[lumberjim]

Squinting into the sun and stretching, I saw the vague shapes of baboons crossing the field toward the bus. Baboons? Idly, I considered it. As the realization that they were really there, and really coming toward us slowly dawned on my still fuzzy mind. At the same time, I noticed Aaron lying face down in the field a short way from the bus. He wasn't moving. I screamed. I don't remember what I screamed, but Patrick was there instantly. I ran toward Aaron with Patrick close behind. No time to try to revive him, we scooped him up, and charged back toward the bus. The baboons could be heard screaming now. Only 100 yards away, and we had a good twenty to go to get back to the bus. Patrick flung aaron over his shoulder fireman style, and shoving me ahead of him bellowed, "Start the bus!" I saw Skye leveling a rifle out of the bus window over my head. I heard the chamber click. No bang. No whislting projectile. She swore. I didn't take the time to look back over my shoulder as I fled the monkies. There were at least ten of them. And they were loud! I charged up the steps of the bus, and turned to catch Aaron just in time to keep his head from bouncing off of the stairs. Nelson Already had the bus moving by the time Patrick cleared the doorway enough for him to shut the door.

The baboons shrieked and waved their arms as the bus pulled away. We had abondoned a fair amount of gear to them in our haste. The table and chairs were gone. The good lantern. I shook my head. Aaron!

He was breathing. But blood trickled out of his ears, and when I pulled his eyelids back to look at his pupils, his cornias were red with blood. His teeth were all bleeding too. What had happened? It was as if he had been blasted by some kind of electirc shock. Or maybe a loud noise. But I hadn't heard anything, and I didn't think there were any power lines near where we had parked. He seemed to be resting comfortably enough now, though, so I prepared a bed in the back of the bus.

I made it so comfortable that he could probably sleep for weeks or months and not get stiff. Just there in the back of the bus. kind of out of the way in case we needed to get out the back door in a hurry. I had the feeling that he wouldn;t be waking up the next morning either. Mom would be killing me right now if she was still here. I was recalled from my reverie by the gradual slowing of the bus.

"Hey," Skye said. " we forgot Monroe." She was looking out the back window, and as I followed her gaze, I saw Monroe riunning down the street with the Baboons closing on him. "STOP THE BUS!" she yelled.