“I have no idea,” Roger said. “If we don’t find something worthwhile soon, some evidence of Wra using this cave, we’ll head back.”
At last, they reached an area where the path leveled off and the floor of the huge cavern stretched away on all sides. Jen looked up at the center of the ceiling and saw that it was blackened from smoke. “Someone must have used this room for something because there’s smoke stains on the ceiling.”
Roger and Trav looked up. “Good point,” Trav said. “We should take a good look in this room.”
They made their way around the room, starting in the center where the path ended and widening their search. They stopped when they found a secluded area where there had recently been some sort of campfire.
“Someone has been here recently, it looks like,” Roger said. They walked closer and easily made out the tracks of big boots like men wore.
“This must be where they meet,” Trav said.
“Here are more tracks.” Roger headed toward the opposite end of the room from where they’d come in. “It looks like they’re all heading in this direction. Let’s see where they lead.”
Jen and Trav followed Roger as he walked along the man-made path. A short way ahead they went around a huge boulder, and on the other side of it, the path and footprints went into another tunnel.
“What do you think?” Roger asked them as he turned and looked at Jen and Trav. “Should we go back and report what we’ve found, or should we continue on and see where the tracks lead next?”
“I think we should continue,” Trav said. “If it gets too difficult to follow, we can head back.”
“That sounds fine with me,” Jen agreed.
Chapter Eight
They continued as the path headed steeply downward again. The air became even more humid and warm, to the point of making Jen feel damp, as if her clothing was sticking to her skin. The temperature increased the farther down they walked. The path turned at several more places, always headed downhill. When they reached a level area, they looked around.
“This room doesn’t seem to be as spacious as the previous one,” Jen remarked.
“I’m thinking that this lower area serves no purpose even to Wra,” Trav said. “There are very few tracks in this area. I think we should head back and let the others know what we’ve found. Maybe they’ll know something that would prove helpful about Wra’s use of this cave and also help with the case.”
“How about you take Jen back to the top while I search a little more,” Roger said.
“I don’t like the thought of you down here by yourself,” Jen protested.
“I’ve got my phone with me, and if I run into a problem, I’ll give you a call,” Roger said.
Their phones were state of the art and powerful enough, but Jen still didn’t like the idea of leaving Roger behind. “I don’t like it,” she said.
“How about if Trav takes you to the entrance and then comes back down to join me?” Roger suggested.
Jen still didn’t like it. “I don’t know.”
“That will be okay, hon,” Trav said. “We can call someone to come meet us for backup, and I don’t want to leave you alone anyway at the top. I’ll wait with you until we have some guys join us. Then someone will stay with you while someone goes back down with me.”
“Well, okay, but I still don’t like the thought of Roger staying down here by himself.” She crossed her arms and looked at Roger and then Trav. Roger was too daring, and Trav seemed to be the more sensible one about this.
“I’d really like to look around a little more,” Roger said.
“Oh, all right.” She knew she couldn’t budge him on this. “But don’t wander down too far and get too hot.”
“I won’t,” Roger said.
“I’ll be back to join you as soon as someone comes to join us outside. Don’t go too far from this area so I won’t have a problem finding you.”
“I’ll be nearby,” Roger said. “I’m going to search this room.”
“Okay,” Trav said. “Let’s go, hon,” he said to Jen.
She turned, and he indicated she should lead the way. It felt like it was taking them lots longer to go back up than it had taken to walk down. Finally, they reached the first room. It wasn’t long then before they were outside in the sunshine again. Trav took his phone and called Mark. He explained to Mark what they wanted to do, and Jen could tell that Mark was glad to help.
“Mark is on his way right now with Tom, and they’ll give the other agents in the area a call to let them know what we’re doing,” Trav told her.
She looked up at Trav and saw that he was taking this situation seriously. She hoped Roger was staying out of trouble down in the cave by himself.
“I’ll be glad when we’re done with this investigation.”
“I agree, hon.” Trav put his arms around her. “We should get a couple more bottles of water from the truck just in case we get thirsty down there.”
She took her bottle of water from her pocket in her jeans and took a sip. The water was warm, just like the air in the cave. “Better get a couple of cold bottles to take with you and leave the one you’ve got here. Mine is too warm already.”
“I’ll do that,” Trav agreed.
It wasn’t long before Mark and Tom drove up in their pickup and parked beside theirs.
“How are you doing?” Mark asked them as he and Tom joined them.
“We’re doing fine,” Trav said. “If one of you will stay with Jen by the trucks, and one of you will come with me, we should head back down and join Roger.”
“I’ll go with you,” Mark said.
“We’ll be right here,” Tom said. “If you need anything, just give us a call.”
Trav and Mark waved and headed into the cave.
* * * *
Trav caught Mark up with what they’d seen so far in the caves as they walked quickly down the path in the first one and headed to the next big cave. When they reached the cave where Roger had decided they should split up, Trav didn’t see him where they’d left each other. “Roger?” he called out. No answer came back. “Where the hell could he be?”
Mark shook his head. “I’ve heard that these caves go deep and become hotter the deeper they go. I haven’t been down this far before.”
“I’ll give him a call on his phone,” Trav said. There was no answer. “Shit. I guess we’ll have to see where his tracks lead.” They picked up Roger’s tracks easily and followed them as the path went first one way and then another.
“God, I hope he’s all right.” Trav was beginning to be more worried.
“Let’s keep following the tracks. Here’s some we haven’t followed yet.” Mark headed off in the direction of the part of the cave they hadn’t been in.
The tracks led into another narrow tunnel, which headed downward again at a steep slope. After another fifty feet or so, the tunnel opened into a large room, but the path led downward now along a steep cliff. The atmosphere felt even damper and hotter. Trav worried that Roger could be in trouble dealing with the heat and humidity of the cave. He continued to follow Roger’s tracks. When they reached the level floor of the cave, the tracks led across the middle of the room along a path above a small stream of steaming water. More steam floated upward above a small waterfall.
“Fuck it.” Trav stopped. “Roger!” he shouted. He and Mark waited in silence. There was no sound but the gurgling stream. “Mark, I’m really getting worried about Roger. Should we go back for reinforcements for a search party, or should we keep following his tracks?”
“I think it’s best if we follow his tracks. They’ll lead us to him, and then we’ll do whatever is needed. The heat and humidity concerns me. We need to reach him. Let’s keep going.”
Trav nodded, hoping they were making the right decision, and continued following Roger’s tracks. They reached the side of the huge room. His tracks continued through another narrow tunnel ahead of them. Their flashlights showed his tracks and the way
ahead. This tunnel was harder to travel, as it led even more steeply downward. Trav grabbed for the wall nearest to him a couple of times to keep his balance. At one place, they had to duck down to get through. They kept going, the heat and humidity slowly tiring them.
When they reached the end of the tunnel, the path once again headed downward into a large room. By the time they reached the bottom of the hillside, the steam rising from the stream along the side of the room threatened to choke them. It was hard to get a deep breath without coughing. The heat was overwhelming. The giant crystal formations hanging from the ceiling held Trav in awe. In some parts of the room, huge beams of crystal crossed each other and made chaotic, jumbled formations. Steam rose thickly from various areas of the huge cavern.
Trav looked down again, ready to follow Roger’s tracks. As Mark followed behind him, Trav moved slowly, the steam at times obscuring the tracks. Feeling almost exhausted from the heat and steam, Trav wondered how much longer they could continue. He realized that Roger’s tracks were the only tracks now visible in the dust of the path. His tracks were becoming uneven, almost as if he were staggering. “Mark, look at the tracks. They’re the only tracks here. Do they seem unusual to you? Do some of the tracks seem deeper into the soft sand than others? Do they seem erratic?”
“Yeah,” Mark said. “I’m seeing the same thing you’ve noticed. I’m afraid Roger is becoming physically challenged. We need to find him soon, or he could end up in big trouble physically.”
Trav had been thinking the same thing that Mark had said. “Roger!” Trav shouted again.
Nothing. No sound of Roger answering, not even a whisper. Trav feared for his best friend. He started moving again, following the tracks, which now gave the impression of Roger staggering. The path led downhill, sometimes almost impossible to follow beneath tumbled beams of white crystal, some of the beams wider than the path.
The heat became more intense, along with the steam. Sweat dripped down his face and neck under his clothing. He felt slightly dizzy, as if exhaustion threatened him.
“Are you all right?” he asked Mark.
“I’m hanging in there. How about you?” Mark asked him.
“We’ve got to find Roger soon,” Trav said in answer.
At the edge of the light that his flashlight beam gave ahead of them, Roger’s tracks and the path was broken by an odd shadow. Then the light revealed a leg and another leg folded under. Trav lifted the light and saw Roger lying in the path on his side. “Mark! There he is ahead. He’s not moving.” Trav hurried and dropped to his knees beside Roger, felt for a heartbeat, and found it weak and rapid. “He’s alive.”
Mark knelt beside them on Roger’s other side. “Let’s get him out of here, fast. We’ll take turns carrying him.” With that, Mark lifted Roger and draped him over one shoulder. He slowly rose to his feet. “You go ahead and light the way,” he said. “We need to get him back to the top as fast as possible.”
Trav rose and turned back the way they’d come, lighting the way for Mark and himself. After a while, when they’d left the area of giant crystal beams below, they switched and Trav took Roger over his shoulder while Mark walked ahead. Taking turns carrying Roger, who remained unconscious, it seemed as if it took forever to retrace their steps.
Finally, they left the heat and humidity. Soon they saw the light at the opening of the cave system.
Jen and Tom rushed to meet them. Tom took Roger onto his shoulder, and they all hurried outside to their vehicles parked nearby.
“Jen and I will drive,” Tom said. “Let’s get you three to the hospital. You look like you’re suffering from heat exhaustion.”
“I think Roger has been overcome by it,” Trav said, panting to catch his breath.
“Should we call an ambulance?” Jen asked.
“I think we can get Roger to the hospital just as fast without waiting for an ambulance,” Tom said. “Let’s go.”
They put Roger in Mark and Tom’s truck because they had a back seat they could rest him on. Mark got in, and Tom drove.
Jen drove Trav and Roger’s truck. Trav sat beside her and concentrated on resting and catching his breath. They followed Tom to the hospital emergency entrance. Jen stopped behind Tom’s truck and turned off the ignition. She hurried into the hospital to get help while Trav joined Tom and Mark at their truck.
A couple of men with a gurney hurried out the hospital doors with Jen following them. They loaded Roger onto the gurney and rolled him inside quickly. Trav and Jen followed with Mark and Tom close behind them. They all gathered around the bed Roger was placed on.
Soon the doctor arrived and asked them what had happened. Trav and Mark explained where they’d found Roger and the heat and humidity deep in the cave. The doctor had Mark and Trav go into another part of the emergency ward to get checked out while the doctor and his aids checked Roger’s vital signs.
Chapter Nine
Jen and Tom waited outside the rooms in the hallway. They paced as they waited for word from the doctor.
After a while, the doctor came out to talk to them. “Your friends will be fine. They’re experiencing heat exhaustion and will need to rest. Your friend Roger should stay here overnight so we can keep an eye on his condition. I think he will be fine, but he will need more time to recuperate than your other friends. There’s a chance he may be able to go home tonight, but it will be a while before we know for sure. If not tonight, then tomorrow morning probably. Give your friends some fruit juice and a light meal when they feel like eating, as well as emotional support. They’ll probably feel very tired this evening and may have negative feelings that go along with being exhausted. They need to sleep tonight, so make sure they get enough rest.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Tom said. “How soon before we can take them home?”
“It will only be a little while longer. We’re giving them some water and fruit juice to help them feel better and rebuild their energy.”
“Thank you,” Jen said. The doctor shook hands with her and Tom then headed down the hall. She found a couple of chairs against the wall in the wide hallway. Tom joined her.
“Mark told me on the way over here that inside the cave while searching for Roger, in the deeper areas they walked through the heat was intense. There was steam rising from a stream of water that flowed through the rooms. He said that he and Trav were almost overcome by the heat and humidity. If they hadn’t found Roger when they did, they might have been in the same shape he was in.”
“We had no idea the cave we entered would lead downward to a system of such deep caves.” Jen shook her head. “We detected nothing that would have warned us that there were steaming streams of water running through the deeper caves. If we had known that, I think that Roger and Trav would have turned back before they went very far inside.”
“I think so, as well,” Tom agreed. “I’m sure they were more concerned with running into Wra and his gang down there with you along with them than the possibility of steam-filled air inside the caves draining them of energy. I’m not surprised that they split up to bring you back to the top for your protection. They obviously care enough for you to want to keep you safe.”
Jen wished to herself that they didn’t feel that they had to protect her from any danger. She felt as if they didn’t believe she could take care of herself, as if they considered her weak and helpless. The problem was she didn’t know how to prove to them that she could protect herself if they wouldn’t give her the chance.
Granted, this case was more dangerous than previous jobs they’d worked on together, but headquarters believed in her or else they wouldn’t have put her on this one. First, she would look after Trav and Roger until they were feeling perfect again. Then she would show them that she could handle that gang, as well as the leader, Wra.
She’d also protect her guys against having their strength threatened ever again like it had been today.
Jen waited quietly with Tom for their closest friends to be released by the hospit
al. It was almost dinnertime when the doctor came down the hall and let them know they were good to go. Jen wasn’t surprised since she’d learned long ago that shape-shifter wolves healed quickly.
She suspected the doctor knew that, as well, working in this area of Texas that seemed to be full of shape-shifters.
“It’s hospital policy that the patients be taken to their vehicles in wheelchairs, even if they don’t think they need them,” the doctor explained.
She couldn’t help smiling at the disgusted looks on the guys’ faces when they weren’t allowed to walk out. She was so relieved to see that Roger was feeling well enough to go home, as well.
Roger and Trav told Tom and Mark thanks, and they all said they’d be available to help each other anytime. Jen thanked Tom for keeping her company while they’d waited.
Once Roger and Trav were in the truck, Jen climbed in and turned on the ignition. They headed toward the highway and home. She couldn’t help but notice that Roger was not yet back to his usual strength. He could probably use a cold glass of juice and a soak in the Jacuzzi.
When they arrived at home, she parked the truck in the garage, and they all went inside through the entry into the front hall.
“How about a nice relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi while I fix some dinner for all of us?” she asked them.
“Sounds great,” Trav said and smiled at her warmly.
“I’ll go for that,” Roger agreed.
“Great,” she said, smiling at them. “I’ll bring you each a glass of cold fruit juice.”
They headed down the hall to their bedrooms to gather what they needed while she headed to her bedroom to shower and change into clean clothes.
She could hear their groans of pleasure as they stepped into the swirling water. She couldn’t help smiling as she listened to them. After she quickly showered, she dressed in clean clothes and headed for the kitchen to fix something that would help them build their strength back. While they continued to relax in the swirling water with their tall glasses of cold juice, she cooked steaks, potatoes, and green beans for all three of them. A fruit salad topped it off. She set three places on the island at the end of the kitchen for the three of them, and put a big pitcher of iced water in the center. After filling the glasses with ice, she had everything ready and headed down the hall to let them know.
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