Cryptonomicon

"No," Randy says, taking another step towards Amy, and straddling the antitank mine. "The Cayuse are extinct. Measles. So it was made by a white man who is an expert in the hunting practices of Northwest Indian tribes. What else do we know about him? That's he's really good at sneaking around in the jungle. And that he's so totally fucking crazy that even when he's been injured by a land mine, he's still crawling around in the undergrowth taking shots at people." Randy's probing the riverbed as he's talking, and now he takes another step. Only six feet away from Amy now. "Not just anyone--he took a shot at Amy. Why? Because he's been watching. He saw Amy sitting next to me when we took that break, resting her head on my shoulder. He knows that if he wants to hurt me, the best thing he could possibly do is take a shot at her."

"Why does he want to hurt you?" Enoch asks.

"Because he's evil."

Enoch looks tremendously impressed.

"Well, who the hell is it?" Amy hisses. She's irritated now, which he takes to be a good sign.

"His name is Andrew Loeb," Randy says. "And Jackie Woo and John Wayne are never going to find him."

"Jackie and John are very good," Doug demurs.

Another step. He can almost reach out and touch Amy. "That's the problem," Randy says. "They're way too smart to run around in a minefield without probing every step. But Andrew Loeb doesn't give a shit. Andrew's totally out of his fucking mind, Doug. He's going to run around up there at will. Or crawl, or hop, or whatever. I'd wager that Andy with one foot blown off, and not caring whether he lives or dies, can move through a minefield faster than Jackie, when Jackie does care."

Finally, Randy's there. He crouches down before Amy, who leans forward, places a hand on each of his shoulders, and rests her weight on him, which feels good. The end of her ponytail paints the back of his neck with warm river water. The arrow's practically in his face. Randy takes his multipurpose tool out and turns it into a saw and cuts through the shaft of the arrow while Amy holds it steady with one fist. Then Amy splays her hand out, winds up, screams in Randy's ear, and slams the butt of the shaft. It disappears into her leg. She collapses over Randy's back and sobs. Randy reaches around behind her leg, cuts his hand on the edge of the arrowhead, grabs the shaft and yanks it out.

"I don't see evidence of arterial bleeding," says Enoch Root, who has a good view of her from behind.

Randy rises to his feet, lifting Amy into the air, collapsed over his shoulder like a sack of rice. He's embarrassed that Amy's body is basically shielding his from any further arrow attacks now. But she's making it clear that she's in no mood for walking.

The shade is only four steps away: shade, and shelter from above. "A land mine just takes a leg or a foot, right?" Randy says. "If I step on one, it won't kill Amy."

"Not one of your better ideas, Randy!" Doug shouts, almost contemptuously. "Just calm down and take your time."

"I just want to know my options," Randy says. "I can't poke around for mines while I'm carrying her."

"Then I'll work my way over to you," says Enoch Root. "Oh, to hell with it!" Enoch stands up and just walks over to them in half a dozen strides.

"Fucking amateurs!" Doug bellows. Enoch Root ignores him, squats down at Randy's feet and begins probing.

Doug rises up out of the stream onto a few boulders strewn along the bank. "I'm going to ascend the wall here," he says, "and go up and reinforce Jackie. He and I'll findthis Andrew Loeb together." It's clear that "find" here is a euphemism for probably a long list of unpleasant operations. The bank is made of soft eroded stone with lumps of hard black volcanic rock jutting out of it frequently, and by clambering from one outcropping to the next, Doug is able to make his way halfway up the bank in the time it takes Enoch Root to locate one safe place to plant their feet. Randy wouldn't want to be the guy who just shot an arrow into Doug Shaftoe's daughter. Doug is stymied for a moment by the overhang; but by traversing the bank a short distance he's able to reach a tangle of tree roots that's almost as good as a ladder to the top.

"She's shivering," Randy announces. "Amy's shivering."

"She's in shock. Keep her head low and her legs high," says Enoch Root. Randy shifts Amy around, nearly losing his grip on a blood-greased leg.