Dead in Love (Dead Series)

by Colby Van Wagoner

  “This cave is located on Public School Trust land. After years of rescues, the landowners wanted to fill the entrance with concrete but an agreement was made with the Timponogos Grotto to the gate and control access to the cave to help ensure the safety of visitors. This unfortunately failed with a death of a 26 year old in 2009. The cave is now planned to be permanently sealed due to the fact that they were unable to recover the body. The area where he was stuck is one that I have not been nearly as far as others, because I felt it would be too tight to continue.”

  “There are multiple sections in the cave and each of you will need to keep your maps handy. The sections are listed here.” He shined his flashlight at the map and called them all over, “Just below the entrance, is the "Big Slide" at the breakdown ledges, the upper section of "The Big Slide". The drop off, at the bottom of "The Big Slide”, resting at the opening of "Bob's Push", better known as "The Birth Canal", you need to make sure you are all coming out of "The Birth Canal" the right way, although the "breech" method is easier, as well as less painful. Nutty Putty is a hydrothermal cave and all the gear needed is inside our bags.”

  There was a large sign next to the cave entrance, which read: Caving is inherently hazardous. The information shared on our grotto website is done as a courtesy and we cannot be held accountable for accidents that may befall you and your group. We do our best to provide accurate information, but we must remind all cavers... CAVE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

  Matt then read the requirements, as a reminder to the group, “Some of you have experience, but I want to remind you, caves have large vertical drops or pits and require physical fitness, specialized training, specialized equipment and specialized skill in using such equipment before entering.”

  He walked slowly in front of the group, “They are cold and wet, and require proper training, footwear and clothing before entering, which all of you have. There are very tight sections and are complex in nature, this means that without care and caution, it is easy to get stuck, or lost, which can result in the need for rescue, or even the loss of life.”

  He walked to the entrance of the cave and stood looking through the large opening, shining his flashlight deep into the darkness, “Caves have loose, rocky places in them where if you are not careful, you may slip and fall, or where rocks can easily be dislodged onto other cavers, or fall from great heights, which can cause serious injury even death. They are very dry and dusty and the dust is known to contain that which can cause respiratory diseases. In these cases, we will use proper respirator protection to avoid serious and potentially life threatening maladies. They contain bats, rats and other animals and insects. These animals are protected by National law and many are endangered so, please, use every effort to not disturb these unique animals, which are highly valued in our echo system.”

  “Now who’s ready to cave?” The team Hooted and hollered and each of the members of the expedition stepped forward through the entrance. The lights on their helmets lit up the sides of the cave walls, revealing droplets of water and dust, which was floating slowly through the air from the footsteps of each caver.

  They called out their movements and positions, the sounds of their voices were muffled against the cave walls and faded into the distance cave tunnel. Matt turned as they reached the first tunnel, descending deeper into the section of the cave called, The Big Slide. This section required the cavers to crawl down a sturdy, steel ladder, which was fastened to the ceiling above the drop.

  “Kevin, you are the second most experienced climber, you take lead and I’ll follow after to make sure everyone makes it down alright.”

  Kevin walked to the ladder, broke a light stick and dropped it into the darkness below. He reached for the ladder and turned to the group, “Here we go!” Stepping down one by one, he lowered himself down the ladder, the light on his helmet reflected and spun, above and below his body, keeping light on where he came from and where he was heading.

  There were large formations jutting into the sides of the tunnel and a steady stream of water flowing down the walls of the cave, “I have a steady flow of water coming through the tunnel, the ladder is extremely slippery half way down. Be careful!”

  “Thanks Kevin. Team, make sure you have your gloves on when each of you go down.” Each team member slipped on their climbing gloves and wiped the bottoms of their shoes, to ensure they wouldn’t slip during the climb down. From the bottom, Kevin held the ladder, making sure it didn’t swing too much.

  Each of the remaining cavers had reached the bottom of the ladder and Matt was the last to come down. He jumped from the ladder and walked to the front of the group. “Wow, look at this view! We have the remainder of our time to explore and move throughout the right section of the cave, so let’s have fun, but remember you are in a cave so, safety first.”

  “We have to go down another section, using ropes to repel down the tunnel. Here are the equipment and techniques we will use, just like back at the training warehouse.” Matt owned a large warehouse where he taught climbing and caving techniques to groups of people, scout troops, tourists and other outdoor enthusiasts. Among the many things he taught was the basic beginning courses and introductory classes to certify the participants, which were: First, the most important piece of equipment which is hard hats, to be worn to protect the head from bumps and falling rocks.

  The caver's primary light source is usually mounted on the helmet, in order to keep the hands free. Electric lights are most common, with halogen lamps being standard and white LEDs as the new competing technology. Many cavers carried two or more sources of light, one as primary and the others as backup, in case the first fails. More often than not, a second light will be mounted to the helmet for quick transition if the primary fails.

  The type of clothes, Matt taught, worn underground varies according to the environment of the cave being explored. In cold caves, the caver may wear a warm base layer that retained its insulating properties when wet, such as a fleece suit or polypropylene underwear and an over suit of hard-wearing and waterproof material. Lighter clothing may be worn in warm caves, particularly if the cave is dry and in tropical caves thin polypropylene clothing is used, to provide some abrasion protection whilst remaining as cool as possible. Wetsuits may be worn if the cave is particularly wet, or involves stream passages.

  On the feet, boots are worn; hiking-style boots in drier caves or rubber boots often with neoprene socks in wetter caves and knee-pads, popular for protecting joints during crawls. Depending on the nature of the cave, gloves were sometimes worn to protect the hands against abrasion and cold. In pristine areas and for restoration, clean over suits and powder-free, non-latex surgical gloves are used to protect the cave itself from contaminants.

  Matt taught the classes the different types of ropes for descending or ascending pitches or for protection. The knots commonly used in caving are the figure-of-eight-loop, bowline, alpine butterfly and Italian hitch. Ropes are usually rigged using bolts, slings and carabiners. In some cases, cavers may choose to bring and use a flexible metal ladder. In addition to the equipment, Matt described, cavers should frequently carry packs containing first-aid kits, emergency equipment and food. Containers for securely transporting urine were also commonly carried. During very long trips, it may be necessary to camp in the cave. This necessitates the caver carrying sleeping and cooking equipment.

  Caves can be dangerous places as Matt taught; cavers can experience hypothermia, falling, flooding and physical exhaustion being the main risks. Rescuing people from underground is difficult and time-consuming and requires special skills, training and equipment. Full-scale cave rescues often involved the efforts of dozens of rescue workers, often other long-time cavers who have participated in specialized courses, as normal rescue staff are not sufficiently experienced in cave environments, who may themselves be put in jeopardy in effecting the rescue.

  Matt reminded classes that caving is not necessarily a high-risk sport, especially if it does not involve dif
ficult climbs or diving and as in all physical sports, knowing one's limitations is important. Risks are minimized by a number of techniques: Checking that there were no dangers of flooding during the expeditions and rainwater funneled underground can flood a cave very quickly, trapping people in cut-off passages and drowning them. After falling, this is the most likely fatal accident in caving. Using teams of several, preferably at least of four cavers. If an injury occurs, one caver stays with the injured person, while the other two go out for help, providing assistance to each other on their way out.

  Notifying people outside the cave as to the intended return time. After an appropriate delay, without a return, these will then organize a search party, usually made up by other cavers trained in cave rescues, as even professional emergency personnel are unlikely to have the skills to affect a rescue in difficult conditions.

  One of the most important elements of caving is the use of helmet-mounted lights with extra batteries. Matt recommend a minimum of three independent sources of light per person, but two lights are common practice amongst cavers. Sturdy clothing and footwear, as well as a helmet, were necessary to reduce the impact of abrasions, falls and falling objects. Synthetic fibers and woolens, which dry quickly, shed water and are warm when wet, are vastly preferred to cotton materials, which retain water and increase the risk of hypothermia.

  Cave passages look different, from different directions. In long or complex caves, even experienced cavers can become lost. To reduce the risk of becoming lost, it is necessary to memorize the appearance of key navigational points in the cave as they are passed by the exploring party. Each member of a cave party shares responsibility for being able to remember the route out of the cave.

  In some caves it may be acceptable to mark a small number of key junctions with small stacks or “cairns” of rocks, or to leave a non-permanent mark such as high-visibility flagging tape tied to a projection. He taught the classes vertical caving, using ladders or single rope technique, to avoid the need for climbing passages that are too difficult. Single rope technique, however, is a complex skill and required proper training before use underground and needs well-maintained equipment. Some drops that are abseiled down may be as deep as several hundred meters.

  Inside the cave, Matt took part of the cavers through the section of the cave called, The Birth Canal, which split into two sections. Matt took part of the group through the right tunnel, in an area known as The Aorta Crawl and Kevin took the remainder of the team, down a section called Ed’s Push. Each of the teams crawled through the tight section, using a crawl technique and sliding through the tunnel. Matt was taking the team down through the Aorta Crawl, in a section that required each caver to pull through a submerged tunnel filled with water.

  He stood over the entrance of the underwater tunnel and directed each of the team members, “At this point, it is important to remember that no-one panic and stop, keep moving forward through the underwater section. This submerged section is 20 feet long so you will want to take a deep breath. Make sure you have your portable oxygen breathers and lights, in order to navigate this section correctly. This is the rope through the tunnel,” He held up the rope that led through the water and shined his flashlight on it, “I will go first and be on the other side should any of you become disoriented. It is a straight shot through the water, so don’t expect any twists or turns.”

  He climbed down through the entrance and into the water. His light disappeared in the water and the tunnel went dark. The remaining cavers climbed through the submerged tunnel and met Matt on the other side. They continued through the Aorta Crawl, towards Vein Alley the deepest part of the Nutty Putty Cave.

  Kevin and three other cavers were deep into Ed’s push. One of the cavers was looking down another hidden section of tunnels. He looked deep into the tunnel with his light and noticed a hand lying on the ground, “Hey, I see someone down in this tunnel.” The rest of the group rushed to see what was in the tunnel.

  Kevin shined his light into the darkness and saw the hand, “Hello?” He called out. “I’m going to crawl down there and try to see what happened. Kevin crawled, slowly head first, into the tunnel pulling his body through the tight crevices, there was very little space to adjust and as he moved closer, his helmet light revealed blood on the hand.

  He reached out and took the hand, attempting to find a pulse but there was none, “Guys, I think we have a fatality.” Turning back in the direction of the hand, there was a face staring back at Kevin; it was Geoff, who had been infected by Laylianna. Geoff struggled forward and grabbed Kevin’s arm, biting into the forearm section of his arm. Kevin panicked and rushed backwards to escape. Geoff crawled forward and followed Kevin, reaching forward trying to grab him again. Kevin climbed from the tunnel, holding his arm as the others shined their lights on the wound.

  “What happened?” One of the cavers inquired. “I was bitten. The person in there had no pulse but he attacked me and bit me!” They turned their lights towards the tunnel, as Geoff climbed from the entrance. He was bloody and had been ripped apart, but was reanimated and crawling towards the group. “Hey what’s your problem man?” Kevin called out.

  Geoff pushed Kevin aside, knocking him against the cave wall. He grabbed another caver and bit off three of her fingers. Spitting them to the cave floor, Geoff rushed the last caver and jumped onto his back. They struggled and spun around a few times until Geoff bit into his neck. The man shrieked in pain and the scream echoed through Ed’s push and faded to silence.

  Matt and the other cavers had finished exploring the last section of Vein Alley and had returned to the fork, separating the two systems. Matt looked down into Ed’s Push and called out, “Kevin, are you guys down there?” The call echoed through the tunnel and faded to silence. “Kevin, are you down there?”

  He pulled out his two way radio and attempted to radio Kevin. “Kevin are you there, do you copy?” He waited and then attempted one more call, “Kevin you there, do you copy?” There was no response, Matt turned to the rest of the group, “Wait here. They may have gotten into trouble.” The rest of the team watched as Matt climbed into the tunnel and moved forward into Ed’s Push.

  Matt climbed from the tunnel and into Ed’s push. His helmet light went dead. He dropped to the cave floor, opened his bag and pulled out replacement batteries. After putting them in the light, he switched them back on. Placing his pack on his back, he looked up to discover four bodies lying on the ground, “Kevin, guys?” They were lying in different positions and puddles of blood were beneath each body. Matt walked across the cave system checking each for a pulse, but there were none, they had all been slaughtered. He stood over them for 10 minutes determining what might have happened and what to do?

  He walked to the tunnel leading out of Ed’s Push and began climbing up. As he began climbing, he heard a noise echoing from behind him and continuous scraping sounds. He paused and began climbing back out. As he reached the edge of the tunnel, moans and groans began to come from Ed’s Push. They grew louder and were soon right behind Matt. It was Kevin and the other cavers.

  Matt turned to see the group of cavers, who he thought to be deceased. The light from Matt’s helmet shined on the faces of the people coming towards him. They were frothing from the mouth and reaching out towards him, as he struggled to make his way back into the passageway, leading from Ed’s Push.

  Matt screamed to the other cavers, “Help me guys, something has happened to Kevin’s group, help!” Struggling to escape, he slipped and fell back into the main chamber. The group of infected cavers overcame Matt and piled on top of him, ripping at his caving gear and biting at his hands and face. Screaming and struggling, Matt was bitten and infected.

  He went still and in a few moments, his eyes opened back up. They were bloodshot and glazed over, as he stood up and wandered towards the tunnel, leading back up towards the remaining cavers. One of the cavers, in the chamber above The Big Slide, shined his light into the darkness. He could see moveme
nt coming up the tunnel, “Matt, is that you?” The group waited as the movement came closer to the chamber.

  As they stood at the opening to Ed’s Push, Matt came from the tunnel first. He writhed and moaned, as he climbed from the entrance. The group rushed to help him and he grabbed the first caver that came to him. Matt bit the arm of the caver and the others shined their lights on his face. Behind Matt, the other infected cavers came from the tunnel, each one rushing at the cavers, overtaking them, biting and attacking the group. “What the hell are you doing?” One of the cavers yelled, as the infected caver pulled her to the ground, tearing her body apart. After the mayhem, the lights attached to the cavers helmets, slowly shined around the cave and moved through The Big Push. The infected cavers climbed the ladder, leading out of the cave and emerged from the entrance of Nutty Putty caves. They walked across the desert, towards the West side of the Lake Mountains.

  Chapter Fourteen

  On the west side of the Lake Mountains, five hunters were sitting around a campfire, after a long day of hunting. They had successfully hunted two bucks and had them hanging from a nearby tree. Dale was placing more wood on the fire, as Kyle was reminiscing about the days his father would take him to the resort just North of Tooele. He pulled out a pack of Marlboro, red cigarettes and lit one, beginning his story, “On our 1993 visit to Saltair, we were just passing through and stopped to test the theory that, due to the sea's saltiness, we would be able to float, since the body’s density would be so much less than that of the water. We parked and walked into the water, getting out maybe a few hundred feet from the shoreline, all the while walking in horrible, soft, warm mud, with millions of brine shrimp flies, buzzing the surface of the water. Did I mention the stench?”

  “Even this far out, we were only up to our shins. Getting far enough out to float seemed less and less appealing, so we turned back and watched the sunset from the shore. They had outdoor showers, so we showered off the mud and went on our way. We wanted to explore the Saltair pavilion, a large building sitting on the lake’s south shore about five miles west of the airport. There were a few vehicles, maybe 20, in the parking lot. There was no cost to enter, so we walked in, there was a small souvenir shop and on this day, the air conditioning was burned out, so the room was very stuffy and stale.”