NeverEnding Maddness: A Girl Lost to the World (Frost & Flame Book 3)

by Rick Kueber

  His particular interest to anticipation, but it also caused beginning my search at the top drawer and working my way down. Though not 'well oiled' the upper drawer opened without much effort. Theo raised his light as did I. Getting down on one knee for a closer inspection, I found the drawer to be well crafted, solid wood, and, aside from cob-webs and dust bunnies, quite vacant. We noticeably and simultaneously exhaled upon the disappointing discovery. I moved on to the second drawer and found the same disappointment. Our hopes were failing when the third drawer was opened to reveal only an abandoned nest and scattered rodent droppings. All too quickly, I had reached the last drawer which we had been anticipating. Our expectations were far from high when I reached for the drawer handles.

  Theo, who had been hunched over more and more as the search worked its way downward, suddenly stood up and turned his light quickly from side to side. Though I still had my flashlight on, and held it between my thighs as I reached for the handles, I wondered what could have possibly been important enough to distract him from our potential find.

  “Hurry.” He whispered the one word, and I had no doubt he meant it with good reason. “Hurry!” he said again in his full and demanding voice.

  I tugged at the drawer, but it was stuck, only opening about a half of an inch. I attempted to wiggle it back and forth, up and down, even twisting it to every possible degree and angle, but at the most it opened just over an inch.

  “Something isn't right.” Hilary called from the hallway. “We need the bottom drawer filled me with me to extend that anticipation by to take a break and get ourselves out of here for a while.”

  “Just a minute...one more drawer.” I called back over my shoulder.

  Photos by Rick Kueber

  Chapter 6 The Cliff Hanger

  I gave one last firm tug and as I did more dust trickled down from the ceiling above and the infirmary itself gave a dying moan. Our mouse friend showed his true colors and fled to the corridor just as Theo and Mike screamed out in unison, “RUN!”

  I scrambled out of the door just behind Theo. A groaning sound, like the bending and breaking of a large tree in a storm, filled the air, followed by ear stabbing pops and cracks. The dust flew and the ceiling gave way over head as we entered the hallway. Mike and Hilary had already escaped around the corner and were swiftly approaching the center stairwell. They paused long enough to silently question whether to trust this staircase or continue to the one at the end of the hall. As they did their hearts sank when the sound of an obvious cave in rumbled down the corridor followed by a billowing cloud of dust so thick even Mike's bright light could not penetrate it.

  “Oh my god!” Hilary whimpered. “Oh god...I hope they are okay.” She said, but the words had only left her lips when she heard a sound she held mixed emotions about.

  “HELP!” Theo shouted at the top of his lungs. Mike and Hilary both had hoped that Theo and I would emerge from the cloud of dust, but that would not be the case. They stepped very lightly, as if walking out onto a pond of thin ice. The floor seemed solid enough, but the air was still foggy with the settling dust and restricted their clear view.

  “Hil, please... just wait here. Let me go first.” Mike said, putting on his brave face. He did not want to leave his wife behind any more than he wanted to venture forward into potential disaster, but cries of help tugged him onward.

  “Okay, but remember, I'm going to be here all alone in the dark...please come back for me.” He could hear the worry in her voice and in the flickering of his hand-held light he caught the sight of her eyes watering up, though he knew if he said anything, she would blame it on the cold and the dust.

  “I...” He started to speak but couldn't find the words. “Just hurry and come back to me safe.” She said and he stopped his clumsy sentence. He turned his light back down the hallway and with a few steps he disappeared around the corner. Just as he did, her ears caught the sound of the words he struggled to get out past his emotions.

  “I love you Hil.” and then he was gone.

  ***

  Right on Theo's heels, I raced out of the room. It was much as many people describe a car accident or other major catastrophe... everything happened in slow motion and the calamity was muffled in my ears. The sound of my own deep breaths and the pounding of my adrenaline filled heart overtook all other auditory sensations. The floor gave way nearly beneath our feet and we were forced to turn the opposite way in the corridor. Small bits of concrete floated down as the ceiling above began to crack like lightning crossing the night sky. In spite of time seeming to have slowed, we watched and felt the raining debris, small at first, but quickly escalating to a terrifying disaster. A large slab of concrete and iron re-bar, several feet in diameter, came plummeting from above and crashed through the floor immediately behind us. The entirety of the Infirmary shook and trembled in the aftershocks of the imploding structure. I was terrified, and it seemed that death was inevitable. Inevitable or not, I was not ready or willing to make that transition.

  My life flashed through my mind when I felt the floor give way beneath me. The better part of the ceiling, the exterior wall, and roof above, as well as the floors below were gone. Just past the room we had been in was a doorway and just before that doorway, the floor split and folded over limp, like a broken tree branch. Only the re-bar held it in place and kept it from falling to the ground level far below. I fell forward as the structure beneath me gave way. Falling hard on my chest, my arms stretched out in front of me. The slab of concrete floor began to tilt away from the door and the crack grew larger. I could feel gravity taking hold of me and trying to pull me down to the pile of rubble below. Scrambling, my fingers reached the crack...my left hand first and then my right. The shards of busted masonry dug into my fingers and hands as I attempted to pull myself away from the chasm of doom below. I fought through the pain of the cuts and tears on my hands as I gripped and pulled with all of my might. It was no use. I lacked the strength and energy to pull myself to safety. My only choice was to hold on for my life and hope that the others were okay and would come to my aid. Gritting my teeth and exhaling forcefully an unrecognizable vocalization, some cross between a cry and a grunt, and a spattering of saliva shot from my clenched mouth, not unlike a rabid dog.

  It was just at this moment that two things happened, simultaneous and polar opposites. I looked over my shoulder at what lay beneath me to weigh my chances of survival if I could not hang on. The dim 'dusk to dawn' light that reflected off of the out building crept in, ever losing its power to enlighten by intrusive trees and branches, overgrown weeds and the orange barricade fence. What scarce light reached the debris below me revealed very little, but enough. I could see that the distance to the pile ranged from about twelve to nearly thirty feet below. I could also see splintered wooden beams and busted concrete slabs like taunting stalagmites below. I also knew there were hidden dangers like the iron re-bar that I could also be impaled on. I held on tight with my hands, but my hope was losing its grip. It was in this very moment that my mind drifted to the past and to my friend Tabitha. I had hidden (though not very well) a terrible crush that I had. When I was with her, or even texting with her, I felt like a kid in school, bumping shoulders with the girl of his dreams. She had a way of making me feel carefree and happy without even making an effort... and as obvious as it may have been, I had never told her. Right then, I had made myself a promise. If I made it out alive, I was going to tell her... something. I wasn't sure what I would say, but I wasn't going to hide my feelings any longer. Life was too uncertain for hesitation. In that same moment of mortal revelation and heart-sinking, inevitable doom, there was an uplifting sound.

  “Rick? Are you there?” It was Theo, and though his voice was shaky, it came from above me, and that was promising.

  “Here!” was all I could grunt out, but it was enough. Theo laid down on the corridor floor and inched his way over to the edge until his head cleared the bounds of the missing floor where I hung. Looking up I co
uld barely see his head and shoulders in the darkness, but I felt his smile telling me everything would be okay. His arms reached over and grabbed me around my wrists. Once he had a hold of me, he called out for help.

  “I don't know how long I can hang on, but this is a lot tougher than it looks in the movies.” I joked through my despair.

  “Help!” Theo called out again as he switched his grip, clenching my left wrist and forearm with both hands. “Hey!” I heard Mike's familiar voice change from elation to concern. “Holy flippin' hell!” He said as his light bounced around the situation. I could only assume he was making a few short paces back and forth trying to decide what he could possibly do. “If you can hold on five minutes, I'll be right there.”

  Mike spun quickly around and bolted back down what was left of the corridor, now covered in dust and debris, and nearly trampled over Hilary as he flew around the corner.

  “Oh jeez!” Mike exclaimed as he bumped straight into Hilary and came nose to nose with her for a fraction of a second. “Come on... Come with me. I need your help.” He brushed past, taking her hand in his as he continued to rush down the corridor towards the furthest stairway. Without hesitation, Hilary took his hand firmly and trotted along through the dark hallway behind him, trying to watch the light beam for bits and obstacles that could catch her by surprise if she were to stumble over them unknowingly.

  “Where are we going?” She quizzed him as they reached the stairway and slowed down for their own safety. “Are they okay?” “They are okay for now. That's why we are in a hurry. Gotta go to the other side to help.” Mike spoke in slightly broken thoughts and sentences.

  “How are we going to help? Are they trapped? Did they fall?” Hilary's mind was running rampant through the possibilities and the severity of what had happened.

  “Nobody fell, not yet.” Mike said as they reached the ground floor and rushed out to the pauper's room area. “Take this light, go out to the truck, get the rope out of the back, and meet me on the fourth floor on the east wing...and please hurry.”

  With those words, in that dank, cold place, their eyes met. Mike kissed her quickly but not without passion, and hurried off into the shadowed distance. Before he disappeared, Hilary turned and ran out of the door to the surprisingly warmer air outside. Once out of the infirmary, the weight of everything lifted and she broke out into a near sprint tearing through the tangles of overgrown weeds and brush. Slamming against the barricade fence, she climbed, straddled, and then fell to the other side. Though she had twisted her ankle in the fall, she felt no pain. Past the fence, the dash to the truck for the rope and back were without hindrance. With her arm through the rope coil, and it slung over her shoulder, the passage back over the fence went much smoother.

  Hilary's pace slowed when she reentered the cold, dark interior of the infirmary. There was an uncomfortable weight that came within the confining walls of this place. She could feel it over the urgency of the situation that compelled her. Her pace slowed once inside, but she walked with purpose and even ran when she entered the wide open space of the east wing corridor. The east stairwell was a bit of a different story. The handrails had been broken and cut off at their base and it struck terror into her before she was half way up the first flight. Hilary paused, pushing her backside against the wall, and found herself frozen. Every step she had taken only increased the dread that at some point she would fall over the unprotected edge of the stairs. Perhaps it was some deeply buried childhood trauma that paralyzed her with fear, or could it be that some supernatural force was making her feel this way... perhaps something wanted to push her over the edge; wanted her to not bring the rope; wanted none of us to be there, and now that we were, wanted none of us to leave...ever.

  As these thoughts and frightening ideas scurried through her mind, she was suddenly gripped by a greater purpose and ideal. She was on a mission that was more important than her fears, and found the courage to overcome them one step at a time. With her back dragging against the peeling paint of the rough, plaster walls, something caught her jacket and threw off her balance. For only a fraction of a second, she thought she would fall to the floor far beneath her and it nearly drove her to tears. In that very moment, she knew I was hanging on for dear life at the other end of the stairs and corridor above. Hilary gathered her senses and stepped away from the wall, turning to face the rising stairs before her. Slowly at first, she began climbing. With every step, her pace quickened until she was moving so swiftly that she no longer even thought of falling, only of saving her friend.

  Mike called out to her as she neared the top of the stairs. “Hurry

  Hil!” Hilary burst through the doorway at the top and the shock of what she saw was unexpected. Just to her left, Mike and Theo lay side by side on the floor, hanging their arms over the edge of the rift in the infirmary. The hole was gaping and her sudden fear of falling returned without warning.

  “I'm here Mike. I've got the rope...now what?” She said not being able to think clearly. “Stretch out about fifteen foot of it. Double it over and then make a loop where it's doubled. And make a second loop near the end. Understand?” Mike shouted over his shoulder.

  “Please hurry... we're all getting tired, and I need coffee.” I grunted out, trying to make light of what was probably the worst situation I had ever been in.

  “Got it.” Hilary yelled back. “Now what?” “Toss the looped end over the edge. I'll get it in place from there.” Mike answered her and was almost instantly struck in the back by the rope as it flew past him and over the edge. It was right there, but I could not loosen my grasp and take hold of it...but I didn't want to die either.

  “More!” Theo called out. “Need more rope.” He had figured out Mike's plan as soon as the rope went over the edge. Hilary unwound more of the braided climber's rope and began feeding it over the edge. Inch by inch it was lowered until Mike called out.

  “Okay, stop.” He looked down and said calmly, something that sent me into a near panic. “Theo is going to let go of you and move the rope so that it is lying next to you, Rick.” As cold as it was, Mike ungainly wiped the sweat from his forehead against his shoulder. “What you are going to do is put your foot into the loop at the bottom of the rope and let me know when it's in.”

  “Uh...okay, I'll try.” I said. My voice was shaky and quiet. I held my breath as I felt Theo's white knuckle grip release from my arm, and then exhaled when the rope bumped against me. My feet struggled to get the rope into place without being able to see it. Having it between my feet, I fumbled about, trying to mentally picture the rope and loop. As I worked my feet around the knot and loop, somehow my foot accidentally slipped into place. Reflexively, I pushed down with my foot and felt the rope give freely. I stopped immediately in fear.

  “Got it.” I said, breathing deeply and feeling the tiniest bit of relief. “Hil... you and Theo get on the other end of that rope and hold on with everything you've got.” Mike instructed them before directing his instructions to me. “Okay, here's the plan... I'm gonna let go...” My heart sank as the wordsleft his lips. “...you are going to hang on and when we pull the rope up about a foot, you stand up in the loop and then grab the rope.”

  The time ticked away slowly. These last few seconds felt like an eternity and for the first time since opening the door to the mysterious room, I felt that something was watching me...from below. I could hear the muffled talking of my friends above and felt the rope tighten and pull against the bottom of my foot, raising it until my knee bent.

  “Okay Rick, we're ready.” Mike called out. I flexed my leg, straining against my exhaustion. My muscles were trembling but I managed to push myself upwards and as terrified as I was, I managed to pry my grip from the busted concrete slab, and snatched at the rope. My hand grasped the upper loop of the climbing rope. It had been perfectly placed and I don't believe I was ever more grateful. As sure as I was of my friends and the plan, I could not let go with my second hand. It was like my safety back-up, at lea
st it gave me some mental security.

  “Now what?” I asked as loudly as I could muster. “Hold on tight, we're gonna pull you up.” Mike's voice was far more confident than I was. “Ready?” He asked everyone rhetorically. “Now!” And with that, everyone grunted and groaned, including me. The gritty dust ground between me and the broken floor as I was being pulled up. Though it was only a couple of feet, it felt like being air-lifted from the floor of the Grand Canyon. I held on tight until I was fully on the floor above, and even then I asked for “More...” until I had been dragged a few feet from the edge. I rolled over on my back and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You can probably let go of the rope now.” Theo said sarcastically. “Yeah, not just yet...” I said slowly. “If this is what that spiritguide-eagle-thing meant by looking from a higher point of view, being courageous and being prepared to fly, I think I want a different spirit guide.”

  “Was it my imagination, or did someone mention coffee a few minutes ago?” Hilary joked. “I did say something about coffee, but that was when I was hanging on for dear life, like six hours ago.” I kidded back. “Is there a Starbucks in the other wing of the infirmary?”

  “Unfortunately not, but there is one about fifteen minutes up the road.” Mike smiled. “Starbucks... fifteen minutes away... oh my god, that sounds so good right now.” I day dreamed about a hot vanilla latte as I lay there still staring at the ceiling. “I don't suppose they deliver...”

  My statement raised a few laughs, which was a comforting change from the seriousness of the situation we had all just experienced. Eventually I made myself crawl a few more feet from the edge and when I was comfortable enough, I stood up and my wobbly legs took me to my friends. In hind sight it seems corny, but a group hug was in order. My legs strengthened and my nerves calmed as we carefully made our way down the east staircase, which mirrored the one we had ascended in the west wing. I'm sure my friends got tired of hearing it, but I must have said 'thank you' a hundred times on the way to the truck and on the way to Starbucks.