Dark Sky

33 - Deadly Refreshment

Chapter Thirty Three

Day 16

The night passed quickly for all in the camper except Sam. He still sat in the drivers seat as the morning came, never having woken Joe for his turn on watch. They had all slept soundly for the entire night.

Sam had dozed periodically but had never actually fallen completely asleep. He had too much on his mind and was running what he had to do over and over in his head until he felt he was going insane.

Different scenarios played through as he had sat alone in the camper. Some where he succeeded in killing them all and others where he failed, it was these that troubled him. Although he really didn't want to kill anyone he imagined what they would do to him if he tried and failed.

Would they kill him in revenge?

Then if he didn't put the pills in their drinks Travis most certainly would kill him and he cursed the day he ever met that man. It had seemed easy in the beginning when he thought all he had to do was sit quietly, in the back of the camper. Now, he had to get his hands dirty and for what? Someone else's insane plan.

He had even debated coming clean and telling them all what he had been instructed to do. After all he actually liked these people and that made the whole thing more difficult to do.

He decided he had to go through with it knowing that Floyd's three bullets wouldn't save him from Travis when he realised he had been double crossed. He had to carry out one unpleasant deed and then he could continue with his own life, armed with the riches of unlimited supplies that Travis had promised him. He didn't know if Travis was good for it but being an impressionable teenager he naively took the tyrant at his word.

"Why did you not wake me?" Joe called out from behind startling Sam to turn around.

"I wasn't tired" Sam replied shrugging.

"You sat there all night?" Joe asked the question he already knew the answer to.

"Yes."

"Oh to be young," Joe smiled. "I used to be like that."

"Like that?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Able to stay awake all night." Joe laughed climbing out of bed and stretching his arms. "Can't do it anymore though."

Sam shrugged and turned back around not feeling like talking, guilt preventing him from looking Joe in the eye and he remained evasive until everyone was out of bed.

The opportunity presented itself sooner than Sam really wanted it too and as everyone sat around the table that had replace the makeshift bed, Sam jumped down from the drivers seat.

"Everyone for coffee?" He asked trying to sound natural.

"Yes please." Everyone replied in unison a little surprised by Sam's sudden outgoingness. Up until now he had barely spoken unless spoken to first.

Sam moved awkwardly to the kettle and filled it with water and after placing it on the gas burner, began to arrange four mugs in a line on the counter. A heap of instant coffee was spooned into each of the cups before Sam looked nervously over his shoulder, checking he wasn't being watched.

He removed the pills Travis had given him from his trouser pocket and held them close hoping he would not be caught now. Everyone continued talking behind totally oblivious to anything he was doing and one by one he dropped a pill into each cup but the last. He needed to make sure that was the mug Joe received as Travis wouldn't be very happy if he got that part wrong now.

After a few minutes the kettle began to whistle as the water inside reached boiling point and Sam removed it from the heat, pouring the hot fluid into each mug in turn. Adding powdered milk he stirred each drink and ensured the pills had completely dissolved before preparing to hand the drinks to everyone around the table. He hesitated momentarily knowing once the coffees were on the table he would be past the point of no return.