by V. L. Dreyer
Below me, the crevice vanished into darkness. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my torch, clicked it on, and pointed it downwards.
There was little to see. My tiny light did almost nothing to penetrate the darkness, except show me that the crevice went down deep. I swung the light a little farther to the left, and then I froze: six or seven meters below the lip of the crevice, I saw a flash of crimson cloth.
"Franco?" I called, straining to better make out what I was seeing. "Franco, are you alive down there? Franco!"
The cloth shifted a little, but there was no response.
I called out again. "Franco, mate, please answer me."
Suddenly, there was a bewildered-looking face peering up at me, struggling to block the light of my torch with one hand. "H-hello? Is someone there?"
"He's alive!" I cried. "Guys, head back to the houses. We need more rope, or a chain – anything we can use to get him out of there. We'll need a good ten meters or so to reach him." I looked back down into the crevice and called out to him again. "We're coming, Franco. Just hang in there a little bit longer."
"Tala?" he asked, sounding dazed and confused. Given that he'd been down there for days with no food and only rainwater to drink, I wasn't surprised.
"No, my name is Sandrine," I said to him, switching off the torch and tucking it away. "When you didn't come home, Tala panicked and came looking for us. She thinks you're dead."
"Am I dead?" the man asked, his voice disembodied in the darkness. "I don't know. Everything hurts."
"Don't move," I told him. "I think you're on a ledge. If you move, you might fall again. Just stay right there and keep talking to me. Are you injured?"
"Injured?" he echoed. There was a long moment of silence, then a distant cough. "Yes. My leg. It's broken."
"It's okay, we'll fix it," I said, trying to reassure him as best I could from afar. "What happened to the pig? We saw its tracks."
"It fell in the hole," he said, his words slurred. "I tried to jump, but I slipped. The pig fell into the deep part. I think it's dead, but I don't know."
"He sounds a bit delirious, the poor fellow," a soft voice said beside me. I glanced sideways and saw that Aaron had crept up beside me, lying on his belly. "He'll be in shock, not to mention suffering from hypothermia and probably osteomyelitis." He glanced at me, his brow furrowed in concern. "Blood poisoning."
I nodded my understanding and focused on keeping Franco as alert as I could. The last thing we needed was for him to slip and fall to his death. "We didn't see the pig anywhere, so it probably died when it fell. Don't worry about it. My friends have gone to get some rope to haul you out, so just try and stay with me, okay? Keep talking to me. Um… tell me about Tala."
"Tala?" he repeated her name, a strange wistfulness filling his voice. "Ah, my Tala. I love her. She's a good woman. Have you met her?"
"Yeah, she came to us after you fell," I repeated. "She'll be so happy to see you. The baby's come now, but she hasn't picked a name."
"The baby?" he gasped. "Is it healthy? A girl or a boy?"
"Don't move, Franco," I warned him again. "It's a little girl, and she looked pretty healthy when I saw her this morning. Tala's taking good care of her."
"She's a good mama, my Tala," he said. Even at a distance, I could hear the smile in his voice. "I thought for sure I was never going to see her again…"
"You will," I said, channelling as much confidence as I could into my voice. "Just stay awake. My friends will be here soon. Why don't you tell me about how you met Tala?"
He sighed dreamily and did just that. Aaron and I exchanged worried glances throughout his rambling dialogue, but neither of us interrupted except to prompt him with more questions to keep him talking. Franco wasn't the only one wet and miserable by the time the others returned with more rope, but no one complained.
When I heard Michael call my name to alert me to his return, my relief was so palpable it felt like a weight lifted off my stomach. He tossed one end of the rope to me, and I caught it.
"Franco?" I called, interrupting him. "We've got the rope, mate. I'm going to lower one end down to you, and I want you to tie it around your chest, underneath your arms. Can you do that for me?"
"Anything to get me out of this stupid hole," he replied; the humour in his voice gave me a flash of hope and brought a smile to my face.
"Okay, the rope's coming down," I said. "Tell me when you've got it."
I carefully guided the rope over the edge, while Michael and the others fed it out a little at a time. None of the trees nearby were sturdy enough to tie the rope to, so we were just going to have to do it by hand.
"I've got it," Franco shouted at last. There was a pause of a few seconds, then he spoke again. "Okay, I've tied it around me. This rope is pretty slippery. I hope it'll be strong enough."
"It only has to hold you for a little while," I replied. "Keep hold of it, and I'll be waiting at the top to take you home to Tala. Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied.
I glanced up and signalled to the men. They wrapped the rope around their wrists and over their shoulders, and strained with all their might. The rope went taut on the grass beside me, and then slowly it began to creep upwards. After a tense few seconds, I saw a shadow moving beneath me, and then that shadow resolved itself into a slender human figure.
"That's it," I called to everyone. "Keep pulling, just a few more meters."
"Sandrine?" Franco yelled suddenly. "Sandrine, the rope! It's slipping!"
I swore and shoved myself a few inches further forward, peering downwards into shadow. Sure enough, I could see the knot around Franco's chest coming a little bit looser with each tug of the rope. With the rain and the mud, if the knot failed completely there would be no way for him to keep his grip.
"Hang on with both hands," I advised, struggling to fight down the urge to panic. "It's just a little bit more. I can almost reach you." I glanced back again, and shouted, "Keep pulling! We're almost—"
"Sandrine!" Franco's cry was one of pure terror. I glanced back just in time to see the knot slipping the last few millimetres.
"Give me your hand!" I cried, thrusting myself as far forward as I could without falling into the pit myself. Franco screamed something inarticulate and made a grab for it. I felt his hand close around my wrist, nearly tugging my arm out of its socket, and then suddenly I was sliding forward into the gaping abyss.
I felt someone grab the rope around my waist before I had a chance to cry for help, and that saved me from tumbling into darkness: Aaron. A second later, Michael was there with him, then the others. I was briefly buried by a mound of strong male bodies, and when it cleared all seven of us were sitting in the mud. Stunned, but safe.
I looked at Franco, then I looked at the others. I started to say something, but all that came out was a hysterical laugh. They looked at me like I was crazy for all of three seconds, then something in each of them broke and laughed right along with me.
Chapter Thirteen
By the time we’d calmed down enough to be much good for anything, the drizzle had turned into a downpour. All of us were sodden and covered in mud, but that didn't stop us from mucking in to help Franco. Michael and Tane half-helped, half-lifted him to his feet, and carried him back towards the shelter of the monastery – and more importantly, the medical kit we'd left with the horses.
When we finally made it, I was evicted from the room while the men stripped Franco of his soiled garments and Aaron tended to his wounds. I retreated to the small kitchen, stripped off my muddy outer garments, and set about preparing a light meal for Franco to eat once he was ready for it. The others eventually came out to join me, all except for Aaron. I conscripted one of the men to take the food in, then we all sat around just waiting for news. Warren vanished out the door to enjoy his own company, and the rest of us just chatted to pass the time.
Eventually, Aaron finished piecing Franco back together and came out to join us
.
"How is he?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Better than he should be, to be honest," Aaron replied. "It's not a bad break, but I'm concerned about the risk of osteomyelitis because it went untreated for so long. We need to get him back to Tumanako as soon as possible. If we don’t get him on antibiotic treatments soon, it may end up costing him that leg."
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Can we get him on a horse, or should we send for one of the trucks?"
Aaron went quiet for a moment while he considered the possibilities, then he shrugged. "If wait for a truck, then we'll lose at least an hour and this condition is time-sensitive. If we try and get him to ride double with someone, he may pass out from pain and fall, or make the injury worse. Either way, it's a risk."
"Let's stick with the safest option," I suggested. "I'll call home and get Doc up here in one of the trucks. He should make good time along that road. Can you take care of Franco until he gets here?"
Aaron nodded silently, his face an odd mixture of relief and regret. He vanished out of the room, and I stood to call Warren back inside for a group meeting.
"I need two people to head back the way we came and lead the truck up here," I said. Everyone volunteered. I picked Tane and Iorangi and sent them off, then I pulled out my radio and tuned it to the frequency we'd taken to using around home. "Come in, Tumanako. It's Sandy."
There was a few moments of silence, then the line crackled and a familiar voice came on. "Hey, sis. Any luck?"
"Yes," I replied. "We've found Franco. He's alive, but we need to get him back home for treatment and he's not well enough to ride. He's got a broken leg, and Aaron says he may be suffering from osteo-something – some kind of blood poisoning. I need Doc up here in the Hilux with antibiotics, and I need it now."
"You got it," she answered confidently. "He'll be on the road within 15 minutes, if I have to push him out the door myself. Give me the directions."
I did, then we ended the conversation. I looked at the others and gave them a weak smile. "Nothing to do now except for wait."
"Well, there is one thing," Michael said. "You mentioned Tala arrived with pretty much nothing, just the clothes on her back and her kids. They don't have a lot of stuff here. I bet we could fit it in the back of the Hilux, no problem."
I hesitated for a second, then I smiled and reached out to touch his hand. "Trust you to always know the right thing to do. Good plan. Let's get packing!"
***
It took us virtually no time at all to gather up the pieces of Tala and Franco's life, and pack them into a few bags and boxes. They'd obviously been there since before their eldest was born, but they lived simply and didn't have much. Franco watched silently from the bed while I was in their bedroom, but he said nothing. When I looked at him, he just gave me a weak smile and nodded his approval.
Within an hour, we were ready. Michael and I settled in a chair by the front door, snuggled together watching the rain. I was just beginning to doze off when a strange noise caught my ear. I sat up a little straighter and stared out the window, waiting. Sure enough, a few seconds later Tane sprinted into view, with his brother close behind him. By the time they reached the door, I was on my feet and there to meet them.
"The truck's waiting on the other side of the overgrowth," Tane shouted, pointing back towards the road. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, nodded, and hurried off to convey the news to Aaron. While he was busy getting Franco ready for transport, I pulled my muddy outerwear back on and dove in to help the others carry stuff out to the truck.
I was half way there, lugging a couple of plastic bags of children's clothing, when I spotted Hemi and Rebecca running towards me carrying a makeshift stretcher between them. I didn't bother to ask where they'd gotten the stretcher from, I just dropped one of the bags and pointed back the way I'd come.
"Turn left at the end of the driveway," I called. "You'll see an open door. Whoever's there will point you the rest of the way."
They nodded and ran on without a word. I picked up the bag and resumed my trek down the driveway, picking my footing carefully on the muddy ground. They probably could have driven up closer, but I agreed with their decision; there wasn't much gravel left on the driveway, and the last thing we needed was for the Hilux to get stuck in the mud. When I rounded the last bend, I saw Doctor Cross waiting beside the truck with a slightly sour look on his face.
"Hey, Doc," I greeted. "Thank you for coming out here. I’m sorry you had to come out in the rain, but—"
"But time is of the essence," he replied, finishing my sentence. "Your sister conveyed the message. I presume by 'osteo-something', you meant 'osteomyelitis'?"
"Yeah, that," I replied, nodding. I put my bags down again and went over to open the back canopy of the ute. "I don't know what it is, but Aaron made it sound bad."
"It is bad," Doc said simply. He came around to stand beside me, staring into the back of the ute. "Would there be enough room to lie him flat in here, do you think?"
"I don't see why not," I replied. "He’s a pretty small guy. Why not just put him in the back seat, though?"
"You said his leg was broken," he said. "Until we have a chance to set the break, it's best to have him lying flat or sitting with his legs stretched out in a way that won't jostle the break too badly when we gain speed."
"Oh, of course," I said. "We've got some more clothing and bedding coming, we can use it to pad him so that he doesn't bounce around." I heard the sound of footsteps behind me, and turned to see the others hurrying towards us. Michael and Tane had the stretcher, while the others were carrying various boxes, bags, and mounds of blankets.
Doc took command of the situation before I could say a word, and guided the others through the process of creating a comfortable nest in the back of the ute. Once it was secure, they carefully lifted Franco into the remaining space, stretcher and all. I left Doc, Rebecca, and Hemi to deal with the patient himself, and took everyone else back to the monastery to grab our belongings and fetch the horses.
By the time we returned, the Hilux had already left. We mounted up and followed after it as fast as we could safely travel. The rain was coming down in buckets now, but at least it washed away the mud. I tugged my hood down low over my eyes and hunkered over Boudicca's broad back to salvage what little warmth I could from her skin.
It wasn't a pleasant trip back to Tumanako, but we'd spent all winter on the road so we were used to unpleasant trips. Every so often I sat up and glanced back to do a headcount, just to make sure that we didn’t lose anyone in the weather. The Hilux managed much better speed than we did, and we soon lost track of it in the gloom. When we finally made it back to Tumanako, we found the outer gates firmly closed and locked, just as they should be.
"Hello?" I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth to try and make myself heard. A few seconds later, a head popped up in the window of the security shed beside the gate, then one of the people on guard duty jogged out to let us in.
We waved a greeting, but rode past her without stopping to say hello. It was only when we reached the front of the office building and saw the Hilux parked there that I finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. They'd made it.
"We'll take the horses back, if you and Aaron want to go on ahead," Michael volunteered.
"Thank you,” I said, appreciating his intuition. “Doc will need Aaron's help, and I should speak to Tala."
"Any time," he replied. "Go, we've got this covered."
I dismounted and handed my reins up to him, then hurried into the shelter of the tower’s entrance – and almost bowled Skylar right off her feet.
"Hey, watch it!" she cried, leaping back just in time to avoid being run down.
I yelped in surprise and skidded to a halt so suddenly that I nearly ended up on my ass. "Shoot, sorry! I didn't see you waiting there."
"You never do," she said, laughing and shaking her head. "Took you guys long enough to get here. Doc wants Aaron in the infirmar
y urgently."
"We figured he'd be needed," I replied. "Aaron was right behind m—"
I didn't hear the door open in time to get out of the way. Aaron barrelled right into me from behind, knocking me into Skye, and all three of us went down in a sodden tangle of limbs.
"Sorry! Sorry! Oh God, sorry!" Aaron cried, leaping back up to his feet with the kind of dexterity that was only born from shock. "The rain was in my eyes and I wasn't looking where I was going. Is everyone all right?"
"I'm fine," I replied. I accepted the offered hand and hauled myself up off the ground, then offered my hand to Skye in turn. She slapped it away. For a second I was worried, until I realised that she was shaking from silent hysterics. They weren't silent for long, though; suddenly, she threw her head back and laughed uproariously.
Aaron and I exchanged an amused look. We waited until she finally got herself back under control, then helped her to her feet and guided her towards the stairs. At the last second, she stopped and looked at us.
"Oh, the elevator's working now," she said. "The electrical crew got it going just after you left."
"That's fantastic," I said, surprised and pleased by the news. "Does that mean that there's enough power coming in from the solar array for the whole building now?"
"Should be, yep!" she replied. She led us over to the elevators and pushed the call button. "I haven't tested every level, but the ones I've been to all have power. Gavin said they're going to keep extending the grid until they run out of space, so there will be enough to cover any extra people who join us, but for now it should be enough for us to have light, heat, and hot water whenever we need it."
"Hallelujah!" I cried, throwing my hands up in the air. "We're civilized again!"
Skye laughed and gave me a light shove. "Civilized? Please, you wouldn't know civility if it up and bit you on the butt."