Arena Two by Morgan Rice

loud enough for Ben to here, but Ben, still out of it, doesn’t react.
    “ You go,” Logan adds, “and take Ben with you.”
    I turn to Ben, expecting him to argue, or be upset. But to my surprise, he doesn’t. He looks like a broken man. He lowers his head.
    “ I’m sorry,” he says softly. “I’m really sorry I fell asleep.”
    I can hear in his voice that he means it. He is so burdened by guilt—guilt for his brother, and now, for what’s happened to Rose. It’s painful to even look at him, and I’d rather go myself. But Logan’s right: I should have company. And having him watch my back is better, I suppose, than nothing.
    I turn to Logan.
    “ This place is not that big. We’ll be back within the hour.”
    “ If you’re not, I can’t go looking for you,” he says, “without endangering the others.”
    “ Don’t come looking for me,” I say. “If I’m not back, you know I’m dead. And in that case, take the girls and the boat and move on.”
    Logan nods back at me solemnly, and I can see respect in his eyes.
    “ You’ll be back,” he says.
    *
    Ben and I trudge across the barren island, the bow and arrow slung over my shoulder. I’ve never shot a bow and arrow before, and I’ll probably be terrible at it, but I figure if I run across any kind of animal, I’ll figure it out. Having it makes me not feel so bad for stopping for Rupert, if for no other reason than to have this weapon.
    As we walk in silence, the snow pouring down all around us, the world is incredibly still. I hear only the sound of the snow crunching beneath our feet, and the distant lapping of the waves. The late afternoon sky is a solid gray. We’ve only been gone for ten minutes, and in that time, the fresh snow has reached my ankles.
    I am on guard as we go, one hand on the knife on my belt. We’ve crossed half the length of the island, and still no sign of anything. This island is like a miniature forest, covered in thick trees, no signs of any structures or any people, or even of any recent activity. I’m feeling increasingly safe, increasingly at ease.
    In the distance I spot the far tip of the island, and continue to work my way towards it, weaving in and out of clumps of trees. Once we reach it I’ll be much relieved, knowing for sure that there’s no one else here and that we can rest easy tonight. Yet at the same time, if I don’t find any supplies, anything I can salvage, I’ll be disappointed, knowing I’m returning empty-handed to Rose, who is laying there dying.
    I scour the trees again, looking for any sign of food, of anything. I stop in my tracks, and Ben stops beside me. I stand there, listening, for several seconds. But all I hear is the deep sound of silence. I close my eyes and listen, and can hear the sound of the snowflakes falling, touching my skin, and beyond that, the very light lapping of the river against the shore. I wait sixty seconds. Still nothing. It is as if we are completely alone in a prehistoric universe.
    “ Why are we stopped?” Ben asks.
    I open my eyes and continue walking. We walk in silence for several more minutes, heading towards the tip of the island.
    The more we walk, the more I begin to wonder about Ben. I can’t help wondering what exactly happened to him back there, in Manhattan. What happened to his brother. I wonder if I can get him to open up. It sure seems as if he needs to.
    “ Don’t beat yourself up so much,” I say to him, breaking the silence. “I mean, your falling asleep back there: it could happen to any of us.”
    “ But it didn’t. It happened to me,” he shoots back. “It was my fault. It’s my fault that Rose is hurt.”
    “ Guilt and blame isn’t going to help any of us now,” I say. “Nobody’s blaming you. I’m not.”
    He shrugs, looking forlorn, as we continue to walk in silence.
    “ Do you want to talk about it?” I finally ask, wanting to get it out in the open. “What happened to you in the city? Your brother? It might make