The Reckless Rescue

by Adrienne Kress

  “We need to get out of here,” said Evie, turning to the explorers. There was a clear note of panic in her voice.

  Yes, that was the point I was driving at, thought Sebastian.

  “That might prove difficult,” said Benedict thoughtfully.

  “Why?” asked Evie, completely indignant.

  “That’s the only way down,” replied Benedict, pointing to where the black smoke could still be seen rising though the trees.

  Sebastian’s stomach fell, and from the expressions on their faces, he was guessing that the same had just happened to both Evie and Catherine. For some reason Benedict looked quite unruffled about the whole thing. As if it really wasn’t such a big deal.

  “So we’re just trapped, waiting here for them to climb up and find us, like sitting ducks?” asked Evie, her voice getting higher in pitch.

  “There is another way, but I wouldn’t recommend it,” said Benedict.

  “Why not?” asked Sebastian.

  “Well, it’s very physically challenging, and many have died attempting it.” There was something in that calm, smooth voice of Benedict’s that somehow made whatever he was about to suggest seem not all that challenging to Sebastian.

  “Oh,” he said.

  “I don’t think we have much of a choice,” said Evie. “Staying here isn’t going to keep us any more alive either.”

  “Fair point,” said Catherine.

  Benedict looked at Evie for a moment and then at Catherine. “Just like old times.” Catherine smiled a sad smile at that. “Well, then, follow me,” Benedict instructed.

  Follow me.

  An easy enough thing to do in normal circumstances. “Where’s the restaurant?” “Just around the corner—follow me!” “There’s a great statue hidden in the park—follow me!” “I’m a magical cat and have a magical quest for you—follow me!” But a “follow me” that is in essence a “So what we have to do is climb into the volcano itself down the steep face of the cliff and not fall to certain death in order to access a small tunnel through the mountain halfway down, which we’ll use to crawl down to another exit in the jungle to our safety”…well, that kind of a “follow me” is a lot less straightforward.

  And this was, as Benedict explained as they walked out of the jungle and along the dirt and grass back toward the base of the dark peak, exactly the kind of “follow me” he had in mind.

  So “follow me” they did, and walked toward the campsite. They made their way past it and around the beginning of a jutting promontory. On the other side, Sebastian saw a path. It wasn’t much of one, and was quite clearly not that often trod along. It wound up around the black peak of the volcano, taking them to the very top, the rim. They followed the path as it rose and curved along the side of the volcano, up and up until they found there was no more up to go. They stopped, standing on what was approximately a twenty-foot-wide edge that ran around the chasm. It was a bit like standing on the lip of a gigantic coffee cup. Looking into the crater from this perspective, Sebastian felt a little silly that he’d been disappointed with the volcano earlier. The crater that dipped away below him was vast, the rock walls tall and daunting. There was no life up there, no vegetation, like a fortress built by nature.

  They couldn’t stop to marvel at the view or be impressed that they had made it all the way to the top, though. They didn’t have the time. For as Sebastian turned and glanced down the mountain back the way they’d come, he noticed three dark figures emerging from the jungle in the distance below them.

  “They’re coming,” he said, and pointed. The others looked. And then Benedict gestured for them to continue following him single file along the edge of the crater, the perimeter of the volcano. Evie went second, Sebastian was behind her, and Catherine brought up the rear. Eventually they came to a stop, and Benedict got down on his hands and knees. They all came up beside him and followed suit, sticking their heads over the edge of the hole and looking down into the blackness. Sebastian knew that the volcano was in no danger of erupting right at this moment, that far more seismic activity would have to be taking place beneath the surface in order for an eruption to occur, but as he stood there, inhaling the sulfurous smell that rose to greet him, it still felt as if an eruption was eminent. It wasn’t science. It was more metaphorical. Sebastian resented the heck out of his brain at the moment.

  “Well, this is it,” said Benedict. “Normally professional climbers do this with ropes and helmets and gear. We don’t have such equipment with us.”

  “To be fair, we’re not professional climbers,” said Evie.

  “I don’t understand,” said Benedict.

  “Uh, well, I mean…if professional climbers need equipment, maybe nonprofessional climbers don’t.”

  There was a long pause.

  “That doesn’t make sense,” said Catherine.

  “It’s a joke. It’s an Evie joke,” explained Sebastian.

  “Hey, what does that mean?” asked Evie, turning around and looking at him.

  Oh no, he hadn’t meant it in a bad way. It was so nice to hear one of her jokes again. “It means it’s a little inappropriate but quite clever.”

  Evie stared at him for a moment longer and then smiled. “That’s a very nice thing to say. Thank you.”

  Well, yes, he supposed it was. He’d just meant it as factually accurate, that’s all. Still it made him happy that she thought so. “You’re welcome.”

  “Well, regardless, this is not going to be easy,” said Benedict, sitting up on his knees. “And it’s really every man, woman, and child for themselves, I think. But we can try to help each other out as best we can. I’m going first. Watch what I do.”

  Sebastian observed, impressed, as Benedict effortlessly turned around and lowered himself down into the crater along the cliff face, using his arms to support himself as his feet found his footing. “Have you done this before?” Sebastian asked.

  “Have I scaled the side of a rock face before, or have I attempted to use this way out before?” asked Benedict, not even a strain in his voice as he lowered himself another inch.

  “The second thing,” replied Sebastian.

  “Once. I’m sure I remember how to do this.” Benedict glanced over his shoulder and then looked back at them. “Another thing, don’t look down.” He lowered himself farther still until his head was now below the brim of the volcano. Sebastian worked hard to memorize each foot placement, each movement of the hands as Benedict inched his way down the rock face. The problem, of course, was that Sebastian was watching it upside down and Benedict’s body often blocked what his feet were doing below.

  “Who’s next?” asked Evie, but Sebastian didn’t look up. He kept watching Benedict go, and then about seventy feet down, Benedict disappeared into the side of the wall.

  “He made it!” said Sebastian, more with relief than celebration. He pushed himself up onto his knees and looked at the other two. “What did you ask?”

  “Who’s next?” repeated Catherine. “I’m going last.” She glanced over her shoulder, and Sebastian noticed then that her right hand was at her hip, holding on to the handle of her bullwhip.

  “Okay, okay,” he said, looking at Evie.

  “I’ll go,” she said with that fiercely determined look of hers.

  “No, I should,” said Sebastian.

  “Why?” She looked at him, clearly confused. “I can do it.”

  “I’ve memorized the steps Benedict took. I think if I’m below you and can see your feet better, that’ll help me help you more.”

  Evie thought about it for a moment. “But if I went first, you could talk me through it even though it would be a little harder from above, and then I could talk you through it from below. If you go first, then no one can help you. And you can’t see your own feet.”

  They stared at each other for a moment,
and Sebastian thought hard. He’d forgotten a bit what it was like to not be making all the decisions by himself. Things took longer. But at the same time, better decisions could result. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “Okay, kids. The teamwork is lovely and everything, but we don’t have time for elaborate discussions. Evie, it’s your turn,” said Catherine.

  Evie nodded and turned around so that her back was toward the chasm. Sebastian could see the concentration in her eyes but also the fear.

  “You can do this,” he said.

  “Okay,” she said back.

  “You climbed up the side of a building, rappelled off a tower with a rope. You ran along the edge of a bear pit. You’re like a cat or something.” He said it both because it was reassuring and because it was true.

  “I am really impressive, aren’t I?” said Evie with a twinkle in her eye. She slowly lowered her right foot over the edge of the cliff while Sebastian positioned himself, lying flat on his belly with his head down over the side to see her better.

  “Okay, so I just realized something,” said Sebastian.

  “Yeah?” asked Evie. Her voice was strained and she was flailing her leg around, reaching for a foothold.

  “Benedict’s a lot taller than you. I can’t tell you where to put your hands and feet, because it won’t be the same.”

  Evie looked up and then understood. “Well, I guess there’s no point in trying to copy him, then. Just got to do this my own way. Watch and learn, photographic memory boy,” she said.

  She scratched at the wall with her foot until it found a spot that held it fast, and she grinned at him. Then she did the same with her other foot, and stood there for a moment, the top half of her body still propped up on the ground.

  “I guess I have to let go now,” she said, more to herself, it seemed, than to him. She slid her body toward the edge inch by inch and then began to crouch, reaching her right hand down along the cliff face and feeling for something to grab hold of. When she found it, she took in a deep breath and then slowly released her left hand. This hand was slower to find something to hang on to. It inched over the edge and down close to her side. Her hand was steady and still. Then a sudden movement. She’d found a small outcropping of rock. She smiled and released her breath.

  So did Sebastian.

  She was squatting, crouched in the air, and it was time for her feet to find a new home. And so she extended her right leg out, feeling blindly about for another groove or crevice. And when she found one, she reached with her left.

  And so she continued, as Sebastian watched hard, encouraging her as she went, offering the odd suggestion—though it was hard from his perspective to see. It was arduous, and took time, but this was not something to rush. And then, finally, she was there, she’d made it. Benedict’s arms appeared from within the hole in the rock wall, grabbed her, and pulled her inside the mountain. She was gone for a moment, and then her head poked back out.

  “Okay, Sebastian. The first one is directly below you for your right foot!” she called up to him.

  Sebastian nodded. It was his turn. He could do this. He had to do this. He turned around and lay down on the ground, facing Catherine. He looked at her, and she smiled in that not-quite-convincing way of hers. But it was enough. He started to slide himself backward and discovered that it was one thing to offer suggestions to someone else about how to do this, but to do it himself, that was something else. As the world disappeared around him, he realized he was holding his breath. And even with that realization, he just couldn’t release it. He dangled over the edge, feeling the nothingness as he searched with his right foot for the foothold Evie had told him about.

  “You’ve almost got it, just an inch more to the left,” he could hear her say. He moved his foot to the left and found it. A small insubstantial crack in the wall, no deeper than his big toe. Well, that didn’t inspire confidence. “Now your left foot is just above where it needs to be,” said Evie.

  Great, thought Sebastian as he slid his torso farther along the ground toward the edge and certain doom. His left foot found a jutting-out rock. This one fit almost his entire sole. That made him feel better.

  Sebastian remembered where he had told Evie to put her hands on the wall, and he reached down with his right hand, blindly feeling for it. He got hold of it, and then with one last look at Catherine and one more not-quite-encouraging smile from her, he slowly slid his full body off the ground and grabbed for the rock.

  His right foot slipped, and the world fell away. He could hear Evie scream from below and Catherine call his name from above. Only one thing stayed true and firm, and that was his grip with his right hand. When his body slammed hard against the rock wall, he was jarred back into the moment and saw that he was dangling for his life by one hand.

  Catherine was now leaning down over the side, offering her hand to him, and he reached up with all his might to grab it with his left. Together they pulled him back up to where he’d been, and he felt around with his feet for their footholds. He found them. He was okay. Now if only he could tell his heart that it could settle down.

  “Are you okay?” Evie called up.

  “Yup. Yup, I’m fine,” he called back, still trying to calm himself down. “Just need to try again. Okay. Okay. I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

  “Okay. The next foothold is a little more toward the right,” instructed Evie.

  And so they went like this, very slowly, very carefully, Sebastian hugging the wall for dear life, following Evie’s directions, and every single time he took a new step, the sensation of the world caving in below came swimming up to him in a nauseatingly accurate memory. But he fought it. What choice did he have? It was either go down or…go down but faster and more painfully.

  When he reached the hole in the wall, he lowered himself so that his legs dangled over it, and Benedict grabbed them and helped pull him inside. The relief that washed over him was even more than he’d felt the many times when he’d landed safely after a crazy leap. There was something easier about falling and hoping than about climbing and sensing that at every possible moment something could go wrong.

  “You made it,” said Evie. She had a knack for stating the obvious. Then again, so did he.

  “So did you,” he said back.

  “Move aside!” said Benedict as Catherine’s legs appeared from above.

  “Already?” asked Sebastian, astonished at her speed. She lowered herself a bit farther down past the hole so that her full body was dangling from her arms. She started to pump her legs like she was swinging on an invisible swing. And then she launched herself forward and into the cave.

  “Cool,” said Evie.

  “Let’s go,” replied Catherine.

  A deep black hole. That’s what it looked like. That’s what it was. This wasn’t blackness like when you go to bed and your parents turn out the light and your eyes adjust and, thanks to a streetlight beyond your window blinds or the sliver of light under the door from the hall, shapes slowly start to take shape. No. There was no light once they turned that last corner, leaving the entrance behind them. None. Evie’s eyes could not adjust to anything. There was nothing to adjust to. This was all there was.

  And then someone turned on a light switch.

  “What’s that?” asked Evie, stunned by the sudden brightness, and blinking hard.

  “The portable LED light I use with my camera. I turned it on. We’ll need something to help us,” said Benedict, as casual as ever.

  Evie nodded, feeling relief but also still slightly traumatized by the suddenness. It took a moment for her eyes to readjust now to the brightness. When they finally did, she took a good look around. They were in a very narrow but tall cavern that just fit the four of them. It rose up above their heads. Almost, she imagined, to the top of the volcano.

  “This way,” said Benedict. He walked slow
ly along the cavern farther into the side of the volcano. “I think.”

  “You think?” said Sebastian from behind Evie, but Benedict didn’t seem to hear, or at least didn’t seem to find the question worth answering. Evie glanced back, and Sebastian shook his head.

  For a while, a longer while than she would have thought, they walked in silence, pressing their hands up along the walls of the cave on either side to steady themselves. The ground was uneven. It wasn’t really ground, actually. It was rocks that could trip you up, sharp edges sticking up here and there, always, seemingly, in your way. In the artificial light, Evie could see the pitch black of the walls, volcanic rock formed eons ago when the volcano had been young and much more active. Spiderwebs glistened in the light, and their owners were not particularly shy around humans. Evie learned this when she walked right into a web and, as she attempted to extract herself, the spider whose trap she had just destroyed meandered slowly along her arm and down to her hand. She was so stunned, she didn’t even flinch, just watched it. Finally it jumped off onto the rock wall and wandered away, almost with a sigh: Back to square one.

  After that, Evie began to notice more spiders along the walls, and some creepy crawly things that would disappear into the stone crevices the second she looked directly at them. She now wondered if having the light was a good thing after all. There was something to ignorance being bliss. Or being not nearly as creepy.