“Almost time to go,” Bobby said softly.
“Um,” Tony sat up. His back was stiff. His right leg tight.
“Movin out in one five,” Bobby said. “Best eat something.”
An hour later they sat across from each other at the fire circle. Through the shaft between the hemlocks they could see the clear sky, yet with their vision so tunnelled Tony could make out only Cepheus.
“Yuho.” Bobby was laconic. Then, “Damn it, Man. I’ve been marchin in place since I returned. That’s what hit me in the lean-to. You too. Just marking time. Losing six f*****g years. Yeah”—Bobby’s voice rose, his hands began to shake—“some good stuff’s happened. But some good stuff happens to a blob of s**t on the sidewalk. There’s no fuckin time to waste anymore. This is URGENT!”
“What is?”
“Getting off the f*****g ground. Unde
