Maddie lay on her stomach, her elbows and knees scuffed and probably bleeding. She'd tripped over something sticking up where she hadn't expected it. She pushed herself up and reached back to feel along the ground. To her surprise, a second pair of steel tracks veered off the main track, heading north. It seemed a railroad tie had worked itself loose from the secondary track and when her fingers grazed the misplaced splintered wood, she nearly laughed aloud. The steel tracks were all resting on wood! On her hands and knees, she followed the second track, feeling the wooden ties as she went. Whereas the main track's ties had seemed solid and secure, much of the wood along the second track was rotted and splintered. She didn't need to go in search of beams. There was wood everywhere!
She selected one of the rotting hunks of wood, tugging and pushing on it until it came free. It was only a few feet long and at its thickest section, half-a-foot wide. At its tip, it was no bigger than a pointed stick.
Smiling in the dark, Maddie turned and made her way carefully back toward the cave. This may not be enough for a bonfire, she thought, but it would be a start.
It didn't take long for Maddie to realize how fortunate it was that her cave had a door. Otherwise, she might not have recognized hers from all the other entrances that veered off the main tunnel. Without the door, she realized, it would be possible to become hopelessly lost in the depths of the mountain. She felt along the cold side of the tunnel until she came upon the wooden door marking her little cave and was surprised to find herself so relieved to be back. It wasn't exactly home, but it was better than being lost in the depths of the cold, dark mine.
She lugged the rotting log inside and sat down on her blanket to catch her breath. What next? She'd need to find a spot far enough away from the draft to get the fire started. Maybe over there by the wall, she thought. That should be protected. But wouldn't the cave smell like smoke? Coach would know there'd been a fire. Maybe that ledge could serve as a fireplace! Her grandparents' chimney at home sometimes had a downdraft, but that didn't stop it from working properly. She could start a small fire there to see if it worked. If nothing else, she'd be able to see inside, make sure there weren't any animals hiding there.
Closing her eyes to that thought, she lugged the railroad tie over to the ledge, then took out her knife again and began whittling rotted chips, shaving them into a pile on the ledge. The little knife was relatively sharp and easy to use. She nicked herself once, but not deeply. She sucked on the blood a few times, then continued her work until she had quite a handsome pile of kindling. Next she tried to chunk off some larger pieces to add to the fire once it was started. This was harder work but since the wood was partly rotten, she was able to make some headway. She left the largest piece intact. If she ever got the fire going, it would serve as her main log. She added a little tissue paper for good measure, arranged it beneath the kindling which she positioned in a miniature teepee toward the back of the ledge, making sure some air could get through the bottom, and stood back. All she needed was a match and a little luck.
Maddie solemnly selected a wooden match from her precious stockpile and brought it to the fireplace. She kneeled down, wishing she knew a prayer or some good luck oath. She sucked in her breath, crossed the fingers on her left hand and scratched the wooden match against the rock.
It caught on the first try and Maddie held the tiny flame to the toilet paper, blowing on it gently as it took hold. The flame burned blue for a second, started to flicker, then caught a draft, wavered dangerously, and finally licked the kindling above it. Maddie blew harder, willing the little flames to take off. As if on command, the kindling caught and she gingerly added a small chunk of the rotted wood and then another, careful not to crush the delicate fire, afraid that too big a fire would smoke her out. But the ventilation was good and the smoke obediently sought the drafty shaft above the cubby hole. She couldn't have designed a better fireplace if she'd wanted! With the fire burning, she began to see the little alcove clearly. There were no bats or snakes. The smoke drifted upward a few feet before being sucked through a two-foot crack on the back side of the wall. Not only would she have warmth and light, but there wouldn't be any telltale smoke lingering in the air when Coach returned.
Satisfied that she could sit back for a minute, Maddie allowed herself a minute of exhilaration. She'd done it! She looked around the little cave, realizing that the flickering glow from the fire made her cave far less frightening. She stood and walked the perimeter of the rock enclosure, no longer terrified by its confines. The pit toilet in the corner was not as menacing as it had seemed, which was a good thing, because now that she thought about it, she had to pee. She walked toward it bravely, lifted the lid and, holding her breath, relieved herself. No sooner had she shut the lid, than her fire started to dwindle.
She rushed to it and added another chunk of soft wood, then another, until the flames were practically roaring. Suddenly, she was famished. She smoothed her blanket in a neat square near the fire, gathered her precious belongings beside her and sat back for an eloquent repast of cold water and peanut butter cheese crackers. She thought long and hard about it, but in the end she couldn't remember having a more satisfying meal in her life.
When her eyes could barely stay open another minute, she placed the last and largest hunk of wood on the fire and took her blanket a safe distance away from the heat. The flickering light was comforting and the heat lulled her into a restful sleep she wouldn't have thought possible hours earlier. Even the moaning and groaning of the mountain didn't disturb her much. She wasn't sure how long she slept, but when she finally awoke, the fire was no more than low gleaming coals and as she stared at them, an idea began to blossom. She thought about it so long, her eyes grew heavy again, and this time when she slept, she dreamed of escape.
Chapter Fifteen
Madeline
She was sure it was morning, though there was no real way to tell. But she'd always awakened at dawn and she was counting on this day being no different. Which meant she'd survived a whole night in the mine! Her twenty-first day of captivity in the camp and her second day in Isolation. She stretched, wishing she'd brought a little more wood in the night before. Her cave was pretty dark, but it was still fairly warm. She treated herself to two peanut butter crackers and a good swig of water, then ventured over to the pit toilet to relieve herself, amazed that she wasn't more afraid. Fire and food did wonders for the human spirit, she decided. What she needed was to build up the fire, then work on her plan with a clear head.
She pried open the knife blade on her Swiss Army knife and carefully headed out the door, no longer as fearful of the bat colonies Coach had warned her about. But she'd grown accustomed to her firelight and the tunnel was startling dark. She turned west, back toward the mine entrance feeling her way along the tracks, searching for the secondary track that veered off the main one. Suddenly, she felt a vibration on the rails through the soles of her shoes. Before she could even react, she heard the gathering rumble of machinery coming toward her.
Maddie pressed her back to the cave wail, holding her breath. Coming around the bend she sensed something dark and ominous moving toward her along the track. It was the boxcar, chugging along its rail, oblivious to her presence. It moved slowly but steadily and she stood plastered to the wall, straining to make out the car as it rattled by. It was headed away from the mine entrance, probably back toward the machine shop for another load of refuse. She'd asked about the boxcar once, and understood that's what it was used for. Briefly, she fantasized about hopping aboard, hitching a ride into the machine shop, walking calmly through the surprised student workers and out into the light of day.
She abandoned this fantasy as quickly as it had appeared. For one thing, the boxcar was long gone. For another, she had much bigger plans than that. The idea that had taken root the night before now gave her hope and a renewed sense of purpose.
She reached the second track and edged along the rail, feeling the railroad ties for rotted secti
ons she could easily pry loose. It didn't take her long to find a few suitable hunks of wood, and now that she knew the way, even in the dark, she was able to make good time as she groped her way back to the cave.
Once back, Maddie used the smoldering coals to build a fire and before long, her little cave was filled with warmth and light. Only then did she allow herself the luxury of sitting down in the mellow glow of the flames to go over her plan.
She'd known since that night back home when Ben and Coach had kidnapped her that she would escape. She didn't know how or when, only that she wasn't about to allow herself to be dominated like that any longer. She wouldn't return to her grandparents' house and she wasn't sure where she would go. All she knew was that she was going to get free.
She'd started an escape kit even before she had a plan. Everyone knew that Coach always caught the runaways within a day of their leaving. In fact, he generally let them get a day's head start, just for fun. She wasn't cocky enough to think that she could accomplish what no one before her had. If Coach could track seventeen-year-old boys in the woods, he wouldn't have much trouble with a skinny, thirteen-year-old girl.
Still, she'd been watching and waiting for something to occur to her, and now something had. The plan was so bold, it was brilliant — so simple, no one would think of it. She wouldn't run away into the woods. She'd run to the mine. No one would dream of looking for her in Isolation. Coach would head off into the woods and exhaust himself searching. After a few days he'd give up. They'd think she'd done the impossible — escaped from Camp Turnaround. Maybe they'd think she'd been eaten by wolves. Maybe they'd even inform her father that she'd died in the woods. That would certainly serve him right. Not that he'd probably care that much. But whatever they did, they'd never think to look inside the mine. By the time they did look there, if they ever did, she'd be long gone.
The beautiful part was, once they quit looking in the woods, she was free to go there. If she had enough food, water and matches, she'd survive. And there were creeks everywhere so water wouldn't be a problem. But she'd need other things — a blanket maybe. And something to carry everything in, like a backpack.
Then another thought hit her. What if she didn't go into the woods at all? What if, after hiding in the mine for several days, she hopped onto the boxcar and rode it to the machine shop? It wasn't that far from there to the staff parking lot. What if she could sneak into the cook's purse again and take her keys? Maddie would have to find out which car was hers. And she'd need to figure out the code to the gate, not to mention learn how to drive!
She got up to stoke the fire, thinking. Maybe she wouldn't take a car after all. If she could get from the machine shop to the road, she could follow it on foot all the way to civilization. She'd have to investigate the machine shop, see exactly where the boxcar ended up. If she could ride the boxcar, then hide inside or near the machine shop until dark, she could probably get to the road without anyone seeing her. Once she was on the road, it would be easy traveling. If a car came along, she could duck into the woods until it passed. She wondered how much food she'd need if the walk took her three days or more. But if she could survive in Isolation for a few days, she could certainly survive out in the open, she told herself.
It was a good thing they got to choose their work stations, she thought. She'd had her heart set on working at the stables after her shift in the cafeteria was up, but now she knew it was more important to work in the shop. She could continue to see Shadow Dancer during her free time. That was the only thing that gave her pause about the whole plan. Once she escaped, she'd never see the shiny black colt again.
Even so, Maddie was so excited thinking about her escape, she could barely sit still. She wished she had paper and a pencil so she could start making a list of everything she'd need to survive — first in the cave and then on the road. Too bad she couldn't start stashing stuff now. She'd need to have quite a stockpile to make it work. At least enough for a week.
Suddenly, she had a thought. As long as no one was looking for her right now, it was a perfect time to scavenge. She couldn't very well venture outside where she might be seen, but there was no reason she couldn't go back to the mine entrance where Coach stored the crackers and water. Even if she only took a few of each, it would be a start. She could hide them away in the cave until the day she escaped.
When she stepped back out into the tunnel, she was surprised at how quickly her eyes had become accustomed to the firelight. Now she was totally blind. She trailed her hand along the cold mine wall and let her feet pick their way carefully along the tracks, staring into the darkness ahead. Suddenly another low, terrifying moan rumbled up from beneath her, nearly causing her to lose her footing. But the mountain hadn't crumbled on any of the previous groans, so she fortified her courage with that thought and continued on her mission.
The long, terrifying trek with Coach through the blackened tunnel had seemed to last hours so she was surprised to suddenly see a shaft of light illuminating the tracks in front of her. She froze, realizing it might be Coach coming toward her with his miner's cap on, and she plastered herself against the mine wall, her heart pounding. But the light came no closer, and after a minute, she inched forward, until she reached another bend in the tunnel and found herself standing in the entrance of the cave. It hadn't taken more than fifteen minutes, she guessed. It was different, she supposed, when you knew where you were going more or less.
The sight of daylight outside made her heart soar and she longed to run headlong into the fields where the horses were grazing. But the electronic gate was shut tight and anyway, if she were seen it would ruin all the plans she'd made. Her tools would be discovered and taken away. She'd be put in Isolation without any way of making fire for who knew how long. And her chance for escape would be gone. If she could force herself to be patient now, it would pay off later.
She tore her gaze away from the daylight and searched for the wooden trunk. She'd brought her knife with her, in case she needed to pick the lock, something she wasn't sure she'd be able to do as easily as she had the hand cuff. But the flimsy padlock on the trunk was unlocked.
Her heart racing, she lifted the heavy cedar lid and peeked inside. It still reminded her of a coffin, but the trunk was loaded with goods. There were three more blankets stacked on the left, two cases of bottled water, and several cardboard boxes of the cellophane-wrapped peanut butter crackers. Better yet, there were half a dozen miner's hats stacked one on top of the other, a couple of flashlights and a metal toolbox. Maddie had to caution herself, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming. She carefully took the top miner's hat off the stack and strapped it onto her head. It was too big but gave her a wonderful feeling of invincibility. She didn't dare take one of the flashlights — there were only two and might be noticed. She helped herself to six packages of crackers, which she doubted Coach would notice, and two bottles of water. She was afraid he'd notice a missing blanket when he returned hers to the trunk, and besides, it would be too bulky to carry. If only she had a back pack, she thought. She slowly opened the toolbox and looked inside. There were wrenches, pliers, links of chain, a hammer, some nuts and bolts and other things she supposed were used for the boxcar. Nothing she really needed at the moment. She closed the heavy cedar lid and stood up, looking around the rest of the room.
On the far side of the room, wooden crates were stacked against the wall. There was printing stamped on the outside of the crates and when she got closer she realized they held the merchandise made in the machine shop. She scanned the words, wondering if they contained anything she could use. It only took her a minute to realize there wasn't much she could do with axle rods, hydraulic pistons or pump encasements. She toured the large room, knowing she should get back to her cave, but lingering near the sunlight as long as she dared.
In one corner, she spied a stack of blue plastic tarps with bungee cords attached to the metal holes along the edges. Maybe these were used to cover the boxcar when it
was raining, she thought. She started to turn away, then stopped. Maybe she could fashion a backpack out of one of the tarps. The bungee cords might come in handy too. She quickly bundled one of the tarps into her arms, wrapping her other pilfered goods inside, including an extra blanket after all, and hurried back the way she'd come. With the light from her miner's cap blazing the trail, the trek back to her cave was a piece of cake.
Long before Coach came for her, Maddie had put out the fire, moving the ashes into a far recess of the alcove so there'd be no trace of it. She'd also explored the crack that served as her air vent and discovered another room off the first, about half as big, but with an added bonus. There was water trickling down the face of the cave wall. She'd smelled the water carefully, taking a bit on her tongue to make sure it was fresh, then had stripped off her clothes and given herself an ice-cold spit bath. She'd even wet her hair, in case there was any lingering scent of smoke, then rubbed herself dry with the extra woolen blanket before dressing again. The second room was also a boon because it gave Maddie a place to stow her hidden treasures. She spent the last few hours sitting in the dark of the first cave, the handcuff back on her wrist, though not locked, the door to her cave open enough that she could see the beam of Coach's light bouncing along the tracks. When at last she saw it, she clicked the handcuff shut, rolled into a fetal position on her blanket, and began what she hoped seemed a pathetic, simpering moan.
Chapter Sixteen
An hour after breakfast, the machine shop was already in full-swing. I was surprised at the efficiency and professionalism of the kids working behind their plastic goggles, dressed in green jumpsuits. They looked every bit as competent as auto-plant workers in Detroit, I thought, though some of them were barely five feet tall and a couple sported braces on their teeth. Even Maddie, whose green jumpsuit was two sizes too big, looked deadly earnest as she concentrated on the levers in front of her. For someone who'd run away a week ago, then written a cryptic e-mail message to her father about a mysterious murder, she looked strangely serene working the machine, I thought. But no sooner had the thought crossed my mind, than Maddie glanced in my direction as if aware that I'd been watching her. I was determined to talk to her, but couldn't just march up to her in the machine shop. I'd try to catch her right after the morning session, before she reported to the mess hall for lunch. If I missed her then, I'd wait for her afternoon free time when she visited Shadow Dancer. It was the only time she seemed to be alone.
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