Out of Reach

by Kendall Talbot

  Lily squealed and crouched down with her arms over her head.

  Carter reached up to her, desperate to pull her to safety.

  She clutched his outstretched arms and then pushed off the ledge. When she didn’t falter, he fell in love with her just that little bit more. As instructed, she rolled onto her back. Her whole body trembled, and she held her breath.

  “You can breathe, Lily.”

  She inhaled, and despite the minimal light, terror glistened her eyes. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, to tell her everything would be all right.

  Bullets ricocheted above them and a severed stalactite fell from the roof and glanced off his cheek. Ignoring the slice of pain, he hooked one hand under her arm and over her chest then pushed off the wall. “Kick.”

  The current was minimal and with both of them kicking, they were able to move upstream quicker than he’d anticipated.

  “Esperaremos por ti.” The men yelled their intention to wait for them.

  Carter imagined the men sitting with their weapons in their laps. Stalking their prey on the little platform near the two crosses.

  If this stream didn’t play out the way they’d hoped, Lily and Carter were trapped.

  With each kick into the darkness, he prayed for a miracle. He’d only prayed once before, when his daughter had hit her head while skateboarding and knocked herself unconscious. It’d worked then—he hoped like hell it worked now.

  Every once in a while, gunfire shattered the silence. Each time, Carter noted they sounded farther away. He stayed close to the ledge, too close sometimes, causing his leg to brush against the rocky, moss-covered wall. Lily’s fortitude drove him forward. Her ragged breaths proved how much effort she put into her kicking.

  Soon what little light they had disappeared altogether, consuming them with complete darkness. The men’s voices continued to echo around them but as they faded, Carter was certain they hadn’t followed.

  The peacefulness of the tunnel was surreal, like swimming in a dream. Only their breathing and the occasional shout and gunfire from the men broke the silence. The water lapped at the edges in a soothing melody, boosting his spirits. Soon Carter was entertaining the idea that maybe, just maybe, they’d get out of this alive.

  “Do you think they’re gone?” Lily whispered.

  Carter debated telling her what the man had said. “Not yet.” He decided on the truth. They were in this together. “They’re waiting for us to come out.”

  “Shit. Well, I hope this tunnel actually goes somewhere.”

  “Me too.”

  Carter used the wall to guide him and he felt rather than saw the roof closing in on them. His stomach twisted in hunger-pang hell. His bullet wounds throbbed with each kick. The slice on his cheek from the falling debris stung. But he’d do it all over again if Lily asked. His mind drifted to those four little words Lily had spoken. I love you too. With her words humming through his brain, he wondered if they’d been a knee-jerk response to his proclamation of love. Was it because she thought she was going to die? Dire situations could provoke bizarre actions. He’d witnessed that firsthand in Somalia, and not just once.

  “Do you think we can stop for a bit?” Her whisper lured him from his swirling thoughts.

  “Oh sure.” Carter reached for something to hang on to. A rock jutting from the wall was the ideal choice. “Here, hold on to me.”

  Lily rolled onto her front, reached for his arm, and released a deep sigh. “This is crazy.”

  “Yeah. Just remember it was your idea.”

  “Oh really?” He imagined the surprised look on her face. “Well, don’t let me regret saving your ass.”

  “Is that what you call it?” He chuckled.

  “Yep. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

  He curled his arm around her waist and tugged her closer. “Thank you for saving me.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  It was a long while before their breathing returned to normal and peace returned.

  “How long do you think we’ve been in here?” Lily asked.

  “No idea. Feels like hours.”

  “They’re never going to give up, are they?”

  “Probably not.”

  She groaned. “My passport was in my pack, you know.”

  “We’ll get you another passport.”

  “It’s not that, Carter. They’ll know my name. What if this is just the beginning? What if they chase us forever?”

  Her voice grew shrill and he pulled her to his chest. “It’s okay, don’t worry, that’s not going to happen.”

  “You don’t know that. They could come after my family too.”

  “Shhh, we can’t think about that now. We need to focus on getting out of here first.”

  Her shaky breath confirmed she was crying, and he squeezed her tighter. “It’s okay, babe, we’re going to make it.”

  She sniffed and when she reached up, he assumed she was wiping tears from her eyes.

  He’d do anything to keep her safe, but right now, getting out of this tunnel was first priority. “Ready to get going again?”

  “Okay.” Her voice quivered but she didn’t hesitate to push back from him.

  With no choice but to continue into the blackness, he just hoped there was a way out of this mess, or they’ll be floating back to certain death.

  Ignoring his numerous aches and pains, he kicked off the wall. Lily rolled onto her back, and at her side, he curled his arm under hers and over her chest. Together they pushed upstream. Little lights dotting the cave roof offered some relief from the black void.

  “What are these lights?” Lily asked.

  “Glow worms. They use their light to attract mosquitos and other insects.”

  “They’re beautiful.”

  Soon, the entire roof was full of them, illuminating the blackness like little stars. The cave became a stunning, starry night.

  Something brushed Carter’s shoulder. When Lily jumped, he knew she’d felt it too.

  “What was that?” Her voice hit panic mode.

  “Not sure.”

  Then there was another. He reached for it, and upon running his hand over the rough, rubbery thread, he realized what it was. “It’s a tree root.”

  “Is that good?”

  “No idea. I haven’t been lost in an underwater cave before.”

  She huffed. “You’re not helping.”

  “Shhh. What’s that?”

  A strange clicking noise echoed about them and the hairs on Carter’s neck bristled as he realized what it was. “Shit!”

  “What?” Lily reached for his shoulder.

  “Bats, I think.”

  “Bats? Are they dangerous?” Her voice escalated a notch.

  “Shhh. We don’t want to scare them.”

  “Scare them? What about me?”

  An explosion of flapping wings filled the air.

  “Hold your breath,” Carter yelled over the noise. He heard her inhale and seconds later, he pulled Lily below the water with him. With one arm around her, and the other on the wall, he struggled to keep them beneath the surface. Lily curled around, clutched his waist, and although he couldn’t see, she must’ve also grabbed the wall because it became slightly easier.

  He counted out the seconds, but soon Lily began to wriggle. Long before he wanted to surface, she punched his chest and he had no choice but to let the wall go.

  The bats had gone and the sound of gunfire had Carter imagining the creatures had reached the cave entrance. The gunmen were probably taking pot shots.

  A root brushed his shoulder, and Carter jumped before he brushed it away.

  “Are they all gone?” Lily asked.

  “Possibly.”

  “I hope so.”

  A new noise caught his attenti
on, and he squeezed her arm. “Can you hear that?”

  “What?” Her high-pitched voice showed her edginess.

  A dull roar rumbled from farther up the tunnel. “I think it’s a waterfall.”

  “A waterfall? But how can that be?”

  “Not sure. But let’s find out.”

  When Lily rolled onto her back, he curled his arm over her chest and let go of the wall. With each passing minute the roar grew louder. Up ahead a small light caught his eye. For a couple of heart-pounding seconds he thought it might be a flashlight. But as it grew he decided it wasn’t. With each kick their tunnel lightened, showing the cave roof, barely inches above their heads. “There’s light up ahead.”

  “Where?” Lily rolled to see over her shoulder. “Oh yeah.”

  Her kicking increased and soon the cave was bright enough that he saw every dangling root and the dozens of spiders hanging in their webs.

  He couldn’t get out of the water quick enough.

  As the tunnel lightened, it also grew narrower, and soon it became impossible to swim side by side. “Lily, roll over and grab my waist.”

  She did as instructed, and with Lily holding on, they exited the tunnel and entered a large natural well. Squinting against the glare, he made his way to the center of the pool. Sheer walls rose up twenty feet around them, and on the opposite side, a waterfall tumbled into their pool. Long tree roots dangled down from the surface to touch the water in a lush natural curtain.

  “Oh wow. What is this?”

  “It’s a cenote,” Carter said. “A natural sinkhole. They’re dotted all over the Yucatan.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  The water was crystal clear and an interesting jade color. Little black fish darted about in front of him as he made his way to one of the dangling roots. “Here. Hang on to this.”

  Lily let go of him and the two of them clutched at the roots. “What happened to your cheek? You’re bleeding.”

  He touched his sliced flesh, triggering the memory of the shattered stalactite, and glanced at his bloody fingers. “It’s nothing. Are you okay?”

  “Well”—she cocked her head—“other than starving, tired, sore, and scared, I’m fine.”

  He wanted to press his lips to hers, to feel her flesh against his, to take away all the pain. Instead he smiled. “Excellent, me too.”

  He turned his attention to their new dilemma. Scanning the cenote walls for an escape route, Carter had a sinking feeling they were still as trapped as they’d been way back at the cave entrance. “Let me have a scout around.”

  “Okay. I’ll just hang here then, shall I?”

  “Yes.” Chuckling, he kicked off and went to the closest edge of the well. The rock wall was a sheer cliff face, rising straight up and offering no footholds. As he swam around, looking for something, anything that’d help them out, he welcomed the sunlight that streamed in like a flashlight beam.

  “There are little fish in here.” Lily giggled with childish delight.

  By the time Carter finished paddling the circumference of the sinkhole, he had two conclusions.

  Go up. Or go back.

  Neither was good.

  Chapter 19

  Lily had given up trying to catch the little black fish when Carter returned to her at the hanging roots. But one look at his face confirmed what she’d already dreaded.

  “So,” he said, “we have two ways out of here. Back the way we came, or climb up these roots.”

  “Shit.” She cocked an eyebrow, then squinted against the glare to follow the line of roots up the surface. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”

  When she’d boarded the plane in Seattle, she’d promised herself that no matter how difficult things became in Mexico, she was determined to enjoy herself. That promise had been broken at least a dozen times since then, and she was certain, this was going to be another one.

  She turned her attention back to Carter, who stared at her with a curious look. Finally, she huffed. “Wow. You sure know how to show a lady a good time.”

  Carter touched her shoulder. “That’s the Liliana spirit.”

  “Do you want a punch in the nose?”

  “Ha, just try it.”

  “Don’t tempt me.” She glanced up again. The roots were thicker at the top and tapered thinner at the bottom. They were rubbery, textured like a carrot and had little threads jutting out all over them. “So how do we do this?”

  He rattled his lips. “I guess we wrap our legs around and pull up with our hands.”

  “Do you think they’ll hold our weight?”

  “Of course.”

  She couldn’t decide if he was lying or not. “Okay, off you go then,” she goaded.

  “Right.”

  Carter must’ve taken it as a challenge, because he didn’t hesitate. His biceps bulged, his jaw clenched, and a groan tumbled from his throat as he reached up and, hand over hand, pulled himself from the water with his legs clamping and releasing the roots with each move. He was about five feet above her when he fell.

  Lily gasped as he plunged into the water at her side. The moment he resurfaced, she reached for him. “Are you okay?”

  He shoved his hair from his face. “Of course, I was coming back for you.”

  “Oh.”

  “Come on. Wrap your legs around the root, grip with your hands, and pull yourself up.”

  Forcing the angst from her mind, she bundled four of the roots together beneath the water, wrapped her legs around them, and with all the energy she could muster, she strangled the roots with her hands and pulled her body up.

  It was a mammoth effort just to drag herself even a foot higher, like dragging a dead body from the water. At least that’s what she imagined.

  “You can do this.” Carter matched her progress, and his words of encouragement were both welcome and annoying.

  Lily had her whole body out and her feet were just one foot off the surface when she slipped. She screamed as she fell and swallowed a mouthful of water in her search for the surface. A surge in the water and flurry of bubbles confirmed Carter had dropped in next to her.

  The second she was above the water, she gasped for air and clutched a root. With one hand hanging on, she brushed her hair from her eyes.

  “Are you okay?” Carter pushed another strand from her forehead.

  She nodded.

  “So that was a good test. At least you know if you fall you won’t hurt yourself.”

  “No, I’ll just drown instead.”

  He reached over and cupped her cheek. “No, you won’t. I’ll help you.”

  The concern in his eyes melted her heart. She could do this. She had to, for both their sakes.

  “Okay, I’m ready.” She repeated her grip on the roots and once again hauled herself from the water. This time she was about three feet from the surface before she fell. Seconds later, Carter was at her side.

  “Sorry,” she blurted the instant she was safe again.

  “It’s okay. We’re going to do this.”

  Again, she pulled herself up. Her fingers bulged with the strain, and with each drag of her legs upward, coarse knots in the roots grazed her inner thigh. She screamed as she fell for the third time. Carter dropped too, and once again helped her to safety.

  As she clutched at the roots and panted out her exhaustion, she glanced at Carter. Tendrils of long, wet hair clung to his face, and little droplets of water trapped in his beard, glistened in the light. His spectacular green eyes studied her. Really, truly looked at her. And she hoped he still liked what he saw. With no makeup, hair all over the place, bruised, battered, and bitten, she must look dreadful. Yet he seemed to be looking past all that. Carter was reaching into her soul. Her heart fluttered beneath his gaze.

  “Did you mean what you said back there?” The question had been
on her mind since the second he’d said it.

  His eyebrows drilled together. “Back where?”

  “Back when those guys were shooting at us.”

  He tilted his head, and his features softened. A cheeky grin curled at his lips. “People tend to say crazy things when they’re under extreme stress.”

  His twitching smile had her undecided on whether to be mad or accept that she’d half expected a similar response anyway. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  When he reached out and cupped her cheek, she leaned into his palm, sighed, and closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his hand. “When you get to the top, I’ll give you your answer.”

  She snapped her eyes open. “You’re mean.”

  “Nothing like a bit of motivation to get you moving.”

  “Oh, and drowning in a stupid well isn’t enough.”

  “Obviously not. Come on, let’s do this.”

  Lily steeled herself for yet another attempt. With all the might she could muster, she hauled herself out of the water. Inch by inch, she clawed her way up. Her bruised ankle throbbed out a painful beat, her fingers screamed in agony, and after several minutes she paused and wrapped her arms and legs around the makeshift rope. Alternating hands, she released her grip so she could furl and unfurl them, trying to breathe life back into each finger.

  “Come on, Lily. You can do this.”

  “I can’t,” she snapped at him.

  “That’s it. Get angry.”

  “I am angry. Fucking angry!”

  “Good, now use that.”

  Clamping her teeth together, she reached upward. And that was when she fell for the fourth time.

  She plunged into the water and, furious at herself, she came up punching at the surface. Carter dropped in beside her and shook the roots like crazy. “This is stupid.”

  “It’s our only way out.”

  She punched the water again. “Oh, and you don’t think I know that? I’m just not strong enough.”

  He cocked his head. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, and not just in physical strength. In determination too. I know you can do this.”

  His faith in her just about brought her to tears again. “My upper body just isn’t strong enough.”