Her heart felt as though it were going to burst from her chest as her daughter, her beautiful, bright, and brave daughter, screamed again, her voice high and filled with terror as they both held on to whatever they could.
"Hold on, Emily!" she screamed just as the bastard behind hit her car again. This time, there was no controlling the vehicle as the impact threw her against the side of the rocks before leaving the road with the next impact.
Screams erupted from both of them as the car gave way to gravity. Seconds seemed like an eternity as trees flew past, and she couldn't even spare a glance toward her daughter. She had little control over the direction of the car but fought the wheel. Her muscles bunched with her effort to miss what she could, but her luck ran out as she felt the tires leave the rocky ground as they flew through the air.
The car finally came to a stop with a hard thud and a splash, the metal hood crunching beneath the impact as smoke billowed from the car, and Nina blacked out.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but the pain… She groaned, pain radiating down her whole body. Her body…so hard to move… Her arm twitched as she willed it to move, for her eyes to open. Finally, a small stream of light entered her vision, and she flinched. Suddenly, one thought flashed through her dazed mine.
Emily.
Through strength of will, she forced herself to lift her head, and something wet slid down the side of her face, but she took no notice of anything except making sure her daughter was okay. The fact that they were alive was a pure miracle, and she glanced behind her at her child, who was hunched over, her head laying against the glass of the window that was surprisingly intact. That seemed to be the only window left. The windshield and her window were shattered, hence the cuts on her face.
Oh God, no. Emily… Please, God, no. Not my baby…
"Em," she whispered harshly.
Her baby didn't move.
Her whole body shaking, it took a few tries to get the seatbelt unbuckled, and Nina didn't take stock of their situation or how deadly it was. All her focus centered on her daughter's unmoving form.
She reached over between the seats, her body protesting the simple movement, but she was determined. Her fingers shaking, she felt her daughter's neck, her breath held and a choked sob threatening to shatter what remained of her will.
She felt it, and the sob escaped as the heartbeat pulsed against her finger.
"Oh, Emily, I'm so sorry. Baby, please wake up. We have to get out of here. Baby. Sweetheart. Come on, honey. Wake up."
Tears streamed down her face as Emily moaned and twitched, and Nina moved the strands of dark hair out of her daughter's pale face.
Her daughter coming around, Nina finally looked around and took stock of what had stopped the car. They were surrounded by water and situated between two large trees blocking the doors with very little options on getting out. The shattered windshield was their only hope, and she used her hand to clean out the glass in front of her, not caring about the cuts or blood dripping from her palm. Her feet were freezing and wet as water began to fill the floorboards, and her heart sank to her stomach as their situation just got worse.
It was cold, not considering her wet feet. It was about forty degrees, just above freezing, but if they got wet, hypothermia was the deadly threat instead of the night. She looked down over at her daughter and sighed noticing her feet not touching the floor and the inch of water that filled the bottom.
"Emily, baby. Lift your feet, honey. Don't touch the water, honey. We have to get out of the car."
At her words, Emily moaned again and opened her dazed eyes that widened when she looked around.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, baby, I'm here, but you have to be careful, honey. Don't get wet, or you'll get real sick."
Emily swallowed and nodded as she lifted her feet onto her seat.
"Unbuckle your seatbelt very slowly, sweetheart."
With a shaking hand, Emily did as she was told and then froze, fear darkening the irises of her eyes as she got a good look at where they were.
"Mommy?" It was said with a shaking voice of a seven-year-old that should never have been put in that situation to begin with.
"It's okay, baby. But now I'm going to need you to be brave for me. Can you do that?"
After hesitating, she nodded and took a deep breath.
Nina took a deep breath herself and then handed out further instructions in a quiet, semi-calm voice. "Okay. I want you to very carefully crawl between the seats and sit on the console beside me.”
Uncertainty glistened in Emily's eyes along with a healthy dose of fear as she looked around at the water surrounding the car.
"Mommy…"
"Please, honey, just do what I say. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Now just crawl over to me, okay?"
Nodding with a quick jerk of her head, Emily began to slowly lift her legs and crouched down on her knees on the long seat. With a whimper, she slowly made her way between the seats, sitting on the middle piece beside her mom. Within seconds that seemed so much longer, Emily made it to Nina’s lap. They both breathed a sigh of relief, but it wasn't over yet. It was now full dark and hard to see. Nina prayed Emily didn't get wet. Her own feet were almost numb, and that fear was uppermost in her mind.
I can't get sick now, she thought, dismayed at the idea.
Nina made sure the glass was gone from the frame of the window so she could help her daughter get out onto the hood of the car. The vehicle hadn’t moved yet, but the water was now up to her ankles and the numbness spreading.
"Now climb onto the hood, sweetie."
With a shaking breath, Emily grabbed the hood and pulled herself up before climbing onto the roof of the car. Just then, it sank about a foot, causing Emily to squeal and grab on to the sides in a panic.
"It's okay, baby," Nina called. "I'm coming next. Just hold on."
With that, she worked to pull herself up, out, and beside her daughter.
She looked down at the car, and the hood was almost all the way in the water, which looked like a river of sorts.
She glanced behind her and saw the embankment a few feet from the trunk of the car. She met Emily's scared eyes with a reassuring smile.
"I'm going to jump across first so I can catch you."
"Why?" Emily asked worriedly, glancing from the water to the embankment. It was a pretty good jump. "I can get across too."
"My legs are already wet, honey. I don't want to have to worry about you getting wet too."
She saw Emily shiver violently, her light sweater no barrier against the freezing cold that penetrated the car. Nina had to find them shelter and fast before they both got sick. Neither of them had had time to pack and therefore were without coats or heavy material for protection against the chill.
This time, she shivered herself and could only imagine how cold her poor daughter was. She also had to try to send a message to Joan and prayed her phone still had battery juice. If not, they were fucked.
She slid down farther onto the trunk, and Emily came up behind her, inching her way slowly toward her.
Without another word, Nina judged the distance between the trunk of the car and the flat ground of the embankment. It was a good distance but doable. She just had to catch Emily and keep her from sinking into the mud.
Taking a deep breath, she got to the edge and calculated the jump in her mind, her heart pounding with the uncertainty of what awaited them beyond the trees. Anything could happen in the woods, and they were far from prepared.
"Mommy, please be careful," Emily whispered, her voice shaking from behind her.
Nina didn't answer but braced her feet on the bumper, took a deep breath, and jumped. Sure enough, she sank in mud to her calves on the embankment, but she made it out of the river.
Cold seeped into her pant legs, and she almost fell as her legs struggled to hold her weight.
Her feet numb, she took a shaking step and turned with a small smile, anything to reassure
her daughter. Her daughter couldn't even see her lame attempt of a smile, as Nina herself could barely make out the small shape of the hunched figure on the top of the car.
"Okay, baby. Feel your way to the edge of the trunk and jump to me. I know it's hard to see, honey, but you can do it, Em."
She saw the dark form move, heard the squeak of the metal, and braced herself for the impact of her daughter's body.
Suddenly, Emily jumped, and Nina caught her in her arms, falling backward onto the hard ground with a groan, her daughter on top of her.
"Mommy!" Emily exclaimed in fear, trying to scamper off of her.
"Careful, Em. Don't get wet!"
It was too late for Nina. She shivered as they both stood up, her clothes damp from the ground. She felt for her daughter's hand, and together they climbed up from the river and the car. Nina tripped over a log and barely caught herself from face planting on the ground.
"We have to find somewhere dry to wait until it gets light, honey."
She felt Emily nod beside her, and they began to walk through the woods, looking for anything that could shelter them from the wind, if not the cold. Nina didn't want to use her battery juice for light, but once on flat ground, she stopped and pulled her cell phone out of her bra, praying she had service.
The light nearly blinded her, but she squinted down at the bars, and that one lone bar went in and out.
Shivering again, she put a text through to Joan and prayed that she got it. It was all she could do at the moment.
Rob saw the lights shining through the darkness. It was around one in the morning, and they were exhausted. Stephen and he had taken off when the Sheriff's office had called them about the missing campers. It had taken them most of the night, but they had finally found the missing group huddled against the rock wall of the mountain, chilled, freezing, but all in one piece.
Another successful mission, he thought tiredly, coming to a stop in front of the porch so that the small group could get off the vehicles.
"Everyone, go inside and warm up next to the fire in the lounge. Stephen and I will be inside in a few once we put away the ATVs. Our cook should have something done soon."
The group disembarked as well and tiredly walked inside as the two men put the ATVs away in the barn.
Ten minutes later, they walked in to see the group surrounding the fire, warming up their hands. One woman looked as though she were trying to hug the warmth of the flames, but Rob didn't blame her. They had been out in the freezing cold for hours.
Who the hell camps in this cold voluntarily, he wondered, shaking his head at the notion.
Just then, he saw Joan fly down the stairs, terror written on her whole face. She swung her head around until she saw him in the doorway of the lounge.
Stephen saw her at the same time and ran over to her.
"What's wrong?" he demanded, scanning her body for anything that could be hurting her.
"What's going on, Joan?" Rob asked calmly, coming up to stand next to her, not liking her wide eyes or the fear within. He noticed the cell phone clutched in her hand.
"It's Nina," she said breathlessly, her eyes wide, looking between them. "She's lost on the mountain. She got into a wreck. I don't know how bad, but she said she and Emily are okay. So far. Rob, please, I know you're exhausted but—"
Before she could finish, Rob was shaking his head and looked over at Stephen. "Get Danny. You stay here with the group, and get some rest. Tell Danny to suit up and meet me outside in ten minutes."
"I'm going with you," Stephen insisted.
"No. Man, you're on less sleep than I am. Stay here with Joan and the group. I'm going. I can take Danny. The man's had a full night of sleep. Stay here," Rob ordered sternly.
He looked over at Joan. "Do you know the general direction of her location?"
She shook her head. "No, but I think it's the south side. It's the only way on the mountain that's passable right now."
If Rob wouldn't have been so tired, he would have thought of that.
Without waiting for another argument from Stephen, he turned and left the building, headed back to fill up the two ATVs and get ready to set out again.
Danny showed up less than ten minutes later, and his wide-eyed look and spring in his steps made Rob want to clobber the twenty-six-year-old. Danny was new, but the young man showed promise, smart and eager to learn.
"Where we headed, boss?" he asked, throwing his jean-clad leg over the second ATV.
"South side. A friend of Joan's wrecked, and she's lost on the mountain side with her daughter."
His response was lost due to the engines they fired up simultaneously, and he drove out of the barn, Danny right behind him.
He saw Joan run out of the main building and braked, waiting for her. He could have kissed her when he saw the large thermos in her hand, the steam coming from the top.
He nodded his thanks to her and swallowed a large amount of the hot liquid, almost burning the top of his mouth and ruining his taste buds, but he didn't care. The caffeine worked, and his eyes brightened with renewed energy.
A moment later, the lights of the buildings behind him disappeared as the sounds of the engines filled the silence, drowning out the noise of the wildlife that surrounded them.
Chapter 3
Jacob heard his cell ring as he navigated the gravel road of the mountain, his twin beams of light the only comfort in the darkness.
"Hello?"
"Jacob, it's Pete."
"What did you find out?" he asked, scanning the sides of the road. He was on his way to the resort, but navigating the roads took most of his concentration. Suddenly, his headlights caught a flash of something, and he braked, pulling over on the side of the road as far as he dared. Praying no one hit his ass, he stepped out of the car, his cell to his ear.
"Another murder, unsolved, had happened three months ago. A different store owner on the other side of town, not far from Tommy's location. I think there's a connection there."
"How so?"
Walking over to the broken guardrail, his heart sank to his stomach as he caught another flash of metal down below and what looked like the trunk of a car.
His car.
God no. It can’t be.
He turned and looked behind him on the gravel road and saw the skid marks carved heavily into the earth.
He couldn't talk, his throat tight, and he faintly heard Pete ask a question, but he couldn't respond. He almost dropped his phone as he looked between the skid marks, tire tracks, and the broken guardrail.
"What?" he whispered harshly, the realization of what he was seeing hitting him full force as panic started to set in.
"I said when I had spoken to the family of the previously murdered victim, they had said the man had been getting threats, but he wouldn't elaborate. They said the man, Connor O'Dell, was acting strangely before he had been killed, scared."
"Take that lead, and run with it. I have to go."
Without waiting for an answer, he hung up, his gaze still on that flash of metal down below.
He ran back to his car, shivering in the cold breeze, and grabbed his backpack and flashlight. At this point, he didn't care if someone did hit his car. The only thing he cared about was getting below and praying…
No. He refused to think about that.
His heart hammering against his ribs, Jacob scampered down the side of the rock wall, grabbing on to the trunks of trees and branches as he slowly and painfully made his way toward the wreck. It was unlikely that anyone had survived the fall, but the closer he got, the more he was convinced that it was his car.
He stumbled down the rest of the way, falling to his knees in the mud.
"Hello?" he called, his voice harsh.
He tried again, this time louder and more forceful.
"Hello? Nina? Emily? Please answer me, damn it! It's Jacob!"
No answer.
He shone his flashlight inside the car but couldn't see either of them. He looked
from the trunk to the embankment, and it was a good three feet, but…
He didn't care. He took a step back and leaped onto the metal, almost sliding off, but his hands caught the side of the trunk, and he tightened his grip, pulling himself up on the back of the car.
He shone his light inside of the car, but it was empty, and he breathed a massive sigh of relief. If they weren't inside, that meant they had survived and gotten out. But that led to a whole new slew of problems, such as it was forty degrees, and they were lost on the mountain. Thinking fast, he reached over and touched the roof of the car, excitement pulsing through him.
It was still warm! Not by much and cooling fast but that meant they couldn’t be far.
He glanced down at his cell, but he didn't have any bars of service, and he was tempted to throw the damn thing in the water. Shoving it in his pocket, he jumped back to the embankment and sank down into the mud up to his ankles.
Struggling to get to hard ground, he eventually made it and looked around, the beam of light picking up on what looked like muddy tracks leading away from the car and water.
Grabbing his backpack again, he followed the tracks. Jacob wasn't a tracker, and it was possible he was going to get himself lost, but he didn't care. He couldn't leave Nina and Emily in the woods. They had to be hurt from the crash.
The fact they had survived at all was astonishing considering the depth and trees down the wall. It looked as though the river had broken their fall. He just prayed they had managed to find some sort of shelter to stay in for the night.
Nina shivered and pulled her daughter in closer, trying to give her as much body heat as possible. The little girl had finally crashed, no longer able to stay awake after two days, and Nina exhaled a small sigh of relief as she leaned her head against her daughter’s.
They had managed to find a small hole in the rocks to get out of the wind, and after making sure that nothing would surprise them or that they wouldn’t surprise an unsuspecting inhabitant, they had crawled inside.
Trapped on Vail Mountain Page 3