Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
E zra cocked his head at Chaz. He hadn’t realized how well-prepared Chaz was for what was supposed to be a short jaunt. Not that he was complaining. He appreciated every one of Chaz’s decisions. Right now, they were stuck with a body that hadn't moved at any time while they were standing over him.
“What else do you have in your bag of holding?” Ezra asked, mostly to stop his spiralling thoughts. His anxiety had spiked and hadn’t settled, so talking to Chaz gave him a sense of balance in a crazy world. Since when had he become a character in a Stephen King novel?
“Stuff. I’m thinking.” Chaz paced in a circle around the body, forcing the conversation to die. He crouched beside the person and stared at them. Ezra didn’t dare look in the direction of the furry lump. He had a delicate stomach, and the pain from being hit hadn't subsided yet.
“I just—need to do something for my head.” Ezra breathed out. The ache from the bump didn’t bother him much. He had a vague headache, but it could have been from dehydration or stress—all sorts of things.
“What? Do you have blurry vision? How’s your balance? Let me see!” Chaz stopped and stomped over to Ezra, where he gently tipped Ezra’s head down and peered into his eyes. Ezra blushed at being so close to Chaz. Multicoloured striations in Chaz’s eyes fascinated Ezra while the scent of coconut and warm man surrounded him in a cocoon of comfort. It took every bit of Ezra’s strength not to react. “Ezra?”
“Hmm? What? Sorry, got distracted.” Ezra blinked and smiled at Chaz, ignoring the soft pinch on his chin or caress of fingers through his hair.
“You got distracted? Well, shit. That’s not a good sign. Fuck.” Chaz began pacing, his arms crossed. “We must decide what our next steps are. We have to get you to the hospital as soon as possible.”
“It’s not that bad. We can have a think and make a rational choice.” Ezra hoped his words might calm Chaz down, but did the opposite.
“No. We need to move quickly and carefully. You’re right about choosing the best direction. Which way would be better? Toward water? Or the road?”
“Could I have something to drink?” Ezra butted into Chaz’s rambling. Why did he have to be the one who was rational? Chaz had done this sort of stuff before. He was the SPAM agent. He should be used to this. Maybe not this kind of problem.
“Yeah, of course. Let me grab it from your backpack.” Chaz passed him the heavy canister and stared at Ezra while Ezra sipped. As much as Ezra wanted to knock back the whole bottle, they had to conserve their resources. “I might be a little out of my depth at the moment.”
“Really?”
“Yes. My hikes are more organized than this. I have never been part of a body dump before, so it’s a bit much for me, okay?” Chaz took off his ball cap and ruffled his hair before settling the hat on again. “I’m worried about you.”
“Yeah? Huh.” Ezra swooned a little before returning to the topic. “I have to admit, I’m concerned about this guy. What do we do? How do we protect him from the elements? From the animals? I mean, we're in bear country.”
“I’ve been trying not to think about that. Camera still works, right?” Chaz shuddered.
Ezra resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Cameras had nothing to do with cell signals. “Yeah, why?”
“Take as many pics as you can about the area, including the dead guy and the fur suit. We’ll likely need them for evidence.” Chaz pursed his lips. As much as I hate to leave our friend here alone, we should probably move away. I don’t want to be around when the carnivores show up.”
“Good point.” Ezra ignored the comment about predators because he didn't want to imagine anything of the sort while still being lost in the woods. Ezra snapped as many photos of the area as he could, getting the angles of trees and the ground. He took a few of the body and grimaced as he stared at the grey, slack face. His head was cocked as though broken, and the ground was tacky with a substance. Ezra did his best not to think about blood or animals. He was content to remain na?ve about the world around him. As he examined the person, he tried to see if he knew him, but he didn’t seem familiar. “I wonder what he did to Ricky and George.”
“We can ask once we get out of this mess. Do you have enough photos?” Chaz asked as he unzipped the back of the fur suit. He patted the man’s chest down. “I doubt he has any identification on him, but I should be sure.”
Ezra nodded. The dead man’s stiffness had begun to weird him out. His stomach rolled unhappily as Chaz removed his hand. Blood stained his fingertips. God, it was real. Ezra had been hoping the wound was all fake. This poor guy didn’t deserve this. He should have been able to have someone to mourn him properly. “Can we stop touching him?”
“No problem. You got what you need?” Chaz carefully closed the zipper and tugged the sleeve of the costume over the man's hand, hiding it from view. Ezra shuddered as his imagination ran wild about the flesh combined with the summer heat. “Stop thinking about it, Ez. We have to get ourselves out of this mess before we can help him.”
“I realize that, but it’s still gross,” Ezra grumbled. He shoved his phone into a pocket before looking at Chaz. “Which direction, fearless leader?”
Chaz glanced around before shaking his head and pointing randomly. The way he chose looked like a game trail, and Ezra trusted Chaz’s decision. He was a hiker, so he had to have some knowledge of the area. “This way feels like the east, so hopefully we hit the bay.”
“Good logic. I like it.” Ezra made sure his water bottle was accessible and followed in Chaz’s wake. “Why do you think they left us our backpacks? Seems like a dumb thing for kidnappers to do.”
“I try not to understand bad guys.”
Chaz’s words made sense. Ezra hoped one day he could be as comfortable in these situations as Chaz.
“From what I gathered, they are completely in over their heads, and they also have no fucking clue what to do. And then there are your phone calls. I still don't understand how they chose you. Since we were already looking for them, they dumped their problem on us. To Ricky and George, leaving us was a win-win.”
“Has this ever happened to you before? You seem to know what you’re doing.” This would be a good time to pick at Chaz’s experiences while keeping his mind away from the dead body and being lost in the middle of nowhere.
“This? Nah, never been dumped like rotten garbage. Getting lost on a hike? Totally. It’s par for the course. I’m hoping we’ll run into the bay or highway. Either one will be a bonus.” Chaz turned and smiled at Ezra. The expression on his face was buoyant. The man was excited, and that gave Ezra a confidence boost. Chaz was comfortable in this role, and Ezra would follow him anywhere.
“I want to be like you,” Ezra admitted. The words slipped out without his permission. His cheeks heated in embarrassment. Chaz was going to think he was a doofus.
“Oh, uh, that’s cool. Don’t recommend it actually. The world needs more like you, not like me.”
“You seem so level-headed. I’m sure I’d still be panicking over what they did. You just chose a way, and boom, we’re moving.” Ezra stepped over roots and rocks. He had to make sure he didn’t trip and cause more problems for Chaz.
“Ahh, I get it. That was easy. I didn’t want to suffer the consequences if we stayed.” Chaz stopped walking until Ezra caught up. “You, on the other hand, think through every scenario and try to make the best decision about what’s in front of you. Like when that bitch woman tried to con you about the Chi-Cheemaun. You helped her, despite knowing what she was doing.”
“That doesn’t count. And she wasn’t trying to con me. She had a legitimate concern, and I had the chance to offer suggestions. It’s hard-wired into my psyche,” Ezra mumbled.
“No way, man. There’s a difference between helping and helping . You answered her question. You gave her everything you could with very few resources. You also helped Ricky. This is your superpower.” Chaz tousled Ezra’s hair and looked at him in the eye. “I like that in a person.”
Was Chaz flirting with him now? Mr. Grumpy was being nice and touchy-feely. It shook Ezra’s foundation. “What are you doing?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re flirting with me!”
“I thought you’d get a kick out of it. You seemed to enjoy banter.” Chaz’s clinical way of thinking annoyed Ezra. If they weren’t lost, he’d throw his gear down and stomp off in the opposite direction.
“Don’t do it unless you mean it! Otherwise, it’s rude,” Ezra snapped. “And don’t play with my hair.”
Chaz raised an eyebrow before smirking. He never said a word as he continued forward. Ezra bit his lip. Chaz’s behavior was getting out of hand. Ezra wasn't sure how to react to any of the signs Chaz was giving him. Maybe he needed to make the first move.
“What if I wanted you to flirt with me as though there was more to it?” Ezra called out, jogging lightly before his head reminded him excessive motion was a bad idea.
Chaz stopped dead, causing Ezra to bump into him. “Go on?”
“What if I wanted you to, um, do those things?” Ezra became flustered as Chaz gave him a Mona Lisa grin. “You’re handsome, and I’m gay or something.”
“Something, eh? That’s a ringing endorsement. I’ll think about it. How ‘bout I let you know the minute we find a stopping place? And then we can discuss my attraction to you to your heart's content?” Chaz brushed his lips against Ezra's mouth. The soft caress was light and airy, unlike the man who gave it to him. Ezra's brain short-circuited as he tried to savour the taste of Chaz on his lips. Chaz smirked at him before resuming his steady walk through the woods.
Ezra froze, stuck to the spot and discombobulated. Had that happened? Ezra touched his lips, still tingling from the pressure of Chaz’s kiss. The caress was stupid and light and fluffy. It was a throwaway kiss to get Ezra moving once more. Yet it warmed Ezra up, and he giggled.
Chaz Adams— Chauncey Adams —kissed him, and he liked it.
The shadows in the forest grew longer as they walked. Nothing broke the monotony of trees and rocks for Ezra. He had believed Chaz when he said they’d be able to aim for water and see it before they bedded down for the night. Ezra didn’t dare bring up his doubts as Chaz set a brisk pace. He also learned he wasn’t as physically fit as he'd first thought. Walking and breathing at the same time was a challenge for his compromised brain.
Chaz stopped at a large outcropping. The granite rock was covered in moss and tree debris and had a dugout and the remains of a fire pit. “I think we should stop here for the night.”
Ezra dropped his pack like a hot potato and groaned as his body adjusted to not having a ten-tonne rock weighing him down. “Water?”
“Wait 'til I get to the creek and boil it. Unless you have some in your bottle?” Chaz knelt on the ground and opened his backpack. Ezra peered over his shoulder, curious to see what was in the magic bag. “What’re you doing?”
“Snooping?”
“It’s just my pack, Ez. Nothing earth-shattering is in there.” Chaz rummaged around a bit longer. He pulled out a bottle, a funny tube, and a super small burner.
“What’s that? Are we doing science experiments?” Ezra asked. His stomach grumbled, warning him he hadn’t eaten since the morning.
“No. This is the stove we’ll be using to boil water. Go sit.” Chaz shooed him away. Ezra sniffed and began exploring their impromptu campsite, curious to see what he could expect later on or where a good bathroom was.
The large rock wall was too high for Ezra to comfortably climb. Grumbling, he gathered small pieces of kindling for a fire. They might not have any food, but the heat would keep them warm when the temperatures dropped. Ezra thanked the Gods it wasn’t raining. He shuddered as he imagined doing any of this while being drenched to the bone.
“Ezra! Make sure you keep me in your sight. I’m not ready to lose you,” Chaz called.
Ezra waved him off and continued his gathering. The small sticks and thick branches would do well for the fire. He came back and set his bounty down near where Chaz was still fiddling with his kit. “I was just thinking I’m glad there’s no rain in the forecast.”
Chaz grunted before straightening up. “It is nice. Thanks for finding the wood. Sit here and take off your socks and shoes. Give your feet a chance to breathe. You’ll feel better. I’m going to locate the stream we passed.”
“You saw water?” Ezra cast his mind back to the previous scenery and didn’t remember seeing or hearing anything resembling creeks or brooks. “Where?”
“Two-minute walk. Listen and you’ll be able to hear the babbling.” Chaz clasped his shoulder and disappeared into the gloom. Somehow, while Ezra was thinking about other things, dark had descended on them. He really was an unobservant man. No wonder Chaz was grumpy.