“Thank you, thank you for your support. It means a great deal to me and especially now, with Mathis out there somewhere...” He couldn’t continue. The grief had temporarily overtaken him and he turned his back to the crowd to regain his composure. Buck joined him on the pulpit and placed his arms around his heartsick father.
Buck whispered softly in his father’s ear, “I know that Mathis is going to make it. I don’t know how, but you’ve got to believe. Have some faith.”
Rex nodded and answered back in a hushed tone, “I know all about faith. I’ll never give up on Mathis…ever.”
Chants of “Rex, Rex” filled the room. As he departed from the podium, Buck and Rex strode through the crowd and received words of encouragement.
“Way to go, Rex!” shouted one of the Elders.
“Thank you for everything!” hollered a girl no more than thirteen years old.
A voice from the back of the room yelled, “We’re eternally grateful for your service.”
Rex nodded with approval and hid his personal torture.
Buck uttered, “Dad, you’re doing great, they’re reveling in your confidence.”
Rex changed his expression to a smile as he and Buck made it through the final group waiting to congratulate him on his speech. They headed down the long hallway to their living quarters. “You see, Buck, I can turn my emotions on and off like a light switch. When my people need me to be strong, I can be the leader they require. You will need to remember these lessons. Now please leave me alone, I need some time to myself.”
CHAPTER 43
In another part of the tunnels, Mathis, Lila, J.J., and Sophie closed the door to their new-found entrance. Two large levers controlled the panel that brought the boulders back in place. Mathis checked the locking mechanism. The instructions were faded, but the hand- carved drawings inside the mountain showed Mathis how to lock the door. He did, and the levers shattered into a thousand slivers of stone.
“I guess nobody is getting in now,” said Mathis.
“Or out,” J.J. countered.
The four new arrivals made a slow, methodical trek along the old stone path, hoping to find the rest of the villagers. An hour into their journey, Sophie asked the typical kid question. “Mom, are we there yet?”
“It’s hard to say. It’s impossible not to lose my bearings with all the twists and turns we’ve made. I can’t answer your question right now.”
“Shhhhhh,” said J.J. “Hear that sound?”
They listened, but they did not hear any voices. Instead, they heard running water.
“Dammit,” said J.J. “I thought we were on to something.”
“We might be, might not. But hearing water is a positive sign. That means that the system is working. We worked feverishly to make sure the water intake lines worked perfectly. Without water and food, and air, we’d be history in a matter of days. Hearing the sound of the water is a good thing.”
“Mommy, I’m getting cold,” said Sophie in a concerned voice.
“We’ll stop in a few minutes and I’ll warm you up, sweetheart,” J.J. answered before Lila could reply. The path had narrowed and the air significantly cooler than when they first entered the tunnel. Mathis noticed Sophie hung in there without much of a fuss. Her tiny feet allowed her to maneuver down the narrow path without trouble, but she was bound to tire sooner than the adults. It would be too risky for anyone to carry her.
The lights on Mathis’s headlamp illuminated the next 20 feet. Lila had a small flashlight tucked away in her backpack for an emergency.
“My GPS unit is useless inside, but I’d guess we’ve already descended close to 150 feet since we entered the tunnel,” said Mathis.
“How much longer do we need to go? asked J.J.
“That’s hard to say. I know the main entrance to the tunnels was a thousand feet above sea level, and the entrance we stumbled upon was approximately four to five hundred feet higher than that. I think we’re going great. Don’t look back.”
Up ahead of them, lay a damaged section of the path.
“This must be the section that I heard about from Dad,” said Mathis. “See? This path ends in another fifty feet. Stay here. Let me check it out.”
“I’m coming with you in case you get in trouble.” said J.J.
“Absolutely not! Stay with the girls. If anything happens to me, you’ll have to decide what to do. Stay here and I’ll be back in two minutes.”
“Be careful,” said Lila.
“Wait here for my instructions. Is that clear?”
J.J. nodded.
He reviewed the content of his backpack and glanced back at Lila with a half-smile. Her response left him lacking. Lila’s eyes gave it all away. They said to him, “If Dad were here, he’d figure out a way, but you’re just my little brother and we’re going to die.”
“Lila…I got this…relax.” His words were meant for his own doubts as they were for hers.
Mathis proceeded down the path three or four inches at a time. Small pebbles crunched underneath his feet and loose dirt pushed off the edge of the path and tumbled hundreds of feet to a new resting place, past a series of edges and jagged rocks into darkness. Mathis couldn’t see the bottom. He inched closer to the last few feet. He stopped and reviewed the choices that lay directly ahead.
A three- or four-foot-wide section of the trail was missing.
J.J. shouted to him. “Whad’ya see?”
Mathis didn’t respond.
“Hey, what’s happening?” J.J. asked, this time with more concern.
“Wait a second, will ya!” shot back Mathis.
Mathis used his walking stick to measure the space between the paths. The stick was four feet long. He grabbed a small rock and made four quick slashing marks on the stick, each scratch in the stick was approximately twelve inches apart.
He approached the end of the path and laid the end of the stick a few inches away from the edge. He went down to one knee to get better leverage with the stick and found the footing more to his liking. With one hand on the end of the stick, he delicately placed the rest of the stick over the crevasse and rested the other end of the stick on the far side of the path. He spun the stick in a clockwise direction. The spinning of the stick drew concern from his fellow travelers.
“It’s okay. I’m trying to get the exact distance we need to clear in order to get to the other side,” he called.
Six spins later, Mathis was convinced the stick had been scuffed enough on the other side to retrieve it. He brought the stick back and subtracted the distance from the edge of the stick to the scratches on the stick that indicted the front of the other side of the path.
He returned to the anxious trio and gave his report.
“We need to clear three feet, seven inches to make it across one side of the path to the other. This won’t be too difficult for us,” he pointed to Lila and J.J., “but it’ll be hard for Sophie. Here’s what we have to do. We’ll get to the edge of our side and then take one large step with our left foot and plant it on the left-hand side of the path on the other side. Our shoulders will be close to the large outgrowth of rocks on that side. The rocks could knock us off balance, and that could be dangerous. Really bad. Step over them with great caution. Dip your left shoulder down, and place your right hand on the ground in front of you to gain better balance. Then it looks like if we crawl for three more feet, we should we okay.”
“And Sophie?” asked J.J.
“I don’t think we can carry her. It’ll be too risky with her weight shifting when you come over.”
“I can jump mommy. We jump in gym class.”
The three adults reviewed their options and couldn’t find a better solution.
Lila took Sophie by the hand and knelt down beside her.
“Honey, we can figure out another way.”
“Mommy, I want to get out of this place right now.”
Lila grabbed the girl tight and hugged her close.
“I’ve got an idea
. Baby, you know mommy has a Plan B, too!”
Mathis groaned as he heard that dreaded phrase.
Lila perked up with her new plan. “Here’s what we’ll do. Mathis and J.J., you guys go over to the other side first and I’ll stay here with Sophie—”
J.J. interrupted, “I don’t like this plan.”
“It’ll be fine. You two go to the other side. Mathis, you’ll get behind J.J. and grab his waist. You can use that stick of yours to notch out little grooves in the dirt and stick the edges of your shoes in there for better traction. J.J., you’ll be close to the edge. You’ll have to use caution. I’ll be holding Sophie around the waist from this side, and she’ll lean over towards you. Plus, the rope is keeping us together.”
J.J. said what nobody wanted to hear. “If either of you start to fall, that rope won’t save either of you.”
Lila ignored his plea and now directed her attention to the child. “Sophie, it might be a little scary, but I want you to close your eyes and I’m going to have you lean forward towards Daddy and then you will reach those cute arms of yours to him. He’ll grab you and Daddy and Uncle Mathis…hmmm, that sounds funny, ‘Uncle Mathis’…but Uncle Mathis will be holding Daddy, and Daddy will be holding you. We’ll make a train.”
Mathis and J.J. couldn’t find the fatal flaw in that plan. They were getting more tired by the minute. They agreed to go with Lila’s plan, agreeing it sounded safer than having Sophie jump across to the other side.
Mathis was the first to step over to the other side. His athleticism made the transition from one side to the other easy. J.J. didn’t carry any extra weight, but his muscles didn’t respond in the same manner as his younger brother-in-law. Mathis helped J.J. transfer enough of his weight on the far side of the path. As his back foot crossed over, it banged into the path and knocked off another few inches of the further side of the path.
Lila, watching from her side of the path, her mouth in anguish as pieces of the path crumbled away, shrinking the margin for error by a few more inches.
“I think we can still do it,” said Lila.
“Not much choice now, is there?” said Mathis.
Lila removed her bandana from the bag and covered Sophie’s eyes.
“Here you go, baby, no reason for you to be scared. I’ve got you tight on this end and daddy will grab you on the other.”
Sophie nodded to J.J. that she was ready.
Lila inched the child closer to the edge. Sophie sat on her knees, arms up in the air, as if she was reaching for an angel to guide her across. Lila had the child tight around the waist, and kept nudging the girl little by little to the end of the path. A few small pebbles fell away and Lila gasped, but the footing was sure and when it was time for Sophie to reach across with her arms, she did so without a sound.
“That’s it, Sophie, just another few inches,” said J.J. He wiped his hands on his pants to remove perspiration. “Come on. Reach out for me, honey.”
The girl responded and J.J. locked his arms in hers.
“Now, Mathis! Pull! I’ve got her.”
Mathis used his strength to ease J.J. and Sophie back away from the edge. They tumbled backwards and Mathis had nothing to break his fall. The back of his head sustained two blows. The first when his head landed on a small, but sharp rock and the second when his head rebounded but struck J.J.’s head on the rebound.
“Ahhhhh!” cried Mathis. The pain was real, but he had a firm grip on J.J., who had an equally strong grip on the child.
“We did it! Mathis, are you all right?” asked the relieved father.
“Yeah, I’ll live. You have a hard head.”
“Lila tells me that all the time.”
Mathis grinned as he used the palm of his hand to search for the blood that was trickling out of the back of his head. “Yep, I’m bleeding. Sophie, you all right?” asked Mathis.
“I’m fine.” Sophie used to the back of her shoes to inch away from the edge. J.J. was holding her and as they backed away from the ledge, the path opened enough for them to switch places.
“Let me help mommy, honey. Stay right here.”
“I’ve got her, not to worry,” said Mathis.
“It’s a little weird on this side all by myself,” Lila called.
“Then hurry up and get over here,” her husband answered.
“Let me check everything on this side first.”
“Easy honey, easy. I won’t let you fall,” encouraged J.J.
Mathis whispered into J.J.’s ear, “Say it like you mean it this time.”
“C’mon, Lila, I know you can do this.”
She took a large step with her right foot, not the left as she had been instructed, before Mathis could speak, she attempted to plant her right foot on the ground. The recent damage to the edge of the path required her to take a longer stride, which brought her right knee further away from her body. Her left leg strained to hold on to the near side of the path. J.J. hesitated, unsure whether or not to try and grab her. Lila’s right foot started to slide off the path, loose stones fell away and over the cliff.
Lila’s right leg slid, her head was too far upright, and her left shoulder headed for the side of the inner mountain path. Her left hand had nothing to grab on to, and her right hand reached out in desperation for the lunging J.J. His long fingers latched on to his wife’s forearm. Mathis watched as J.J. found the strength of three men to pull her towards him. She bumped her nose on the side of the wall. It made a nasty sound. Blood poured out of her nostrils.
She started to fall near the edge but J.J.’s grip was sure and he pulled her down on top of himself. Blood dripped onto his shirt, as they lay face-to-face. She was wounded, but safe on the other side.
“Do you newlyweds need a room?” said Mathis.
“That would be great. Can you help us find one?” said Lila.
“The new path was wider than the previous side. All three adults were able to walk without fear of falling over the side.
Lila stuffed packing material up her nose to help restrict the flow of blood. She touched her nose. “Ow! Mathis, do you have a surgeon in the village? I’m going to need a nose job.”
“Yeah, I know a guy. But I don’t think you’ve reached your deductible. It could be rather costly.”
Exhaustion caught up with Sophie, and at this point there was no choice but to carry her down the path. Lila and J.J. took turns, each lugging the forty-five pound child for a few minutes at a time until their arms and legs burned with pain. This slowed their pace to barely more than a crawl, but every step along the way brought them closer to the end of the trail. Lila’s nose throbbed with pain, but the bleeding had stopped.
They found an area large enough for them to rest.
J.J. rubbed the muscles in his legs, and then his shoulders, and his arms. He sat behind Lila and rubbed her shoulders. Sophie started to cry. Lila consoled her as best she could, but the child needed more reassurances than what the circumstances allowed.
“Mommy, do you know where we are? It’s dark. My leg hurts. You said everything would be okay. I don’t like this place.”
“Uncle Mathis is here to lead the way. We have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right, Sophie. I know these walls like I know the seventh and eight generations of Templetons that helped carve out the dining room.”
“Huh?” said Sophie.
“I’ll show what I mean as soon as I can.”
CHAPTER 44
Several minutes of sitting and stretching had given their aching muscles a rest before continuing their quest.
Two slow, tedious hours later, Lila’s strength fading, and she could no longer assist J.J. in carrying Sophie. He carried the girl without objection. Mathis stole Lila’s shift. The girl’s weight slowed him down and made each step more perilous.
Sophie slept tossed over her father’s shoulder.
“What kind of reception is waiting for us Mathis?” Lila wondered.
Sweat dripped off Math
is’s forehead. He wiped his brow, took a deep breath and answered her question.
“Can we worry about that when we get there?”
“Do you think everyone will be happy about us coming back? There’s bound to be some concern about how we got in, three more mouths to feed, J.J. and Sophie don’t know that customs of the village.”
Mathis turned to J.J. “Does she always ask so many questions?”
“You have no idea.”
Mathis stopped dead in his tracks. “Lila, please, if other people aren’t happy about it, too bad. Dad’s still in charge for now, and then Buck will work it out.”
“Buck?”
“You’ve missed a lot.”
Each step brought them step closer to the answers to her questions.
Mathis returned to the front of the line and as they moved ahead another couple of hundred feet down the treacherous path, he stopped and said, “Quiet. Nobody move.”
He motioned to the others to stay quiet with his right hand and flicked off the light on his headlamp with his left hand.
“Hold up a second. Look!” said Mathis.
“I can’t see anything,” said J.J. “What do you see?”
“Look!” said Mathis. “Up ahead.”
Lila and J.J. strained their eyes to look down the road.
“I see light,” said J.J.
“Yeah, me too,” Lila agreed.
“I’m not crazy, then. But keep quiet. I don’t want to startle anybody,” Mathis cautioned.
They followed the light, with a bit more pep in their step, but cautious of the conditions. There were several last twists in the path, but Mathis reached the end of the old tunnel entrance. He could see the ceiling of the main room. The rocks formed a four-foot railing that prevented an accidental tumble over the edge, but this was as far as they could walk.
He peeked out over the edge, then turned to Lila and said, “We need one more Plan B”.
“What do you mean? What do you see?” asked Lila.
Mathis smiled and said, “We’re at the end of the tunnel, and there are about 450 people down there hoping that I’m still alive.”
Lila picked up on his wording on asked, “How far is ‘down there?’”
Escape to Canamith Page 23
