’t think I can drink this,” I say, wrinkling my nose at the putrid smell. “Isn’t there any place not too far away where we could find better water?”

  “I have an idea,” Eve says. “If we dig over there, in the sand, maybe we’ll get some cleaner water. Sand is like a filter. I’ll go back and get a shovel.”

  I sit on a grassy patch and set my camera down. Kelli sinks down beside me. “She’s brave,” I say. “I don’t know if I’d want to take off on my own, and I have Jake.”

  “Yeah, but you’re not playing the game and she’s here to win,” Kelli says. “If you want to win the game you have to be prepared to do just about anything.”

  “Except go naked, I— Jake!” He’s standing beside me shaking the water off himself. I jump up and swipe at my clothes.

  The other girls laugh and I know I’m blushing again. “Yeah, when I entered to be a contestant in this show a friend told me to try out for that Naked and Afraid show on TV, but that’s not for me,” Sam says. “I’ll keep my clothes on, thank you.”

  “I know. Most of them don’t last the twenty-one days anyhow,” Kelli says. But I bet they get paid a lot to take off their clothes like that.” She kicks off her shoes and examines her feet. “Blisters.”

  I stare at them. “Those have to be real painful. How are you gonna get back to camp?”

  “Ouch.” She touches one of the blisters. “I don’t know. Maybe you’ll have to carry me.” She laughs.

  Sam drops down beside us and snorts. “So, you camera guys are gonna have to rough it with us,” she says with a smirk.

  “I know, “I reply. “It kind of sucks. We didn’t even bring any survival items.”

  “Do you have other clothes?” She’s staring at the muddy brown spots that Jake has just plastered all over my jeans.

  “Yeah. I have two complete changes of clothing. I’m lucky in that way.” I don’t tell her I also have toothpaste, soap and lotion, and even some wet wipes.

  “And your shoes are good.” Kelli stares at them wistfully. “I wonder what kind of a shelter the boys are making,” she says. “If I have to sleep beside one of the men, I know which one I would choose.”

  I feel my eyebrows go up.

  “The lawyer. Andy. How about you? Do you think he’s hot?”

  “Him and the cowboy,” I mutter.

  “Yeah, I think he’s taken with you,” Kelli says.

  “W—What makes you say that?” I stammer.

  Kelli smiles. “The way he stares at you with those beautiful green eyes.”

  I glance across at Sam again. “I’m here to win the game,” she says. “Men complicate matters and I plan to keep my distance.”

  Kelli ignores her. “And Jared. He’s got a nice body.” She giggles. “Not to mention the camera guy. His name’s Mark, isn’t it?”

  “He’s married,” I say quickly. “Happily married.” I think about Mark’s family. And now we have no sat phone, so he can’t even call them.

  “What about Trip?” Sam asks.

  I don’t say anything because I can’t think of anything good to say about him. My jaw clamps and I force myself to take deep breaths, but I don’t really succeed in shaking off the bad feeling.

  “There’s something about him that I don’t like,” Kelli says. “What is an entrepreneur and world explorer? I mean, what does he really do?”

  He’s a disgusting monster. I want to say it out loud, but I can’t.

  “He’s okay. Kind of handsome in a rugged sort of way.” Sam pulls a grass stem apart and sticks it in her mouth. It smells sweet. “Rodriguez and the black dude are too old, though. They won’t keep up. I mean, I’m thirty-one and I thought I’d be one of the oldest. And I don’t know how Maria is gonna survive when it gets tough. Didn’t she say she
was forty-seven?”

  And Trip is fifty, but you’ll never know that. “Maybe if she can’t carry on she’ll give you her shoes,” I say to Kelli with a chuckle.

  “It’s not a laughing matter.” Kelli examines the underside of one of her shoes. “I think I’m gonna have to cut the heels off.”

  “I can help with that. My knife.” Sam slips it out of her belt, where it’s hanging in a holster. It’s about twelve inches long with a brown bone handle and there are a few serrations, but the blade is mostly smooth. I can see it’s sharp. She holds out her hand for a shoe.

  Kelli yanks one off her foot and stares at it. “I’m not sure exactly where you should cut.”

  Sam stretches her legs out, takes the shoe from her, and sets it down on her knee. She examines it for a few seconds, and holds the knife poised over it. She raises an eyebrow at Kelli.

  Kelli shrugs and blows out air. “I . . . I guess that you would. Yes. They’re no use to me like that.” She draws one of her feet up and rubs her heel.

  “They must have cost a lot of dough,” I say.

  Sam starts sawing at the heel about an inch from the sole of the shoe. It comes off cleanly and I realize the knife is real sharp.

  “You’d better believe it,” Kelli says.

  Sam hands the shoe back to Kelli, who slips it on and stands up. She stomps around on it gingerly.

  “Yeah,” she says eventually. “It’s a lot better. You cut it at about the right place the way you left the little heel.” She drops down on the flattened grass beside Sam, and hands the other shoe to her. I don’t even know how she can walk with those blisters. One of them has burst and it’s been bleeding.