When they were finally out of sight I stopped. “Will, did you hear what that guy said – about the last checkpoint maybe having a head in it?”
Will nodded.
“What do you think?”
Will said nothing.
It was past half past five when we got back to the cave.
“Did it work?” Grady greeted us the second we ducked inside.
“It worked,” Will answered and he smirked as he put down his pick.
“You’re glad I brought the gummy bears now, huh?”
“I was glad before,” I said. “How’s Carmen?” There was no way I was telling her about her hand.
“We think the fever’s broken.” Lizzie stretched as I sat beside her with a sigh. “She seems calmer. We’ve just dosed her up.”
“Hey.” Carmen stirred sleepily. “Are we moving out?”
“We need a rest, Car,” Will said. “Give us a couple of hours to sleep and then we’ll go on. The next checkpoint isn’t too far from here. Then only one more and we’ll be at the end.”
I nodded. “It’ll still be early when we set out.”
Grady grinned. “We’ve got a chance, then. We can still win.”
“Only if we can steal a full set of geocaches,” Will reminded him without looking at me.
“And we’re only doing that if no one is going to get hurt,” Lizzie added.
We crept out of the cave and into a bright day that was just starting to warm up. Carmen was able to walk, but Will hovered beside her, one hand on her elbow and the other on his weapon.
Lizzie’s ankle had healed enough for her to put weight on it and she didn’t seem to miss her broken crutch. She had removed the knife from the end of the spear and it was now tucked in her belt; her hand hovered close to it.
Grady had left more of his equipment in the cave – he moved faster under the lighter pack, his face grim.
“I still think this could be aliens,” he said to Lizzie, apparently continuing a conversation Will and I had missed. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s a test – to see how humans react to a super-stressful situation. They could be finding out how we work, how we think, how easily we turn on one another.”
Carmen stared at him with horror.
“They’re finding out how to kill us,” Grady concluded.
Lizzie shook her head. “Grady, if aliens filled the geocaches, they already know how to kill us.”
“They don’t know how we think though – not how we work as teams, or react to danger or stress.”
Will studied Grady closely. “Do you really believe this stuff?”
Grady frowned. “I…”
“I get your Kennedy-assassination theory, the Russian infiltration of US politics, your Diana conspiracy, even the faked moon-landing. But you’re talking about aliens – that’s a whole different kind of thing.”
Grady halted. “There’s so much we don’t know, you guys. Is it such a stretch to believe that there are creatures hiding among us who are more intelligent and powerful? I mean, there must be ancient species out there, evolving on their planets for millions of years, in forms we’d never recognize, and technologically light years ahead of us.” He stopped. “I find it just as strange that you don’t believe in the possibility.”
We had reached the loch. Morning mist clung to the water and I pulled out my binoculars. We kneeled behind the cover of a gorse bush as I checked the area.
“Can you s—” Lizzie was cut short by a scream to our left. I spun round. Across the moor, on the other side of the river, a kid was sprinting with his head down, shrieking as he ran. On either side of him, like African hunting dogs, were An’s team. They were wholly focused on the running figure. Two of them had found another way around and were waiting for An to drive the boy towards them. He looked up, saw that he was boxed in and hurled himself at the river.
The tall girl came up behind and tackled the boy so that he landed half in the water, half out. He screamed again and tried to drag himself into the river, but they pulled him back.
Will grabbed Carmen and drew her close, covering her ears and eyes as best he could. Lizzie grabbed my hand. Grady gaped. I hadn’t seen the boy before and there was no sign of the rest of his team. Had they run and left him, or had they got separated?
An’s team held the boy in place as An drew a serrated knife.
“Let me go! Please,” the boy begged. “I don’t want to die.”
“S-should we help him?” Lizzie’s voice trembled.
Suddenly the boy howled and thrashed wildly. Lizzie lunged towards the river, but her instinct to protect was too late; the knife flashed.
“What was it?” Carmen whispered, visibly shaking in Will’s arms. “What did they do?”
“His ear,” Grady whispered. “They’ve got his ear.”
“They’re behind us then,” Will said with satisfaction.
“Will!” Lizzie gasped. “How can you think about that now?”
We watched in silence as An dragged the sobbing boy to his feet. He was clutching his head and blood ran between his fingers.
They consulted their map and then An turned and looked in our direction. He knew we were there. I stood and we glowered at one another across the moor. An said something I couldn’t hear and the rest of his team turned to look. The tall girl waved. Then An jerked his head and they moved off into the trees, dragging the wailing boy with them.
“I want this to be over,” Carmen sobbed.
“One more checkpoint after this one.” Grady patted her shoulder awkwardly.
“Where is this one?” Will looked at the loch.
I pointed. Just on the other side of the water, there was a small wooden jetty. Under it, easily visible from our vantage point, the box was chained to a piling.
“Let’s get this over with,” Lizzie said.
We hiked slowly, carefully, around the water. There was nowhere to hide, but nowhere for other teams to take us out from either.
“Unless they’re underwater,” Grady said suddenly.
We all froze.
Then Will laughed. “I doubt anyone’s brought scuba gear.”
I laughed too, but nervously. Now I was picturing a team lying inside the loch, ready to spring up in a shower of spray as soon as we came within reach.
We reached the jetty. Our boots rang on the wood with hollow booms and Will leaned close to me. “How far behind d’you think Curtis is?”
I licked my lips. “They’ve got to get someone’s hand … or something of equal value.” I shuddered. “They have to be ages away.”
Will nodded, but he kept his eyes on the hill that hid the headland.
Leaving Will on watch and Grady looking after Carmen, Lizzie and I took off our boots and waded into the water. I pulled the box up by its chain. It was smaller than the last one. Lizzie pressed her thumb on the scanner and the screen lit up. I typed the letter X and the locked-room game appeared.
“What do we do?” Lizzie looked at the closed door. “Our clue is X.”
“Swipe from top left to bottom right and then top right to bottom left,” Grady instructed.
Lizzie made an X on the screen and the box opened. The lock clicked and the box gaped slightly.
Lizzie handed it to me. “You do it.”
I swallowed and took the box, the chain trailing between my feet.
“Hurry up, chico,” Carmen hissed, her eyes on the horizon.
I opened the box. Inside, etched on to the lid, were the new coordinates – the final coordinates – and the riddle.
I read it out. “We hurt without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not to be judged by our size.”
“Write it down, Grady.” Lizzie threw over her notebook and pencil.
“Where’s the final checkpoint?” Carmen looked at us.
Will held the map so I could see it.
“Of course.” I snorted. “It couldn’t be anywhere else.”
“Where?” Grady frowned.
“The highest point on the island.” I gestured south. “The most difficult place to reach and not that far from where we started. It’s … poetic.”
“And the geocache?” Grady asked. “What’s in the box?”
“I don’t want to know.” Lizzie shook her head.
“I don’t either.” I stared at the lid, picturing Carmen’s hand, ragged on that rock, a finger missing. “It’s small. It’ll be something gross.”
Will didn’t turn round. “It’s an eye.”
“What?”
“It’s small. What else is left?”
I opened my mouth and shut it again. He was right. There was nothing else it could be. Stomach churning, I began to put the boxes back.
“Throw it away,” Will said suddenly. “Like you were going to with the last one. We can’t destroy the coordinates, they’re etched into the lid, but without the geocache the next teams will be stuck. They can follow us, but they won’t have a full geocache collection either.”
Grady grinned. “If nobody has a full set of geocaches, then they might take the team with the best time.”
Will raised an eyebrow. “There’re teams ahead of us,” he reminded him.
“Just get rid of it,” Carmen snapped.
I pulled back my arm and threw the little box as far out into the loch as I could. It plunged through the mist, splashed into the water and sank. Ripples circled my thighs, one after the other.
Lizzie locked the outer box and pushed it back under the jetty, then we climbed out of the water and put our boots back on while Will and Grady kept watch. Carmen leaned against the piling, cradling her arm. She had black circles under her eyes.
I stood up. “Still no sign of them?” I asked Will.
He shook his head. “Once they find the geocache box gone, they’ll be after us fast.”
I nodded.
Lizzie gasped and I turned. She was pointing. “There’s the group ahead of us!”
I looked through my binoculars. She was right, a team had just come into view on the distant hill.
“Wait,” she frowned. “They’re not going up, they’re heading west.”
“Then they’re going in the wrong direction,” Grady whooped.
“Are they, chico?” Carmen asked. “Or are we wrong?” She glared at me. “Did you check the coordinates properly, Ben? Or did you just assume, because the location made sense to you?”
“I…” I closed my mouth. Was I sure I’d read the map correctly?
“You didn’t ask me to write the coordinates, Lizzie,” Grady said, with worry in his voice.
“I’ll climb back in and double-check.” I bent to undo my laces.
Will raised his hand. “No time! There’s Curtis.”
Curtis’s team raced over the hill; they had a direct line of sight to us. Shouts smashed the morning calm.
“Run!” Lizzie leaped to her feet.
“We have to check the coordinates,” Grady cried.
“No!” Lizzie spun him round by his pack and shoved him towards the path. “If we’re still here when they arrive, they’ll make us tell them what was in that box. Then they’ll use one of our eyes. We’ve got to keep ahead of them.”
“Where do we go?” Grady wailed as he stumbled forwards. “South or south-west?”
“Trust Ben.” Lizzie was pushing Carmen now. “South.”
Chapter Eighteen
We ran, again. Lizzie and Carmen set the pace so they wouldn’t get left behind. As we ran, the axe that was tucked in my belt kept knocking against my thigh, but I left it there. It was easy to get to if I needed it. I dashed the sweat out of my eyes and looked behind us. Curtis would have to find and open the checkpoint box in the loch, but that wouldn’t delay him for long. I tensed, expecting furious shouting at any moment. But we made it to the slope without pursuit.
A short climb in front of us, the cliff turned into a sheer wall.
“Lizzie, are you … sure … about this?” Grady panted, staring upwards.
“I trust Ben.” Lizzie shaded her eyes as she looked at the cliff. “We’ll take the most direct route. Get your climbing equipment.” She twisted her rucksack off her shoulders.
I looked at Carmen. “I-I left Car’s behind, remember?”
“Can’t climb anyway, chico.” She made a small gesture with her arm and winced.
“Make a sling.” Lizzie tossed me some of the webbing from her pack. “Can you pull her up behind you?”
“I’ll do it,” Will said, taking the webbing.
I dug through my pack, tossing anything that got in my way: my bedroll, bivvy, washbag, medical kit, spare trousers and tops. I yanked out my climbing gear – trainers, helmet and belay gloves, ropes and harness.
Lizzie added carabiners, quickdraws, harnesses, belays, ascenders, wires, hexes and a couple of spring-loaded cams.
Heaps of discarded clothing grew around us. I found Lizzie’s cap and tugged it on to her head.
She adjusted the angle and smiled bravely. “I’ll go first.” She slipped on her climbing shoes.
“No.” I shook my head. “We don’t know what’s waiting at the top. I’ll go in front.” I yanked off my boots and my aching feet breathed a sigh of relief. “If you use the cams and wires I set up, we’ll go faster.” I laced my trainers and Lizzie pulled on her gloves.
She stood next to me looking at the wall.
“Can you see the route?” she asked.
I pointed at a handhold just above my head and she took my hand, moving it across my eyeline. “Not that way – see that crack?” It ran about halfway up the cliff. “You can hand jam up it.”
I nodded and tucked my gloves into my belt.
“I’ll be coming up right behind you,” Lizzie said. “If you get stuck, I’ll be your guide.”
“Sounds good.”
Will came to stand beside me. “If you spike a cam in up there, I can use it to pull Carmen up.”
Lizzie touched my hand. “Remember how excited we were about all this?” Her voice was sad. “I thought we’d be coming home rich, maybe a little sunburned.” She glanced at Carmen. “I never thought…”
“How could we have known?” I took a deep breath and looked back.
“They’re coming,” Grady whispered.
Leaving my pack lying on the ground, I leaped at the wall. The crack started about a body-length up. I caught a foothold and, with my thumb pointing straight up, jammed my right hand into the crack. I pulled myself upwards. Once I was high enough, I started to foot jam too. I turned my knee and slid my left foot into the crack, just a few centimetres, then twisted my leg back in line with my body. I used the grip to push and reached up for another handhold. Staying balanced along the narrow line was the hardest part. My shoulders were tense, my neck aching.
I rammed in a spring-loaded cam and attached a rope, letting it drop behind me.
“Well done, Ben. I’m coming up,” Lizzie called.
Beside me the rope tensed and twitched. I climbed swiftly past and kept going upwards.
As I climbed, I couldn’t help questioning myself. Had I really read the coordinates properly? Or did I just see what I expected to? What if we were going the wrong way?
“Why’ve you stopped?” Will yelled. “What’s the problem?”
“N-nothing.” I shook my head like a dog spraying water and kept climbing. The crack was thinning – I was almost at its end. I stuck in another cam and attached the rope. Then I searched for handholds.
I risked a glance upwards. Maybe another eight metres still to go. My lungs were tight and my hands were sweating.
Thankfully the cliff was a good one for climbing – there were plenty of footholds. I held the rope with one hand and pulled on my belay gloves with the other. Then I glanced down to see Lizzie was looking up at me, her face pale.
“That way, right?” I gestured and she leaned back slightly, then gave me a thumbs-up.
I stepped sideways out of the c
rack. My feet and hands were bruised, throbbing, but I pushed the discomfort from my mind. The rope beside me shuddered as Lizzie reached it and I heard Will boost Grady up on to the first one.
Only Carmen and my brother on the ground now.
I slotted wires into cracks as I went; I needed to attach my own rope. I wasn’t sure how high I had come, but if I fell… I set up the harness and made sure I was firmly attached to the wall. If I slipped now, I’d be caught.
Eight metres.
Five.
Three.
Finally, I was able to hear Will climbing. That only left Carmen, all alone at the bottom.
Everything in me wanted to look back, but I resisted. From here I’d be able to see Curtis and his team. But what if they were almost on us? The wind kept whipping the sound of furious yelling into my ears and then out again.
“Get to the top, Ben,” I muttered. “Then you can check on them.”
I reached up for a protruding rock, white with droppings, but perfectly palm-shaped. I had just settled my fingers over the edge when there was a cry below me and my rope jerked hard. I lost my grip and was almost dragged backwards off the cliff, but I managed to jam my left hand into a horizontal crack. Someone was dangling from my safety rope. My left shoulder screamed. Focusing everything I had on keeping my grip, I couldn’t even yell. I groaned.
“Grady!” Lizzie screamed. “Get off Ben’s rope.”
“I was going to fall,” Grady squealed.
“Your own harness would’ve caught you.” Even Will sounded angry. “Let go of Ben!”
“I didn’t mean to. It was instinct,” Grady argued, even as his weight began to pull me backwards.
You can let go. My shoulder pleaded. You’re wearing a harness.
But with Grady hanging off me, that would put both our weights on a single cam and I wasn’t sure it would hold. In fact, I was almost certain it wouldn’t. I closed my eyes and kept my hand locked in the crack.
“Get off Ben’s rope!” Lizzie yelled.
“I’m trying.”
I felt it swing as Grady reached for the cliff and I gritted my teeth, fingers slipping. Belay gloves weren’t meant for hand jamming.
Savage Island Page 17
