Traveller by L.W. Samuelson (reading comprehension books .txt) 📖

and go find Lori,” Jesse said. He caught the ball at half court then dribbled forward before attempting a pass to Bill. Intentionally off target, it sailed into Willy’s hands who pivoted, drove to the basket, and layed it up for two points.
“Man, I knew you honkies couldn’t beat us!” Willy exalted. “You all ain’t nothing without your Russian ringer.”
“That’s right, Willy. Good game, we gotta go,” said Jesse. “Come on Tim, we gotta find Lori.”
“What’s the matter? You guys need any help?” asked Willy noticing the stricken look at Jesse face. He too could feel pain on the back of his head and wrist.
“Our Russian friend is hurt,” said Jesse. “We’re going to go find him.”
Willy wasn’t sure why, but the news upset him. “I wanna help. I like him.”
“We’ll find out what’s going on and call you,” said Tim.
“Make sure you do. I wanna help,” Willy repeated. Willy was worried.
When Tim and Jesse piled into the VW, Tim asked, “You’re really not going to take Willy with us, are you?”
“Why not? Did you see the look on his face? He’s as worried as we are. The more people we have looking for Travis, the more likely we are to find him. He’s fevered which means his wounds are infected, so the sooner we find him the better his chances of surviving are,” Jesse replied.
“I know, I can feel the fever too. It’s just that the fewer people who know that Traveller’s an alien, the better.”
“You’re right, but I trust Willy. We’re tight man. I’m helping with his homework.”
“Lori’s not going to like it,” Tim said.
“That’s why we’re not going to tell her. You drop me off at her house, go get your stuff, pick up Willy, and meet me there.”

An hour later, Tim and Willy pulled up in the alley parking lot at Lori’s. She was helping Jesse load the van with sleeping bags, food and water.
When she spotted Willy, she stopped with a cooler in both hands, “What’s going on? Why is he here?”
“Jesse?” Tim said.
“Willy wants to help. He’s my friend,” Jesse said.
Lori exploded, “Wants to help? Last time I saw him, he wanted to beat the shit out of you.”
“He was just mad about losing the game.”
“Damn it, Jesse. We have to keep this thing quiet. Do you want Traveller to be locked up and experimented on?”
“Listen Sis, Willy’s good people. Look at him; he’s as worried as we are.”
Willy had been standing passively with his hands in his pockets. Now he chimed in, “Don’t even know why I be feeling the way I do, but I see a brother lying in the snow with blood all around him. He’s on fire, burning up with infection. If I don’t go with you guys, I go by myself. Travis needs me, man.”
“You don’t even know him, Willy,” said Lori.
“Don’t understand it, just know that it is,” Willy replied.
“Everything you find out has to be a secret,” Lori said.
“Not a narc, man. Don’t rat on my friends.”
“We’re wasting time jawing,” said Jesse. “Let’s go find our friend. Anybody know where Ward’s store is?”
“Just go straight past the Pomerelle turn-off and drive to the stop sign,” Tim instructed.
“Trust your vision. Follow it,” said Willy.

They reached Ward’s at nine o’clock that evening. The store windows looked out at the night with benign indifference. Tim pulled his Volkswagen up to stop behind Lori’s van. “Let’s go find out if the owners know anything,” he said.
A dark haired women dressed in a flannel shirt got up from watching T.V. when they entered the store. “You guys are out late. What can I do for ya?” she asked.
“We’re looking for our friend,” said Lori.
“I haven’t seen anyone tonight. What’s he look like?”
“He’s about six foot two with intense blue eyes. Once you see him you’ll never forget him,” said Lori.
“My husband talked about someone showing up a few days ago. Just appeared outta nowhere. John said his eyes were diamond blue,” the lady replied.
“Did he say where he was going?”
“I guess the feller was real interested in our pictures of mountain lions. Wanted to know where we took ‘em. John told him Jim Sage Mountain.”
“Dat’s it! He be there,” said Willy. “How we get there?”
“Just go to the stop sign and turn left. Go a few miles east and you’ll see a sign,” the lady said.
Back outside, Jesse said, “We’ll go find the turn off and find a place to camp, get up first thing in the morning and start searching.”
They drove east until Jesse spotted the brown Forest Service sign that said ‘Jim Sage Mountain’, “Turn here,” he told Lori. She turned right. The road bisected someone’s yard. Their lights reflected off of the corral poles on the left. The house on the right had a solitary light on. Three dogs ran along side of them barking as they crept through the yard. Three hundred yards farther, they crossed a bridge with a sign that said ‘Cassia Creek’. The rough rocky road jounced the van and rattled their teeth.
“Slow down a little bit. We don’t need a hole in the oil pan,” Jesse told Lori.
The road jogged back to the west. After a few miles of bouncing, they came to a grassy area with several Russian olive trees. “This looks like as good a place as any to camp,” Jesse said.
Lori parked the van on a flat part of the pasture. The grass had been cropped short by cattle. Tim pulled up along side of them. He pitched a tent while Lori and Jesse made beds in the van. The four of them, worn out by a long day, crawled in their sleeping bags and searched for the sandman.

Chapter 23 - First Aide for the Alien

Jesse got up before daylight to start a fire. Once it was blazing, he awakened his friends. Light started creeping into the night as they stood warming themselves against the flames.
“Anybody else bring a gun?” asked Jesse patting the .357 holstered on his side.
“I brought my deer rifle,” said Tim. “Do think I should carry it?”
“Man, you white boys be shootin’ up the countryside. Tell me which way you goin’ so I can go the other way,” said Willy. “Damn honkies be blowin’ my head off.”
“I’m not gonna get mauled by a cougar,” said Jesse. “And yes you should carry your rifle.” He looked at Tim.
“I brought whistles for everyone but Willy. I didn’t know he was coming,” said Lori. “If anyone finds Traveller blow on your whistle and let everyone know where you’re at.”
“You take my whistle, Willy. I’ll shoot in the air, if I find him,” said Jesse.
“You all be shootin’ in the air dat ole bullet fall on my head, fool.”
“Okay, I’ll shoot into a tree or something.”
The group moved out toward Jim Sage. They could see the steep slope leading up to the cliffed ridge, the trees and jutting rocks looming as haunting black forms against the light of dawn. “He ‘bout halfway up,” said Willy. “Remember close yo’ eyes, trust the vision.”
“Let’s pair up,” said Lori. “I’ll stay near Tim, Jesse goes with Willy.”
“Good idea. I don’t want anyone to get attacked by a cougar,” said Jesse.
“Shoot, I be more worried about gettin’ shot,” said Willy.
“No one’s going to shoot you Willy,” Jesse reassured.

***

Willy closed his eyes occasionally as he climbed Jim Sage. The bottom of the mountain, dotted with sagebrush and junipers, became steeper giving way to a shaled area with a game trail that cut across it diagonally. He followed the path, panting from the steep climb. Lori was walking to the left of him, Jesse to his right. Dis mountain climbing for fools he thought, his legs burning from the exertion. When he got to the top of the shale, he sat down and rested. His wrist hurt, the back of his head felt like someone had taken a bite out of it. The longer he sat, the more the pain increased. He got up and started walking again. The pain diminished. Ain’t sittin down agin, pain get too bad.
The junipers gave way to pine trees, the mountain became ever steeper, but Willy propelled himself up the mountain frantically. A vision of Travis writhing on a strange floor haunted him now, becoming ever more vivid with each step.
Willy panted with exhaustion. Just when he thought about quitting, the slope gave way to a plateau with several jutting rocks formations. He veered left, seeing a long reddish-brown rock slanting to the east. The vision of an oblong spaceship imprinted itself on his mind. He be under that rock!
With his second wind, Willy hurried through the trees until he came to the outcropping. Protected underneath the rock formation, he found Travis’s spaceship. “Travis, you in there?” he called as he slid his hands along the surface of the ship, a ship the same color as the rocks around it. There was no answer.
Willy put his ear on the side of the ship to listen. It was then that he heard the snapping of branches as something approached from the south. Afraid that it was a mountain lion, he moved to the other side of the ship to wait, peering over the top of it.
A movement in the trees caused fear to well up inside of him. Man, now I know why Jesse be carrying a gun. He was just about to run when Lori emerged through the pines. “Jeeze girl, you be all scaring me.”
“Is he in there? I heard you say something,” Lori said ignoring his question.
“He in there alright. Probably unconscious.”
“Traveller! Traveller!” she yelled. “It’s me, Lori. You’ve got to wake up.”
“Here come Jesse and Tim,” said Willy as they emerged into the clearing.
“I thought we were supposed to whistle,” said Jesse.
“No need to man. We all knew where to go. He be signaling us or something,” Willy replied. “We got to wake him up long enough to let us in. Everyone put dey hand on the ship. Summon him through ya mind.”
The three of them did as Willy asked. “Gently rock the ship now,” he said. They moved the craft back and forth, but still there was no response.
“Traveller you have to wake up,” Lori pleaded. “Please, wake up and let us in.”
Jesse had his ear to the side of the ship. “I think I heard something,” he said. A moment later the door whirred up.
Lori jumped into the ship as the door descended. Her beloved friend was laid out near the cargo hold with his eyes closed. His arm was swollen with infection, the tourniquet still bound around his biceps.
Traveller opened an eye, “Lori, I’m so sorry. I’ve ruined the beautiful coat you gave me.”
Lori sat down beside him cradling his head in her lap. “Oh Traveller, that coat can go to hell,” she said with tears in her eyes. “We need to treat your wounds. How long have you been here?”
“Couple of days. I dreamt about you guys,” Traveller said looking at Willy, Tim, and Jesse. “I need some water.”
“Yeah, I know. We all could feel it man,” said Willy watching as Jesse handed Lori his canteen. She tilted Travis’s head back to let him swallow several gulps of water.
“Let’s get some water boiling. We need to wash his wounds before I sew them up,” said Lori. “Stay with us Traveller. Do you have any medical supplies on board?”
“There is a black box in the cargo hold.