The Students of Barrenmoor Ridge

by Jackson Marsh

  ‘Receiving you, John,’ he said. ‘You nearly home?’

  A brief crackle, and when John’s voice came back, Gary instantly knew the call was official, not personal.

  ‘Yeah, John here. Be advised I need the Land Rover at the first beck, asap. Over.’

  ‘Roger that, John. Special gear? Over.’

  Liam was at Gary’s side, his hands dripping and his face ashen.

  ‘Sled and brace,’ John replied. ‘Alert triple nine, blue light necessary for removal to A and E. Pick up Fell Lane and Croft. ETA… er, thirty minutes. Out.’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Gary swore as he thought fast.

  ‘What was that?’ Liam stayed on his heels as Gary grabbed the car keys from their hook and ran through the sitting room.

  ‘Casualty needs taking off,’ Gary said. ‘Stay here and watch the dinner.’

  ‘Oh, God! I’ve got to come with you.’

  ‘Stay here.’

  Gary was at the spare bedroom yanking down rescue equipment when Liam appeared in the doorway, white-faced and looking as if he was about to be sick.

  ‘It’ll be okay,’ Gary said. ‘We know what to do.’

  The radio crackled and was answered in a flash.

  ‘Go ahead, over.’

  ‘Oh, and Gary,’ John’s voice again. ‘Casper says you better tell Liam, it’s not him.’

  Seventeen

  Gary threw the Land Rover into four-wheel drive and pulled away, wheels spinning, leaving the track and taking a direct line north following the footpath. The uneven moorland was pitted with standing water that concealed any number of hazards, and he steered clear of them while weaving as straight a line as he could as the hill rose. Finding the flattest route was vital for the return if the casualty was injured and unable to walk. He couldn’t imagine who had been foolish enough to hike out, but it took all sorts, and it didn’t matter. Once a call came to assist, the only thing on the MRT’s mind was extracting the casualty to safety, there was no time to debate their folly or mishap; that could come later.

  Cresting the hill, John’s red oversuit stood out against the craggy backdrop of Fellborough. He was kneeling with only his top half visible behind the rise of the stream bank, and another man was crouched beside him, searching through a rucksack. They looked up when they heard the vehicle approach, and John waved.

  Gary made a wide arc, turning the Land Rover and backing as close to the top of the rise as was safe before leaping from the driving seat leaving the engine running.

  ‘Ambulance in twenty-five minutes,’ he shouted as he pulled the sledge from the back, and turning, found himself face to face with a tall youth offering two sleeping mats and staring intensely.

  ‘Lay them between the seats,’ Gary instructed, knowing exactly what John had in mind.

  ‘I’m Casper.’

  ‘I guessed.’

  Gary hurried to the stream, placing the sledge before sliding into place beside John and seeing the casualty.

  ‘What the fuck?’

  ‘You know him?’

  ‘Aye. Benny from the village. What’s he doing out here?’

  ‘Dying,’ was John’s flat reply as he took the neck brace. ‘Hold him steady.’

  Gary was already there, his hands either side of Benny’s head, his fingers supporting his jaw.

  ‘What do you reckon?’ he asked as John worked quickly to fold the brace and slip it beneath Benny’s neck.

  ‘Too long,’ John said. ‘CT down to seventy-five. Unconscious, rigid, weak pulse, no response. No obvious injuries. Looks like he tripped in the stream and couldn’t get up. There are signs he tried to drag himself free, rolled and ended up sideways.’

  ‘Good job he didn’t slide back in.’

  By the time the brace was secured, Casper had returned and was hovering.

  ‘Okay, Casper,’ John said, unclipping the monitor from Benny’s finger and replacing his glove. ‘Come down carefully and stand next to Gary.’

  Casper did as he was told, and Gary was grateful for his silence as he readied the sledge, placing it below Benny with the straps folded out.

  ‘Need you to hold this in place, so it doesn’t slip,’ Gary said, and Casper knelt to take the downhill edge. ‘Tip it slightly. Rest it on your knees. That’s it. Got it?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Under and over.’ John passed Gary the thermal blanket.

  John was playing by the book, making explanations unnecessary, and the two worked together in a language that would have baffled most. The fewer words used, the more time was saved.

  ‘Thermal’s in.’

  ‘He’s a hefty one. Head supported.’

  ‘Sled prepped.’

  ‘On three. Ready Casper?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And… three.’

  Kneeling awkwardly, Gary and John lifted the man a couple of inches from the ground, John supporting his head and shoulders, and Gary the lower torso. The movement was swift, but gentle, and as soon as Benny was on the sledge, Gary whipped around beside Casper to take the weight while John wrapped the blanket over the casualty and secured the straps.

  ‘Now the fun part,’ Gary said, smiling at Casper to calm him. Expecting the guy to be panicked and nervous, he was surprised to find him concentrating on John’s fingers, as though he was in training.

  ‘You want me to take the feet?’ Casper asked, glancing up the slope to the Land Rover. ‘Or is it safer to drag him?’

  Gary was impressed with his clear thinking.

  ‘Drag to the top and lift into the back,’ John replied, standing and taking the sledge rope. ‘Careful as we turn.’

  There was no time to harness-on, so John used brute strength to angle the sledge perpendicular with the bank while Gary steered its other end. Once aligned, they pulled and pushed it to flatter ground, and on John’s countdown, lifted the sledge half into the vehicle. When it was supported, he leapt in and dragged the casualty until the sledge was fully inside where he began securing it with ropes.

  ‘Did you see anyone else?’ Gary asked, and when Casper said they hadn’t, he asked if Benny had anything with him. Again, a negative response, but Gary made a quick scan of the terrain as he collected John’s rucksack. Finding nothing and the mystery deepening, he returned to the Land Rover and was surprised to see Casper in the back ready to hold the casualty steady.

  ‘Right,’ John said as he clambered out. ‘We’ll take him down. Drop you at home.’

  Gary gave him a quizzical look as he shut the door.

  ‘There’s a conversation we need to finish before the, er, reunion,’ John whispered. His eyebrows danced cheekily, and he winked. ‘Our boys need to talk, but Casper needs to know something first.’

  ‘Roger that.’ Gary understood. ‘I’ll hitch a lift and call Betty.’

  ‘Back soon.’

  Gary stood on the rear footplate holding the roof rack as John set off. Even following the recently made tracks, the return journey seemed twice as slow as the short ascent. It always did when a casualty was being carried, but it was better to take Benny off cautiously rather than rush and cause more injuries, the guy was close to cardiac arrest. Gary couldn’t work out why he would have been on the hill. Benny was easily led, but he wasn’t stupid. His low core temperature meant he had been outside for several hours, his position suggested he was returning to the village when he fell rather than heading up the hill, and his clothes, although suitable for the terrain, were wet through. The skies were once again darkening, but there had been no rain for two hours, and Gary judged that Benny had been outside since at least the early morning, if not the whole night. The wind had already burnt Gary’s nose, and he’d only been out of the house fifteen minutes.

  Benny was a stra
nge lad Gary knew from school and the village where he’d earned himself the unfair reputation of being a local idiot. Although he wasn’t well educated, he wasn’t foolish either, and his only failing was that he had latched onto Mark Ward for companionship when everyone else apart from his family disowned him. Gary didn’t dislike him, but he didn’t trust him either, and he knew first-hand what it was like to be in Mark’s clutches. Benny wouldn’t have been on the hillside in bad weather unless Ward had something to do with it, and he wondered if they shouldn’t be looking for two bodies. Glancing back as they topped Barrenmoor Ridge, Fellborough peak rose high above, grey and darkening under the returning storm, and the moors stretched to the horizon in either direction, exposed to the gathering wind. If Ward was out there in the same condition, he didn’t stand much of a chance.

  The Land Rover slowed as it passed the cottage, Gary jumped down, thumping the back to signal that he was free, and the vehicle picked up speed as the track levelled.

  Liam was at the side door, hugging himself for warmth.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Gary reassured him. ‘Casper’s only lending a hand.’

  ‘What happened?’

  Gary told him as he took off his jacket, and Liam followed him through to the sitting room.

  ‘I need to call in,’ Gary said. ‘Can you get the kettle on, and ramp up the cooker? They’ll not be long, and they’ll be hungry.’

  ‘Yeah, of course,’ Liam beamed, happy at last.

  There was no mirth in Gary’s voice when he radioed the police station. He informed Betty that John had been to assist a hiker, and on his way back, had stumbled across a casualty, hypothermic and in need of urgent medical treatment. Betty had already been alerted via the switchboard and confirmed that the ambulance had been dispatched. When she asked if Gary knew who it was, and he told her, she, like him, was mystified why Benny should be out on the fell in the current conditions.

  ‘I wondered if Mark Ward had anything to do with it,’ Gary said. ‘Only because it’s unusual to see one without the other.’

  ‘Aye, love,’ Betty replied. ‘You’re reet on that. Mark Ward’s been off-radar of late, but I’ll check in wi’ him, see if he’s about. Leave it wi’ me, love. How’s the other hiker? Do you need assistance?’

  ‘No, we’re fine… Er, hang on, Betty.’

  Liam was at the counter, trying to catch Gary’s attention.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Is that the police?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can you ask about Casper’s rucksack?’

  Bloody Casper, Gary thought in an unusual moment of unkindness. He’d either got Liam wrapped around his little finger because he knew of his massive crush, or Liam cared for his friend in the way Gary cared for John. Preferring it to be the latter, he nodded and clicked the transceiver.

  ‘Betty?’

  ‘Go ahead.’

  ‘John’s bringing the other hiker back here, but the lad’s lost a rucksack. Looks like he took someone else’s by mistake when he left the Pot Hole… yesterday morning?’

  ‘It’s blue,’ Liam hissed, nodding furiously. ‘Forty litres.’

  Gary waved him into silence. ‘Blue one, Betty,’ he said. ‘Doesn’t want anyone to think he’s nicked owt. Anything been found?’

  ‘No, love, but I’ll call Julie.’

  ‘Done that,’ Gary replied. ‘But if you hear anything?’

  ‘Aye, will do. Hey-up, ambulance just went by. Better go. Owt else?’

  ‘No, that’s it.’

  The conversation over, Gary turned his attention to Liam.

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Nothing else we can do. Best lay the table.’

  Gary began clearing the dining area, and Liam joined him without being asked. Now that Casper was nearly home, Liam’s enthusiasm had been replaced by nervousness. During his training for the MRT, Gary had learnt that preparation was key. Pre-empting the unexpected was the way to go when heading to a call-out, and being organised minimised the tension. There was no reason why Liam couldn’t apply the same technique.

  ‘What’s your plan?’ he asked as they tidied John’s work from the dining table.

  ‘Plan?’

  ‘What we were talking about. You and Casper?’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘Are you going to tell him how you feel? Or are you going to let it go?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Liam said, wondering where to put a stack of books.

  ‘Over there,’ Gary pointed to an unused chair beneath the window. ‘Do you want my advice?’

  ‘God, yes.’

  Gary knew what it was like to harbour a secret that another guy might find repulsive, he had grown up living with the need to talk, but not with someone to talk to. Not until he met John when, for the first time, he found that once over the hurdle of starting that conversation, running with it came more easily.

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Take this however you want, but like I said before, as long as you’re happy that what you’re doing is right for you, tell him. Put it out there, and then it’ll be up to him to deal with it.’

  ‘What if he doesn’t feel the same way?’

  ‘Then it’s up to you to deal with it, and you have to respect his feelings. It sounds to me as if you two are close. If you are, nothing you can say will turn him off you if that’s what you’re worried about.’

  Liam paused halfway through straightening a chair. ‘I’m nervous,’ he said. ‘What do I say?’

  His expression suggested he hoped Gary would give him a script, or a page of instructions detailing how to take friendship to a different level, but there was no such handout, and the only guide was Gary’s limited experience.

  ‘I don’t know, mate,’ he said. ‘Just open your mouth and see what comes out. We’ll make sure you have time alone. Which reminds me…’

  The spare room was always cold, and the radiator hadn’t been turned on. The room was more of an equipment store, but if Liam and Casper were staying the night, the room needed to be prepared.

  ‘You’ll find knives and forks in the kitchen drawer,’ Gary said. ‘Can you finish the table while I make up the sofa bed?’

  ‘You sure John won’t mind us staying?’

  ‘To be honest, he’d prefer it. He can keep an eye on Casper’s recovery, and he won’t feel like driving you down to the hostel once he gets back. He’ll need to reheat too. Oh, bung the peas on for me, would you? They’re in the freezer.’

  ‘He might ask you to drive us,’ Liam suggested.

  ‘No.’ Gary smiled at the younger guy’s fearful expression. ‘He won’t. Not if I say I want you to stay.’

  ‘Why would you?’

  ‘Because you make me laugh, mate. What does it matter? Now get the bloody table laid while I make the bed.’

  ‘There’s just one?’

  ‘’Course not, we’re a five-star hotel. What d’you think?’ Gary laughed to show he wasn’t angry and turned up the thermostat.

  ‘Oh, Christ.’

  The humour flew over Liam’s head, and he slid onto a dining chair, one hand fiddling at his mouth where he bit on the side of his finger.

  ‘What now?’

  Liam looked up from beneath thin eyebrows.

  ‘What if he’s… the same as me? I mean, I can’t believe he is, but what if…?’

  ‘Then you’ve got it sorted.’

  ‘Yes, but… You know, what if he isn’t, and…? Won’t it be awkward?’

  ‘Won’t what be awkward?’

  ‘One bed,’ Liam hissed as if others were listening.

  ‘Oh!’ The penny dropped. ‘We’ll wear earplugs,’ Gary said, trying to cheer him up. When he saw Liam’s reaction, his heart went out, and he remembered how anxious he’d been the fir
st time he knew he and John were going to sleep in the same bed. ‘Don’t worry about it,’ he said. ‘If it’s going to happen, it’ll happen naturally. If I were you, I’d try and chill out. When they get back, take it easy and don’t make too much of a fuss, you might embarrass him. Forget what we’ve spoken about until you’re ready to say something, and if you want to be alone, the spare room’s yours. Now, I’ve got to go and get it ready. Okay?’

  Liam raised a tense smile and nodded. ‘Thank you.’

  Rummaging in the cutlery drawer, Liam likened his situation to sight-reading an exam piece without first scanning the notes. The first page was easy, and he began well, starting the trip with Cass and him as they’d always been together. That had been rehearsed and it flowed, but then, in coming out, he’d turned a page and been faced with music he didn’t know. Casper introduced an unexpected theme with his move to Greece, and it was accompanied by Liam’s childish reaction, dissonant and out of key. The accident and the rescue crashed in like an unexpected movement and now, turning another page, there was nothing but an empty score, and it was up to Liam to write on it.

  It was a case of timing, he told himself as he placed cutlery. He and Casper had left their conversation hanging, interrupted by an emergency which forced them apart. In a way, Liam was thankful for that. The time between then and now had given him breathing space.

  Unable to sleep because Casper was in trouble had reinforced what he had realised back in the tent when he took the decision to try for a rescue. He cared so much for Cass he was willing to risk his life, and although he’d always known that, last night was the proof.

  How Casper would react when he got back to the house was another page yet to be turned, but Gary had been right. If Liam was sure he wanted Casper to know how strongly he felt and was prepared for rejection, any awkward moment would pass. They might return home strangers, they might even take separate trains, but they would return home, and different or not, life would continue.