by Bobby Akart
Now, just as he’d envisioned, Dusty hung in his safety seat, with his appendages dangling toward the ground and blood dripping steadily from his face and arm—just like a busted-up Raggedy Andy doll.
What he didn’t envision were the spectators that had gathered below him.
Chapter 7
Sheep Mountain
Central Idaho
Rita likened it to riding on the back of a train engine when suddenly the rest of the train was uncoupled and left behind as the locomotive careened out of control at full speed. After the Sikorsky bounced into the air and then violently struck the ground, it broke into four pieces, with the back three splitting off in different directions. The cockpit, containing the pilots, and the chopper’s bulkhead, where Rita’s safety seat was bolted onto, continued at a high rate of speed downhill, crushing through mounds of snow and bouncing off pine trees like a pinball.
Throughout the eight-second ride down the mountain, her body was jolted back and forth against her harness, alternately pulling and pushing her off the seat. The strain against the straps and the buckle were tremendous, but they didn’t break loose.
At one point, Rita had the presence of mind to realize that this out-of-control freight train wasn’t going to stop its downhill slalom until it hit the bottom of the mountain. She was determined to take her chances tumbling through the hopefully soft snow rather than a certain death at the end of this rocky ride.
She attempted to unlatch the buckle that held the five-point harness in place. She pressed the button, pulled and tugged, but it wouldn’t release. She continued to frantically struggle to unlatch her safety harness, unsuccessfully, when the cockpit careened into the air and smashed into a rock wall.
The ride was over, or so she thought.
Quiet surrounded her as small snowballs and several rocks rolled past her. A trough was carved into the snow, which stretched for hundreds of yards until it disappeared from her view. A gust of wind blew a sprinkling of snowflakes past her and carried the smell of fresh pine from hemlocks ripped open by the wreckage.
Dazed, Rita tried to assess her situation as a strange sensation overcame her body. Her vision began to blur, and she struggled to focus to take in her surroundings. Then she heard the groan of one of the men on the other side of the cockpit wall.
“Hey, can you hear me? Are you okay?” Rita waited for a response.
She tried again.
Only silence until she heard a creaking sound and felt the swaying of the cockpit. She tried to look down but couldn’t see clearly.
Snap!
“What?” she asked, startled by the unexpected sound.
Another loud crack was followed by the grinding sound of metal scraping against a hard surface, like a rock.
A slow splitting sound built to a crescendo of rips and tears, causing her to let out a guttural scream as Rita became utterly terrified. The cockpit was being held on top of a rock formation by several pine trees, which could no longer support its weight.
It began to slide as gravity reached up from the ravine below and pulled the cockpit, with Rita and the two pilots, off the boulders and over the cliff, snapping the trees in half.
Chapter 8
Sheep Mountain
Central Idaho
Ashby traced her way back to the wreckage of the main cabin by following Jake’s footprints in the snow. As the amount of volcanic ash increased on top of the ridge, she felt a new sense of urgency to locate the tail section and the N95 particulate masks. Ashby was keenly aware of the impact volcanic ash, even in small amounts, could have on the human body’s respiratory system and internal organs. Sustained inhalation of the glass and pumice particles would be deadly.
After ten minutes of searching, she found the debris field left by the helicopter plowing through the snow and sparsely separated hemlock trees. While her goal was to locate the tail section where their gear was stowed, she also picked up anything that was useful and placed it at a central location near the remnants of the helicopter’s cabin.
She began to backtrack up the ridge toward the east, covering her mouth and nose with Jake’s shirt. Cold and battered, she took on a steely resolve to find the medical supplies and assist Jake in locating Rita and Dusty.
The helicopter had left a trail, a swath of destruction, as it skidded down the ridge. She had no recollection of the initial impact or the subsequent breaking apart of the aircraft. The knot on her head was all the reminder she needed of the beating she’d taken when the eruption at Norris created turbulence that almost took down the helicopter.
As she marched through the snow, she thought about what she’d seen through the chopper’s window. Her focus had been on the eruption at Cascade Corner. An enormous inferno had been generated out of the earth, spewing lava balls in all directions and scorching the forest as if she were watching a movie in four-times fast-forward.
The massive amount of fire and black smoke rising into the air was beyond her comprehension. She’d witnessed many volcanic eruptions, but none like Cascade Corner, until Norris blasted the crust of the Earth into the sky. The explosion had ruptured the planet, laying open its guts for the heavens to see. At first, it was dreamlike, almost hypnotic in its ability to draw Ashby into a trance. Her eyes remained affixed on the wonder created by mother nature until the blast effect crashed into the helicopter. After the initial blow to the head, everything else became a blur. She was unsure what was real and what was conjured up by her imagination.
She continued up the slope and crossed over a fallen tree, which had been ripped apart by the helicopter. After hurdling the trunk, she found the tail section, which was remarkably intact. Only the rotor blades appeared to be bent slightly.
Ashby ran to the wreckage and began turning the latches on the compartment that contained their gear and the medical supplies that accompanied the UH-60Q on all its flights. Then she remembered Jake had specifically asked for his medical backpack. For a moment, Ashby considered second-guessing Jake’s request. She rummaged through the compartments, gathering what she thought she might need to help the others.
Then she stopped. Jake was a survivor. He had a certain mindset that allowed him to anticipate life-threatening situations. Ashby thought back to the day she had stood on the banks of that river in the Philippines. She resolved to be a survivor too, only in a different way. It was something she and Jake had in common. She trusted him and trusted his judgment.
She located one of the many backpacks he’d brought along with them and unzipped it to view the contents. It was the medical gear, and the first items on top were the particulate masks. She affixed one over her mouth and nose before confirming there were several available for the others.
With one final glance around to make sure she could find the location again, she forgot about his instructions to find a sling for her shoulder and medication to alleviate the throbbing pain in her head. With a renewed sense of purpose, Ashby began to run downhill, following the trail of twisted metal and disturbed forest in search of Jake.
Chapter 9
Sheep Mountain
Central Idaho
Jake wandered through the hemlock forest as the trees became more abundant at the lower elevation. Oddly, the snow was deeper than at the higher elevation, which Jake attributed to the amount of moisture available. Jake had traveled several hundred yards away from the cavern and dropped at least a hundred feet in elevation or more when he came upon the rotor blade assembly from the top of the helicopter.
The carbon-fiber-reinforced blades were intact but embedded in the snow. One of the blades stood upright nearly fifty feet above him. The lower blades were leaning against several tall pine trees, and Jake made a mental note to watch for a strong gust of wind, which might throw the entire assembly back to the ground.
He was following the furrowed row of snow when he began to see debris from the cockpit. The windows had shattered and fallen out. As he walked, he picked up several pieces of paper appearing to be part o
f the copilot’s flight logs. A light assembly from the nose of the helicopter lay under a tree.
Then he saw blood splatter on a rock to the side of the newly created trail. This troubled Jake, so he picked up the pace. He continued down toward a group of boulders that had come into view. They appeared scarred, most likely from the cockpit colliding with them.
He frantically looked around for the eight-foot-wide nose and cockpit. He yelled for Rita. He tried to squeeze his way through the boulders, but the space was too tight. Their round smooth surface prevented him from climbing them, so he sought a way around.
After backtracking, he trudged through the two-foot-deep snow, which had built up, until he reached a ledge. He looked to his right and confirmed his fears. On the other side of the large boulders were shredded treetops, followed by a large area of displaced snow.
And nothing else.
Jake inched forward, holding onto trees so he didn’t lose his footing. As he got closer to the edge, his field of vision improved. He was standing on the edge of the ridge, which overlooked a drop into a ravine of at least a thousand feet or more.
Jake closed his eyes and sighed. Nothing could have survived that fall.
He gathered himself and began to move back through the trees toward the trail created by the wreckage when he heard Ashby calling his name in a whispered tone.
Jake didn’t yell in response, immediately concerned as to why she was keeping her voice down. Instinctively, he reached for his service weapon, and then he remembered he’d removed it to fix Ashby’s shoulder. He cursed himself for this mistake and scrambled up the snowy hill to find her.
“Ashby,” Jake called out as he caught a glimpse of her through the trees, “I’m coming. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but come quick,” she responded as the two approached one another.
He joined her side and reached to take the backpack from her. She held onto it and unzipped the top to retrieve a mask for Jake, which he quickly put on.
“What’s wrong?”
“I found Dusty, and I think he’s still alive. Well, I hope he is. Jake, it’s bad.”
“Let’s go,” he said as he grabbed the backpack and took her by the hand.
She tugged at his arm to stop him. “We have to be careful.”
“Why?”
“Wolves.”
Chapter 10
Sheep Mountain
Central Idaho
Jake rummaged through his backpack and found a rolled-up black tee shirt at the bottom. He quickly pulled it over his head and then continued his search. He looked up and smiled at Ashby when his hand found the Taurus PT111 Millennium Pro handgun wrapped in cheesecloth. He searched further and found two magazines filled with nine-millimeter ammunition in a side zipper pocket of the backpack. He inserted one into the base of the pistol’s grip and chambered a round. He tucked the other in his pocket.
Jake turned to Ashby with the backpack. “Can you handle this?”
“Yes. Jake, the air quality is getting worse. We don’t have a lot of time. Not to mention we still have to find Rita.”
Jake quickly spun around toward the trail so Ashby couldn’t see the emotions on his face. They’d have to deal with Rita’s demise later. “Come on. Stay behind me, but close.”
“Jake, what about—” Ashby began before Jake cut her off.
“Are those your tracks leading into the trees up ahead?” asked Jake, pointing toward the disturbed snow near the woods, although he already knew the answer. He was trying to divert her away from the subject of Rita.
“Yes. He’s in a small clearing in the middle of the pines. It’s just a hundred yards or so.”
They heard the yelping of the wolves, which prompted Jake to break into a run. Ashby stayed close behind as they used her previous tracks to make the footing easier.
When they arrived in the clearing, they found two full grown wolves and a pup circling Dusty’s suspended body. The wolves were attempting to jump up and bite his hands, but the slippery footing prevented them from getting any traction.
The largest of the wolves, the alpha, caught Jake and Ashby’s scent and immediately turned to challenge them. Jake opted for a warning shot. For a reason that he couldn’t explain, he was able to hunt for food, but not just for the sake of killing an animal. Killing the wolf would cross that line in the sand he’d set for himself when he was a teen.
Before he squeezed the trigger, his mind wandered to another line in the sand—the killing of a human being. He’d never shot anyone, nor had the opportunity arisen. He suspected that would change following the eruption of Yellowstone.
Jake fired a shot into the air and the wolves scattered. He didn’t waste any time in slogging through the snow and the fallen pine tree branches.
“Did you see that?” asked Ashby. “I swear Dusty flinched. He’s alive, Jake!”
Jake kicked the snow away from underneath Dusty, and he reached over his head to touch his wrist. “I’ve got a pulse. It’s weak, Ashby. We have to move fast.”
“What can I do?” she asked.
“I have a backup knife in the pack. Can you find it for me? If I release his harness with the latch, his body weight will stretch his limbs. I have to cut—”
“Jake, wait,” interrupted Ashby as she spun around. “Listen.”
Jake stopped talking and became still. He looked toward Ashby; then he heard the growling. The wolves had returned, except now there were four adults and the pup. They had circled around the boulders and were now stalking their new human quarry. Two approached from their rear, and two more were approaching from the front.
“No, that’s not—” started Ashby, but Jake interrupted her.
“Ashby, don’t speak or move. Don’t stare them down either. We don’t want to act like prey, or a threat. Just keep facing them but look beyond them. Remember, they’re more afraid of us than we are of them.”
“Liar,” she said bluntly.
“It’s true, trust me,” said Jake as he turned his attention to the alpha. It was almost impossible to truly identify the alpha of a pack unless you spent time studying them with their family. Jake assumed the large male that approached first was the alpha.
“Listen here, you guys. I was nice the first time,” Jake hissed as he drew the handgun out of his belt. “I’m not gonna kill you, but this round will come close enough to send you way off in the woods.”
Jake pointed his weapon at the ground near the wolf’s front paws. He expected the bullet to lodge in the wet soil beneath the snow.
The wolf continued to bare its teeth, inching forward step-by-step. Its rear haunches dropped as if it was ready to spring forward, and Jake fired. The report was deafening between the two boulders that suspended the demolished helicopter cabin in the air.
The wolf immediately recoiled, and as it did, Jake spun around and fired two rounds into the ground in front of the remaining wolves. Yelping, all of the pack dashed into the hemlocks, knocking flakes of snow off the branches as they ran.
Satisfied the encounter was over, at least for now, Jake stuck the handgun in his waistband and exhaled.
“Jake,” started Ashby, “what I was about to say is—”
“Help! Can you hear me?” shouted a woman’s voice in the distance.
“That. I heard that. It’s Rita. She’s alive.”
Jake walked back toward the debris field. He held up his hand and listened.
“Help!” she repeated.
Jake’s head snapped to the right, toward the ledge. “Ashby, I thought she fell over the cliff. The wreckage is gone. I saw blood.”
“We have to find her!” yelled Ashby as she started toward the path.
Jake reached for her arm and stopped her. “Okay, okay. Hold on a second.” Jake turned and walked back to Dusty. He looked at his medical bag and back to Ashby.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m gonna check on Rita, but her voice sounds strong, and Dusty’s in really bad sh
ape. We’ve got to get him down.”
“I’ll watch over Dusty,” offered Ashby.
Jake thought for a moment. He had to make a decision. “Okay. Did you see stretchers in the tail section?”
“I saw one in the woods near our part of the chopper’s cabin. Do you want me to get it?”
“Yeah, and take the gun,” replied Jake as he pulled the sidearm from his waistband. “Do you know how to shoot?”
“No. Why do I—?”
“The wolves,” replied Jake, who quickly dropped the half-spent magazine and inserted the full one. He stuffed the other magazine in his pocket. “Get the stretcher and meet me back here. Just point and shoot in their general direction. They’ll get the message.”
“Be careful,” she said as she turned and ran toward the trail. Jake gave Dusty another glance and ran after her. He didn’t like leaving Dusty like this, but there was nothing they could do for him at the moment without a stretcher and shelter. While Ashby fetched the stretcher, he’d find Rita.
As Jake rushed down toward the cliff, he realized this was the first of many difficult choices they’d face in the coming weeks.
Chapter 11
Sheep Mountain
Central Idaho
Jake carefully made his way along the edge of the cliff. Once he found where the cockpit went over the side, he crawled on all fours to get a better look. Thirty feet below his position, he could see part of the cockpit protruding away from the cliff’s wall.