The Wilderness

The Wilderness.

*) Put two characters in the wilderness and let one find traces of the other along the way.

Bert swilled the last bit of beer in his mouth like a bitter mouthwash. The act provided little use for Robert but to just make the alcohol last a smidgen longer. He even looked to the bottom of the bottle in the hopes that some drink had escaped him.
The bottle was empty.
Bert released the brake but did not but the engine back on. He listened to the strum of the sand and dirt on the duster’s underside as she slid into a parking space at the bottom of the small slope. There was little else to look at but the black truck of Ronnie’s, positioned parallel. The parking area was empty, a surprise for a Friday night.
As Bert pulled the parking brake, several bottles rolled forward clanking in the foot-well on the passenger side. Robert swore and looked up towards the truck.
No movement.
Bert was surprised by this. He had rehearsed the entire drunken drive to the lover’s lane on what he was going to say. He knew that Ronnie had seen him talk to Melanie several occasions at the school. Ronnie even questioned once if they had some kind of relationship, or were planning to, but walked away before Bertie could answer. Melanie, this chilly evening, was going to be his respite. He figured it was best to just say she had jilted him and walked away from the date. But then, as he exited, he would be the victim. Maybe he should say that he decided to cancel the date because she was so mean. That did not work for him either. So he elected to see Ronnie, play up the drunk part, and see how Ronnie responded.
And how Ronnie’s date responded as well.
He knew Margie from his one first period. I thought about asking her about homework or why she was always running into class late but chose, again, just to see how Ronnie was doing.
He saw the moisture in the inside of the glass and was relieved. He would not have to spend this Friday night alone again.
“Hey RONNIE!” He yelled, “Surprising to see you here!” He feigned a belch that was audible to several deer a few yards away.
No answer.
Bert rapped on the glass several times and squinted. Some humor might be derived from seeing one or both of them in a state of undress, but he noticed the steam was only on one side. Books from school were thrown on the passenger side.
Bert realized the wet earth below him was contaminated by his only playacting of drunkenness. He stood upright and looked down.
Ronnie’s tennis soles were as huge as his feet and led away from the immediate area and into the woods. Bert reached into the Duster and pulled out a flashlight, his laser pointer and a Colt from the back seat. He placed the gun in the small of his back, turned on the light and was about to yell when the situation took the better of him. He started to trek into woods.
The cold nights and the uncut trail left many branches sticking out into path and easy to break. Most were just muddy, stepped on by someone without a flashlight but not completely a bother.
He found his track easily. It was the sound of tears that he was not ready for.
Bert smiled at the opportunity.