Beneath a Winter Moon

by Shawson M Hebert

  “See anything unusual, Daniel?” Thomas asked.

  “Nah. Nothing…but I think we can trust Jack on this one. I didn’t see any signs in that spot but Jack’s nose knows where they had it out last night…whatever they were.”

  “Coffee will be ready in about five minutes,” Delmar said. “Ladies, first, though.”

  “By all means,” said Thomas. “Huskies after the lady?”

  Delmar grunted. “Wouldn’t surprise me at all…the way you have spoiled him.”

  Jack wooed as if in answer. Thomas leaned over to look down the cliff wall. The drop was almost vertical and around two hundred feet down. Sharp rocks were studded along the cliff face and small, bushy plants grew from some of them. The bottom was anything but level ground and was covered by piles of boulders and outcroppings the size of a small house. “That’d be one nasty fall,” he said, kicking some snow over the ledge.

  “Definitely,” Daniel answered, leaning over to get a good look for himself.

  “Someone want to carry a cup to Jenny?” Delmar asked. “I grabbed our canteen-cups but we will be short by two so we will have to share.”

  “I’ll take it,” Daniel said. “Thomas has Jack to worry with.”

  Delmar poured coffee into one of the steel canteen cups. The odd-looking cup was designed so that a one-quart canteen could slip down into it when the cup was not in use. Two hinged, wiry handles jutted out from the back of the cup and clipped together for use as a handle. Delmar handed the cup of coffee to Daniel. “I’ve got enough in there for Steven, too or he can wait till Jenny finishes.”

  Daniel held the steaming cup out in front of him as he walked through the snow toward the helicopter. Before he made it halfway, Jenny threw the passenger door open and shouted for help.

  At first, Daniel thought Jenny and Steven were being attacked and his minds-eye flashed with an image of a huge grizzly clawing at the helicopter. But then he discerned the frantic words.

  “He won’t wake up!”

  Daniel dropped the coffee and ran, as best he could through the fresh snow. Delmar and Thomas were not far behind. Jenny shook Steven frantically but he did not respond. Thomas ran around the nose of the helicopter to the pilot’s door. He hooked Jack’s leash to one of the pontoon skids.

  Delmar coaxed Jenny out of the co-pilot’s seat and convinced her to sit in the back so that they could take a closer look at Steven. He hopped into the co-pilot’s seat and shut the door to keep out the cold.

  Thomas was standing halfway inside the pilot’s doorway, leaning over Steven’s unconscious form, listening to his chest while checking his pulse. He looked up. “His pulse is weak, but steady. He’s breathing, but it seems a little shallow.” He unzipped Steven’s jacket and unbuttoned the flannel shirt underneath. “There are no visible wounds. I need to check his entire body, but I think that this is all about a concussion.” He paused. “But he didn’t have any of the normal symptoms last night…his pupils reacted perfectly normal. His only complaint was a headache—and that is not necessarily a bad sign.”

  Jenny had jumped into the passenger cabin where Daniel sat next to her, holding an arm around her shoulders in an effort to comfort her. He told Jenny that Thomas was one of the best combat medics he had ever seen…and that Steven was in good hands and would be fine. Jack had just enough slack in his leash to jump inside the cabin to lie at Jenny’s feet. Daniel slid it closed, leaving a little crack in the door for the leash.

  At Thomas’s behest, Delmar double-checked Steven’s pulse and his breathing. “This should not have happened,” Thomas said. “There is no way that he should be unconscious—at least not because of the head wound.”

  Jenny let out a sob but kept her fist against her mouth as she tried to stay calm.

  “He’s just unconscious, Jen,” Thomas said. “His breathing is shallow which worries me but he could wake up at any moment. We need to get him out of this seat and stretch him out in the back.”

  Daniel cleared their gear and backpacks off the bench behind the pilots’ seats, piling them to one side. The three men moved Steven’s limp form. It took some effort, but they finally lay him onto the bench in the passenger cabin. Thomas rolled up his foam bedroll and used it to elevate Steven’s feet while Delmar covered Steven with a poncho liner.

  Jenny sat across from him, holding his left hand to her face. She twirled the wedding band and fought to stay calm. “I am going to kick Kyle right in the ass when we get back,” she blurted. “We’ve been over the protocols with him a hundred times. He should have had air rescue up here by the time the sun was up.” She motioned a hand toward the window. “Look out there,” she said, “The weather is perfect right now. Right now! How long will it stay this way?” No one replied but she hadn’t really expected an answer.

  “Easy, Jen,” Daniel said after a long silence. “Steven can hear you, I am sure of it. He needs to know that you are okay, so, just stay calm and let him know you are with him.”

  Jenny laid her head close to Steven’s and began speaking softly to him.

  “Jenny,” Delmar said as he climbed into the pilot’s seat, “How long should we wait before it becomes a good idea to do something on our own? I mean…by the looks of those clouds and the feel of the wind, another storm is coming. I don’t know what Kyle has or has not done so far as getting help, but I do know that if no one heard the mayday and Kyle could not get word out, then it might be that no one will even search for us today.”

  “Are you suggesting we walk out of here? We can’t leave with Steven like this,” she said, looking up at Delmar, her eyes red and moist with tears.

  Delmar glanced at Thomas and Daniel, who said nothing. “No, we can’t,” he continued, “but with his being hurt we can’t afford to leave things to chance. I am not sure yet, but it may be that two of us could make it down to the cabin at the lake or maybe to that man….Jeremiah’s place. We could radio the airfield and know that help is on the way.”

  “Let’s not jump the gun, though Delmar,” Thomas said. “We need to take a good look the map first and maybe talk through what we know about the normal procedures of the air rescue units here.”

  “Thomas is right, Delmar,” Daniel agreed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You know that the one thing you never do is leave your aircraft. How many times have you said that during training when your men were about to board the aircraft? Part of the safety-brief during training or peace-time is that you never, ever leave your downed aircraft.”

  “That is a good rule, Daniel but there are exceptions. All of us wouldn’t be leaving, for one thing.” He leaned back and reached into his cargo pocket, pulling out a laminated map. “And we have no idea if anyone is coming for us. Let’s assume that Jenny is right and for whatever reason, Kyle was unable to get word out. What we need to know is when will we be missed and when will someone start looking for us?” He paused as he unfolded the map. “Steven’s injury has changed this whole scenario. If we sit here and it takes two or three days before we are located, well…”

  “We don’t know that it would take that long,” Thomas said.

  “Exactly,” Delmar interjected. “We don’t know. We came prepared to live out of our rucksacks and move through the mountains on foot. We’ve got the gear and the supplies with us right now. Two of us could probably get to the lake in a day’s time.”

  “You do not know that,” Daniel said, folding his arms across his chest.

  “So, let’s take a few minutes and plot our position on the map and plot a route. We’ll see.”

  Jenny sat upright and looked at Delmar. “What if air rescue comes while you are gone? Won’t it just make things worse? They would just have to look for you, too.”

  Delmar shrugged, “If air rescue comes then you and Steven…and whoever stays with you gets a flight home while the other two keep moving to the cabin. No matter what happens, we will get to the cabin. If you guys are already safely back at home then we will just get to the cabin and wait
our turn by a nice warm fireplace.”

  Thomas had to admit that it might not be so bad an idea...providing the terrain was not too horrible.

  “You and Thomas can take a look at the map,” Daniel said.

  “Absolutely,” replied Delmar, already staring down at the laminated map.

  “But, Delmar…I don’t like it.”

  Delmar sighed.

  Delmar and Thomas studied the map for several minutes. “Going on Steven’s last 6-digit coordinate and using this terrain, I can easily see where we are.” Delmar said. He shifted in the seat. “Now we just plot some routes…either to Jeremiah’s place or to the cabin…and make a decision.”

  “Fine,” said Daniel. “But I’ll be staying right here, regardless.”

  “Hey…” Thomas began. “Hold on a second...”

  “Thomas, I am not leaving this helicopter. That leaves you and Delmar.”

  “But…”

  “There is no ‘but’ to it. I am not leaving.”

  “Okay, Daniel, but I think Delmar has a good point here. Something has kept rescue from coming. The sky has been clear for hours, now. If someone knew we were here, we’d have heard aircraft at dawn. I think something has happened with Kyle’s radio...” he looked at Jenny, “Or maybe with Kyle himself.” He paused a moment. “He should have called in last night and definitely this morning.” He gave the words time to sink in. “In any case, it’s been three hours since sunup and there’s nothing on the radio and we’ve seen no one.”

  “And we are not due back into Hope for another six days.” Jenny said softly.

  “Steven cannot wait that long,” Thomas said.

  “Hell, we cannot wait that long.” Delmar said.

  “We could, Delmar” Daniel replied, “but you are right, Thomas…Steven can’t.”

  Thomas looked at Daniel, who was shaking his head. “I’m going to consider this, Daniel, because Steven needs professional help.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Alan Tucker opened the passenger door of the Cessna and tossed a satchel inside. “Hey, now,” the scrawny photographer said in protest, “that gear is breakable.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Craig” Alan said. “I wasn’t thinking. My apologies.”

  The man scowled, but nodded. “And you are sure that the cameras mounted underneath the plane are all set…and that my trigger will work?”

  “Yup,” Alan answered. “It is working perfectly. You will have full control by using the button, or you can use the auto settings.”

  There were two cameras mounted underneath the aircraft, each coordinated to snap photos in unison with the other. One was set to take 35mm shots and the other, digital. The photographer could take the photographs manually or he could use the automatic settings, which could take 12, 18, or 24 photos in a series. The series of finished photos could then be put together for a slide or fused for a panoramic shot. Craig wanted to get several hours worth of low altitude photos over the mountains and Baron Lake but he knew he would be limited today due to the weather.

  “How long do we have?” he asked Alan.

  “Oh, I’d say we have probably thirty or forty minutes of good light and clear sky once we get across the lake and into the north. We’re a good hour ahead of the storm and it will take half an hour to get there, so we do need to get moving. You know, you sure picked the wrong time of the year for these aerial photos.”

  “So I am reminded each and every day,” said Craig. His first name was also Alan, which was a bit of a problem for…Alan…so he had asked to be called by his last name.

  Alan heard some resentment in the man’s voice. “Yeah, I guess so. But hey, don’t you worry about today. You will get some great shots. I’ve double-checked the digital review on your laptop just as you asked and it works great. You will have complete swivel control for a full 360 degrees.”

  “Thanks, Alan. You have been a lot of help.” And the young man had been. Craig didn’t think that any other pilot would have done the work that Alan had…never mind on such short notice.

  “Well, that’s because it interests me, Mr. Craig. Plus I’m always looking for ways to expand my business. These photo shoots have given me some ideas of my own.” He slid a hand along a wing, checking for tears or cracks. “I might do something like this myself and add it to my brochure …you know, aerial photos of hunters while they are at their camps or in the areas they will be hunting in. Might turn out to be profitable.”

  “I wish you luck with that venture, then,” Craig said and he genuinely meant it.

  Alan finished checking the aircraft’s exterior. “You can climb in, Mr. Craig”

  Craig stepped up into the passenger side of the aircraft and reached back, retrieving his laptop computer. He hooked the camera control cable to the laptop, and held the small thumb-button in his right hand. Alan checked to see that Craig was strapped in and then gave him a thumb’s-up. “We will be up and flying in a couple minutes.” Alan said, switching some controls on the console. “You can go ahead and power up your gear, now.”

  Within half an hour, they were flying low over the northern lake and the rocky wilderness on its northern side. Craig asked Alan to loop back around certain areas and then afterward told him to go as far as he could into the mountains. Forty minutes later, the aircraft began to hit turbulence as a new and heavy storm system inched its way south into their path.

  “That about does it,” Alan said. “I’m turning back and heading for the airfield, now.”

  “Okay,” Craig said, “Would you fly over that new cabin and dock that we saw earlier, if you can? I really like the feel of it. Looks like a snapshot out of time from up here.”

  Alan smiled. “That is the Svensons’ new cabin. He has a new long-term hunting lease down there. You might want to look him up once you have the photographs ready. He’d probably be interested in buying some.”

  “I’ll do that if I have time,” Craig said. “I think I have some great shots.”

  After landing, Alan unhooked the belly-cameras from the Cessna but left the mounting system in place. The snow was howling all around them as they gathered the rest of the gear. Alan was surprised at how calm Craig was during the snowy, windy landing and he felt that the guy must have some gumption not to have yelped in fear at least once. Craig had signed up for eight full hours of flight time over the mountains and had only used about two, so Alan would be on stand-by, ready to fly again as soon as they could.

  The two men stopped at Enoch’s for an early lunch, where they listened to the latest weather forecast and made tentative plans for a flight sometime the next day, weather permitting. Alan dropped Craig off at his hotel and drove his Ford Bronco to his trailer, which sat about five miles south of town on a lonely, snow-covered stretch of grass. He was lucky that his place was on the electrical grid. If he had settled another mile further south, he would have had to use a generator. Alan loved the little spot, though, glad to be well outside of the town. He could step outside at night and see nothing but the stars and the moon…no lights from town, no street- lights or traffic on the lonely road…just the night.

  He parked the Bronco in the drive, happy to see Kathy’s jeep already there. The top of the jeep had about four inches of snow on it, so he figured she must have come over pretty early. She opened the door to the trailer and waived. He waved back and smiled.

  He settled in and flipped on a football game that he had recorded the night before. He dozed occasionally while Kathy studied. She was a part time college student, working for her Bachelor’s in English. She hoped to become a teacher at one of the local schools…a local girl who loved Hope and wanted to stay there and teach in the schools and maybe even raise her own children.

  Alan jumped when the phone rang. “Want me to get it?” Kathy asked.

  “Nah,” he said, picking up the phone.

  It was Craig and he sounded upset. He said that he had to show something to Alan and asked if he would please drive back into town to take a look. When Ala
n asked what it was, Craig said that he would rather not try to describe it over the phone…he wanted to show him. Alan could hear the anxiety in the man’s voice and so he agreed, telling Craig that he would be there in about half an hour. Kathy frowned but understood once Alan described how worried Craig sounded.

  Half an hour later, he knocked on Craig’s hotel room door. Craig opened it and motioned for Alan to come in. Alan saw large photographs scattered around the room. Craig noticed Alan looking the room over, and said, “Some are still drying. Had to keep them flat and separated.” He motioned for Alan to have a seat at a small round table near a window.

  He brought over a series of photos and laid them on the table in front of Alan, and then handed him a large, round magnifying glass. “Please take a look at these and tell me what you think.”

  “Look, Mr. Craig, I hope you didn’t call me over here just for an opinion on your photos. I mean…I don’t mind so much, really, but I am no judge of quality…”

  Craig cut him off, “Please just look at them,”

  Alan paused. “Okay.” He took the heavy magnifying glass and looked at the first aerial photograph. He saw horse stables and a fence, which surrounded the stables and extended further, forming a corral. Nothing unusual, he thought. He slowly moved the magnifying glass toward the cabin. Just as he moved the edge of the glass away from the stables, he saw it. “That looks like a dead horse.” He said.

  “Yes, it is,” Craig replied. “Now look at the boards underneath and around the horse. It looks like he broke open the fence.”

  “Yep, I see it. Looks like the horse might have tried to break through. Might have broken his neck or something.”

  “Okay, now look to the front of the cabin—look closely at the porch and the snow around it”

  Alan didn’t like what he saw there. The snow around the porch was stained with dark splotches and protruding from the porch, hanging down into the snow, was what looked like a leg and a boot. He eased the magnifying glass up, further from the photo, trying to get a better look. “It looks like a leg sticking out from the porch.”