Southern Stars

by Melissa Good

  “Mm.” Dar didn’t deny the sense of discomfort that caused, and she eyed the uneven ceiling. “Sounds like a single point of failure to me.” She sighed. “At least we’re at the back of the line.”

  They heard, echoing through the rock, the faintest rumble of thunder in the distance.

  “CAN YOU PUT the light there, Dar?”

  Dar extended her arm past Kerry’s shoulder and put her flashlight on the wall, where Kerry had discovered a fossil embedded in the rock. “Whole one.”

  Kerry was carefully focusing. “What is it?”

  “Trilobite,” Dar answered. “Probably started out in the ocean, a long ass time ago.”

  It was oval shaped, with segments along it’s body and a tiny head. It was embedded in the rock, partially exposed by weathering.

  “Really?” Kerry studied it, reaching out to touch it with one fingertip. “So, this was ocean once?”

  “About two billion years ago, yeah,” Dar said.

  They were in an inner chamber, the rest of the group exploring the cave with the entrance they’d come in through at their backs. A steady breeze emerged from it, and on the edges of that Dar could faintly scent rain, which matched the steadily growing rumbling outside.

  “Okay, folks, I think a storm’s coming in so we should go back and see what the plan is.” Josh was at the entrance, beckoning to them. “Maybe we can come back here after we know.”

  The group straggled over and followed him out down the dark and narrow passageway, emerging into the split roofed cave that already was shedding sheets of rain down from the opening to the ground, increasing the flow of the small spring already running out of it.

  It was cold, and they split around the spring to avoid being rained on. When they came to the front of the cave the overhang was almost a waterfall.

  “Okay, you folks stay here and I’ll run on ahead and see what the deal is.” Josh hunched his shoulders and passed through the falls, scampering through the now near knee high little stream in the slot canyon. He disappeared quickly around a bend.

  The thunder rumbled overhead and then a flash of lighting lit the far wall. Dar took a step back from the entrance and moved over to the side wall of the cave and found a rock to sit on. She stifled a yawn and crossed her ankles, watching the thin curtain of rain coming down and drenching the inside of the cavern.

  With the light coming down it was rather charming, and she was glad to see Kerry getting some pictures of it from different angles.

  After a short while, footsteps approached and Josh and Janet came into the cavern. Both were drenched. Both looked worried. Josh watched Janet’s face though, and kept silent.

  Janet put her hands on her hips, as they all gathered around to listen. “So, folks, as you can probably tell, there’s been no sign of anyone coming after us. So, we’ve got to go with plan B.”

  “And that is?” Todd inquired.

  “We can’t hike out,” Janet said. “We don’t have enough supplies. So, we’re going to take the raft down river with paddles and get out at the staging area we sent Doug to.”

  Marcia cleared her throat. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

  “Less dangerous than sticking around here starving to death,” Todd said.

  Dar nodded. “He’s right,” she said. “We’re out of food now. We either go with that, or start scavenging.”

  “There isn’t enough around here to support a group this size,” Janet said. “So let’s go and pack what we have and get the raft ready. We’ll leave as soon as we’re done.”

  The crew looked relieved. They trooped out following Janet, and the passengers trailed after them, out into the rain and along the slot canyon back toward the river.

  Two of the college girls helped PJ along, supporting her on either side. “This is so not what I was looking for,” One of them said.

  “Me either,” PJ said. “But I’d rather sit on that raft even in the rain, than try to hop out of the canyon. That’s a long, long walk.”

  Dar and Kerry were the last in line and so they were the last to get back to where the raft was. The rain was coming down harder, but everyone pitched in, carrying gear and the little they’d salvaged onto the craft.

  It looked quite woebegone. Most of the storage chests were gone, and some of the seats were bent and twisted, leaving just a metal frame behind. One of the crew put a piece of wood down on the frame and backed off with a shrug, gesturing them toward it.

  Todd rolled his eyes and shoved the board back against the back of the frame, examining it.

  Dar gave their own seats a tug, the battered metal bent and in one case broken, but intact enough to brace themselves against.

  Rich came up and squeezed himself in beside them. “This is gonna be scary. I’m not on the pontoons this time.”

  No one wanted to sit up front. The pontoon seats were all loose and ripped, and Josh was busy lashing the front of them together with some rope, glancing over his shoulder as the thunder continued to roll on.

  “Dar.”

  “Mm?”

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Kerry had her arms folded over her chest. “We should wait for it to stop raining.”

  Dar regarded her for a moment, then she turned and headed to where Janet was standing pulling on a rope. “Hey,” she said, without preamble.

  Janet exhaled. “Yes, Ms. Roberts?” She paused, and turned.

  “We really do have a lot to do.”

  “Is doing this in a thunderstorm a good idea?” Dar asked. “Not sure if you people deal much with those.”

  Janet took a breath, then she paused. “Do you?”

  “Florida is the thunderstorm and lightning capital of the world,” Dar said. “Maybe wait until it’s over?”

  Janet studied her for a minute, then leaned closer. “We’ can’t,” she said, in a low tone. “If it keeps raining, we’ll get a flash flood that will come down that canyon and wash us out.”

  Dar considered that. “Rock, hard place.”

  Janet nodded. “Thanks for understanding.”

  “Okay.” Dar shrugged slightly. “Keep your head down.” She went back to where Kerry was arranging her bags. “No luck.”

  “I could tell.”

  They both put on their life jackets and a few minutes later, the crew shoved the raft into the current, jumping aboard as it lunged forward.

  Josh and Tony, the tallest of the crew, had hold of long oars. They stood near the back edges of the raft, braced against the frame.

  The ride now had a distinct edge of danger, and the surge of the rapids, twisting the already damaged raft gave no pleasure. Dar edged closer to Kerry and put her arm around her back, taking a grip on the chair frames to hold them both in position.

  They could barely see the river ahead of them, the rain was coming down that hard and the river was a dark, brooding color with a tinge of red mud on it.

  The raft was bucking and rolling and they were heading into some narrows. Dar’s heart started to beat faster as she tensed, her body reacting to the danger. She could almost feel the electricity in the air around her and just as that thought crossed her mind a blast of lightning lit up the sky as it struck the wall nearest them.

  Someone screamed.

  Dar jerked hard in reaction and the hair on her arms stood up straight. She could feel it even despite the rain. She pressed against Kerry as she heard her gasp, and the raft swerved under them as bits of the wall fell into the river.

  “Oh crap.” Kerry released the hold she had on the seat and put her arms around Dar instead.

  The passengers all clustered in the center of the raft, no one sitting, everyone just holding on, looking scared, all keeping their heads down.

  Thunder rumbled loudly on the heels of another flash of lighting, but this was at the crest of the canyon and Janet went to the front of the raft, shielding her eyes, trying to see past the curtain of rain. “Keep right!” She yelled back to the crew. “Keep right, we’re nearly in the pass.�
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  “Dar.” Kerry pressed her cheek against Dar’s chest. “How about a dude ranch next time?”

  “There’d be a stampede of three headed cows and a pink goat would end up in bed with us.” Dar took a tighter hold as the raft started to pitch and slide sideways in the water.

  “Pink?”

  “We're girls”

  Kerry had to laugh just a little, despite the fear. She felt her mouth dry out as the raft dipped to one side. In reflex she closed her eyes as a surge of water came up over the front of the pontoons and hit them both. It was colder than the rain and she felt a shiver go through her.

  “Hang on,” Dar said, in an urgent tone. She pressed against Kerry and gripped the metal frame hard.

  Kerry did, tightening her grip on Dar as the raft went sideways and then another lightning bolt struck somewhere above them.

  “Watch out!” Rich yelled.

  The raft spun and Kerry flinched as a rock hit her shoulder. She heard impacts around them and then the raft spun again and they were away from the wall.

  “Ow!” Someone said, with a yelp.

  “Stay still!” Janet’s voice now, out of the deluge. Dar craned her neck to see someone on the deck of the raft with Janet kneeling next to them.

  Then they were through the narrows and the raft, rolling and rocking, spun around and went forward, into a wider stretch of the river.

  “Keep her steady!” Janet called out. “Everyone stay where you are. Don’t unbalance the raft!”

  “Who got hurt?” Kerry asked. “Can you see?”

  “Can’t.” Dar faced them back around again and the rain lessened, though the thunder was still rumbling overhead. They could see down the river now, and ahead she saw a wide bend and to one side of it a beach that had a lot of debris piled on.

  “Steer in!” Josh called out. “There’s the landing. Is that gear?”

  The raft started dodging across the river over ruffles and boulders that shook them and made their teeth rattle as the crew worked hard to move the raft sideways toward the far shore. They were moving fast, and three of the crew ran forward and hung onto the frame near the pontoons, swerving wildly as they fought to stay onboard.

  They dipped along a set of boulders mostly buried in the water and scraped against the canyon wall, catching against the pontoon and slamming the raft around and backwards into the beach.

  Josh leaped off and ran up the beach rope in hand to get it around a rock, hauling with all his strength to keep the raft in place. Two more crew scrambled off, one running to grab one of the crew from the front pontoon that had been thrown into the water and was scrabbling for a grip on something.

  They got enough ropes out and the raft was pinned in place, its front smashed against the wall and the rear up against a pile of rubble that had been driven up the beach.

  “Fuck!” Todd jumped off, but missed his step and went headfirst into the sand. He rolled over and got to his knees, hands up in a warding off gesture. “That was insane!”

  Janet was still kneeling in the middle of the ship. “Josh, after you tie off give me a hand here,” she said. “This guy’s out cold.”

  Kerry leaned over and recognized Don’s stocky form. “Oh hell.” Marcia was sitting on the raft bottom next to him, looking terrified. Kerry scrambled around the frame to get to Marcia’s other side, putting a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”

  “I don't know! One minute we were standing still, the next he was falling!”

  Kerry knelt. Don’s face was pale, and there was blood all over his head soaking his gray hair and staining his heather colored shirt. Unable to do anything to help, she just reached over to clasp Marcia’s hand and squeezed it.

  Rich came to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dar. “That sucks. Something from up there must have fallen on them.”

  “Hit us too.” Dar kicked a bit of rock off the raft. “But small ones.” She glanced behind them. “How far did we come?”

  “About ten miles. That was the last big rapid on this stretch,” Rich said. “This is the haul out. Sometimes they put boats in here for people who just want a quiet ride.” He pointed up the beach. “There’s a path cut there, and they keep a cache with a sat phone I think.”

  “Ah.”

  “That’s where Doug was headed. Rich peered up the beach. “Don't see the kayak though.” He frowned. “Unless he hauled it farther up on the beach. But where is he?”

  “No other place he could have gotten out?” Dar asked. “Or missed this one?”

  Rich shook his head. “Doug’s a pro. Like those guys got the raft in here? He could get that kayak in.

  The crew carried Don off the raft and they went up the beach, some of the passengers stopping to inspect the wreckage that had washed up.

  Janet disappeared ahead of them and they saw an overhang that they all gathered under to get out of the rain, giving the crew space as they put Don down so Josh could look at his head.

  Kerry walked with Marcia and they leaned against the wall, the older woman looking exhausted and scared. “We can call for help now.”

  Don started to moan and Marcia went over to kneel next to him, holding his hand, while the rest looked on uncomfortably, trying to avoid the rain falling everywhere.

  Kerry rested her head against Dar’s shoulder. “This is kind of getting past us, hon.”

  “Yeah,” Dar said, briefly. Then she pushed off the wall and walked up the small step ridge and back out into the rain, almost inhaling it as she moved past the landing and climbed up the path where Janet had disappeared.

  The landing looked well used. There were paths worn in several places, and rusty metal boxes on stilts that came into view as she moved farther from the river. Each one had something painted on the outside, some so worn it was impossible to tell what it said.

  The different operations, Dar figured, as she came around a last bend and saw a worn building made from rock and old driftwood that reminded her a little bit of their cabin in the keys. As she walked toward it, the door opened and Janet emerged, stopping when she saw Dar.

  Something was wrong. Dar had enough experience with oh shit looks to know one when she saw one. She grimly continued walking until she was up on the uneven porch.

  Janet opened her mouth to speak, but Dar lifted a hand in a warning gesture. “Please don’t tell me to just go back with the others and sit down,” she said, in a very quiet tone. “You’re getting to a point where you’re risking our lives and I want to know what's going on.”

  Janet hesitated.

  “I probably can’t do a god damned thing about it, but I want to know,” Dar said. “That little trip we just took wasn’t funny.”

  For a minute, Dar thought Janet was going to blow her off and she started marshaling her arguments, but then the woman’s shoulders dropped and she stepped back into the little cabin. “C’mon. I might as well tell someone who isn’t going to rip my head off.”

  Dar followed her inside to find what reminded her more of a garden shed than a cabin. There were bits and pieces of rafting gear and old rags, roughly made wooden boxes with rusty hasps, and the slight, but pervasive smell of old gasoline.

  “Phones gone,” Janet said. “And Doug never made it here.”

  Dar stared at her in silence. “Someone took it.”

  “Someone did. Probably another op, who needed it, maybe the end of last season and didn't bring it back. We all know each other’s combos, and the lock was unlocked, not broken.” Janet sat down on a dusty table. “So, if you got any ideas, let me have em.”

  Dar looked around. “No supplies in here?”

  “No edible ones. We hadn’t stocked it yet. Just some old stuff from last year.”

  They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. “Well,” Dar said. “I can fish with my bare hands.” She paused. “And whatever you got in here, Kerry can probably cook it.”

  THE MOVED DON into the shack, and set him on top of a pile of canvas tent covers on one of t
he benches on the edge of the storage area.

  “We’re going to have to send someone out for help,” Janet said, in a clipped tone. “Since the phone was stolen, it reduces our options, and it’s probably why Doug isn’t here. He could already be near the end of the line, and the pickup spot.”

  “Or drowned somewhere,” Todd said, sardonically. He was leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed.

  “Doug’s a very capable kayaker. So, let's think positive. But we’re going to send someone up the trail in any case,” Janet said. “Josh is going to head out in a few minutes.” She looked past him, as the rest of the group wandered up. “So, come on in and let's make the best of it.”

  Everyone clustered inside, dripping and uncomfortable, and spread out inside the two-room shack finding places to stand and drip. “We should bring all the gear over here. No sense in it sitting over there getting wet,” Sally said, motioning to the college students. “C’mon.”

  Janet opened her mouth to interject, then just stopped and turned to Kerry. “Want to help me scrounge? Your SO said you could cook.”

  “Sure,” Kerry said, and they moved into the second part of the storage cabin, filled with boxes and dust and smelling of old tents.

  “I’m going to see if I can grab a fish,” Dar said, ducking past the crowd and going out the door back into the rain. She was glad to be out of the musty smelling space, even though the weather didn’t show any signs of letting up. She passed Sally and friends on the way back, each woman dragging duffels and gear. “Thanks guys.”

  “Where are you heading?” Sally said, blinking the rain out of her eyes. “We got everything.”

  “Trying my hand at fishing,” Dar responded, continuing on her way with a wave. “Wish me luck.”

  Sally watched her go. “But you don’t have a fishing pole?”

  Dar just waved again.

  With a shake of her head, Sally continued.

  KERRY AND JANET rummaged around seeing what they could find. Janet surveyed a bag of dried venison. “I’d probably need a hammer to make that edible.”

  “This help?” Rich came in from the outside wooden shelves with a large, dented, but whole pot in his hands.