by PJ Sharon
Chapter 4
I said goodbye to Maggie and Nora and patted the wolves before taking off down the trail, my mind cluttered with thoughts of the dead man and what exactly his death might mean. How long would it take for the Industry to send someone else? This trip to the city couldn’t have come at a worse time. Sam acted as if nothing was wrong, but I could see the pain and fatigue in his eyes and I could tell the cancer was eating him up inside. He needed me here, and I needed to keep a close eye on Zeph, who seemed to grow increasingly unpredictable with each passing day.
I lifted my long hair off my neck and enjoyed the relief from the sticky moisture that coated my skin. During the day, the dampness from the persistent rains mixed with the rising temps made the verdant woodlands feel like a tropical jungle, but if I didn’t get home soon, the drop in temperature with the setting of the sun would use that moisture to cause hypothermic conditions in no time.
The clouds rolled across the clearing sky. I looked up through the thick branches and green leaves and took note of how long I had before sunset gave way to the pitch black of a dark forest. In a few days the moon would fill the sky and make the night as bright as day.
I had just enough time to check the traps on the west perimeter. As I passed a large patch of wild strawberries, I took a mental inventory of the cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes I would have to pick tomorrow before they became too ripe. Planning some easy meals that Sam and Zeph could zap in the infrared would keep me busy for the next few days.
Winding through the familiar woods, a heaviness that I couldn’t shake crowded in on me. Before I had time to examine it too closely, I heard a low moan up ahead. I stopped, my heart pounding a beat faster. I listened to see if I could tell where the sound had come from. Another groan rumbled from somewhere below ground. Remembering that one of the large pit traps Sam and Zeph had dug was close by, I took off at a run. The traps were part of Sam’s security around the perimeter of our property, meant to catch large prey or unwanted intruders.
I came upon the large hole in the ground and looked down into the shadows. An icy chill ran up my arms. The sticks and branches that had covered the trap lay caved in and scattered over the top of a body. Oh no, not two people in one day. My heart lurched as my pulse sped up.
Then a pained groan emanated from the body which was face down and not moving.
“Can you hear me? Are you all right?” I called down.
After another loud moan, a breathy grumble came from below. “Do I look all right?”
I leaned further over to get a better look at the young man who followed his sarcastic comment with a string of curses. Heaving himself up onto his side with one arm tucked protectively across his middle was a kid about my age. He was the same kid I’d seen in town earlier, being tossed like a sack of potatoes between Luke and Josh. He’d taken off just as I had arrived, so I hadn’t gotten a good look at him, but I was certain it was the same boy. His hair hung in his face but the grubby clothes and the strong scent of him said he was probably a drifter. I knew everyone in Stanton and he was clearly a stranger—likely on his own. I looked around to be sure no one else was lurking nearby. The sound of crickets filled the air, signaling we were alone.
“Right…dumb question…sorry. Let me find something to help you climb out.”
“I don’t think I can climb,” he said, his breath labored and his voice filled with pain. “My shoulder is out of joint. I can’t move my arm and can’t feel my fingers.” He was gasping for breath, his voice on the edge of panic.
I let out an unsteady breath of my own. I was still nearly a mile away from the house and there was no way I would make it home and back before the sun disappeared and the frigid air rolled in. I felt the chill of night falling like a cold blanket over the woods. I spotted a vine covered tree nearby. “Wait. I’ll get you out.”
“It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” he mumbled through gritted teeth.
“Just hold on. I’m coming down.” I set the bag down with the cheese, yogurt, and herbals. Then I reached up high on the vine and yanked, pulling it away from the tree. After several more hard pulls, it came loose and I disentangled it from the branches, ending up with a section that was just long enough for my purpose. I went back to the edge of the hole and peered down. “Are you hurt anywhere else besides your shoulder?”
After a moment he said, “I don’t think so,” he added under his breath, “unless you count the cut on my head and a bruised ego.”
I tied off the end of the vine and started over the edge into the hole. It was about twelve feet to the bottom. I quickly shimmied down the makeshift rope and dropped to the ground beside him.
There wasn’t much light left and the shadows deepened inside the pit as I slowly lowered to my knees beside him. As I reached for his arm, he winced and yanked it away. I pulled my hand back and placed my palms face out in a gesture of peace. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
His gaze rose to meet mine and then froze as he stared at me, his jaw dropping open. “Your eyes…”
Used to this response, I flashed a smile. “Genetic anomaly,” I said. Bright green eyes that glowed in the dark were hard to hide. I didn’t even try any more, though I usually avoided being seen after dark. “Don’t worry; it’s not contagious.” He looked unconvinced. “Trust me; I can help,” I said, flashing another smile I hoped would reassure him.
Pain and mistrust covered his face. “Why should I trust you?” he asked through another wince.
I sat back on my heels. “Maybe because I’m your only chance at getting out of here alive. We don’t have time for you to get over your bad attitude.” Even in the dim light, his face looked gray and his pupils were huge and dark. “Look, you either let me set your shoulder now, or we’re going to be stuck here until morning when I can go back home and get some help.” I looked up at the darkening sky and a shiver ran across my skin. “From where I stand, you have no choice but to trust me. Now stop being a baby.”
He looked from my face to the sky far above and then nodded silently. I edged closer beside him and gently ran my hands over his shoulder, his warmth surprising me in the damp, chilly air. I felt for the landmarks of the joint capsule and recognized the dislocation as being posterior. Closing my eyes, I sensed no obvious fractures. “Did you break your fall with this arm?” I asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to distract us both from the silent tension running between us and keep him focused on something other than the excruciating pain he was in. Thanks to my brother’s carelessness and lack of self-control, I knew exactly what a dislocated shoulder felt like. Beads of sweat lined his brow and his jaw twitched from clenching.
“I must have. It happened so fast…and then I hit my head.” He went to touch the gash on his forehead, but I grabbed his hand before he could infect the wound. Streaks of blood smeared the side of his face but the bleeding looked like it had all but stopped.
“Don’t touch it. I’ll take care of that later. Right now, I need to fix this shoulder before you go into shock or the muscles are in too much spasm to let me set it.” I moved closer beside him, aware of the heat of his body leaning into mine. “Brace yourself with your right hand on the ground and lean into me.”
With my right hand at the back of his shoulder and my left gripping his wrist firmly, I said, “Now take a deep breath and picture your joint sliding back into place.” Before he had time to question me, I pulled down hard on his wrist, rotated it inward, and pushed his shoulder forward. He yelped and the joint slid neatly into place, accompanied by a squishy sounding pop.
“Ohhh!” He gasped and an endorphin-induced grin spread across his face. “That feels better.” He made a fist and wiggled his fingers. “How’d you know how to do that?”
I wasn’t about to have that conversation with this stranger, though I felt a sense of pride surge up from down deep. How could I explain to anyone how I just “knew” these things as if they’d been programmed in, which I guess in a way, they had b
een. It didn’t hurt that I’d read and memorized every medical book in mother’s collection in search of answers about who I was and what I could do. A photographic memory was definitely an added bonus. My healing abilities were growing and it felt good to be able to use them instead of hiding them and feeling helpless. There was more I could do for him, but now wasn’t the time.
“You pick up a lot of tricks living out here in the hills,” I said. I left it at that, and helped him stand. I looked up at our vine rope and asked, “Do you think you can climb now?”
His friendly expression disappeared and he was looking at me with an intensity that made my insides seize. His face was in shadow, revealing nothing of his intent, but I felt the tension roll off of him like a thunder cloud. “I can climb, but I think you and I are going to stay right here.”