Mac opened the tent holding her three friends. The flashlight came out. Red was spooning Nat, who was spooning Kaz. Mac gently stroked Red's leg, turning the flashlight to her own face and holding a finger to her lips.

Red roused herself and looked to Mac, then nodded in the shadows. Mac waved her out of the tent, and Red very carefully made her way out of the tent. Not wanting to risk waking Jon, Mac led her down to the beach to discuss the plan.

"We're getting out of here tonight," she whispered over the sound of the gentle waves on the shore. "He's asleep. Won't be waking up."

Red nodded. "Is that what you think is best?"

"I don't really want to find out what he has planned for me."

"If you say so," Red said. Her voice suggested a skepticism that Mac ignored.

"Can you get the canoes untied and make sure the paddles and life jackets are ready to go? I'll go get Kaz and Nat."

"Aye aye, cap'n." Red snapped a salute. "Are we going to grab anything? Like... I dunno, our clothes?"

"I'll worry about that later."

"Got it."

Mac crept back up to the camp carefully and back into the tent. Nat was already awake when Mac poked her head in and waved her out of the tent, heading up the hill a short ways.

"Where's Red?" Nat asked.

"Shush! Quiet. I don't want Jon to hear."

"Oh, sorry." The small woman's voice dropped to a whisper.

"Red's down at the beach, getting the boats ready. Can you grab anything you think is too important to do without and head down to join her?"

"We're escaping?"

Nat nodded.

"Cool, okay, I'll grab our phones and anything loose I can get my hands on."

"Nothing that will make noise."

"You got it, boss."

Nat moved on silent feet back down the hill, faster than Mac could imagine going so carefully or quietly. One more to go, she thought, looking up at the full moon. She steeled herself and went back down to the camp.

Kaz was difficult to wake, but eventually Mac managed to shake her into consciousness. The same finger on her lips kept Kaz from making any noise, and she led the football star up the hill to where she'd taken Nat.

"What's up?" Kaz asked, careful to be quiet.

"We're leaving while he's asleep," Mac explained. "Nat's grabbing some essentials, Red's getting the boats ready."

Kaz nodded. "I'll go help launch."

"Good job."

Kaz wasn't as quick as Nat, and moved very carefully to avoid making noise. Only once Kaz was out of sight could Mac take a moment to breathe. She started to think about what they could do without, and the problem of the food chest came up. Too much. Too heavy. Too noisy, probably. They could manage without their food stores for a time. Maybe they could prevail upon other campers to share. They might need a real rescue.

But first and foremost... getting away.

She followed Kaz's lead, moving on fast and cautious feet. She grabbed a bag—in the dark, she couldn't really tell, but she suspected it was the daybag that held their toiletries and sunscreen—on her way past the tents and down to the canoes. She arrived as Red was helping Nat and Kaz launch. She pushed them almost silently into the lake, the only sound the splash of paddles as the canoe moved away from shore.

"Ready to go?" Red whispered.

Mac nodded and quickly got into the remaining boat, slipping her lifejacket on as Red walked out into the water. Red put a foot into the canoe and shoved, moving with her momentum to take her seat, and they were on the way.

Mac turned off her flashlight, and saw Nat and Kaz do the same. She waved in moonlight, signalling the others where she intended to go; she knew that sound travelled well over water. If she could have silenced the noise of the paddles, of her own breathing, she would have. She led two canoes around the island, past the cliff, and towards the distant shoreline. The lack of wind was a boon, as was the lack of weight. They travelled high in the water, and quickly, but Mac knew it would take a couple hours at least to get to the destination. She hoped they were all up to it; after all, Jon wasn't the only one to have a long day.

But they were committed now.

It was different from the trip down. There wasn't any laughter, any chatter, just focused, rhythmic strokes of the paddle, over and over again. But all the same, there was a thrill, an excitement, a joy in the motion, at least for Mac. She hoped the others felt it as well.

The campsite faded into the dark distance behind them, and the shoreline approached, a long shadow against the moon and stars. "Not far now," Kaz said some distance behind them, softly, but it still carried to Mac.

"Take is slow," Red said from the rear. "Conserve energy. We're all tired."

"Good advice," Mac muttered to herself. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, and the weight of the day and the chill of the night was wearing her down. Maybe she should have waited until morning, but that risked Jon waking up.

There was something beautiful, though, in all of it. Meditative. The quiet, the calm, the dark. The moonlight felt bright, meaningful. The act of resistance felt important. The rhythmic motion of the paddles was enough to help Mac keep focus, and Red as well, judging by the straight path they were making.

It was too easy to lose track of time. At one point Kaz called for a quick conversation, and the two canoes pulled alongside each other.

"Figure about a half-hour, hour tops?" she asked.

Mac nodded. "Hard to tell distance in this dark, but if I had to guess, at the pace we're going... How are we all holding up?"

"I'm doing great," Kaz said.

"I'm feeling small, cold, and tired," Nat replied, "but honestly? I'm having a lot of fun, this is so awesome. Out on the water in the dark, heading for shore..."

"Red?" Mac asked.

"Still good to go." Red answered.

"Anything else?"

"I grabbed our phones and your car keys," Nat said. "I didn't want to take too long at the camp because... well, you know, but I got those, and a couple blankets. Thinking I might cover the seat, it's cold on my butt."

"Yeah, you wanna hand me one of them?" Red asked. "If you don't mind. It'll dry in the sun tomorrow."

A small bit of shuffling and handling of gear followed, and soon both Red and Nat had a softer, warmer seat than before.

"Alright," Mac said. "Break, and let's head for the far shore."

There was a convenient dock, just waiting for them, with no other boats there. Mac stepped out, grabbed the bow line, and tied it to the mooring ring, then helped Red up. Kaz and Nat were only a moment behind them, and the four of them were safe on the shore.

"Where there's a dock, there's a cabin," Red surmised. "Do we risk it?"

Nat piped up. "Do we have a choice? I don't want to sleep outside in the wilderness."

"Grab everything and let's go," Mac instructed.

A set of stairs led up from the simple dock, and a pathway through the woods, all of about thirty feet before Mac's light landed on vinyl siding. She walked up to the door, steeled herself, put aside the self-consciousness of being basically nude in front of a stranger's cabin, and knocked on the door.

No answer. Hardly surprising at that late hour.

She knocked again, louder. And a third time.

"Hello?" she called.

She tried the handle. It wasn't locked.

"Well, shall we?"

"Sometimes," Kaz mused, "it's better to ask forgiveness than permission."

The cabin itself was a rustic one-room building, well-appointed with a wood stove, two long couches, a dining table and four chairs. It was warm, it was dry, and it was safe. Red checked the propane-powered fridge, but it wasn't running and there was nothing stored inside. Kaz found that one of the couches was a pull-out bed, and proceeded to prepare it with Nat's help. Mac found a kerosene lamp and some matches, and provided a little bit of light for the operation, allowing them to stop working with their flashlights.

"I wonder when the owner will be back," Red mused.

Mac shrugged, walking around the kitchen. "This is a temporary stop, I think. We can go in the morning. Without food, we can't really stay here long." She opened a cupboard, expecting to find dishes, and instead discovered the pantry. "Or maybe there is food." A variety of canned goods sat on the shelves, enough for a few days' worth of meals for the four of them. It wouldn't be glamourous, but that hardly mattered.

"Can we worry about that in the morning?" Nat asked, pulling off her damp lifejacket. "I need sleep." She collapsed naked onto the bed that she and Kaz had prepared.

"That bed has room for two. Kaz, you okay sharing?"

"Yeah, works for me." She shucked her own safety gear, grabbed Nat's discarded lifejacket and headed towards the door. "I saw a clothesline out there, I'm going to go hang these up. Can I get yours, too?"

Red and Mac both removed their flotation devices and handed them to Kaz. "Red, you can take the couch."

"What about you, Mac?" Red asked.

"I'll pull a couple chairs together, it'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Mac nodded. "You should all get some sleep. I'll do another check to see what's here before I turn in."

Red smiled at her. "Thanks, Mac. And... thank you."

Kaz returned from outside. "I am going to sleep well."

"I think we all will. Good night, Mac."

"Night, Red, Kaz."

Nat's soft snoring could already be heard from the bed. Mac continued her slow, meticulous journey around the cabin as the other two curled up. No more food, but she did find some blankets, which she used to cover the other girls, keeping one for herself. One desk drawer held several decks of cards, pads of paper, and pens and pencils. She grabbed some writing implements, took them back to the kitchen table, and began writing a note.

To whom it may concern,

Four desperate young women on a canoe trip found your cabin, and it was unlocked. We used your space, borrowed blankets, burned some of your lamp oil, and ate some of your canned food. It's a very long story, maybe some day we can share it with you. If we make it back to civilization, I will be happy to compensate you for the use of your supplies however you think best.

She read and reread the note, then signed it with her full name and left her phone number. Then she took the note and put it in the fridge, where it wouldn't get lost and the owners would be sure to see it. Only then did she pull up a second chair to rest her feet on, drape the blanket over herself, blow out the light, and almost immediately fall asleep sitting up.

The sun was high when they woke.

Red was the first up, but the soft noises she made heading outside alerted Mac, who very quietly stood and stretched. Kaz and Nat were still very asleep, so Mac went outside as well.

In the daylight, the surroundings were far easier to see. The little one-room cabin had an accompanying toolshed, locked by a padlock, and an outhouse that Red was making her way back from.

"Good morning, Mac," Red said softly as she walked up.

"Hi Red. It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" And it was. Clear blue sky, already warm in the sun, and Jon was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, it is. I guess we have to figure out what we do next, though, huh."

Mac shrugged. "Guess so. That can wait until Nat and Kaz are up. Did you want to try cooking?"

"Yeah, though I think I'll do it out here. Don't know if you noticed, but Nat grabbed the one-burner. That way we don't have to try and find cooking supplies, just food."

"Great. I'll let you worry about that." Mac headed toward the outhouse.

Red chuckled. "You've worried about enough the past couple days."

After several days of using a dugout privy in the bush, the outhouse was practically a luxury, and surprisingly didn't smell particularly badly. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer were conveniently right there. They still didn't have clothing, but they had pretty much everything else they could need, and could survive until they decided to get back in their canoes and head for the launch, or wait for the cottage owner to return.

By the time Mac returned to the cabin, Red was looking through the food cupboard and Nat was awake. The small woman padded over almost silently and wrapped Mac in a warm hug. "Thank you," she said. "You found us a great place to stay."

Mac hugged her back. "You helped get us here. We got here together."

"It's not exactly standard breakfast food," Red said, "but I've got canned meat and beans, and a pot and a pan to make them in. Sound good?"

"It's food. I don't care other than that," Mac replied.

"Good, because that's what you're getting." Red took the food outside, and Nat followed her, likely to use the outhouse herself.

Mac walked over to where Kaz was sleeping, and was there when Kaz opened her eyes. "Mmm. Morning, Mac."

"Hey Kaz."

"You found us a comfy place."

"You got us across the lake."

Kaz chuckled. "It's been a weird few days. But..." Kaz sat up. "But not bad. It was a real adventure." She stretched. "I kind of loved it."

"I know, you and Nat, and I think Red, too."

"What about you?"

What about me? Mac thought about her answer. "I ... I'll get back to you."

Kaz shrugged. "Where's the others?"

"Red's cooking, Nat's outside."

Kaz got out of bed. "I think I'll go for a jog, look around, see what I can find."

"Don't get lost."

"I won't."

There was a sense of relaxation, of relief, that Mac hadn't really felt since Jon had arrived, a sense that she had taken the trip for in the first place. This was what the trip was supposed to be, minus the constant nudity: the four of them out in the woods together, just enjoying each others' company. Still, in the back of her mind, was that little fear, that small doubt.

Breakfast didn't cure the doubt. Kaz's excited return didn't, either. She came rushing into the cabin as the other three were eating. "Hey, I found the best swimming spot! What do you say, after breakfast...?"

Nat and Red looked to Mac, who shrugged. "I don't really feel like getting back in the canoes today. I don't think one more night here will kill us, and we have to find something to do, so..." Though I'll probably nap through the afternoon, given how I'm feeling right now, she thought to herself.

"Lead the way!" Nat exclaimed.

"After I eat," Kaz insisted, sitting down on the borrowed chair and grabbing a plate of meat and beans.

That doubt remained as the four of them followed the trail Kaz had found to a small, deep, rocky pool, fed by a creek and slowly trickling down to the lake. Kaz was right, it was perfect. The pool was about the size of a backyard swimming pool and deep enough in the middle that Kaz could submerge herself while standing, the walk down into the water was comfortable, the rocks weren't too sharp or too slippery. Even after a good soak, still that doubt was there, as she sit on the warm rock drying off and watching the other three dive and swim and play.

The doubt wouldn't leave.

Mac stood up slowly, carefully on the wet rock, and looked at her friends. But she spoke softly, not to them.

"You were never far away, were you."

And Jon's voice from behind her replied, "Never."

She turned. He was there. She wrapped her arms around him in a comfortable embrace and kissed him deeply, melting into his arms.