At night, it was cold and dark as usual, but the atmosphere had shifted. It was calm. John decided they would sleep in shifts, starting with him staying awake. This time, everyone was in a far better mental state than the night before; the fear had been replaced by a sense of routine.
They stayed awake for a couple of hours, chatting and laughing, treating the dark alien world as if it were a night camp back on Athanasia. Even Cissel's cold exterior seemed to thaw slightly in the warmth of the fire.
The next day, the lottery of straws was held. John picked Ricky and Elena to come with him, leaving behind Cissel and Luke to hold the fort. John adopted a simple, efficient tactic: they would pick a specific direction and move forward, leaving behind a long, narrow path by dropping one core at a time to keep their retreat path clear.
