“Okay.”
She heard him shuffling around but couldn’t follow the dim light beam from his headlamp. Air whooshed from his mouth as he returned and sat beside her.
“I’m back.”
“What did you find?” she asked, hoping that her savior had found the way out.
****
Trevor settled next to Janie and rotated his shoulder. His arm ached. The last minute jump through the portal had him slamming into the rock rim. The boulder that cut off their path had grazed his prosthesis and cut a substantial groove into the exterior.
He rubbed his hands together and mentally reviewed their situation. The last boulder that fell now covered the entire opening, so going out the way they came in was out of the question. The room they landed in was not the outside as he had prayed for but rather a much smaller antechamber of what once was probably a much larger cave.
The headlamp flickered, and he switched it off. Taking a deep breath, he coughed. The air in the room was already thinning. He said, “I didn’t find an obvious way out but there is a small tunnel to the east of us.”
“A tunnel,” she said breathlessly.
“We’ll need to use one headlamp at a time to conserve the batteries. We should be able to crawl through the tunnel. I’ll go first.” He made a move toward that direction, but her voice stopped him.
“You know I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared, not even when I pulled Dad out of the fire.”
Trevor pulled his knees to his chest and waited. Moments passed where he heard her drawing in deep breaths. Then she said, “I’m ready now.”
He directed her. As he made a movement, he gave her a suggestion for what to do. Together they squatted and waddled toward the tunnel’s entrance. The position increased pressure on his amputation site, and he bit his tongue to keep from moaning. Behind him, Janie held a corner of his shirt and struggled to keep up.
They reached the tunnel entrance. Lying flat on his belly, he scooted inch-by-painful-inch into the atramentous narrow opening. Janie held firm to the heel of his right foot. Dirt clods fell on their bodies as they rubbed the side of the walls. Months of searching for Jane Dossett had left him out of shape, and before long his breathing grew labored. “If the boys could see me now,” he mumbled.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
He gritted his teeth, put his arms forward, and clawed at the wet earth. Wads came off in his hands. Reaching forward, sharp rocks penetrated his tender palms. He clutched the rim of an opening and strained his muscles until he hoisted himself up and out of the hole. He rested for only a moment before reaching in and pulling Janie out with a hefty grunt.
They stood on a rock perch. He stepped down and watered rushed into his hiking boots. Trevor rotated his neck to get a better view.
“This looks like a real cave,” Janie said.
“A really big cave.”
“I don’t understand. Didn’t it feel like we were crawling upward? But the real mountain is underneath us.”
“Maybe it was because we started at the bottom of the pond?”
“Maybe. But is it possible we are literally in the mountain?”
He sure hoped not. “I don’t know. Let’s just rest a minute, and you can try your cell again.”
Eagerly, she drew the phone from her pack. The beep of no service echoed in the cave, and she let out a sigh.
He studied the cave walls and wished he’d taken some time to go spelunking. Navy friends had suggested the activity before he lost his leg but he’d blown them off. Now he regretted that decision.
“Do you know anything about the lay of the land in this area? Is it prone to seismic activity? Has the oyster farm ever caved in before?” He also wanted to ask if anyone knew they were on this trip, but he didn’t.
“The farm has been closed for years. Teenagers come up here and hang out some, but as far as I know, that is it. I’ve never known there to be any earthquake-type movement here, and as for the lay of the land, I pretty much already told you everything I know.”
“Used to be flat, developers created an unstable mountain on top of it. Got it.”
Again he had her wait as he surveyed this new cavern. It appeared natural in origin and therefore should be more stable than the one before. No light pilfered through, and no new tunnels presented themselves. The only thing he saw was a deep pool of water. Finding the source could be their only link to freedom.
Trevor returned to her side and she held out a granola bar. “You should eat. For energy.”
He took the bar and sipped from his water. His watch read 11:00 a.m. They had been gone from town for three hours.
Sitting beside Janie, crunching a granola bar and drinking water, he realized he was at peace. Yeah, he could die in the next few minutes, but Janie had given him something he hadn’t had in a long time — the feeling of being needed.
His navy buddies were all still fighting the good fight. Unwittingly, they had left him behind. But here was someone who needed him. She needed his experience — his skills — not only while they were buried in the cave, but also in everyday life.
“Trevor, did you see anything?”
Now came the hard part; what to say about the here and now.
****
Trevor was too quiet. That could only mean he saw no way out. By stepping out of her comfort zone and doing things she wasn’t good at, she had doomed them both to death. She shouldn’t have let Telah’s comment goad her into doing something so stupid.
“I didn’t see anything obvious, but there is a pool of water. I’m thinking about swimming under there and seeing where it goes.”
She gnawed her lip and studied the ground. The dim light from his headlamp showed an inch of water covered the entire cavern. What would happen with his prosthesis if he got it wet, and the opening went nowhere? Blisters, rawness, the inability to move farther, all ran through her mind.
“I should do it,” she blurted.
“What?” he asked.
“I should swim through the opening.” She waited for him to refuse. When he didn’t, she reached over and clicked off his lamp and clicked on her own. “I’ll be right back. Wait for me.”
A smile lifted the corner of his lips, and he saluted her. Confidence filled her at his acceptance, and she followed his spoken directions.
The pool of water was exactly ten paces away. Water penetrated her hiking boots and left her toes squishing in her socks. Rocks poked at the sole as she placed her foot down.
She shrugged the pack from her back and laid it by the water’s edge. Light reflected off the surface, and she placed her foot into the deepening water.
While the tank-top and shorts she wore had been great for the outside, they did little to protect her skin. Scraps on her arms and legs burned as she slipped into the pool. Water pooled in the fingertips of her gloves, and she made the decision to remove them and placed them on her backpack.
Moving farther in, the cool water hit her belly button, and she gasped.
“Are you all right?’ came Trevor’s concerned voice.
“I’m fine. The water is just colder than I expected.”
She heard him return to his seat as she pushed forward. Every step took her breath. By the time she reached the opening, she was shivering and her teeth clacked together. She inhaled and plunged beneath the surface.
The headlamp flickered, and she tapped the plastic shield and prayed it wouldn’t go out and that her breath would hold up until she reached the other side — if there was another side.
Within minutes, her lungs burned. She ran her hand along the top of the tunnel, frantically searching for air pockets, but water encased every space. Panic engulfed her. She wasn’t going to make it. She just couldn’t ma…
Chapter Eighteen
Trevor wrung his hands and rocked back and forth. The gloomy cavern increased his dread. Why was it when a person was stuck in the dark, his brain conjured images far scari
er than anything actually there?
Several minutes had passed since Janie had drawn in a long breath and splashed into the watery tunnel. No sounds penetrated the cavern, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He shifted, and pain arced through his thigh. Tempted to remove the prosthesis, he placed his hands around the leg. He shook his head as fresh waves of doubt assailed him. What if he had to jump up and forgot that he’d removed it? He would fall on his face in front of Janie.
Tapping a button on his watch, he read the highlighted time. Ten minutes had passed. If she hadn’t made it to the other side by now, then he truly was alone.
He needed a course of action. If she didn’t return within ten more minutes, he would have to remove the prosthesis and go in after her. But if she didn’t make it, how did he think he would make it with only one leg kicking him to the other side.
He stood and circled the perimeter once again. Maybe he’d missed something. Maybe there was a way out that he had failed to see on his first scan.
Angry thoughts and words of what he would say to Telah floated through his mind. Why had Janie let Telah’s words provoke her into leading them into this situation?
He ran a hand through his hair. This wasn’t Telah’s or Janie’s fault. What had happened had happened. Now they needed to deal with it.
With his hands flat against the smooth rock wall, he edged his way around. The cavern was almost a complete circle. Lifting his head, he noted the dome shape of the ceiling. At one time the formation might have been filled with the water that filtered into the pond they had just left, but then again maybe not.
No evidence of wires, machinery, or anything else presented itself. He was in the dark now as much he’d been when he’d started his second time around.
He returned to the spot beside the pond, cradled his chin like Michelangelo’s David and waited for an epiphany.
****
Janie felt like she was drifting on a current. Water rushed past her, pushing her forward and upward. She broke through the surface and gasped for air. Rocks edged the rim of the new entrance, and she reached for anything she could grab.
Tree roots shot out from the soft earth, and Janie snagged one and held firm. When her strength returned, she pulled herself from the water and onto the bank. To the left, to the right, and even above, rock encased her. Light filtered through cracks, and she turned off the headlamp.
To keep from slipping, she clung to a tree trunk. Branches sagged on one side. Tall grass stood straight and still. The sweet scent of blooming flowers assaulted her senses. Mist hung in the air, and Janie felt like she was in a life-size terrarium.
Exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she laid her head against the trunk. She lost track of how long she’d rested. Cursory glances around the dome didn’t reveal an obvious route to freedom.
Finally the pain and weariness subsided, and she knew she had to return for Trevor. The return would be much more strenuous than the original journey. The current would be against her. The thought of pushing against the tide made her hesitate.
Lowering her body back into the chest-high water, she sucked in a deep breath. Chilled, she worked to control the shivering as she angled forward and moved her shoulders into the current, forcing the water out of the way one step at a time.
At the tunnel’s exit, she switched on her headlamp, took a deep breath, and plunged in. With her hands on the wall, she propelled forward. The first grab stirred the mud, making the water murky and decreasing visibility. One hand at a time, she pulled herself through the roughest part. Halfway through, when she thought she would die from exhaustion, she saw a vision of Trevor sitting on a rock, waiting for her.
Experiencing a surge of strength, she kicked and shot forward. She burst out of the water, spurting and gasping. Immediately, Trevor appeared and hauled her out. On the rocky edges of the pool, she leaned into his side, and he wrapped an emergency blanket around her shoulders.
“What did you find?” he asked.
Teeth clacking together, she didn’t immediately respond. He rubbed his hands over her arms and warmth returned. Minutes passed, her breathing returned to normal, and her heart rate decreased.
“Light, plants, water, and warmer air.”
“Then it is a good place to go?”
“Y-yes,” she stammered.
“Then let’s get you warmed up, and we’ll head back over.”
“Sure.” She wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders, and that was when she saw them. Her gloves lay on the backpack, just where she had left them.
He glanced in the same direction. Next he turned and looked at her hands before looking away. Casually he lifted his pant leg and Janie gulped.
“I’m going to wrap this in your disposable raincoat and stuff it in my pack. I need to keep it as dry as possible.”
She couldn’t speak as he pulled the prosthesis off and it made a sucking sound. Next he removed the sock and she fought a visible cringe.
He rifled through the backpack contents, found the disposable poncho, laid it on the ground, and placed his prosthesis inside. All rolled up, he reversed course and unrolled it. He packed her gloves in a sandwich bag, placed them inside his false leg, and rerolled the entire package. Lastly, he emptied his pack’s contents into hers before stuffing the wrapped leg into his own pack.
“That ought to just about do it.” He placed the backpack strap on one arm before grabbing her pack and placing it on the other arm. He lowered himself into the water and leaned against the rim. “You might have to help me while we swim. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to maneuver in the water with only one foot.”
The matter of fact way he spoke and acted made Janie feel horrible. If she could hide in a hole and never meet another stranger, then she would. And she would never let another human see her hands, ever! But he had just showed her his greatest weakness without batting an eyelid.
“Are we ready?” he asked, looking up at her.
She nodded. He offered his hand to assist her into the pool, and she eyed it warily.
“I–I—“
“Janie, let me help you,” he pleaded.
****
As he held out his hand, Trevor realized something — Rory had misinterpreted his dream. Jane Dossett wasn’t there to give him peace; he was there to give peace to her.
Her mangled hand remained closed and tight to her body. The taut, shiny skin looked unnatural and painful.
Trevor had hoped by sharing his own infirmity she would feel more comfortable in sharing hers, but—
Slowly she reached forward and clasped his hand. He helped her into the water, and she jerked her hand back.
“How do you want to do this?” she asked, not looking at him.
“Is there something I can hold on to?”
“Yes. The tunnel isn’t that wide, and you should be able to grab the walls and pull yourself. If you can’t, then hold onto my shirt.” She faced him, a serious expression on her face. “When we get close to the end, the current picks up, and it should propel us through to the other side. But before we get there,” she paused and bit her lower lip, “you’ll feel like you’re never going to breathe again.”
Janie, her hair wet and streaming into her eyes, her injured hands hidden by the water, appeared like a waif. He held his arms out, and she fell into them. She laid her head against his chest, soaking the top half of his shirt.
He smoothed her hair away from her face and tilted her chin upward. The light from her headlamp blinded him, and he swiveled it around before he lowered his head and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek.
He pulled back, his heart hammering against his chest. He cleared the huskiness from his throat and said, “For luck.”
She nodded, moved the lamp back in place, and dove into the water. Body still in shock, he didn’t move. Janie hovered before the tunnel entrance and motioned him in.
Plunging into the cold depths, memories of his SEAL training returned. Weeks spent learning combat diving, and
learning to survive in underwater situations, came to mind.
Janie kicked her feet in perfect rhythm. Envious, he imagined that he was doing the same. It seemed to help and he increased his speed until he came alongside her. Grabbing her hand, they kicked together.
About halfway through, he felt a change in the water. Like she’d said, a current took hold of them and dragged them. She squeezed his hand, and they ascended to the surface.
This pool of water was different from the other. It was warmer and a mist hung above it. Along the rim, plants of various heights grew.
Janie directed him to the edge. She used a root and pulled herself out of the pond.
“Hand me the packs.”
He handed them to her, and she placed them behind her on the ground. Then she held her hand out and said, “Hold on and I’ll help you up.”
He stared at the offering. The light here was much better than before. When he came out of the water, he would be completely exposed. Never one controlled by fear, he took her hand, wedged his knees into the wet earth, and crawled.
Out of the water, he lay on his back. His chest heaved. Janie lay beside him in a similar shape. They turned their heads and faced each other.
“You were right. Light, plants, water, warm air.”
“Yeah,” she said in between gasping breaths.
“Wonder where we are.”
“I don’t,” breathe, “know,” breathe.
He rolled onto his side. “Janie, are you okay?”
She swallowed. “Yes… I think,” breathe, “I needed,” breathe, “more rest,” breathe, “in between.”
“Look, you need to slow your breathing before you hyperventilate, okay?” Even if they had a paper bag it would be wet by now, and he sure didn’t want her passing out.
She nodded and lay on her back. Trevor stayed on his side, watching her.
They were both soaked, and with the moisture in the air, they would never dry out. This spelled misery for him later. He couldn’t get around without his prosthesis, but the connection site being wet would likely cause blistering.
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