"We’re not in any danger, are we?" Blair asked.
"We’re not directly in the path of the slide," Matt said. "But that doesn’t mean there won’t be another one. We might not be so lucky a second time."
"What about the hunters camping up by the lake?" Sam asked.
Matt scratched the back of his neck, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "I don’t know. We’ll have to wait until it’s light out to see."
They fell silent for a moment or two, digesting the implications. If the hunters’ tents lay in the mudslide’s path, they wouldn’t have had a chance—they wouldn’t even have known what hit them.
Sam got to his feet. "I need to get back to Duke. There’s nothing we can do until it’s light out."
Matt nodded. "I don’t know about you, but we’re getting out of here today, rain or no rain. It’s too dangerous to stay. We’ll clear the road if we have to. If the others know what’s good for them, they’ll leave with us. We can caravan out to the main highway to make sure everyone makes it safely. As soon as we get a signal, I’ll call 911 and arrange to meet the police at a rest stop or somewhere safe. They’ll probably want to interview us."
Sam nodded. "Makes sense. I’m with you. See you later."
Once he’d exited the trailer, Blair got up to brew some coffee. Matt reached for her by the wrist and pulled her back down. "What was Sam doing over here?"
She frowned, yanking her hand out of his grip. "You heard him—making sure everything was all right."
"I told you to stay put inside the trailer."
"You also told me to get the emergency pack."
Matt gave her a chagrined look. "I forgot it was in the outside storage compartment. Pretty stupid place to put it in retrospect. Why did you scream?"
"Sam startled me, that’s all," Blair assured him. "I wasn’t in any danger."
"You don’t know that. We don’t know anything about him—other than what he’s told us. It could all be a pack of lies."
"What are you saying? You’re acting like Sam’s the killer. That doesn’t make any sense—"
"I don’t know who he is, Blair. And neither do you. You can’t ever be alone with him, or anyone else from the campground, for that matter."
"Fair enough. But I didn’t know he was there."
A nerve twitched in Matt’s cheek. "That’s the part that scares me."
"I don’t think he deliberately snuck up on me," Blair said. "The storm was so loud; I couldn’t possibly have heard him approach."
Matt’s gaze bored into her. "Exactly! That’s my point! Why didn’t he yell out to you to make sure he didn’t freak you out?"
Blair turned away without responding. Matt had a valid argument. It had unnerved her when Sam had reached for her shoulder without saying a word. She couldn’t help wondering what might have happened if Matt hadn’t shown up when he did.
6
By nine o’clock that morning, the wind and rain had subsided enough to venture outside and take a closer look at what had transpired overnight. After digging out their binoculars, Matt and Blair donned their outerwear and locked the trailer behind them.
"Let’s head up the hiking trail a bit and see if we can get a better view of the mudslide," Matt proposed.
Blair slipped the binoculars’ strap around her neck and tucked her hands into her pockets to keep warm. "Should we ask Sam to come with us?"
"No!" Matt said, a forced calmness in his voice. "Let’s just go ourselves. We can update him when we get back."
Blair frowned to herself as they set off. Apparently, Matt’s suspicions about Sam were back in full force.
They’d only gone a quarter mile or so when they saw the first tell-tale signs of mud oozing across the hiking trail.
"I’d no idea it came this close to the campground," Matt remarked, in a somber tone. "Looks like we dodged a bullet last night. We should get out of Bird Creek as soon as possible. I don’t want to take any chances of getting caught in a second slide."
"I’m good with that," Blair said. "This place hasn’t exactly turned out to be the idyllic retreat I pictured. More like one unending nightmare since we got here."
They walked on for another couple of hundred feet or so before coming to an abrupt stop at the shocking sight that lay directly ahead. A forty-foot wide swathe of black mud, massive boulders, uprooted trees, and miscellaneous brush had obliterated the trail to the lake. For a moment they stood frozen to the spot, digesting the horrifying implications of the scene of devastation before them.
"The police are never going to find that man’s body now. Good thing we took photographs." Matt shook his head in disbelief, eying the horizon. "Any sign of the hunters?"
Blair lifted the binoculars and surveyed the area. She panned slowly to the left, tracing the path of the slide back to its origin on the scarred mountainside that had succumbed to the storm. Her stomach churned as the sickening reality took hold. The mudslide had torn straight through the hunters’ campsite and obliterated every trace of them. Shaking, she slipped the binoculars over her head and handed them to Matt. "You need to see this."
He stared silently through the lens. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, he abruptly hunkered down and scrubbed his hands over his face. "It’s like it wiped them from the face of the earth. Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like this before."
"Do you think there are survivors?" Blair asked.
Matt straightened up and inhaled a deep breath. "I doubt it, but we need to find out before we get out of here. Let's head back to the trailer and round up some supplies first."
They wasted no time retracing their steps along the churned-up trail, each lost in their own grim thoughts. When they arrived back at the campground, Sam came out of his trailer to meet them, Duke at his heels.
Blair could sense Matt’s hackles rising, but Sam seemed oblivious to any tension between them. He gestured to the binoculars in Matt’s hands. "See anything?"
"It was a mudslide." Matt moved his jaw side-to-side, as if contemplating whether to continue the conversation or leave it at that. "The burned section of the mountain gave way. The debris blasted straight through the campsite up by the lake and crossed the hiking trail. Not sure if any of the hunters made it out alive or not. We’re going up there now to have a look around."
An anguished look flickered in Sam’s eyes. "I’ll grab some rope and come with you. Duke can help locate any survivors."
Matt pressed his lips together and gave a tight nod, acknowledging that Duke would be an asset. Then he turned to Blair. "Why don't you ask Hazel to join us too? We might need her medical expertise. And knock on Whitney’s and Logan’s door and let them know what's going on. We could use their help to search the area. I'll fill in Harvey and Sandy."
Blair hurried off, casting a curious eye over the uninhabited camper van in passing. She couldn’t help wondering if the killer had been caught up in the mudslide and his body washed away with his victim’s? Either way, it would be up to the police to put the pieces together now and figure out who the van belonged to. As soon as she and Matt had searched for any survivors, they were going to blaze a trail out of this wretched campground before anything else happened.
When she reached Logan’s and Whitney’s trailer, she hammered on the door repeatedly, stepping back when Logan stuck a tousled head out. "Yeah?"
Blair quickly brought him up to speed. "It’s absolute destruction out there. The mudslide went straight through the hunters’ campsite. We could use your help looking for survivors."
Yawning, Logan tugged a hand through his hair. "I thought it was an earthquake—Whitney was freaking out. Some honeymoon this is turning out to be."
Blair shot him a look of pained exasperation. "It sucks for all of us, but right now, there could be people out there who need our help."
Logan scratched his chest, a look of irritation on his face. "Don’t wait for us. I only got to sleep a little while ago. We’ll catch up with you. I need some coffee first."
>
Before Blair had a chance to respond, he closed the door in her face. She let out a snort of disgust as she turned on her heel and set out for Hazel’s trailer. She wasn’t going to hold her breath waiting on Whitney and Logan to show up and join the search party. She had a hunch they would hitch up their trailer and blast out of here the first chance they got.
Hazel spotted her through the window and waved a hand in acknowledgement. "I was just getting ready to head over your way," she said, yanking the door open. "Was that an earthquake last night?"
"Mudslide," Blair responded.
Hazel’s eyes widened. "Did it come close to us?"
"It went straight through the hunters’ campsite by the lake and crossed the hiking trail. We're heading up there now to look for survivors. We could use your help in case anyone’s injured."
"Of course," Hazel agreed, springing into action. "Come on in. I’ll grab some supplies." She went into the bedroom and resurfaced a moment later clutching a medical bag. "If there are any serious injuries, we might need a stretcher to bring them back," she said, as she pulled on her Parka and boots.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Blair replied. "We have a tarp in the back of our truck we can use, but there’s no sense in hauling a bunch of supplies with us until we know what we’re dealing with." She didn’t add that she held out little hope of finding any survivors in the mudslide’s path. Hazel hadn’t seen the devastation she’d witnessed.
Matt and Sam were busy sorting through a tub of climbing gear at Sam’s trailer when Blair showed up with Hazel in tow. Matt had donned his waterproof tactical gear and Sam was kitted out in waders and a heavy-duty raincoat and pants. Evidently, they were planning on trudging deep into the mud if need be.
Matt nodded to Hazel. "Thanks for coming. We might need your expertise if we find anyone alive."
"I never imagined for one minute it was a mudslide," Hazel said.
"I’m guessing the burned side of the mountain couldn’t absorb any more rain. With all the vegetation gone, there was nothing to stop the dirt giving way." Matt reached for a shovel leaning up against Sam’s trailer. "Are Logan and Whitney joining us?"
Blair twisted her lips. "I wouldn't hold your breath. I have a sneaking suspicion they're going to bail out of here now that the storm’s passed."
"Figures," Matt said gruffly. "That Logan’s a waste of space. And Whitney’s not much better—she’s an airhead."
"Give them a break," Blair soothed. "They're on their honeymoon. Did you talk to Harvey?"
Matt nodded. "I told him to stay put and keep the door locked."
Sam grabbed a hiking pole and a coil of rope.
"All right, let’s get moving." Matt strode off, leading the charge, his shovel resting on his shoulder.
They set out along the trail at a brisk pace, Duke eagerly sniffing out the route ahead of them. When they reached the mudslide, they took turns surveying the gouged-out mountainside in the distance through the binoculars.
"The campsite by the lake’s decimated," Hazel said in a hushed tone. "It will be a miracle if anyone survived. Looks like a battlefield out there."
Matt flinched, his expression hardening as he stared off into the distance.
Blair clenched her hands into fists in her pockets. She could tell his thoughts were traveling far beyond the horizon to the road in Afghanistan where his comrades had fallen.
Realizing her gaffe, Hazel grimaced and threw Blair a helpless look.
She gave a subtle shake of her head, hoping Hazel would take the hint and drop it. Apologizing now would only underscore the analogy.
"Let’s make our way up to the original campsite and look around the area," Matt suggested. "We can spread out from there."
With Duke firmly leashed, Sam took the lead, prodding tentatively at the ground in front of him with his hiking pole to test the depth of the mud. A distinct smell of ash hung in the air from the scorched earth that had been stripped from the fire-scarred mountainside. Blair and Hazel followed behind Sam with Matt taking up the rear. Blair’s mind was abuzz imagining what the hunters’ final moments must have been like before the catastrophic debris flow of mud, trees, and boulders thundered over their tents like a cavalcade of tanks. It was hard to imagine anyone could have lived through such an onslaught, but it would be on their consciences forever if they didn't make some attempt to look for survivors before they left.
Progress was painfully slow as Sam meticulously tested the mud in front of him each step of the way. Every so often, one of them yelled out, Is anyone there? or Can anyone hear me? but there was never a response. As they moved steadily forward toward the lake, Hazel suddenly let out a yelp and pointed to her left. "Over there! I see something. Looks like a backpack."
"Wait here!" Sam said. He turned and began picking his way gingerly over to the pack. Reaching down, he grabbed hold of one of the straps and hoisted it aloft. The others watched with bated breath as he prodded the surrounding area with the pole, while Duke sniffed around. Satisfied that no one was buried in the vicinity, Sam carefully unzipped the pack and rooted through it. After a few minutes, he slung it over his shoulder and made his way back to the group. "There's no ID inside, not even a hunting license. Just some camping food and supplies."
"We’ll have to bring back any personal possessions we come across," Matt said. "The families will need to identify them." For a brief moment, his gaze met Blair’s, and she glimpsed the emotions he was wrestling with.
"I think I see part of a tent or something wrapped around a tree," Sam said, pointing off into the distance.
Blair panned the area with the binoculars and then let out a gasp. "You’re right! It’s fabric of some kind. Let’s check it out."
Single file, with Sam leading the way once more, they continued traversing the swathe of mud, rocks, and debris until they neared the tree where a shredded tent was flapping feebly like a wounded butterfly. Sam held up a hand to halt them. "The mud’s getting deeper," he yelled back. "It’s above my knees. You girls might want to wait here."
Blair handed Matt the binoculars. "Take them, in case you spot something else."
He and Sam proceeded with caution. It wasn’t long before the mud was squelching up to their thighs. Blair and Hazel watched with apprehension as the men ploughed on toward the tree. After wrangling with the tent remnant for several minutes, Sam finally succeeded in freeing it. He rolled it up and stuffed it into the hunting backpack on his shoulder. For the next twenty minutes or so, he and Matt methodically poked and prodded at the mud in the surrounding area with their pole and shovel, before abandoning their efforts.
Matt straightened up and cupped his hands to his mouth. "Anyone out there?" He turned his head expectantly in every direction like a bird observing its surroundings, waiting for a moment or two before yelling again, "Can anyone hear me?"
Blair scrunched up her eyes in concentration as she scoured the area for any signs of life, a head poking up from the mud, a hand waving—even a finger. It was entirely possible someone was listening to their shouts but was too weak to respond.
Matt and Sam spent the best part of the next hour searching the area close to the lake where the hunters’ campsite had been—while Blair and Hazel stuck to higher ground—but the only other item they stumbled across was a badly dented, solar-powered lantern.
“Doesn’t look like anyone survived," Matt said. "Retrieving the bodies is a job for search and rescue. We should call it a day and get out of here while we still can. The mountainside could be unstable."
As they turned to go, a faint cry reached Blair’s ears. She stopped dead in her tracks. A bird, or was it human? For a split second, she thought she’d imagined it. But Duke’s insistent barking indicated otherwise. "Did you hear that?" she asked, swinging around to face the others.
"I thought I heard something." Matt pressed the binoculars to his eyes, scanning the battered landscape as they huddled together, motionless, listening intently. After a moment or
two, another muffled cry drifted their way.
Wordlessly, Sam slipped the backpack from his shoulder and unleashed Duke. The dog took off, zeroing in on a distant target. Sam locked eyes briefly with Matt and they both followed in Duke’s tracks.
Tenting her hand over her eyes, Blair watched their progress as they staggered through the mud to where Duke was waiting for them by a cluster of boulders and tangled vegetation. Instantly, both men fell to their knees, hands scrabbling at the mud.
"They’ve found something," Hazel said breathlessly.
Blair’s thoughts tumbled together. Please don't let this be what I think it is. Matt really doesn't need to be by another dying man's side.
She watched apprehensively as the two men paused and appeared to assess the situation. After a moment’s deliberation, Matt stood and started shoveling mud aside. Sam remained kneeling on the ground, hunched over as though talking to someone. After a few minutes, Matt tossed the shovel aside and then leaned down and reached into the debris.
Blair sucked in her breath as her husband and Sam slowly hoisted a mud-caked figure to his feet.
7
"I can’t believe it! He's alive!" Hazel gasped.
Blair watched with morbid fascination as Matt and Sam inched their way toward them supporting the man they’d rescued. Even at this distance, he looked like some kind of monster from the deep—covered in slick, oil-colored filth from head to toe. But at least he was moving his legs, which was a good sign. It was anyone's guess what internal injuries he’d sustained after being swept away in his sleep by a torrent of mud and trees.
As the three man drew closer, Blair and Hazel trudged through the muck to meet them.
"Any obvious injuries? Is he bleeding?" Hazel asked in a clipped tone, already unzipping her medical bag.
"I think his right arm’s broken," Matt said, panting from the exertion of digging the man out of the mire and half-dragging him through it.
You Will Never Leave: A psychological suspense thriller Page 5