Survival Instinct

by Rachelle Mccalla

  “They? Carried?” Tracie repeated. “Did I mention that Trevor was a big guy?”

  Scott dismissed her doubts. The evidence before his eyes meant more to him than her words. He crept farther along, bracing himself against the wall until his hand touched something moist. He looked at his palm. “More blood.”

  “The body must have rubbed against the wall of the cave,” Abby theorized as she floated her kayak toward him.

  A moment later, Scott came to the end of the ledge. He felt a brief disappointment as he stared at the smooth back wall of the cave.

  Then he realized it wasn’t entirely smooth.

  A crack ran through the stone-a remarkably straight crack that didn’t look the same as the natural breaks and fissures he’d seen elsewhere in the rock. A smear of blood streaked the stone along part of the seam-a smear of blood in the shape of a handprint.

  “Ladies, come look at this,” Scott requested.

  Tracie paddled over with her camera and zoomed in on the spot, taking picture after picture. Abby climbed up beside him on the ledge and clutched his arm as she peered over his shoulder. Her warm presence helped ease the fear he’d been feeling.

  “What is that?” Abby spoke in an awed whisper, her breath warming his ear.

  Scott could see a slight indentation in the seam beneath the bloody handprint. He turned to Tracie. “Mind if I touch it?”

  “I have my pictures.” She nodded. “Go ahead, but try not to disturb it any more than necessary.”

  Scott fitted his fingers into the depression. As he probed the seam, the rock shifted, allowing him to slide his hand back into the rock. A section of stone eased away from the cliff wall, and Scott tugged on it a little more sharply. Then he heard the sound of rushing water.

  “What’s that?” Abby asked.

  They looked. Across the back of the cave, water shot like a high-powered waterfall from an opening in the rock. And then, as they watched, the entire back wall of the cave began to rise.

  Abby clung to Scott’s arm in fear and amazement. The sound of rushing water and a distant ratcheting boom filled the small cave, making conversation impossible, even if Abby would have been able to think of something to say. She felt as though she’d stepped into a dream, as though reality had given way before her eyes just as the rear wall of the cave was disappearing.

  Water sluiced through channels cut behind the rock, and thick, rusty chains clanged past them, their heavy counterweights obeying the course that appeared to be set in motion when Scott had tugged on the trigger mechanism. The whole thing seemed little more complicated than a garage door, though it was camouflaged with real rock and apparently constructed over a century before.

  As the cave wall rose, Abby quickly realized the space behind it was illuminated from somewhere within. At the same moment, it occurred to her that the three of them had no idea what they were getting into. They’d clearly found the century-old pirates hideout. But just as clearly, someone else had found it long before them.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she hissed into Scott’s ear.

  His grip tightened on her arm, and he turned back toward her. “You’re right. We need to get backup.”

  In the water, Tracie turned her kayak around.

  But before any of them could go anywhere, a voice called out, “You can just stop right there.”

  Abby looked toward the source of the voice. The wall continued to rise, revealing more of the space hidden under the island. Water filled half of a vast room larger than a full city block. The other half of the cavern was some sort of pier, where boxes and crates were stacked in rows extending back against the brownstone walls. Though several banks of lights hung from iron catwalks crisscrossing the ceiling, only the rear lights were turned on, their greenish glow illuminating a network of desks and computers. Even from a distance, they provided enough light for Abby to make out much of the interior of the cave.

  A good-size yacht was docked along the pier that ran the length of the cavern. And beside it, closest to the cave opening, the Helene bobbed innocently in the water. Captain Sal stood on her deck with a gun in his hand.

  “You three come easy and I won’t have to shoot,” he called.

  Abby didn’t even consider trying to run for it. She stepped across the threshold with Scott as the ledge gave way to a wide-open platform and finally a pier made of metal and wood.

  Six thugs approached them as they entered. Two pulled Tracie roughly from her kayak, and the others quickly bound their wrists behind their backs with lengths of fabric. Hands wrenched away their headlamps, radios and Tracie’s camera and sidearm.

  The Coastie scowled at them.

  “Careful now, boys,” Captain Sal cautioned. “We don’t want any marks on the bodies. No signs of violence, nothing to indicate foul play. These three are going to die in an unfortunate accident, just like Marilyn Adams.”

  At the mention of his mother’s name, Abby felt Scott stiffen beside her. But before either of them had a chance to respond, they were pushed through the darkness down the pier. Abby looked all around her, trying to take in as many details as possible. If she ever got the chance, she wanted to be able to explain clearly what she’d seen in that unknown space.

  Rough hands steered her and the others toward a large metal door. From the looks of it, Abby guessed it dated back all the way to the time of the pirates a century before, or possibly longer back than that. But the thick chains and padlocks on the outside were definitely newer and looked impenetrable. Two different men took out keys, unlocking the securely fastened door before shoving the three of them inside.

  A slice of light pierced the empty room. Then the door shuddered shut behind them and they were left in utter darkness.

  THIRTEEN

  Abby leaned against Scott. His arms were bound behind him, but she felt him leaning counterweight against her, supporting her even as she supported him.

  A weak voice cut through the gloom. “Scott? Honey, is that you?”

  Shuffling noises sounded from the far corner of the room.

  Scott straightened beside her. “Mom?”

  “Oh, Scott, honey!”

  Abby could see nothing, but she heard Marilyn coming closer, and then felt the impact of her body as she rushed to her son.

  “Mom! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  “I’m okay. I finally got those ropes off. Here, let me untie you.”

  Scott continued to pepper his mother with questions. “How did you get here? How long have you been here?”

  As Marilyn tugged at the fabric that bound her son, she explained, “Captain Sal came back last night. A storm had started to blow up, and I was nervous about what had become of you and Abby, and then out of nowhere, here comes the Helene. I had a horrible feeling something was up, but Mitch seemed to think Captain Sal had just gotten his times mixed up after all. He told me to get on the boat. I shouldn’t have listened, but with the weather getting bad, I thought I couldn’t possibly be worse off on the boat than standing out in the storm.” She shook her head, finally tugging Scott free with a grunt.

  Scott gave his mother a long hug before he turned his attention to untying Abby.

  “Are you sure we should untie ourselves? Won’t that make them angry?” Abby asked, concerned. She’d seen enough people shot-she knew Captain Sal’s threats weren’t empty.

  “Oh, probably,” Marilyn chided, “but they’re angry enough as it is. They’ll just tie us up again anyway. In the meantime, it’s no fun stumbling around in the dark when you don’t have use of your hands.” Marilyn looked at Tracie warily. “Who’s this? Do we want to untie her?”

  Scott explained Tracie’s role in the investigation. Abby noticed that he left out anything having to do with Mitch. She recalled his earlier insistence on avoiding upsetting his mother, and figured it was for the best, at this point.

  While Scott tugged on the tight knot behind her, Abby’s eyes began to adjust to the darkness. She realized there was a very fai
nt beam of light coming down through the solid rock of the ceiling-probably one of the natural fissures in the stone, much like the blowholes they’d witnessed aboveground. Though it stretched three feet long or more, it couldn’t have been more than eight inches wide at the broadest point.

  Then Scott had her hands free and his arms back around his mother. For several minutes mother and son simply held each other. “You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked again.

  “Just hungry, and more than a little spooked,” Marilyn confessed. “But they’ve been very careful not to injure me. Captain Sal insisted on that.”

  At the mention of food, Abby dug through her pockets and pulled out the last peanut butter and jelly sandwich and the remains of the trail mix they’d shared on the boat ride over. Fortunately the thugs hadn’t confiscated them. “Here, Marilyn.” She pressed the food into her hands. “Do you like PB &J?”

  “Love it,” Marilyn exclaimed. “But even if I didn’t, I’d eat it. You’re sure you don’t want to save this?”

  “No, I’ve had my fill. Please,” Abby insisted. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she’d live to see another meal. Not if Captain Sal got his way. She pushed the thought away.

  Marilyn made quick work of the sandwich, between bites questioning them about what had happened to them since they’d rowed away in the canoe the day before. Scott began the story, but before he reached the part with Mitch’s involvement, Tracie stopped him.

  “I hate to interrupt, but those guys out there intend to kill us, and I don’t intend to die.”

  Though she agreed, Abby couldn’t imagine what they could possibly do about it. “Yes. What do you think we should do?”

  Tracie pointed to the crack in the ceiling. “I want to go for help.”

  Abby looked at the narrow fissure and then looked at Tracie. Granted, the other woman was uncommonly slender. She’d have a better shot than Abby of fitting through the tiny space. “But that’s got to be fifteen feet high,” Abby protested. “We have no way of getting you up there.” She looked around the room, although as she’d already concluded, it was completely empty.

  “Good idea,” Marilyn agreed. “What am I doing standing around eating? We’ve got to get you out of here.”

  “But do you really think-” Abby began to protest when she felt Scott’s hand on her shoulder and he whispered in her ear. “Floss.”

  Then he spoke in a louder, cheery voice, “Is there anything around here we could use to climb up there?”

  It took a moment for Abby to figure out what Scott had meant by his ambiguous reference, especially since she didn’t have any more floss with her, and had left her purse on the utility boat. Then she recalled the discussion they’d had the day before about giving his mother a project to work on to keep her from becoming overly anxious. Though she feared their efforts would be futile, Abby realized doing something would be better than doing nothing, even if it didn’t get them anywhere.

  “Well, son,” Marilyn began, “I’ve been in this little room for all of today and most of last night. The back and side walls are solid rock, and the front is cement around the door. I think I’ve explored every inch of it, and I can tell you there wasn’t a thing in here, not a loose rock, not a spare rope, not anything before you three arrived. But now that you’re here, we finally have something we can work with.”

  “What’s that?” Scott asked, clearly as bewildered as Abby felt.

  “Us!”

  While Abby stared at her, dumbfounded, Marilyn explained her plan to make a human chain extending up toward the skylight. Though she felt skeptical their efforts would achieve anything more than bumps and bruises, and maybe broken limbs or concussions, when she recalled Captain Sal’s insistence that they not be injured, she smiled to herself. Yes, Marilyn’s plan sounded pretty crazy, but if injury was the worst that could happen, Abby was all for it.

  “Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s do it.”

  They agreed that if Abby stood on Scott’s shoulders, and Tracie stood on Abby’s shoulders, they should have enough height between the three of them to reach the gap in the ceiling. Fortunately, the fissure was close to the back wall of the cave. As Scott pointed out, he and Abby had successfully managed a similar human chain the day before at the shed. Adding one more person couldn’t be that difficult-could it?

  Abby told herself it didn’t so much matter whether their plan was really as ridiculous as it sounded. They needed to do something, and she didn’t have any better suggestions. Besides, there was still some slim chance the crazy scheme could work. She’d seen more outrageous stunts at the circus.

  Though Abby had taken several strength training classes at the Bayfield Recreation Center over the years, she wasn’t sure how well she’d manage supporting Tracie’s slight weight for any amount of time. Still she crouched down and allowed the other woman to step up onto her shoulders. With Tracie clutching at the rough wall for balance and Abby pushing against her knees as she stood, Scott hovered close behind, lending balance and a little extra lift. Slowly, Abby stood.

  The tricky part, then, was for Abby to step up onto Scott’s shoulders so he could stand with the two of them wobbling ten feet above his head. They made several attempts. Most ended with Tracie sliding down the length of the wall, but when she fell backward and landed with a thump, Abby stretched her overworked leg muscles with a sigh. “I don’t think this is working.”

  “No, I’m okay,” Tracie insisted. “We can do this. Let’s give it another go.”

  But this time, Marilyn sided with Abby. “Let’s take a break.”

  “But Captain Sal and his men could come back for us any moment,” Scott protested. “We don’t have much time.”

  Marilyn gave her son a stern look. “We need to pray.”

  “She’s right,” Abby agreed immediately. “Let’s pray.” She looked at Tracie uncertainly. “Are you okay with that?”

  “Of course.” Tracie nodded. “We should have thought of it sooner.”

  The four of them joined hands and Marilyn immediately began by thanking God for protecting them and bringing them back together. Then Scott asked for wisdom in how to proceed, and Tracie requested strength.

  As soon as Tracie’s prayer concluded, Abby began, “And, Lord, we know Your word says that You’re with us.” Her voice cracked. “The darkness isn’t dark to You, and no obstacle is too big for You. So we ask You to help us see what we need to do, and give us strength to do it. Amen.”

  The other three joined her with the Amen, and Scott squeezed her hand. Abby felt lighter somehow, as though a great burden had been lifted.

  Tracie clapped her hands together. “Let’s do this.”

  Having practiced the move several times before, Abby squatted down and held tight to Tracie’s ankles as the other woman stepped onto her shoulders. But having lifted Tracie’s weight so many times already, Abby’s leg muscles protested painfully as she rose. She focused on breathing steadily in through her nose and out through her mouth. God would give her the strength to stand.

  Once Abby stood straight, Tracie’s weight was easier to bear locked into place by her upright posture.

  “Okay.” Scott spoke softly close to her ear as he stood with his solid arms supporting her. “I’m going to have you sit you on my shoulders and then lift you to a standing position. You don’t have to bend your legs.”

  “But that’s not how we did it before.”

  “I know. That’s why it’s going to work this time.”

  “But it’s too much weight for you to bear,” Abby protested.

  “You’ve been taking on more than your fair share,” Scott insisted as he ducked down and grasped her knees. “Let’s just try this.”

  “Okay,” Abby agreed shakily. She reminded herself that they’d prayed-perhaps Scott’s new approach was a gift from God. As he slowly stood, with Abby sitting piggyback on his shoulders and Tracie standing balanced on Abby’s shoulders, Abby realized how much easier it was on her to let Sco
tt do all the lifting. She recalled his earlier penchant for carrying the burdens of others, but this time she was glad for it. She honestly didn’t know how much more standing and lifting she could take.

  “Now I’m going to lift you up,” Scott explained once he stood upright.

  “What do you want me to do?” Abby asked.

  “Nothing. Just try not to lose your balance. Use the wall as much as you can to stabilize yourself.”

  It was easier said than done. As Scott began to lift her by the seat of her pants, she was glad for the rubberized wet suit that allowed him to grasp her easily. More so, she appreciated his massive upper body strength as he hoisted the weight of both women above his head.

  After a moment’s grunting struggle, she managed to perch on his shoulders on her knees. She could hear him panting as he caught his breath beneath her.

  “I can reach the ceiling now,” Tracie called down. “I think we can do this.”

  Abby wasn’t so sure, but she refused to voice her doubts. Everyone was giving it their all. She wasn’t about to deter them.

  “Do you want me to try to stand?” she asked Scott in a shaky voice. She could feel the strain on her leg muscles again, and her back felt as though it would crumple under the constant weight of the woman on her shoulders.

  “Yeah,” Scott conceded. “I guess you’re going to have to. I’ll give you all the lift I can add from down here, but you’re getting too high up for me to do much more.”

  Cautiously, Abby proceeded to move upward. Now that Tracie held firm to the ceiling, anchoring them, it was easier to balance, which helped with the strain on her leg muscles. Still, she wobbled horribly before she finally had both of her feet solidly on Scott’s shoulders. She let out an exhausted breath. “We’re up,” she announced.

  “Okay, now I’m going to move us closer to the opening.”

  Abby was reluctant to lose her contact with the wall of the cave, but they were still a foot or two from the fissure on the ceiling. She pulled her hands up to her shoulders and held tight to Tracie’s ankles, steadying her as she crouched just below the top of the cave.