Shane and Jeremy bumped into us from the rear, cursing in the relative darkness.
“There’s a garage here?” Shane asked incredulously.
“I told you I found the garage the second night,” Boone said. “You didn’t listen.”
Jeremy shook his head with a low whistle. “Well looks you slept next to a fucking bear, dude!”
“Guess so.”
We continued down, the four of us, the staircase finally emptying out into the bottom level. Heat and humidity washed over us even before we turned the corner and the hot springs came into view.
“OH MY GOD…”
I smiled, just watching the other two gaping at each other in slack-jawed awe. Silently I wondered if I looked like that when Boone first brought me down here.
“And this… this place was part of the original hotel?”
“Yes,” I answered. “A Roman spa, or Turkish bath, or whatever the hell they called it almost a hundred years ago. But yeah, this is why they choose this weird of a spot. They built the hotel over this place as an attraction, most likely. The skiers back then must’ve loved it.”
We advanced forward, and the pile of sleeping bags Boone and I had been using came into view. The rest of our clothes were scattered nearby. My stomach rolled, uncomfortably.
“Guess this would be your little love nest,” Shane mumbled snidely.
“Stop it.”
“Surely you had to strip down because it’s too hot in here. Obviously you—”
“She said let it go,” Boone seethed.
Shane was still clutching his wrist. He’d hurt his hand for sure, and I wanted more than anything to check it out. But I also wanted him to cool off first, and it seemed he was only getting hotter.
I sat Boone down near the edge, his feet dangling into the water. Then, without a single thought or care, I pulled my shirt over my head and dove in, still holding it in my hand.
Once again the water was sanctifying. I stayed under a few moments to enjoy the heat, letting the warm liquid purge and cleanse my tired body. When I surfaced however, I was being stared at by everyone. Like I’d just committed a double-homicide.
“What?”
Shane and Jeremy were speechless. So was Boone, although his mouth now held the tiniest hint of a smug grin.
“Is it because I’m naked?”
I was past caring by now. Totally through with the bickering, the infighting, and all the rest. We were in a crisis situation, and if we couldn’t work together we might not even make it. All the pettiness was getting boring. I just didn’t care.
“You’ve all seen me naked by the way,” I put forth. As I stepped out of the water I motioned up and down my body. “You’ve all seen this. You’ve all had this, to be frank.”
Morgan!
I was past caring about the little voice in my head, too. Modesty was a joke at this point, considering everything that had happened.
They kept staring, even more wide-eyed than before. In nothing but my thong I walked over to Bo
one and began wringing my shirt out over his back. The warm water washed away most of the blood, and I used the cloth to dab away the rest.
“Shane’s right,” I said. “You got clawed up, but the scratches aren’t all that deep.” I dipped my shirt into the water and wiped some more. “You’re gonna have some wicked-looking scars though.”
Boone scratched the back of his neck and chuckled. “Chicks dig scars, right?”
I nodded and grinned. “Especially the ones left from something as cool as a bear-attack.”