FOUR

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We walk to the camping supply store that Natalie mentioned, since it isn’t that far from the hotel. On the way, Mikey and Nico lead, chatting in Ukrainian, so I end up in stride with Lex, a half beat behind them. I notice that I have to take two steps with every one of his.

He doesn’t talk, and the silence makes me squirm. We got off on the wrong footing, I’m sure. So, I try to scramble my brain for something casual to say. All I can come up with is, “I know you.” 

“You don’t know me,” he corrects.

I purse my lips. “No, but I saw you.”

“Did you? Maybe you saw a ghost.”

First day of, five? That’s what Natalie said. And I was already having thoughts of violence. I sigh, hotty and intentional, and quicken my steps so we aren’t side by side anymore, even though it’s a faster pace than I’m comfortable. To keep up my attempt at casualness, I find another question to ask, and glare back at Lex to show I’m no longer talking to just him. “Do you guys do this often?”

Mikey answers, squaring his shoulders. “I’m the professional. These goons are just tagalongs.”

“Comforting.” I couldn’t help the sarcasm.

Nico giggles again, and it makes me smile despite myself. It’s fun pulling that sound out of him, I see why they are the way they are.

Mikey turns and walks backwards for a few steps to insert a cheeky addition while offering his gaze. “So if you want to ditch them along the way and go solo with me, just let me know.” With the suggestive offer, he thumbs the neck of his face cover and lifts it just enough to reveal the corner of his mouth, sticking his tongue out playfully. 

“We’re here to make sure he stays a professional,” Lex interjects, but his teasing is noticeably less sharp with his friends. “Mikey looks like a cat but he acts like a dog.”

“He at least hasn’t attempted a panty raid,” I quip back, glancing over my shoulder to lift an eyebrow in Lex’s direction. 

“Yet,” Mikey adds, sending Nico into a giggling fit once more. 

We’re just around the corner from the shop now, and before we approach the entrance, Mikey fishes in his pocket. For a half second, with his last joke still fresh in my mind, I think he’s going to pull out a pair of my underwear. But it’s just another mask, which he hands me. “They know us here and what we do. You don’t want your face on camera.”

I nod and put the mask on obediently, sensing the change in his tone. I need to remember that this is serious, despite their spirited chatter. What we intend to do is illegal. I’d never done anything illegal, besides some recreational drug use in college. I’m not used to the protocol of secrecy and discreetness. So, I silently commit myself to being a bit more thoughtful. 

Lex passes on my right when I linger a moment before entering the shop. As he brushes my shoulder, I feel him pull the hood of my jacket over my head. He doesn’t say anything, but gives me a nod this time, so I try that placid smile again, forgetting I’m masked now as well.

There’s a little bell chime as each of us enter. Mikey grabs a cart, immediately kicking off the floor with it and riding a few feet down the main aisle, as Nico hurries after. 

They start adding things to the cart immediately. They’ve definitely done this before, numerous times. I try to keep track of the shopping list: for clothes, two sets of thermal and moisture wicking long sleeves and tights, two pairs of thermal socks, a pair of sturdy cargo pants, a multi-pack of tee-shirts, and hiking boots, all in black. A sleeping bag, bed mat, and small tarp, an emergency whistle and pepper spray, a portable gas stove, four bottles of water, one liter each, and water purifying tablets. When we come to the freeze dried goods, I lose the mental list, not knowing exactly which flavors of slop they were choosing for me. All three boys had a lively debate about it in a mix of Romanian and Ukrainian, clearly arguing which was best tasting. 

And last, a waterproof rucksack, to hold it all.

While Mikey does a final once over to make sure we have everything, the rest of us linger in the clothing and try on hats. I fidget with the price tags on a few items, not really knowing what they translated to in dollars. “This is going to cost a fortune,” I mutter, mostly to myself as I realize how much stuff it was. Lex hears me though.

“Your money goes far here, don’t worry. This costs less than Mikey charges for the escort.” He grabs a black baseball cap, swiping his brown fringe back as he puts it on. 

I snort. “You look like an undercover cop.” 

He narrows his eyes, but checks in the mirror, then turns the hat around, rim to the back. 

“Better.” I nod.

He keeps the hat on his head, but continues browsing. “You should be more concerned about carrying all of it. That bag is about as big as you are.” Glancing at me, he looks me up and down with intention.

My turn to shoot a pointed glare. I admit, it wasn’t something I’d considered until that moment, and a lick of anxiety swells in my gut. I fight it off with verbal confidence. “If Mikey can do it, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“We’ll see.” 

He’s infuriating. I want to argue. I want to say he doesn’t know me, either. I hold my tongue.

He grabs another cap, a black bucket hat, and pulls down my hood to replace it. “For the sun.” 

I shake my head, but when I check the mirror, it doesn’t look as hideous on me as I’d imagined. When Lex walks a few paces away, I raise my camera to take another picture of myself. As I frame the shot, Mikey strolls past behind me and photobombs, winking and flashing a V with his fingers to his cheek, before snatching the hat from my head and adding it to the haul. I chuckle, returning my hood, and check the resulting photograph, deciding to keep it.

We pay, including Lex for his hat, and outside the shop, Nico starts prepping my bag, taking off packaging and tags, and stuffing the rucksack tight. He leaves out a set of clothes for me, and the boots. “You’ll have to change.”

“Sure, where?” I collect the pile. 

“There’s an alley.” Lex points, and him, Mikey, and I go. Around the corner, really is, just an alley. 

“Right here?” 

“We’ll make sure nobody looks,” Lex reassures, though I could hear the smirk as he adds to Mikey, “Americani.”

“I might look,” Mikey admits teasingly, and I shoot him a warning look. 

I situate myself behind a large dumpster, out of the line of sight of the street we were just next to. When I shed my jacket, Lex takes it from me, and holds it outspread to cover another angle, then averts his head as far as it will turn. I keep an eye on him for a moment, but resign to just getting through this awkwardness as quickly as possible. 

I kick off my shoes and shed my jeans first, quickly covering my lower half with the thermal tights. Then, my tee-shirt, replacing with a long sleeve. I try at some small talk to make things less uncomfortable as I finish up. “Where are your bags? Am I carrying everyone’s gear?” 

“Barry has our bags,” Mikey explains. “He’ll be collecting us. You can leave your regular clothes with him and get them later.”

I nod over the top of the dumpster. The cargo pants next, which were a bit big on my hips but otherwise fit well, despite never giving my size. I imagine Mikey just assumed we were the same, considering I had made the comparison myself. Last, a new, black tee-shirt. 

“Thanks,” I say to Lex, confirming I was finished, and he helps me back into my jacket, since he’s already holding it open. I’m warm, maybe a little too warm for the midday heat, but I can understand how this uniform will be necessary once it’s the middle of the night, so I don’t complain.

Squatting down to get my feet in my new boots, I lace them up, then bundle my previous clothes, and follow the boys back out from the alley. Nico has finished packing my bag, so now there’s just to wait for Barry, our Taxi.

We find a spot, a nice little stone half-wall outside of a convenience store. Nico goes in and buys a few snacks, and we share amongst us some chocolate, nuts, and these smoked, dried sausages that resembled Slim Jims but tasted exponentially better. The protein would be good, especially before a hike.

Once I finish my portions and I have nothing else to occupy my hands or thoughts, the nerves creep their way into my body. Mikey has laid down on the wall to settle in for a quick snooze and Nico sits and browses his phone, leaving only Lex to notice me resorting to nail-biting.

“There’s still time to bail, you know.”

I scowl, tearing my thumb from my teeth and shoving my hands in my pockets instead. 

“Ignore him. Lex is sour because we only just got back from our last trip.” Mikey was still conscious enough to chime in, deflecting Lex’s attempt at psyching me out.

Lex grins under the mask, his eyes squinting. “What can I say, I’m missing my beauty sleep.”

 Between their banter, I take note of the information Mikey had let slip; they were there recently. All three of them? I try to remember if any of the hyena cackles I’d heard had sounded like Nico’s giggling. I hadn’t seen the other boys clearly at all, only Lex, but it had to be them.

“You guys must have been walking all night,” I pry further.

Lex gives me his eyes, leaning back to rest his weight on his palms behind him. “And now we will be walking all day.” He all but confirms my suspicions. And increases my anxiety.

“How far is it, exactly?” I try not to give myself away, but my voice trembles a bit on the back end of my question, betraying me.

Lex’s eyes flash with mischief. “Far.”

“Six kilometers to the river. Then we’ll stop to eat.” Mikey, again, eases my concern a bit.

I do the rough math to miles in my head. “That’s not so bad.”

“Then another sixteen to get to our first camp,” Lex adds, watching for my reaction.

I keep my face stone-still, but I’m sure he sees the panic in my eyes.