by Melissa Good
“No choice!” Rich slid down a foot. “Ow!”
Kerry got his boots to a foothold and then grabbed Todd’s leg at the knee as Amy climbed up next to her. She could smell the acrid scent of sweat and old dampness. “All yours.” She got out of Amy’s way and went to help Rich to the ground, as both men inched down to safety.
Dar felt the weight come off her safety rope and she gladly released it, tossing it away from her as it slithered down. “Watch out!” She warned.
Everyone jumped out of the way, then surged back to gather around the two climbers. After a moment, Amy led Todd away without looking back and the two disappeared under the tarps while the group watched them go.
“You’re welcome.” Rich looked up at Dar and exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders. Then he motioned her down, gesturing at the rope she’d wrapped around her and holding his hands out.
Kerry appeared next to him and made a come hither gesture, then put a hand on the rock and patted it. “C’mon, hon.” She called up. “If you’re waiting there for gratitude, don’t.”
“What a jerk.” Rich shook his head. “I realize it’s embarrassing but holy cow.”
“Dippity douchebag.” Tracey made a face. “Ugh.” She turned and headed back toward the shelter herself and Sally joined her, leaving Rich and Kerry alone by the wall.
Kerry wiggled her fingers again. “C’mon!”
Dar considered them both, looking around to see what her movement options were. She removed the rope she’d climbed up and threaded it through the pulley, then dropped the end down to the waiting hands, waiting for it to get caught and held.
So. Dar prepared to start climbing down after it, giving it an experimental tug with her hand closed around both the rope around her and the one dangling, satisfied with the lack of motion, finding herself roughly where Todd had been caught.
Could still smell him, a little. Dar wrinkled her nose and moved a little aside, taking a breath and expelling it, as her body relaxed.
She looked up, seeing the handhold Todd had been trying for, when he’d hurt himself. Thoughtfully, she put the end of the rope from the pulley around her and clipped it into place then she shifted over and up a step, raising her body so she could see more clearly.
There was a significant gap that he’d tried to jump over, and gotten a handhold that had left him hanging, his heavy body twisting around and popping his shoulder out of place. She could see it in her head, happening. He hadn’t been able to reach the second handhold.
Could she? He’d tried it in the middle of a storm, stupid beyond belief but now it was sunny, and the rock was mostly dry. She touched it experimentally. Yes it was.
Setting aside her reservations, Dar crouched, then leaped for the hold, shoving off with both feet and reaching out as far as her arms would go, getting one hold and then thinking she wasn’t going to get the other one for a long moment until she thumped against the rock and her fingers caught.
For a breath she was dangling just from her fingertips then she contracted the muscles in her forearms and then her lower body and brought her legs up trying to find a foothold.
One boot caught, and then she felt the weight come off her arms as she was straightening up and her other foot settled into place.
Phew. Dar eyed her position, not entirely sure what she’d just done was a good idea. Why was she doing this again? Just to prove she could? Her heart pounded and her knees shook. She took a minute to collect herself.
“What’s she doing?” Rich asked. He put the end of the rope Dar was now attached to around his back and set himself as an anchor.
Kerry watched Dar’s head tilt. “She’s trying to figure something out.” She saw Dar move over and flex her hands. “Oh, Dar don’t do that.”
“What?” Rich looked around.
The rope suddenly moved against the rock as Dar leaped upward and both of them made a grab for the safety rig. Rich hastily pulled it taut around his back and prepared to brace. “Hey!” He yelled out in alarm. “Watch it!”
But Dar’s hands caught on a crack in the rock and she swung over and brought her legs up onto a second outcrop above where Todd had been hanging.
“What the hell?” Rich moved over a little. “What’s she doing?” He repeated. “She should just come down!”
Kerry sighed. “She’s probably got a plan.” She put her hands on the rope. “Shit I should have told her what Janet told me.
“Told her what?”
Kerry bypassed the question. “I think she’s going to see if she can use the phone,” she said. “Call for help,” she clarified. “Now that she’s halfway up there.”
“Oh right!” Rich relaxed a little. “Sure that makes sense.”
Kerry sighed. “Yeah, t does.”
DAR INSPECTED THE wall, making a picture in her head of what she wanted to do next. She hadn’t intended to try and climb upward, but now that she was this far, it occurred to her that she might as well see if she could get up high enough to get the phone in her cargo pocket to work.
That would at least give her a reason to do what she was doing, right?
It seemed safe enough. The rope and pulley had held Todd’s bulk. She glanced down and studied Kerry’s body language. Kerry didn’t seem freaked out so Dar resumed studying the wall.
It became like a puzzle. She’d always liked puzzles. She’d studied Rich as he climbed and decided it was a matter of problem solving, really, She started the climb and the feel of stone against her palms, and the smell of it, triggered a sense of wry nostalgia that came from she didn’t know where. Maybe early childhood? Maybe climbing around the old ships mothballed in the bases she’d grown up in?
Dar shrugged it off.
She saw another small ledge and climbed up to it. She was approximately halfway past where Todd had been. Then the rope became taut and ran out of slack.
She was on a small ledge that had tufts of grass growing in its cracks, and on one side of it a tiny gnarled tree with its roots gamely clutching the rocks. She looked at the angle of the rim and then turned and put her back to the wall.
It was a nice view. She could see the wall where the waterfall was just at the edge of her vision. The sun slanted across the wall and she wished she had Kerry’s camera to get a photo of it. Instead, she fished into her pocket and drew the sat phone out and triggered the power button.
The battery warning came on first. She waited patiently as the phone cycled and tried to bring up a signal. She was surprised when it indicated it had.
“Huh,” Dar said out loud. She used her other hand to open the dialing pad, pausing when she realized she had no idea who to call. She looked at the phone to see if there was any contact information on it, but the one piece of paper taped to the back was worn to nothing.
She tried 9-1-1.
The phone just sat there, waiting for further digits. Dar glanced at the battery LED, which was red and blinking, then she shrugged and dialed a number from memory and hit send.
The phone thought about it, then dialed and she put it to her ear and listened. After two rings it was answered. “Mark, this is Dar. Sat phone about to die. Track it,” she said, getting back a half enunciated oath before the line cut off and the phone died.
Dar regarded the phone with some disgust and put it back in her pocket. Then she turned around and started making her way back down.
KERRY WAS WAITING at the foot of the cliff. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Dar responded. She untied the rope. “Got signal for about twenty seconds up there.”
“Yeah?” Rich said. “Any luck calling?”
Dar shrugged.“I made a call, but I don’t think I was connected long enough for it to be useful before it died.” She returned Kerry’s hug. “But I might want to try wall climbing when we get home,” she said. “That was cool.”
Rich chuckled. “It grows on ya. And you’ve got the arms for it, for sure.” He studied Dar thoughtfully.“The longer the better.”
“Helps wit
h swimming too,” Dar said. “But anyway, that’s that for the phone.”
“It’s fine, hon. Janet said since we were due to call in yesterday they’ll be looking for us. So even without the phone, they’re on the way.”
Rich looked at her in surprise. “She told you that?. Why didn’t she tell the rest of us?” He demanded. “What the hell?”
Kerry held out a calming hand. “After everything she probably didn’t want to raise any expectations. Just like I’m sure Dar’s not going to say anything about being able to make even so brief a phone call.” She eyed Dar. “Right?”
Dar nodded solemnly. “Since it immediately disconnected.”
“Yeah I guess,” Rich grudgingly said. “Least that’s done.” He coiled up the ropes and put them over his shoulder. “Thanks for the help. Maybe we can climb for fun someday.” He smiled and then turned and started off toward the shelter, where the rest of the group were half in and half out, conversing.
Kerry patted Dar on the side. “Sorry I didn’t tell you before,” she said. “Everything happening too fast I guess.”
“No problem.” Dar leaned against the wall, in no rush to rejoin the others. “I called Mark, but I don’t really think the signal was on long enough.”
Rich reappeared and waved at them, motioning them over to the shelter. With echoed sighs, they walked down the short slope to where they’d arranged the tarps. As they did most of the rest of the group emerged and stood around in a clump waiting for them.
“I think we should get to the cabin,” Janet said as they arrived. “People are starting to get sick. We need solid shelter.” She fell silent, waiting.
“Good idea,” Dar said, after a very awkward pause. “Everyone okay to walk?”
“Rather that than hang out here,” Tracey said, gruffly. “We’ll all manage.” She had her pack on her back, and now she hitched her thumb through the strap. “We can’t stay here.”
The group nodded in agreement.
“Let’s get moving,” Don said. “Don’t want to spend any more nights outside.” He put his arm around Marcia, who was hugging herself inside her jacket, her face pale. “Someone get those kids.”
Dar and Kerry ducked under the tarps and paused as Todd and Amy looked up at them. Todd looked pale and drawn. He was clutching the elbow of his injured arm. “What?” he said. “G’wan and get with them. We’re staying here.”
Dar headed for their gear, while Kerry went over to the two and crouched down, resting her forearm on her knee. “You don’t want to come with us?”
“He was hanging onto a wall for half a day,” Amy said. “It’s fine. You can leave us here. We’ll follow you to the cabin tomorrow. We both want a night’s sleep.”
Dar stood up with her pack on her back, Kerry’s hanging from its straps from one hand. “I get it,” she said. “But If I were you I’d come with us.” Her voice was calm, but forceful.
Both of them stared at her in silence. Dar stared right back. “Get your stuff and come. We’re all safer in a group. “And we might need these tarps, so staying without shelter here is just stupid.”
“We’ll be fine,” Amy said.
“No you won’t,” Dar stated. “You’re just going to be one more thing we all have to worry about, like you were when you went off the last time. I don’t want to be hiking back here to save your ass.”
“No one asked you to help us.” Amy’s head lifted and her body posture stiffened as Dar moved closer and put her hands on her hips.
“Wrong. You asked me to help you.” Dar smiled grimly at her. “And I did. Now get your gear and c’mon both of you.”
For a minute it was a finely balanced thing. Kerry ran through a few arguments in her head, and prepared to join the verbal melee, but held off, sensing Dar’s powerful presence was probably more effective.
“Move,” Dar said, her voice going down in pitch. “Not going to ask again.”
Todd shrugged his one good shoulder. “Yeah.” He stood up. “With the luck we’ve had a fucking dump truck will come down the side of that wall and kill us. C’mon Amy.”
Amy looked like she wanted to protest, then she looked like she didn’t. She got up and went to their gear, as the sound of the tarps being torn down was suddenly loud around them.
Kerry stood up and went over to Dar to take her pack and swing it up onto her back. “Nice work, Maestro,” she said under her breath, smiling when Dar rolled her eyes. “Glad we decided to have dogs not kids?”
Dar let out a sarcastic bark of laughter and nudged Kerry toward the trail.
IT WAS ALMOST sundown before they reached the last slope that would lead them into the valley the cabin was in. The light streaked across the canyon in a pretty kind of way, but no one was really in the mood to appreciate it.
Except possibly Kerry, who fished out her camera for the first time in days. She was last in line on the trail, just behind Dar as they started down the trail. The light was a deep and burnished gold and she paused to focus, then trotted to keep up.
Ahead she could see the bend in the path that would open up to where the shelter was. She was looking forward to seeing it, and being able to sit down under a roof after their day’s arduous hike. “Tell you what,” she said, as she caught up to Dar. “Glad we spent the time we did in the gym.”
“True,” Dar said. “Didn’t really think it would be required for a vacation, but then again.” She frowned.
“Then again our last one did too,” Kerry said with a brief grin. “Was that one worse than this?”
Dar pondered that, as they turned the bend and saw the cabin squatting in the crimson light ahead of them. “Hard to say,” she said. “Less ocean, more assholes this time.”
“Mmm.” Kerry’s eyebrows twitched and she lifted her camera as a bit of sunlight outlined Dar’s profile. “Might be a draw by the end.”
“Might be.”
“There’s the place!” Rich called out. “C’mon peeps. We’re almost there.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Todd snarled.
“You shut the fuck up, you jackass,” Tracey yelled back at him. “We’d have been here hours ago if it wasn’t for you.”
Dar sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Not doing anyone any good,” she said, in a loud voice. “We’re still stuck with each other, people.”
The group fell grumpily silent, but the pace sped up as everyone was now going downhill, and their goal was in sight.
Four of them, Marcia, PJ, Pete, and Janet were all sick, sneezing, shivering and promising to spread the germs to the rest of them. On top of that, they were all still in pain from their various injuries.
Don’s head, at least, had healed. But Todd’s shoulder was swollen and tight, and Dave was still favoring his hand. No one was happy. Everyone was a level of miserable.
But at least there was the shelter, and the sunset, and the prospect of the river ahead of them.
THE CABIN THAT once had seemed so ratty now looked like heaven. Kerry looked around the inside of the structure and exhaled a little. She put her pack down and stripped off her jacket. “Whew.”
“Whew,” Sally echoed. “I didn’t really see a moment I’d be so glad to see this place again.” She sat down on one of the driftwood benches, looking tired and ragged around the edges. “Glad just to have a night of peace.”
“Shh.” Kerry sat down on the bench next to her. “Don’t tempt fate.” Now that they were there, and sitting down she could acknowledge how tired she was. “But yeah, glad we’re here.”
“We probably should have stayed here,” Sally said. “She folded her hands on her stomach and leaned back against the wall of the shelter. “That poor kid would still be alive, and we’d have passed on most of the gimps.”
That was probably true, Kerry acknowledged, but since they hadn’t there wasn’t much point in discussing it. “Yeah, if we’d only known then what we know now.” She eyed the space against the wall to claim for the night.
After a moment
she tossed her pack over on top of the empty floor space, then draped her jacket over it.
“We’re going to go check out the raft,” Rich announced. “See what’s left of it.” He led a small group out the door, the rest of them staying behind as Tracey dragged the small cooktop out and picked up the pot to add to it.
Pete limped in with a box. “Found the teabags. And some bouillon. I can’t wait to drink something hot, my throat’s killing me.”
“Aren’t we all?” Sally smiled briefly. “Hell I can already taste that tea.” She looked around. “Where’d Dar go?” she asked Kerry.
Kerry extended her booted feet along the floor and leaned back against the wall. “She probably went to grab a fish or two.”
Todd and Amy went to the wall under the screen covered window, and Todd eased himself down onto a stack of tents. “Fuck.” He let out a groan. “Any whiskey in here?”
Pete looked at him. “For once, dude, I’m all in with you. I could use a shot of anything.” He leaned against the table and grimaced. “Or a handful of Demerol.”
“Let’s see what we’ve got left.” Kerry got up and went into the storage area. Most of the supplies had been rummaged through, but she saw two boxes on the makeshift shelves that were covered in dust and untouched. “Hm.”
She went over to the shelves and pulled one of the boxes out and propping it on her thigh so she could open the top and look inside.
After a moment, she grunted in some surprise. “Water pistols. Don’t think we need those. She put the box down and pulled the other one over, flipping open the top. “Ah.”
The box held neatly packed cans of Spam. Kerry turned and carried it with her into the other room, where Don was busy heating up a pot of tea. “Look what I found.”
Don peered into the box, then started to laugh a little. “Oh my God.”
“Hey, we got a fry pan?” Kerry put the box down and picked up the cooking implement. “I can stir-fry it.” She inspected one of the cans. “How did we miss this the last time?
