Balancer

by Patrick Wong

  They emerged into the main camping ground to a scene of panic and disorder. Adults who had only hours earlier been basking in the sunshine and enjoying barbecues, ballgames and picnics were now yelling and scrambling in a desperate bid to escape.

  The smoke was filling the main clearing, making it harder to see. Tents were half-dismantled, and evidence of frantic decision-making was everywhere. Families, couples and friends were hastily packing up, bundling precious possessions and people into awaiting vehicles.

  Nicole surveyed the area for the Jennings to ask for help, but it was all too chaotic to identify anyone; panic made people seem like blurs. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a blue car spun its wheels and zoomed past them, causing them both to jump out of its path. The car narrowly avoided catching Amy’s arm.

  Nicole watched it go, with a mixture of fury that it had nearly hit them, and envy, wishing for the safety of her own Nissan now, cruising along the highway and listening to Amy try to sing along with the song on the radio.

  Amy, meanwhile, grabbed the arm of a passing man who was running while clutching his belongings. She pulled down her scarf to speak. “Where’s the main lot from here?” But fear was in his eyes, and he became angry, likely seeing the two girls as nothing more than a barrier to his escape.

  He pointed away from the exit sign. “The fire’s spreading over there. Head away if you can.” He ran off.

  Nicole paused a moment to look in all directions and orient herself. Although the fire seemed to be burning some distance away, the wind was driving the smoke in their direction, and it was becoming ever thicker.

  Nicole patted Amy’s upper back as her friend buckled over and surrendered to a coughing fit, the cost of removing her protective scarf to talk to the fleeing man. After Amy had taken a sip of water, Nicole doused their scarves again before they reapplied them. Amy looked at her pleadingly to make a decision.

  Nicole pivoted around again, trying to figure out the direction of their car. Where is the car?

  With no transportation, their choices were now dangerously limited.

  Amy pointed at the others who were fleeing in the direction the man had indicated, into the thicket of the brush. They must’ve had to abandon their cars now, too.

  Just then, Nicole remembered the clearing on the other side of the grounds. Maybe that would be far enough away from the fire? In a split second, she had nodded and taken Amy’s hand. This time Amy led, hot on the heels of the others who were running ahead.

  Nicole couldn’t be sure whether it was the adrenaline from the running, the smoke from the fire or the fear that was parching her mouth, but there was no time to stop to drink. It felt better to be running toward a dim blue light in the clearing and away from the fire, even though this safety could be illusory.

  It’s strange what happens when mortal urgency takes over. Soon Nicole found herself able to run faster and longer than she could have ever imagined.

  Amy was a different matter. Instead of leading, she now lagged behind Nicole. The lungful of acrid smoke Amy had inhaled while talking to the angry man still choked her throat, and she was having real trouble breathing.

  The claustrophobia of the dark forest only added to Amy’s feeling that the world around her was somehow pushing in. The forest now felt like a wholly different — and completely terrifying — place compared with earlier.

  One last snag on Nicole’s arm, and Amy realized she could go on no further. Without having to be asked, Nicole rooted around her pack and retrieved a bottle, opening it for Amy to drink.

  “I don’t think it’s much farther,” Nicole said at last, her words muffled by her scarf. Amy took another long gulp from the bottle. Nicole was acutely aware of the crackling sound in the distance; trees were falling behind them, and the smoke was intensifying. The heat from the wildfire on their backs was increasing, and it would only be a matter of time until the fire caught up with them.

  After Amy had taken her fill of water, Nicole sipped a mouthful and used the rest to keep their scarves damp.

  It was when she turned to replace the bottle in her pack that she first heard the sound.

  Initially it was masked by the wildfire’s distant rumble, but then it became more distinct, a kind of cry.

  Nicole listened again, alert.

  “What’s wro–” began Amy, but Nicole sharply indicated for silence. The muffle of the forest was unyielding for a moment, and then …

  There it was again.

  Something or someone was injured out here. Possibilities raced through Nicole’s mind: Perhaps someone had been overcome by smoke? Or burnt by the fire?

  “Stay there for a second, and be ready to go when I get back,” Nicole said to Amy, who was still feeling the stress of the run and so nodded, grateful to rest.

  Careful to tread softly, Nicole strained to catch any further sound.

  “Hello?” she said, loudly enough to be heard above the low-level rumbling but softly enough not to startle.

  “Anyone there? It’s OK … I can help you.”

  Then she heard the noise again — this time more like a howl. Honing in on the source, Nicole parted a thick piece of brush to find what could only be described as a shivering bundle of blackened fur.

  On closer inspection, Nicole was shocked to realize it was the spirited yellow Labrador they’d seen yesterday, the one Amy had blamed for provision-stealing.

  Nicole’s heart went out to the poor creature, which was in a very sorry state and barely recognizable now, blackened with soot. She murmured soothingly, but the dog still cowered when she reached down to examine the gold engraved name tag. Charlie.

  “Who do you belong to, Charlie? Who left you behind?”

  A pair of soulful eyes stared up at her. Charlie whimpered as Nicole gently stroked his head with her forefinger. She could tell he was in some pain, and, delicately giving him the once over, discovered that part of his coat was matted with blood. He looked as though his hindquarters had been burnt.

  “Don’t worry, Charlie. You’re safe now.” Nicole leaned in close and gave the animal a little kiss while ruffling his ears.

  Amy arrived at Nicole’s side, fizzing with newfound adrenaline, which startled Charlie.

  “Hey, I’m ready. What you — ” She let out a little gasp when she saw the yellow Labrador.

  “He must’ve gotten caught back there, look …” Nicole showed Amy where Charlie had been burned.

  “Nix, we gotta go. People are running in a really bad way.”

  Nicole surveyed the escapees’ path to see the next wave of those from the campsite disappear into the smoky gloom.

  “Come on, Charlie.” Nicole tugged gently on Charlie’s collar, hoping it would spur him into action.

  Amy whistled and patted her legs like she would do with her own terrier, Brutus. “Come on, boy. Heel!”

  Charlie responded to Amy’s enthusiastic call, giving a bark and getting up. But instead of following in the girls’ direction, he turned and scampered several feet the other way, stopped, and then proceeded to bark at them.

  “Where’s he going?”

  “Stupid dog! He’s wants us to burn up with him!” Amy cried, frustrated. She whistled again, and although the dog’s ears pricked at the sound, Charlie just responded with more loud barks and carried on.

  Nicole suddenly felt the urgency of the situation. The others from the campgrounds had now disappeared, and she knew the two of them didn’t have time to play around with a dog before the fire would catch up with them. “He doesn’t want to come!” She glanced at Amy, whose face was pure panic.

  “Nix, we gotta leave him!”

  She knew Amy was right, yet there was something that kept her from fleeing. A different kind of howl drew their attention toward where Charlie now stood in the distance. Nicole saw how steadfast Charlie seemed, and then a thought occurred to her. She grabbed her best friend’s arm.

  “I think he wants us to come with him!”

  Holding hands, the
pair headed toward where the dog was waiting. As they approached the brush thicket under a tall pine, Charlie sat down by a bundle of clothing, which seemed to be stashed under a fallen tree branch. The dog began to whine.

  “What is it, boy? What have you got there?”

  Nicole knelt down for a closer look, and as she did, her words trailed off. The sight chilled her heart.

  A girl, about Amy’s younger brother’s age, was trapped under the heavy branch. Her eyes were clamped shut and her face was frozen in an expression of pain, the large tree branch crushing her chest.

  “Oh, God,” Amy whispered hoarsely.

  Nicole shrugged, fighting off the thousand questions she had too. Desperately concerned about the little girl, Nicole inhaled sharply, and she felt Amy clutch her.

  Forest Floor and Amy

  “She’s breathing,” Nicole announced as she set about grabbing hold of one end of the branch. “Help me lift it.”

  “Wait, are we supposed to move it? She looks like she’s been crushed. What about her back?”

  Amy was right.

  Nicole assessed the situation. How she wished her mom were there right now. Her instincts as an ER doctor would always spring into action in times like these, and Nicole would be issued a set of instructions to follow, with the sure knowledge that whoever was hurt or ill would be fine. Now she was the one who was supposed to be giving the orders, and she had no clue where to start. Her first-aid training seemed to be failing her just when she needed it most.

  Nicole felt the rising panic muddy her thinking, and she tried to shake herself down to focus. Charlie’s crazy barking wasn’t helping the situation either. The dog seemed just as impatient with the lack of decision-making going on.

  “I don’t think we have a choice,” the skinny, dark-haired teen finally replied. She indicated to the glow in the distance behind them and the pall of smoke that seemed to be thickening by the second. It wasn’t going to be a case of one of them staying back with the little girl and the other going for help.

  “We can’t leave her. We’re going to have to carry her,” Nicole said.

  Amy nodded gravely. It was either that, or they all perish here together.

  “In three.”

  After a few seconds, they had lifted the branch clear away. They finally got a full look at the poor girl, her limbs frozen at awkward angles. Charlie whined, as if he could sense his owner’s pain. She was in a pretty bad state, with many cuts and bruises. Nicole had felt the weight of the tree branch, which made her think the really serious injuries the little girl had sustained were probably internal.

  “Hey, can you hear me? My name’s Nicole.” Nicole pinched the little girl’s hand, but the lack of reaction told her all she needed to know about the girl’s state of consciousness. Charlie edged forward and licked at the girl’s wounds. Amy pulled him back.

  “Grab my spare shirt from the bag,” Nicole instructed. While Amy searched for the checkered shirt, Nicole ripped another T-shirt in two. She applied some of the bottled water to it and tied it gently around the little girl’s face, as her breathing sounded shallow and hoarse.

  She then poured some of the water into her cupped hand and offered it to Charlie. Within seconds, he’d thirstily lapped it up.

  “Help me lift her.”

  “OK, but we can take turns carrying …” Amy offered.

  “I think she’ll need to stay with just one of us. However bad she is, swapping might hurt her more. You’re good with dogs, anyway. You can make sure Charlie stays with us.”

  “OK.”

  Nicole didn’t have to add that, out of the two of them, she was the stronger one. Besides, Amy had been having trouble carrying just herself to safety a little bit earlier.

  Despite her pounding heart and sense of trepidation, Nicole gently clasped the girl under the armpits while Amy supported her body from underneath. After a count of three and with a mammoth effort from Nicole, she took the full weight of the girl in her arms. Cradling her upper body would be the only way to get her to safety; a fireman’s lift would exert too much pressure on the girl’s spine.

  Even with the girl’s relative lightness, Nicole could already feel the immense strain on her arms as she looked ahead at the appalling gloom. There were no more people from the campgrounds to follow. She and Amy were alone. For a moment, what they were hoping to do seemed impossible. How could she run even a few yards with this girl in her arms?

  Nicole took a deep breath. She would just have to make it possible.

  “OK. Let’s go,” she said, summoning strength from a hidden well of determination somewhere inside her. Amy gathered up both of the backpacks and then tied a scarf firmly around Nicole’s face, creating a clever loop in her hair band so that she wouldn’t have to keep adjusting the scarf to breathe. Reapplying her own scarf, Amy now led the way again, keeping Charlie to heel as she went.

  Nicole found the little girl’s weight cumbersome, and she seemed to increase in heaviness with every step.

  Amy would turn back at intervals to check on her friend. Nicole powered on, doing her best not to worsen the girl’s discomfort, always acutely aware of how crucial it was not to let up the pace.

  Then, after about five minutes of solid running, Nicole’s legs began to tire. Unused to carrying so much weight, her right knee suddenly buckled and she stumbled on an exposed tree root. Her ankle twisted and she dropped to the ground, jolting her precious cargo in the process.

  A moan escaped from the girl, and Nicole loosened her grip in surprise.

  Amy turned, and seeing the fear on Nicole’s face, stooped to help gather the girl back into Nicole’s arms. But even that was exhausting, and coughing overcame Amy again.

  “Just hold on,” Nicole exclaimed. She returned her attention to the girl, who was becoming wheezier. Nicole couldn’t remember ever being this afraid before. She felt the pressure of the seemingly never-ending gloomy forest path, the thick, choking smoke and the girl’s heavy weight. This all caused sharp aches in her arms and made her question whether they could even make it out alive. That’s when despair started to seep in. It just seemed too tough.

  As if reading Nicole’s mind, the little girl began to cough. Calling out to Amy, Nicole stopped and used a nearby tree stump to rest on. The girl opened her eyes.

  “Mommy?” The girl managed to splutter.

  Nicole tried to look brave. “It’s OK. It’s going to be all right. My name’s Nicole, and we’re going to take you to your mommy.”

  A flash of fear crossed the girl’s face. Amy lifted up Charlie and carried him to where the girl could see him.

  “Hey, look who’s here. Charlie’s here. Say hi!”

  The dog barked excitedly at his owner’s face. A look of relief passed briefly over hers.

  “What’s your name?”

  The girl’s reply was muffled. After asking again and leaning up close, Nicole heard the soft whisper of a name before the girl’s face curled up and she began to cry.

  “Elise Allerton? That’s a pretty name!” Nicole said, trying to distract the girl from the agony and fear she must have been feeling.

  “Hey, she’s in my brother’s year,” Amy said. “I remember her. He got detention for doing something really mean to her one time. Mom just freaked.”

  Amy let Charlie down and moved her face closer.

  “Hey, Elise. I’m Amy. Do you know Troy Madigan?”

  The little girl stopped crying and her face clouded over. It seemed everyone who knew Troy had a similar opinion about him, as the boy was in trouble daily both at home and school.

  “Yeah, I feel your pain there. I’m his sister. I’m way nicer. Like, we’re talking light-years nicer than him. One of us must be adopted, because there’s no way we can really be brother and sister.”

  Nicole could detect the tiniest smile coming from Elise. “Hold on for a little longer. D’you think you can do that?”

  Nicole shared a scared expression with Amy. They actually had n
o idea how far they were from anywhere right now, but for this badly injured little girl, time would probably all blur into one.

  Nicole readjusted Elise in her arms, and after a few moments, she and Amy were moving forward again. The girl was drifting in and out of consciousness now.

  Don’t die, Nicole thought. A tear fell out of the corner of her eye. You’re going to be OK.

  In her few moments of being awake, Elise had draped her arms about Nicole’s neck. This immediately eased the pressure on Nicole’s arms, meaning that her pace could quicken now. She fixed her gaze on Amy up ahead. Nicole gradually became accustomed to the rhythm of their pace and concentrated on dividing her attention between forest floor and Amy, forest floor and Amy, repeating it to herself like a mantra.

  Nicole ran like this for what seemed like ages. Something automatic in her body had taken over, like the way you could walk home from the store and end up at your front porch without having once thought about the way to get back.

  Through the muffled forest, Nicole began to pick out the first signs of a new noise. What was it? Could they have found the other people from the campsite at last?

  Charlie barked, and Amy, who was up ahead, gave a little shout. It was both good and bad news.

  As Nicole quickened her pace, she saw it: The ground suddenly dropped about five feet into a ravine that divided the forest. At the bottom of the ravine was a wide stream with fast-flowing water that looked like it could be deep in parts.

  They would have to cross it to get to safety.

  Please, Not the Water

  “I can’t see an easy way to cross!” Amy was standing at the edge of the stream as she shouted. With a bark, Charlie leapt cleanly into the water, paddled across, clambered up the other side and then waited for them.

  “Easy if you’re a dog!” Nicole responded.

  On a clear day, it would have been simple to spot the rocks, tangled roots and weeds at the bottom. But on any given night, the ravine would’ve been pitch-black. Ironically, it helped to have a raging forest fire behind them, because it lit up the water with a hellish glow as the stream reflected the burning blaze.