by Alton Gansky
I held it up and felt his strong grip on my wrist. My body trembled. This was a lousy way to die.
Then I felt something else on my wrist. Something thick and coarse—a rope.
“On three, give it all you got, Tank.”
“I don’t think I can. I’m losing it.”
“So help me—you give it everything you got or I’m gonna send Brenda in and she doesn’t want to come in here again.”
“Okay, okay. On three.” I leaned toward Zeke and Chad and whoever was behind them. Andi did the best she could to push.
The rope tightened. The loop around my wrist cinched. If I wasn’t half frozen, it probably would have hurt.
“Three, two, one…”
The pain was enormous. My arm threatened to pop out of joint, the ice tore at my skin, the narrow passage pushed my ribs closer and closer together—
Then I was free.
The pulling continued, but I was able to keep up with it. A dozen or so side steps later and I was in the room, free of the fissure, but freezing. Everything hurt. Sitting on the floor of the ice room were Zeke, Chad, Brenda, and Daniel. They each held one of the ropes Chad had carried in his pack. All of them looked exhausted.
Chad was the first to speak. He struggled to his feet. “Dude, you’re half naked. What have you two been doing over there?”
His snide remark would have bothered me if he hadn’t just rushed to my side to help me get bundled up again.
I hunched over and struggled to draw in one breath after another. The shakes began a moment later.
I’m a big guy. I’m a strong guy. I know how to work through pain. No one makes it far in football without learning to set the aches aside and focus on the next play.
I couldn’t set the pain aside. My body ignored my mental pleas. Tremors began in my hands and moved up my arms in seconds, then moved into my chest. Breathing was nearly impossible. Standing was becoming doubtful. Darkness seeped in from the corners of my eyes.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them in time to see blood smeared on the ice near my feet. The ice had torn into the skin of my back and chest.
Swell. Just swell.
I raised my head, then everything dimmed for a moment. I thought I was going under, but the dimness came from Andi pulling my inner shirt over my head. Another thick slip-on shirt followed.
“Stay with me, Tank,” she said. “I can’t dress you if you pass out. Besides, I promised you a kiss, remember?”
I waited for another snide remark from Chad or even Brenda, but none came. It took three attempts but I managed a weak, shaky, “I remember.”
Andi nodded at Zeke. “My pack—”
“I’m on it.”
I forced my eyes to the side and saw Zeke rifling through Andi’s backpack. I had no idea what he was looking for. My brain was frosting over.
“Give me an arm, Big Guy,” Chad said.
I suppose he wanted me to raise my arm, but it didn’t want to be lifted. It didn’t matter, Chad grabbed my right wrist and raised it chest high. Then he put something on it. The sleeve of my parka. He was putting my coat on. He moved to my left side and grabbed my other arm.
“Leave it open for a sec,” Andi said.
Zeke again: “Here. Two on his chest; one on his back.
I looked at Zeke. He was holding a plastic pack, like an ice pack. I didn’t want nuthin’ to do with an ice pack.
He pulled out a bag, then slapped it against his leg and began squeezing it. He handed it to Andi. “Peel the cover off the tape. The bag will stick to his clothes.”
She did and pressed the bag in the center of my chest. It stuck. And it wasn’t an ice pack. It was warm. Blessedly, wonderfully warm.
Andi pressed another heat pack on my chest, right over my abs. “Where on his back? High?”
“Yeah,” Zeke said. “It will warm his lungs and neck, and that will help warm his blood.”
I felt Andi attach the heat pack to my shirt, between my shoulder blades.
Chad buttoned and zipped me up.
“Hold this, Tank.” Zeke pressed another heat pack into my hands. “Gotta warm the extremities. If we were on the surface we would warm your arms and legs first, but we’re not on the surface and we don’t have the equipment to do that. And by the way, that’s it for the hot packs.”
“You should start feeling better in a minute,” Andi said.
“C-can I s-sit down?” I was feeling weak.
“No,” Andi said. “We have to keep you moving. All we can do is warm your body; your body has to warm your blood and circulate it. Okay?”
“Yeah. Okay. If you say so.” My voice sounded a little steadier. Breathing was a tad easier.
“Come here.” Andi placed a gloved hand on each side of my head and pulled me close. She kissed me. She kissed me long and tender. Her lips seemed to be on fire, but I imagine mine were chunks of ice. “I made a promise. I keep my promises.”
Then she did something strange. She nuzzled me, burying her face in my neck. At first I thought she was expressing affection, then I felt her warm breath being forced down my neck. Every few seconds she switched sides. My brained cleared enough for me to figure out what she was doing: She was warming my neck with her breathing.
I had to take sports physiology in college. A lot of athletes did. I didn’t excel in it but I did pass—barely. I remembered enough to know that blood travels to the brain by arteries and leaves by veins. She was trying warm the blood going to and from my noggin. I didn’t know if that would work, but I wasn’t going to interrupt.
Something grabbed my left leg. I didn’t have to look to know Daniel was hanging on as if he could keep me in this life by clinging to me. Then he began rubbing my leg.
Then someone began rubbing my other leg. The friction of the snowsuit against flesh brought a little heat. “Jus’ for the record, Cowboy, if you ever tell anyone I did this, I’ll deny it, then hunt you down.”
“I-I look forward . . . to it.”
Chapter 4
One of the problems in being way deep under the ice and half frozen to death is that it becomes really hard to judge the passing of time. It may have been a half-hour before my friends let go of me and let me walk around on my own. Then again, it may have been half a day. I couldn’t tell.
One thing I could tell was that I was feeling a whole lot better. Not perfect, mind you. I was still chilly, hands still felt like five-fingered ice-cubes, and my feet were alternating between numbness and pins-and-needles tingling.
I do know enough time passed for the hot packs to cease being hot. Andi helped me remove them and we stacked them in the corner of the ice room. I hated doing that, but it made no sense to cart them along with us. They would just be useless weight.
While I was warming up my innards, the others chowed down on a few high protein and carb bars.
I used the time to look around the ice room. Zeke had been right, it was about the size of a large bedroom. The passageway we wanted was ceiling high. Going to be a challenge to reach it.
“Why is this room here?” I asked. I shone my light on the walls. The walls and floor of the other tunnel were scalloped. These appeared smooth.
“Don’t know,” Zeke said. “There’s no other way out. We either find a way to get everyone in the tunnel up there or we go back through the fissure.
“Jus’ so you know, I ain’t going back in the fissure.”
I heard Zeke struggle to his feet. “I had a feeling you’d say that. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Not at my best, but I shouldn’t hang anyone up.”
“Good. Then if everyone has had a little rest and food, we should get back to the task at hand.”
Chad stared at the opening of the tunnel. “Has anyone else noticed that there’s a glow coming from up there? Anyone want to venture a guess as to why?”
“Some kinda light source,” I said.
“Astute as that is, Big Guy,” Chad said, “It tells us nothing.”
“Would wild-eyed guessing help?” Brenda snapped.
“Easy, girl. I’m just warming the room with my hot air.”
“In that case,” Brenda said, “keep talkin’.”
Chad did. “Zeke, you said you looked down the corridor. Pulled yourself up enough to have a brief look-see.”
“Yeah. Just saw a long, descending tunnel.”
“Was it glowing then?”
“Now that you mention it, it was.”
“Okay.” Chad shrugged. “It could be anything, so guessing is a waste of time. Let’s go exploring. Frankly, I’ve had all of this space I want.”
No one argued.
“Anyone bring a ladder?” Brenda asked. “I’m not all that good at climbin’ ice walls.”
“Not a problem.” Zeke shone a light around until he found the ropes they used to pull my oversized carcass through the eye of the needle. “Give me some more light over here.”
I turned on my light and directed it at the end of the rope Zeke held. In short order, he tied a knot that left a decent size loop, big enough for a large foot.
“And there we have it.” Zeke seemed proud. “The handy-dandy bowline knot. In the navy, they make you tie this knot so many times you dream about it.”
He moved to the wall with the tunnel near the ceiling. The bottom of the tunnel was at least seven feet above the floor. Not a huge gap, but still a difficult climb.
“Give me a boost, Chad,” Zeke said.
“Give you a boost?” Chad usually resisted any idea that didn’t first come from him.
“If you’re too weak,” Zeke said, grinning, “I can get someone stronger to help me. Like Brenda.”
Chad chuckled. “Trying to manipulate me through my pride, eh?”
“Is it working?”
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
“I can do it,” I offered.
“Not this time, Tank,” Zeke said. “You’re not a hundred percent, and I got a feeling we’re gonna need everything you got later. So you sit this part out.”
He was right, but I wasn’t going to agree with him. I kept my mouth shut.
Standing beneath the tunnel, Chad put his back to the ice wall and formed a stirrup with his hand. Chad was pretty well put together, so this wasn’t going to stress him too much.
Zeke threw the other end of the rope over his shoulder, then put his right foot into Chad’s hands. “On three.” He counted down and reached for the bottom edge of the tunnel as Chad grunted and lifted. Making it look easy, Zeke disappeared into the opening. A moment later his head appeared and he began pulling the long rope into the tunnel until the bowline loop hovered a foot above the surface we stood on.
“Brenda, you’re up.”
“Why don’t I just give her a boost like I did you?” Chad said.
“Trust me, buddy. I got a plan.” Zeke wiggled the rope.
“Sure, sure, make the sister the test subject.” Brenda studied the rope and the loop.
Andi joined her. “I think he’s gonna call for Daniel next, so he wants you up there with him.”
“Makes sense.” Brenda put a foot in the loop.
“Okay,” Zeke said. “I’m not going to pull you all the way. Just far enough for you to crawl in. Got it?”
“I got it,” she said. “Now ask me if I like it.”
“We can talk about it when you’re up here.”
Daniel smiled at her. “You got this, Mom.”
“Thanks, baby. You always know what to say.” She took a deep breath and gripped the rope. “Haul away, sailor.”
Zeke did, lifting Brenda enough for her to crawl in the space with him.
“You ready, Daniel?”
“Yes, sir.” He was already at the rope, his foot in the loop. “Looks fun.”
Only Daniel could be deep below the ice in a dark, frozen room and think he’s at Disneyland.
“Spot him, will you, Tank?”
“You got it.” I positioned myself behind Daniel and gave him some advice. “Don’t let him pinch your fingers between the ice and the rope. Your mother wouldn’t be happy and if your mother ain’t happy—”
“Ain’t nobody happy,” the kid said.
“That’s a fact, D-man. That’s a fact.” I gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Ready?”
“Born ready.”
“He’s all yours, Zeke.”
Daniel began a slow rise. Moments later, the kid was inside the tunnel.
“Andi, the party’s up here. Come join us.”
“I never get to parties anymore.” She took her turn on the rope, rising smoothly and easily. My guess is that Brenda was helping Zeke pull. I was beginning to see his plan.
“You’ll be next, Chad,” I said. “Zeke is gonna need all the help he can get to tow me high enough to crawl into the tunnel.”
“Yeah, I finally figured that out.”
A minute later, Chad had joined the others.
Now. Deep breath.
I put my foot in the loop and prayed it would hold. It was one thing to haul up skinny people, but I was going to be a bit more of a challenge.
“We’re ready up here, Tank.”
I envisioned a long line of my friends ready to start a deadly serious game of tug-o-war.
“Hoist me up.”
They did, and I had no problem dragging my fanny into the tunnel even though Zeke was right; I wasn’t up to full strength. Just crawling into the tunnel left me winded.
I couldn’t help wondering if I was more detriment than asset.
The tunnel was fairly wide, spacious enough that we could walk three abreast. We didn’t. Instead, we paired off. Zeke had point and Chad walked with him—about a step or two behind.
Chad had lost some of his edginess. He sometimes still worked his mouth, but much of his insulting chatter had disappeared. He also looked like a man with a great deal on his mind.
I suppose that is normal after a soul-flipping change. He kinda reminded me of a man wearing a new suit of clothes and not quite sure where all the pockets were.
Brenda and Daniel followed them. Brenda kept a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. To me, she was the bravest of us all. On several missions, Daniel had been crucial to our success and even our survival, but that meant he was in danger, too. No mom could endure seeing such things without being forever scarred.
When we first met, Brenda didn’t like the rest of us. Wasn’t like the rest of us. And didn’t want to be around the rest of us. She was hard as a sixteen-penny nail, quick with a threat, and as Chad found out early on, quick with a punch. She could never take me down, not that I would ever raise a hand to her. I admire that woman more than she knows, more than I can say, but if she ever did lay into me, I would carry the bruises for years.
We kept a slow pace forward. Walking on the ice was a challenge and no one wanted to break a leg down here. Adding to that challenge we were using only two of our flashlights.
Andi walked next to me. She kept looking at me, not as a lover, but as a mother. She was worried about me.
“I’m okay,” I said. “No need to worry.”
She took my hand—glove to glove. The gloves kept my hands warm; Andi kept my heart warm. “Worry is my prerogative. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah. I’m sore. The ice cuts on my chest and back are sticking to my inner shirt. There’s some stinging here and there, a few aches, but the good news is I’m still good-looking.”
“Sounds like you may have a concussion, too.” She followed that with a sweet smile.
“Oh, so that’s how it is, eh?”
She squeezed my hand. Gloves or no gloves, it was a thrill for me.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something, Tank.” Her tone drifted toward the serious.
“Shoot.”
“Before we got distracted with Brenda and her drawing, you were about to say something about Azazel. You said something wasn’t right.”
“Yeah, I was.” I looked at her. “I hate to say this
, but I think you’re wrong about Azazel.” She shot me a glance, not a hard one, but one of those, What are you talkin’ about? kinda looks. I can’t blame her; Andi is seldom wrong. Seldom.
“I know, I know. You’re our research ninja and there’s no one better at it, but the fallen angel bit doesn’t fit. At least it doesn’t fit with the Genesis six fallen angels.”
“Um, you know, I’m pretty careful with my research, Tank.”
“Yes, you are, and I admire that. You’re the perfect blend of beauty and brains.”
Brenda huffed. “Oh, gag me.”
Chad chimed in with his best Ricky Ricardo accent. “You got some ’splanin’ to do, Lucy.” He likes old television shows.
“Yeah,” Andi said. “Spill it, Tank.”
“I’ll try,” I said. Why not? It would help keep my mind off my physical pains and what lay ahead. “You used the Book of Enoch as one of your sources—”
“And you made a point of saying that the Book of Enoch is not part of the Bible.”
“I did say that—”
“And I reminded you the New Testament quotes from the Book of Enoch a couple of times.”
“It does.” I tried to get my words right, which is sometimes difficult for me. “That doesn’t make the Book of Enoch part of the canon.”
“Cannon?” Daniel looked over his shoulder at me. “Like a big gun?”
“No, buddy. This canon is different. It’s even spelled different.” I spelled the word for him using only one n. “The word I’m using comes from an old Greek word which meant ‘rule,’ like a ruler, or a yardstick. Something to measure something else by. Canon includes all sixty-six books in the Bible.”
“It’s a strange word,” Daniel said.
“I guess so,” I said, “but my point is, there are reasons why the books in the Bible are in the Bible. Over the centuries, scholars have confirmed those books as genuine. I’m just saying that the Bible has proved itself to be full of truth. It doesn’t tell us everything we might wanna know, but it does tell us everything we need to know, including a little bit about fallen angels.”
“Such as?” Chad said.
“You already heard Andi tell us about the angels in Genesis chapter six. They were angels who left their assigned realm to cohabit with human women.”
