Roman Ice

by Dave Bartell

  The cave only allowed them to stand hunched over. Its bottom was creased and punctuated with skull-sized rocks too large to be swept down by water. The air was close and stale compared with the lava tube, and despite the coolness, Darwin soon broke out in a sweat. His head itched where the salty perspiration spread over his wounds.

  It took them an hour to reach the bend where the cave switched back on itself. They rested in the wider space where Stevie had been held hostage. She showed them the footprints in the sand, which they took as a hopeful sign that someone had been here since Agrippa.

  The cave was wider in the up slope past the chamber, which made it easier to carry Pétur. They still had to walk with a lean, and switched places every fifty steps, but after a few hours of this routine, Darwin’s back muscles screamed for relief.

  “How much farther to the wide space?” Zac asked Ian when they stopped for a meal break. It had been just over two hours since they had left the chamber with the footprints.

  “It’s hard to tell. I walked the distance in a couple hours, and it’s faster on the downslope. I can’t judge our speed carrying Pétur, but I’d guess we’re close,” said Ian. “When we make the second switch back, it’s a short distance to a larger room. About the same as the first turn.”

  “And there are no branches?” asked Eyrún.

  “None,” said Ian.

  Eyrún checked Darwin for a concussion during their meal break. He had a headache, but nothing that getting out of this cave wouldn’t heal. I could gaze at her face all day, he thought while Eyrún examined his eyes. Grit and dust ground into her skin, and the helmet had plastered her dark bangs to her forehead.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  She kissed him on the cheek, then gathered her things. Darwin felt his insides plummet. On the cheek. What the hell? She was like a swinging door: open for brief moments, but not long enough to get in.

  Whatever Ian’s recollection, it took at least two hours to reach the wider cave, where they collapsed from exhaustion. “Drink. I know you’re tired, but we need hydration,” Ian said as each of them found a spot to stretch out. At least being able to lie down was a relief. Darwin no longer had a sense of time. Only awake—get out—and exhausted, sleep. Sometime during awake came eating. Food was just energy. A need like breathing and eliminating. He dozed off.

  Pétur’s groaning woke him. The poor guy had soiled himself in the last couple hours, but there was nothing they could do. Their hopes hung on getting out soon. We’ve got to be close, thought Darwin.

  Zac and Stevie went up the cave to explore the route. They agreed that if one of them could get out, they would use the satellite phone to call for help. Stevie double-checked the power. Darwin had his own small technology stash. Older tech, but proven. Matches. He stood in the upper entrance, waited a couple minutes for the air to settle and lit one. The intensity of the flare blinded him. The flame grew smaller as it ate up the wooden stick and he felt the warmth on his fingers. Then it leaned up the cave. The air was moving. Moving out! The warmth became a burn, and he dropped the match.

  “What was that Darwin?” asked Ian.

  “Just checking the air movement,” said Darwin.

  “And…”

  “Dunno. There’s too much air flow in here,” he said not wanting to get their hopes up. He turned at the sound of Stevie and Zac returning.

  “We’re screwed,” said Zac. “Cave’s blocked about fifty meters up.” Eyrún dropped her head. Ian stood up.

  “How bad?” asked Darwin.

  “Solid rockfall. We tried clearing some of it, but it goes on a way. Hard to tell if it’s one meter or thirty.”

  “Where’s Stevie?” asked Eyrún.

  “She was pissed off. Didn’t say much, but was banging the rocks around. Told me to get back here and tell you guys.”

  “You left her?” said Eyrún grabbing her helmet.

  “Wait,” said Darwin.

  They covered the distance in about three minutes. The cave bent left in the ten meters before they reached Stevie. They could not see her, but there were more rocks piled on the floor. Then they found her, squatting against the wall, holding a rock up to her face.

  “Hey,” she said, and looked back at the rock, which she was examining with her jeweler’s loupe.

  “You okay? Zac said you were upset,” said Eyrún.

  “You think? We’ve been nearly killed by a mad man—twice. He assaulted me. And something’s blocking our only way out. Yes, I’m upset,” she said.

  “We’ll figure this out,” said Darwin.

  Stevie threw the rock at Darwin. He put up his hands, and it struck his left arm just above the elbow. He yelped. She moved at him. Eyrún blocked her way. Stevie tried to shove her way around Eyrún when they lost their balance and fell. Darwin stumbled over the rocks and got a hand on each of them. Stevie kicked him and punched him in the chest with her free hand, but could not cause much harm at close range.

  “STOP IT! Eyrún’s hurt!” he yelled and grabbed Stevie’s wrist to prevent another slug. She went limp and turned to Eyrún who was bleeding from her temple.

  “Eyrún. Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean,” said Stevie.

  “Ow,” Eyrún said putting her hand on her face. It came away covered in blood. “Oh god, is it bad? Darwin?”

  “Be still,” said Darwin leaning in closer. He felt the wound.

  “Ow,” said Eyrún.

  “Sorry. It doesn’t look too bad. The cut’s not deep and head wounds bleed a lot,” said Darwin.

  “I’m sorry. I…” said Stevie.

  “It’s okay Stevie. It was an accident,” said Eyrún.

  “This whole situation is shit. Let’s get Eyrún out of here and bandaged and we’ll figure out what to do next,” said Darwin.

  Stevie nodded and went first. Darwin grabbed Eyrún’s arm motioning for her to wait.

  “Do you think she’s okay,” he asked. “I mean okay enough to help us?”

  “I’m not sure I’m okay Darwin. I’m scared,” said Eyrún.

  “Me too,” he said hugging her. “We’ll find a way. We got this far.” God, I hope I’m right.

  89

  Carn Eige

  Rocks and metallic sounds brought Olivier out of slumber. The guys had lit a stove to boil water for coffee.

  “Want coffee?” asked James.

  “Yeah. Love some,” said Olivier sliding into his parka. He swung his legs out of the sleeping bag and put on his boots. He walked over to James and took a metal mug.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” he said, setting the mug down on the rocks. He rubbed his hands on his pants and pulled out a pair of gloves from his pocket.

  “Sorry, it’s hot,” said James.

  After a breakfast of granola bars, the cavers continued clearing the blockage. Olivier had agreed to spend the night with the guys to support them. Carmen and Emelio had returned to the Loch Inn with instructions from James to bring up a couple other cavers the next morning.

  He walked out into the sun to warm up. He sat on a flat rock and stared out at a line of peaks that marched over the horizon. A rumbling from below heralded the Range Rover. Carmen and Emelio returned sooner than expected and had brought two more young men. Emelio motioned for them to hurry and get up the mountain. The guys reached him in a couple minutes and he filled them in on the situation in the cave. They continued in and Olivier waited for Carmen.

  “Did they clear the blockage?” said Carmen when she was close.

  “Not yet,” he said, and they walked inside the cave together.

  90

  The Lava Tube

  When he got back to the wider space, Darwin observed a group of beaten people. Dirty. Hungry. Smelly. His nose crinkled when he realized it was somewhat him. They had not slept enough since leaving the diamond room. Another, more unpleasant smell hung in the air and he noticed Pétur was rearranged.

  “I sure as hell hope we don’t have to go backwards
,” said Zac. “We cleaned him up as best we could. You won’t want any of your old shirts.”

  Darwin had read that people behaved in dangerous and unpredictable ways in survival mode. They needed help from someone who knew how to lead people in life-threatening danger. “Ian,” said Darwin walking over to where he stood at the edge of the up slope cave opening.

  “Yeah,” said Ian.

  “What do you think?” asked Darwin, motioning to Ian to step out of the wider cave so they could have a more private conversation.

  “Think?”

  “You’ve been in tight situations like this before.”

  “Tight situations?”

  “It’s clear we don’t trust you. I mean, why should we? You…” He stopped, realizing his voice had more edge to it than he intended.

  “I get it. You need me. Thing is, tight implies options. But when you’re in the shit, it’s more like picking the option that’s less fucked up than the others. What do you want?”

  “You’re right. We need you. We’re scared and none of us want to die here, including you,” said Darwin. “I don’t think a single one of us has faced a real life or death moment, even Zac, but I sense you have. We need your help to figure out the least fucked up option. I’m an amateur. Sure I talked everyone into this, but I don’t have a clue about leading people who are panicked.”

  They stared at each other a few moments. Ian said. “Okay, but on one condition.”

  “What?” asked Darwin.

  “I want to marry my fiancée and live free. That means I don’t get tried for murder. To do that, we all need to tell a story that shows how I helped you get out of here,” said Ian.

  “You want us to lie?”

  “No, I want us to give an accurate description of what happened.”

  “Like what? People will figure out any lies.”

  “The truth. Everyone tells what they saw. Not what they think I did. It was my knife that killed him. Stevie only stabbed in him as they fell. After that I helped you all get out of here.”

  “That doesn’t make you innocent. You are working for Robert, aren’t you?” asked Darwin.

  “I was… but once I figured out what Karl was doing, I’ve been helping. Think about it. I stopped Karl from killing all of you. He wanted to wait until you were all in the chamber. By forcing him to act early, only Jón was killed.”

  “I get all that, but I can’t influence what the others will say.”

  “Don’t underestimate yourself. They trust you. I trust you. This is an unprecedented discovery. The entire world will jump on the news. You’ll be famous. I want to disappear in all the noise and marry my fiancée.”

  He knew Ian was spot-on, and that gave his mind permission to move ahead: I’m seeing us outside. There’s hope. And if nothing else, people follow hope.

  91

  Carn Eige

  “What’s that?” Carmen looked up from her book. A sound like throwing bricks into a pile interrupted her.

  Olivier stuck his head in the opening and listened. “I guess the branch tunnel didn’t go around the blockage and they’re now using it to dispose of the rocks they’re clearing from the cave.”

  “God, I hate this waiting. Isn’t there something we can do?” asked Carmen.

  “How about we update Emelio? He’s fishing that stream like he said he wanted to do.”

  “What if they need us?”

  “I doubt it. They know what they’re doing. We’re just in the way. C’mon, let’s go. Besides, it’s gloomy in here,” said Olivier.

  The early afternoon sun had punched through the haze enough to warm their faces and they followed the slope down to a line of riparian woods that marked the stream. As they rounded a bend in the trail, Olivier looked back over the mountain and tried to imagine the goings on deep in the cave. The picture would not resolve in his mind. He turned and caught up with his wife.

  92

  The Lava Tube

  They set to work. Ian pulled rocks out of the pile. Zac was second in the chain and tossed them down to Stevie and Eyrún. They pitched rocks down to Darwin, who threw them into the larger cave where Pétur rested, oblivious to the backbreaking job. At least gravity was in their favor on the thirty degree slope. Their plan was to open a hole big enough for Stevie as she was smallest. On each count of fifty rocks, Ian called for a rest.

  At a meal break three hours into it, Darwin walked to the front to get an idea of how much they had moved. The larger cave below now had a substantial pile of rocks in the floor. Stepping around the loose rocks, he made his way up to the blockage. His light swept across a pile of rocks that varied in size between tennis and rugby balls. They were lighter than the cave wall evidence of less time exposed to air and lichen growth.

  “How much have we moved?” asked Darwin.

  “About two meters. I marked the wall where we started,” Ian said, pointing backwards.

  Darwin looked. “That’s good. Can we go any faster?”

  “It’s a risk. I don’t want this pile to collapse on us. As much as urgency calls for speed, focused, steady progress is best,” said Ian.

  “I don’t suppose you might have an idea how far this goes?” asked Darwin.

  “A couple more meters. And there’s a pub on the other side.”

  Darwin coughed out a laugh.

  Another three hours of hauling, and Darwin saw an issue with their makeshift camp filling up with rocks. Pétur was already up against the opposite side as far as they could move him. He stood wiping sweat from his eyebrows when he heard a call from above.

  “Darwin,” yelled Stevie. “Darwin, we have another problem.”

  “What is it?” he asked, scrambling over the buildup in the floor where Stevie and Eyrún had been tossing rocks.

  “Don’t know. Zac just yelled down they found something, but it didn’t sound good,” said Eyrún.

  “Shit,” said Darwin, moving past them. They followed and squeezed in behind Darwin when he reached Zac and Ian.

  “There,” pointed Ian. They had been working faster and hauled about three more meters of rock. But at the top of the pile there were several huge rocks. “I saw them about an hour ago, but waited until we cleared more to test them. They’re solid. No moving them,” said Ian.

  “Shit,” said Darwin and climbed up the pile. He pushed and pulled at a couple rocks, then pulled harder. He lowered his head in frustration.

  “I know. I tried,” said Ian.

  A bead of sweat ran down Darwin’s nose and dripped off. It itched. He wanted to rub his face when he felt a cool sensation. He held his breath and lay still. A breeze. The air was moving! He slid down from the top and looked back.

  “What is it?” two of them said in unison.

  “We’re close,” he said. “The air is moving. Watch.”

  He pulled off his gloves and struck a match. He moved it over to the largest rock and the gap at the roof. The flame leaned toward the gap, then blew out.

  “Oh my god,” said Stevie.

  “Do it again,” said Zac as if the first time was an accident. Darwin lit another, and the flame was sucked up the gap before being blown out like a birthday candle. They redoubled their efforts to clear more rocks at the bottom of the pile, hoping to dislodge the larger rocks. Zac had to caution them a couple times to go easy. “I don’t want to break a leg after six hundred miles. I intend to walk out of here,” he said.

  About ninety minutes later they stopped again for water and rest.

  “The big rocks are too solid,” Ian said.

  “We can pry them out,” said Eyrún.

  “I don’t think so. I tried the climbing axe.”

  “What now?” asked Stevie.

  “Only thing for it is to break the rocks with small charges,” said Ian.

  Darwin looked at Ian, then at Zac. “Zac?” asked Darwin.

  “He’s right,” said Zac. “But it’s dangerous. We risk another, maybe worse, cave-in.”

  “We can’t do th
is. No fucking way. You almost killed us once. Not again. We’re not even to the bottom of the pile. I say we keep digging,” said Eyrún.

  Darwin ignored her. “How would it work, Ian?”

  “You can’t be serious,” Eyrún persisted, glaring. “How can you even consider this?”

  “I didn’t agree to it. I want to hear how it would work. Go on, Ian.”

  “We place a few charges, maybe five or six, in places where we want to break the rocks. The explosive force would be directed toward the center of the tunnel and away from the walls. We retreat down below and detonate. The big rocks then become these,” said Ian, kicking the smaller rocks on the floor.

  “How can you be sure you won’t cause a cave-in?” asked Darwin.

  “The physics puts the energy into the rocks to split them. The small amount of C4 means not enough power reaches the walls. It’s not guaranteed, but I think we can do it,” said Ian.

  “You think?” said Eyrún. “This isn’t a science experiment. We’ll die with amateur guesswork.”

  “Zac?” asked Darwin again.

  “Ian’s right. We did this in the Rangers. The trick is the right amount and directing the explosion,” said Zac.

  “And you’ve done this yourself?” Darwin asked Ian.

  “Yes,” he said. “Mining accident in South Africa. It was days to a rescue or bust our way through. The air was bad and we couldn’t wait.”

  “Okay. I’m hungry and we need a longer break. Let’s eat while we give this a think.

  Zac and Ian stayed to work on a plan. Darwin, Stevie, and Eyrún retreated downslope to fill Pétur in on the latest development. As they talked, Darwin leaned back and let sleep embrace him.