Donna-Lou called to him, "Why are you so interested in bats?" Shouldn't we be figuring out how to get out of here?"
"That's exactly what I'm doing," Rory yelled back.
Chet and called Donna-Lou exchanged glances and they quickly moved with the two kids over the jagged rocks to join him. As they caught up with him, Rory was wading ankle deep into the mini-lake, carefully watching for any unexpected drop-off.
"Are you going swimming?" Emma asked.
Rory didn't answer. He just kept moving towards the lowest cascade of water where it splashed into the clear mini-lake.
"What are you doing?" Chet called. "You need me to help?"
Rory still didn't answer as he concentrated on his destination. The water was at his knees now as he slowly moved across the wide expanse of water. One hundred and fifty feet across, the water was at his waist and he shivered from the cold, spring water as he reached the lowest cascade and climbed out. He stood on the first level of rock, flashing his light upward, examining a series of wet rock steps climbing up towards the roof.
"What are you doing, Rory?" Chet called again.
"Think about it," he yelled as he looked back at the group. "Where did the bats go?"
Chet shrugged and looked at Donna-Lou. "I have no idea," he yelled back.
"They had to go somewhere," Rory yelled again as he pointed up, "I'm going exploring. The rock looks slippery from all the moisture in here but...I should be okay."
Corry started coughing again and he bent over, hands on his knees.
"Do you really think there's a possible way out up there?" Donna-Lou called out frantically as she went to her son.
Rory looked around from his perch on the first level of rock, "I don't really see any other way out of here," he yelled back. He looked up at the cascading water, "If the water can come in...and the bats can get out somewhere...then maybe...?"
"We're going up with you," Donna-Lou yelled.
"It could be dangerous. And it might not be a way out. If someone falls–" Rory yelled back to her.
"And it's dangerous if we stay down here," she interjected loudly. "If these kids get infected, how long can we last, even if we do have this water?" Donna-Lou's voice trailed off as she knelt beside her son. She looked up at Chet, "We have to go up there. Right?"
Chet blinked as he looked at Donn-Lou. Then he looked over at Rory and his eyes followed the cascading water up into the deep shadows far above them. He opened his mouth...closed it...and swallowed.
Chapter 53
CHET CALHOUN LOOKED into Donna-Lou's eyes, feeling the weight of a decision on his shoulders. Then he looked at the two kids, coughing, hands at their throats and he decided. Looking across the pool of water, he called out, "Rory–" His voice caught and he put a hand to his dry throat and then tried again, "We're...we're going with you. We're going up, too." He looked back at Donna-Lou.
She gave him a nod and whispered, "Good, good."
Across the pool, Rory said, "Okay." It was quiet and more to himself but he slipped back down into the cold water and began wading back.
Chet and Donna-Lou helped the kids to get closer to the water, talking with them, reassuring them everything would be okay before long.
As he neared the edge of the pool, Rory called out, "C'mon, Corry. I'll give you a piggyback across to the rocks."
"I could swim it," Corry told. "I'm a good swimmer–" He began coughing again.
"You'll drown if you try to swim across with that cough, young man," his mother said sternly. "Now climb on and Rory will take you across."
"This water is very cold, Corry," Rory said. "If you get the shivers, you'll have a hard time breathing, and that will only add to the problem."
Corry nodded, "Okay."
Rory sloshed out of the water and crouched down so Corry could get on his back.
"Come on, Emma," Chet said, "I'll be your horse."
Emma grinned and climbed on board with Donna-Lou's help.
Chet stood up and waded into the water.
"Giddyup horse," Emma said with a giggle. Then she put her face against Chet's back and coughed.
A few feet into the water, Chet looked back to Donna-Lou, "Will you be okay? Or do you want me to come back and...?"
Donna-Lou placed her hands on her hips as she stood at the edge of the water, "Why Mr. Calhoun, are you suggesting we horse around while we're in this danger? Can't you wait till later?"
Chet gave her a stupid grin and shook his head.
Emma giggled, "She's funny."
"She is," Chet said as he headed across to the rocks.
Donna-Lou waded slowly into the water, shivering from just the touch of the cold water.
"Be careful," Rory yelled back to them, "there's a drop-off just to the right and the footing under the water is slippery from algae buildup."
Chet nodded but kept his head down as he followed Rory through the water, carefully watching each step as he waded towards the wall of rock where the water was cascading down.
Donna-Lou followed closely behind, pushing her way through the water.
Chet's right foot slid to the side suddenly and he nearly fell in before he righted himself. "Emma," he said with a hoarse voice, "you're choking me...."
"Well," the little girl complained, "I don't want to fall in."
Rory turned as he reached the rocks and allowed Corry to get off.
Corry knelt down on the first tier of rock and started coughing again from just that exertion
Rory waited for Chet and Emma to reach him and then helped the young girl to climb the rock.
Corry's cough lessened enough to allow him to grab Emma's arm, pulling her up beside him.
Donna-Lou was about ten feet away when she yelped and slid sideways, falling under the water and disappearing from view.
Chet turned immediately in concern, "Donna-Lou!" Not seeing her come back up, he pushed through the water and dove in after her.
Corry was on his feet in a heartbeat, desperately looking for his mother, "Mom. Mom."
"He'll find her," Rory said as he took a step toward the area where they had gone under. He looked for any sign of movement under the water, getting ready to dive in himself. The only sound was the echo of the water spilling into the mini-lake.
A few long seconds later, Chet shot up from the water, his arm around Donna-Lou. She coughed and water shot from her mouth. Chet waded his way back towards the shallow area, pulling her with him. She coughed and spit out more water, pushing the hair from her face as she allowed herself to be dragged. Just before the first tier of rock, Chet stumbled and he went backward with Donna-Lou. And she yelped.
Rory jumped into the shallow water and grabbed Chet's shirt, pulling both of them back
"Thanks," sputtered Chet as he turned Donna-Lou around to the rocks.
Donna-Lou grabbed onto the rough, jagged rock, pulling herself out of the water and up to her son.
Rory and Chet then pulled themselves out of the water and up onto the first level of rock where they both flopped face down.
Donna-Lou was coughing, still on her hands and knees with her son tapping her on the back with his hand.
Chet got to his knees and moved to her side quickly, "Are you all right?"
Donna-Lou nodded as she coughed, waving her hand that she was okay.
Rory rolled over and lay on his back to rest, his arms stretched out across the wet rock. "That was fun," he said, "and that's only the first level."
No one said anything for a minute. And then Donna-Lou started a small laugh but a cough cut it off.
After a few moments of rest, Rory rolled over again, this time getting to his knees, "Okay. Guess we might as well start our way up."
Donna-Lou and Chet looked at each other. She gave him a small smile and nod before she got up onto her feet, "I'm ready when you guys are." She checked on the two kids.
"Okay," Rory said as he rose to his feet, "I'll go first and try to find the best route up there." He walked
carefully across the slippery rock and began to look for handholds and footholds to get started
Donna-Lou urged Corry and Emma to get up as she said, "Keep the kids in mind as you climb, Rory."
"Right."
Chet and Donn-Lou worked together with the kids to move across the wet rock. Falling and getting hurt before they even started to climb would be disastrous. As they stood just below Rory as he made his way up, Donna-Lou looked up at the rise of stone and shook her head, "I don't know about you guys but...that is a lot higher than I thought it was. It's like...mountain climbing...."
Corry put his hand in hers, "I'll help you, mom. We can make it." But when he looked way up himself, his face didn't show the confidence he expressed.
Donna-Lou put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close, "I know you will. We'll help each other."
Rory called down from ten feet above them, "Okay. Stay just on this side of the falling water but watch for wet spots. Make sure your hands and feet are firm so you don't slip. Just take it slow and you'll be fine."
Chet and Donna-Lou exchanged serious, worried looks. Chet gave her a nod, "You go first with Corry and then I'll send Emma up after you. If someone slips, I can catch them."
Donna-Lou gave him a nod in return and then urged Corry to start his climb. She followed closely.
"Okay, Emma, your turn," Chet said.
Emma looked scared but she did as he asked.
Chet took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, flexing his hands before he started the dangerous climb himself.
Chapter 54
THE CLIMB WAS LONG, slow and difficult. Moisture beaded on the stone and made the climb beside the cascading waterfall treacherous for everyone. Reaching the first ledge of rock where the water cascaded forty feet to the pool below, Rory had them all stop and rest. It was more important for the kids to keep their energy up but there was no doubt Chet and Donna-Lou were finding it difficult. As a private investigator who could meet danger at any moment, Rory had a daily routine of exercises to keep him fit, even on the road. That didn't appear to be the case for the others. He told himself to keep an eye on them.
The next part of the climb went easier but the kids would break into fits of coughing every so often. That was worrisome. Not just because it could be energy draining, but a sudden, involuntary fit of coughing could cause one of them to lose their grip on the rock.
After another short rest, Chet and Donna-Lou stayed as close as they could to the kids, just in case they did lose their hold on the rocks. But the kids still had to do the physical climb on their own. There was no way to hold their hand or do it for them. And that added to the stress, making the climb more psychologically difficult and energy draining for the adults. Donna-Lou and Chet exchanged glances, trying to keep each other encouraged.
Rory couldn't do much to help. He just had to keep climbing above them. It was his job to find and point out the handholds and footholds and to keep looking for the easiest route upward. The problem was, there really wasn't one. The upper levels where the water cascaded past the group on their way to the pool far below were steeper and more treacherous and it took nearly twice as long before they found another suitable area to rest. Everyone was breathing heavy.
Another long slow climb took them up into the shadow areas of the cavern where they took another brief rest. Rory had hoped the higher areas would be dust free but that wasn't the case. The air actually seemed heavier with the dust from the explosion and breathing was difficult at times for all of them. Rory became convinced they had to get out as soon as possible and he had them on the move again, despite some grumbling.
But getting to the next level seemed to take forever. He wasn't sure if it was slower going because they were tired or because of the difficulty in breathing, due to the thick dust in the air. It didn't matter. They were slowing down and that worried him. He looked down several times, watching each individual struggle as they moved upward. Their flashlights danced through the shadows off to the sides. They were close now. Finally reaching the top of the cascading waterfall, Rory saw something hopeful and he crawled upward over the angled wet stone.
Emma reached the upper ledge and scrambled forward on her knees.
Corry got onto the ledge but flopped onto his face, exhausted.
Chet flopped onto the rock as well, just off to the left.
Donna-Lou moved past her son on her hands and knees, her breathing heavy, "C'mon, Corry. Get away from the edge–"
Breaking into a bout of coughing, Emma's body went into a spasm and her foot slipped on the wet rocks. She slipped backward towards the edge of the rock level and let out a scream.
Donna-Lou frantically grabbed for her but missed, screaming, "Emma!"
Emma frantically grabbed for a handhold, but her fingers slipped over the wet rocks and her body plummeted over the edge.
Chapter 55
CORRY SCRAMBLED AROUND and dove across the slippery rock surface, reaching out to grab Emma's left wrist with both his hands, just as she disappeared from view.
Donna-Lou screamed in panic as she saw her son's upper body sliding over the edge. In another second, he would be falling to the pool below.
Chet spun around and threw himself across the wet rock surface, grabbing Corry's right ankle and stopping his forward momentum.
Rory scrambled back down quickly and grabbed Chet's shirt to keep him anchored, "Have you got him?"
Chet nodded his head slightly and grunted, "Yeah...."
Emma was nowhere in sight and Rory feared the worst, "Corry? Do you have hold of Emma?"
Corry was near tears, "Y-yeah...but...I... I can't...hold on...please help me."
Rory looked at Donna-Lou, "I want you to hold onto Chet."
But Donna-Lou was in a panic and she looked from Rory to Corry.
"Donna-Lou? You need to hold Chet."
Corry whimpered under the strain.
Rory spoke calmly, "Just a few more seconds, Corry. Hold on to her." He looked back at his mother, whispering, "Just trust me."
Donna-Lou nodded faintly. She was shaking but she slid across the rock and sat down on Chet's legs. She reached forward and grabbed onto the waistband of his pants to hold him in place as well.
Rory carefully slid past Chet and then past Corry's body. Sliding between two shards of rock, he spotted Emma's jeans. He looked for a way to move lower to try and get underneath her. The rock was very treacherous here. Rory clutched at the rock surface, looking for a solid hold on the wet, slippery rocks as he moved downward.
Corry saw him from the corner of his eye and he whispered frantically."Please hurry."
Rory had no time to move any lower. He held onto a slippery rock with his right hand and shuffled left, extending his left arm towards the young girl.
"I can't–" Corry said in a strained voice.
Emma screamed as Corry's hands slipped from her wrist.
Rory leaned down urgently and grabbed
Emma fell - and stopped suddenly!
Rory's fingers had gone into the waistband of her jeans at the back.
Emma screamed as she looked at the long drop below her.
Rory strained to pull the young girl closer to him, "I've got her. Pull Corry up."
Corry's body slipped upward.
Rory slowly pulled himself back, bringing her closer to safety. "Grab hold of something, Emma," he yelled in a strained voice.
The young girl frantically grasped for the rocks, desperately looking for something she could wrap her hands around. After a few attempts, she grabbed onto a pointed rock for a brief moment. Then her hand slipped off and her body swung away from the edge
Rory nearly lost her.
Emma screamed.
Rory pulled hard, pulling her body back towards him.
Emma frantically grabbed at the rocks
Corry was peered over the edge, "C'mon Emma. Grab something."
Donna-Lou was yelling frantically, "Corry! Corry, get back."
E
mma finally grabbed a pointed rock with her right hand and pulled hard.
Rory groaned as he pulled the young girl's dead weight upward.
Emma swung across the face of the rock and landed hard across Rory's knees. She immediately scrambled around and threw her arms around his neck, sobbing heavily.
"It's okay," Rory whispered. "You're safe now." He kept his left arm around her as he climbed back up to where Donna-Lou, Chet, and Corry were sitting in a group hug. Rory sat down heavily beside them, still holding onto the young girl. He was breathing heavy from the exertion.
Corry looked across at his friend, "You okay, Emma?"
Emma looked at him and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her left hand. But she wasn't letting go of Rory's neck with her right.
"We're right at the top," Rory said to Emma. "Are you okay to climb a bit more again?"
Emma nodded but didn't look too happy about it.
"It'll be okay, I saw something up there," Rory said encouragingly.
"What did you see?" Donna-Lou asked.
"Let's all go take a look," Rory said. "You stay in front of me and I won't let you fall," he said to Emma as he turned and set her down on the rocks.
Emma nodded and began moving upwards on the angled rock surface on her hands and knees. Rory stayed close behind her as they climbed while Corry followed closely behind him. Chet and Donna-Lou stayed close behind Corry, watching his every move.
"Hey!" Emma said with excitement. She scrambled up through the falling water and over the top edge of the rocks. She splashed her way into a five-foot-wide, ten-foot-high tunnel carved into the limestone over centuries by the water.
Rory moved up beside her, stepping into the water rushing along the bottom of the tunnel. "Move ahead a bit and wait," he said to Emma. Then he turned and helped the others up over the edge and into the tunnel.
Knights of the Golden Circle Page 26