by Raelyn Drake
The canyon wall dug into Micah’s back as he pushed against the other side with his outstretched legs. Usually, he would have been able to use his arms to help bear his weight and relieve a little of the pressure on his back. But with only one good arm, Micah was forced to use it for balance instead of support.
Even so, every slight movement sent waves of pain rolling down his injured arm. Micah gritted his teeth, breathing heavily through his nose until the pain faded a tiny bit.
He looked up at the top of the canyon—and found the view almost as upsetting as looking at the drop below him. He was barely a third of the way there. Sweat was already pouring down his face, stinging his eyes and the scrapes he had gotten in the rockslide earlier.
Don’t think about that, Micah told himself. The only thing keeping him going at this point was pure adrenaline. The energy that surged through him didn’t do anything to dull the brutal pain in his broken limb, but it made it just a tiny bit easier to ignore. Focus on the climb. Nothing but the climb.
He pushed with his legs and slid his back an inch farther up the rough chimney wall. Then he moved one leg an inch higher, then the other. Then he repeated the process again and again—legs, back, legs, back. One inch at a time.
He was moving so slowly that it took Micah a while to realize that the chimney was gradually getting wider and wider the higher he climbed. It was hard to tell just by looking, but he definitely had to extend his legs more to reach the opposite wall.
Micah tried not to let this realization panic him. If the chimney got too wide at the top, he would never be able to climb out on his own. He would be stuck high above the canyon floor, with no choice but to admit defeat and start the slow, painful climb back down to his dying friend.
Pausing to catch his breath while he figured out his next move, Micah sneaked a glance down at Trevor. He had expected Trevor to be watching his climb, but Trevor was sitting on a rock, his head hanging down, his head resting on his hands like he couldn’t hold it up on his own.
Just as well, Micah thought. Now he doesn’t have to see my plan fail terribly.
Even though he doubted he would be able to make it to the top, Micah kept climbing. Mostly because climbing up felt more productive and hopeful than climbing down. The chimney continued to get wider and wider toward the top, but not as much as Micah had feared it would.
His legs were stretched out straight to reach the opposite wall of the chimney, but he had reached the top lip of the canyon. The sky was no longer just a blue slit above him. If he craned his neck he could catch a glimpse of the surrounding desert.
Moment of truth, he thought.
Micah shifted his weight to his right leg and carefully brought his left leg back, bent at the knee so that his left foot was flat against the back wall. His right leg was starting to shake from the effort, but Micah took a deep breath to clear his mind, ignoring his exhausted muscles.
He used his good arm to push his back away from the wall. Now he was dangerously balanced, one leg against each wall like he was doing splits. Micah’s heart was thrashing against his rib cage, so he made his move before he had a chance to overthink it and freak himself out.
With a grunt of effort that was practically a battle cry, Micah pushed off with his good arm against the back wall so that he tilted forward, his center of balance shifting from his left leg on the back wall to his right leg on the front wall.
He used his chalked-up fingers to grip a narrow ledge of rock. But he was still stuck. He wasn’t sure he had the strength to pull himself up and over the edge of the canyon with only one arm. He was so tired and in so much pain that he felt like crying.
“I don’t feel so good . . .” he heard Trevor groan. Micah didn’t dare shift his position to try looking down at his friend again. Then he heard a strange hissing sound from below. It slowly got louder until it was a full on blow, coming from the whistle.
Trevor was calling for help again! That gave Micah the energy boost he needed—if Trevor was doing whatever he could to help them, then he would do the same.
Something on the edge of the canyon caught Micah’s eye. It was just a rock, but it was so sunk into the dirt that you wondered if it was just the exposed tip of a giant boulder.
It was almost out of reach, but Micah thought if he made a daredevil lunge he might be able to grab onto it. If he was incredibly lucky.
With one last desperate yell, Micah launched himself up and out of the canyon, using his left leg to shove off the back wall of the chimney, reaching with his good arm for the rock and hoping that it didn’t come loose when he put all his weight on it.
For one horrifying moment, Micah was certain he wasn’t going to make it. The fingers on his good arm scrabbled against the rock trying to get a grip, while his legs still dangled into the chimney, scraping against the rock face for a foothold that he couldn’t see. All of this happened while he lay on his stomach with his broken arm pinned underneath him. The pain was practically blinding, and it took every last bit of Micah’s reserves not to black out.
It had probably only been a second or two of real time, but it felt like an eternity before Micah was able to curl his fingers securely into a handhold on the rock. In the same instant, his feet found just enough of a foothold to give him the push he needed to propel himself entirely out of the chimney.
Micah rolled over on his back, exhausted, his broken arm throbbing with pain. He wasn’t sure if it was sweat running down his face or tears. But his only thought was for his friend. With strength he hadn’t even known he had left, he pushed himself to his knees and inched his way to the edge of the canyon, crawling with only one of his arms.
“Trevor?” he called as he went. “I made it!”
There was no answer from below.
Then louder. “Trevor?!”
Micah reached the edge of the canyon. The desert sun still blazed hot up here, but the canyon was dim with shadows.
Still, there was enough light to make out the shape of Trevor, lying motionless. The whistle hung loosely in his hand.
He must have passed out, Micah thought, panic catching in his throat. And with all of the climbing gear down at the bottom of the canyon with him, Micah had no way to reach his friend. He could still go for help like they had planned, but Micah knew that he would never make it back before it was too late for Trevor.
Micah found himself sobbing with frustration. Who was he kidding? No one would ever hear it. There was no one for miles. Micah knew he might survive until someone realized they were missing and sent out a rescue party, but Trevor wouldn’t. For all Micah knew, Trevor might only have minutes to live.
It was then, when Micah had just about given up, that he heard another soft whistle. It wasn’t coming from below where Trevor was.
It was coming from somewhere in the distance—the sound of another whistle signaling back.
Someone had heard them after all.
CHAPTER TEN
TREVOR
Trevor became aware of the sounds around him before anything else. He could hear Micah’s voice, but he couldn’t make out the words.
Then Trevor’s eyes slowly focused. He squinted in the bright light. But it wasn’t sunlight like he thought at first. It was fluorescent lights. And the deep blue of the desert sky had been replaced by a gray plaster ceiling.
Trevor tried to move his head and groaned. His head ached, his muscles ached, his throat ached, and his stomach felt like he had just gotten over the stomach flu.
“You’re awake!” he heard Micah say. “Finally! The doctor said it would happen soon. I’ll be back in a second. I promised I would tell them if you woke up.”
Trevor’s tongue felt thick and sluggish in his mouth, but he managed a smile at the welcome sound of his friend’s voice. “Where are we?” he asked when Micah came back.
“The hospital. Just outside the state park,” Micah explained.
“So, we made it then?”
“Yeah,” Micah said. “Barely. I tho
ught you were a goner for sure when you passed out. But this older couple had been hiking nearby when they heard the emergency whistle. I followed the sound of their answering whistle and was able to meet up with them. They called for help.”
“But how did they get me out of the canyon?” Trevor asked.
Micah grinned. “A helicopter. They legit had to airlift you out, dude. At the time I was in a lot of pain and worried you were dead, but, thinking about it now, it was pretty awesome. How many people can say they had to be rescued by helicopter after getting bitten by a snake?”
“Speaking of—”
“Oh, yeah, sorry, probably should have led with that,” Micah said. “The doctor said we got you here just in time. They started the antivenom treatment before it was too late.”
“Well, that’s good news,” Trevor said with a weak chuckle. “I really didn’t think we were going to make it.”
“You and me both,” Micah said, shaking his head and smiling. “I’m just glad you had the idea to look for that geocache with the whistle. By the way, you’ll never believe who it was that rescued us.”
Trevor raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said it was an older couple?”
“Yeah, Deb and her wife Nancy. Do those names sound familiar to you?” Micah asked, mouth quirked in a mischievous smile.
“No, why would I—” Trevor’s eyes widened as he realized where he had heard those names before. “Those were the names in the geocache logbook! So, Deb and Nancy were the ones that left the emergency whistle? For real?”
Micah laughed. “It’s less of a random coincidence than you’d think! They’re retired so they spend a lot of their time hiking and geocaching.”
“Thank goodness, otherwise your bravery would have all been for nothing,” Trevor joked. “Now you get serious bragging rights! You can tell the story at every party for the next year about how you climbed out of the canyon with no rope and a broken arm to save my life.”
Micah rolled his eyes. “You were there for most of it, and it was your whistle for help that got their attention,” he said. “You helped get us out of there too, so you get to brag about it just as much.”
“I bet Peyton will be impressed with your thrilling heroics,” Trevor said, grinning. “Have you told her yet?”
Micah blushed yet again. “Actually, yeah,” he admitted. “When your sister got home from school and saw that we weren’t back yet, she texted Peyton to ask if she had seen us. When she said no, your sister called our parents, and our parents called the park, et cetera. You get the idea. Anyway, they showed up at the hospital not long after we did.”
“My parents and sister are here?” Trevor asked.
“Yeah,” Micah said. “They just headed to the hospital cafeteria to get breakfast. I said I would keep watch. I’ve already texted them to let them know you’re awake, so they should be here any second.”
Trevor couldn’t help feeling a brief twinge of anxiety over the fact that his parents knew he had skipped school. But that was replaced by a rush of relief to know that he was safe and that his family was close by.
“Wait a sec,” Trevor said, frowning. “Did you say breakfast? How long have I been asleep?”
“Uh,” said Micah like he was doing some quick mental math. “About thirty-six hours. You missed all of Saturday too—it’s Sunday now.”
“Wow,” Trevor said, “no wonder I’m starving.”
Micah grinned. “It’s good to have you back to your normal self. I think someone will be coming around with food for you now that you’re awake.”
“Hey,” Trevor said, “if you saw Peyton, does that mean you got a chance to declare your love for her yet?”
Micah laughed, but Trevor could see the look on his friend’s face.
“You must have!” Trevor insisted. “Your eyes are practically sparkling.” He wrinkled his nose in fake disgust.
“Peyton asked me before I could ask her,” Micah said, laughing again.
“And now you’re giggling!” Trevor said. “But seriously, that’s awesome. You guys are going to have a great time at homecoming.”
Micah’s phone buzzed. “Your sister says she and your parents are on their way,” he read from the text. The phone buzzed again, and Micah snorted. “She also says that next time you can’t try to give away your gaming system. And then she adds that there better not be a next time because she would be really mad if you died.”
Trevor chuckled and leaned back against the pillows. He knew he could probably expect to get lovingly scolded by his family for giving them such a scare. And that sounded like the greatest thing in the world right now.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
micah
While Peyton went to grab them some punch, Micah absentmindedly traced the heart she had drawn when she had signed his cast.
It had been a couple of weeks since the incident in the canyon, and Micah’s broken arm was slowly getting better. He couldn’t wait to get the cast off, but the doodles and Get Well Soon wishes of his friends and classmates made it tolerable.
What was really amazing, though, was that Trevor had made an almost complete recovery from his snakebite in time for homecoming. He was still feeling weak, and he had frequent physical therapy appointments for his leg, but all things considered—he had been incredibly lucky.
Micah noticed Trevor standing on the edge of the dance floor, talking to a guy from their chemistry class. They were too far away to make out what they were saying over the music, but from Trevor’s dramatic hand gestures and the astonished look on the boy’s face, Micah could guess that Trevor was using the snakebite story to his advantage.
The other guy turned to head out on the dance floor, and Trevor followed. Micah caught his friend’s eye as Trevor walked by. He flashed him a cheesy thumbs-up, which Trevor returned excitedly.
“Trevor blushes almost as badly as you do,” Peyton said as she appeared suddenly at Micah’s shoulder and handed him a cup of punch.
Micah chuckled. “At least some good came out of that whole awful ordeal.”
“You can say that again!” Peyton hooked her arm through Micah’s and shot him a half smile, her eyes bright.
“For the record, I was planning to ask you to homecoming anyway,” Micah said as they finished their punch.
Peyton stifled a laugh. “Sure, I bet you were,” she said, pretending to be serious.
“I really was!” Micah protested, laughing. “Ask Trevor if you don’t believe me!”
Peyton giggled, wrinkling her nose at him. “Well, I guess we’ll never know for sure. Either way, it doesn’t matter since I beat you to it,” she said, turning to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Micah could feel himself blushing as Peyton kissed him, but he didn’t mind.
Peyton smiled mischievously. “You really should have invited me to come climbing with you guys. I bet I could have gotten us all out of the canyon in record time.”
“Indoor climbing isn’t the same thing as the real deal!” he teased.
Peyton rolled her eyes. “You’re just worried I’m a better climber than you!” she said, slipping her hand in his. They headed out onto the dance floor to join Trevor and his date.
Even as he danced, Micah was already daydreaming about how fun it would be to bring her along next time he and Trevor went climbing.
About the Author
Raelyn Drake loves visiting the Southwest but is glad she doesn’t have to watch out for snakes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she lives with her husband and their rescue corgi mix, Sheriff.
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