“Faster!” Ranelle screamed as they all sprinted ahead, leg muscles burning from the strain. Their hurried pace was beginning to take its toll as they grew increasingly more tired.
“Look!” Lara cheered as they broke free of the maze of stalagmites, a giant stone archway suddenly appearing before them.
The miners piled through the exit, finding themselves in a cavern that dwarfed the last. In the darkness, there was no way to tell how large the cavern was, but the teenagers' only thought was getting to safety.
“Help me!” Ranelle demanded as she pulled an ax from her satchel and began hammering away at the side of the archway, “If we can bring the doorway down, we might make it!”
Lara and Charlie snapped into action as they too, pulled out their axes and started chipping away at the stone as Ranelle demonstrated.
A few small rocks began to fall.
“Keep going!” Ranelle belted, watching as the wave of skincrawlers got closer and closer to the doorway.
Suddenly, the arch cracked and groaned, sending a sheet of dust down on top of the frantic teenagers.
“Watch out!” Charlie cried as he threw aside his ax, grabbed both girls, and pulled them away from the falling debris. A moment later and the archway began to fall, large stones tumbling down in a shower of rock and dust.
When the air began to settle, the three of them climbed wearily to their feet to check for success.
“Did any of them get through?” asked Charlie as his eyes darted around, looking for any sign of movement.
“I don't think so,” Lara said breathlessly.
“Good job guys,” said Ranelle, who was bent over with her palms on her knees, trying to catch her breath. As her mind caught up with what had just happened, she stood upright with a sudden pained look on her face.
“I know what you’re thinking,” said Charlie, seeing her ashen expression, “but I know he made it out of that last cavern.”
“How do you know?”
“While you two were playing with the pretty beetles, I was busy searching, and I found sets of footprints leading toward this exit. I'm sure they made it this far.” Charlie reported pointing a finger at the collapsed archway.
Ranelle relaxed her shoulders and took a few deep breaths. “Okay, then where do you suppose they went?”
“The only place they could go,” Charlie replied as he returned his ax to the bag that he’d pulled it from.
“Forward?” Lara guessed.
Charlie nodded.
“Alright,” Ranelle agreed, “I guess there's no point lingering. Let's search for them.” The others nodded as they turned their backs on the collapsed archway, appraising the new cavern they now stood within. When Ranelle looked up, she noticed the cavern's ceiling was so high, the lantern light couldn't reach it.
“How high do you suppose that is?” asked Lara as she too pointed her gaze upward.
Ranelle thought for a moment before answering, “well, it must be at least double what the ceiling in Ashbourne is.”
“Maybe even taller,” Charlie observed, as Ranelle nodded.
The cavern extended further than they could see with their faint lantern light. As the group scanned the area, the ground climbed upward to form a stone hill dotted with large boulders and rocks that blocked their view of the rest of the cavern.
“I suppose the next step is to cut up between those rocks and see what’s over the crest of that hill,” Ranelle said simply, pointing to a visible dirt pathway that snaked up the hillside.
“Sounds reasonable,” Charlie remarked as his eye suddenly caught sight something on the ground ahead of them.
“What’s that?” asked Lara, watching Charlie kneel and press his fingertips to the ground. When he came back to his feet, he looked at his hand as if it was foreign. Before either girl could ask, Charlie slowly rotated his wrist, showing a smear of bright red blood across his fingertips.
Both girls clapped their hands to their mouths.
Not wanting them to panic, Charlie wiped the blood on the outside of his dark-colored satchel. “It could be nothing,” he tried to reassure them.
“It could be something,” said Ranelle, her stomach tied in knots as she thought of the possibilities. It was as if she was watching a horror reenactment inside her head. “I never should have let him go with her.”
“Charlie's right, Ranelle,” Lara placated, placing a hand on the distressed girls' shoulder, “there are a hundred different reasons why one of them could be bleeding.”
“That’s too much blood,” Ranelle retorted, her eyes bulging.
Before Lara could reassure her again, Ranelle ran off up the slope at a hurried pace, leaving the others to stumble on after her.
“Gideon!” Ranelle called out as she followed the dirt path away from the collapsed cave entrance.
“What about this cavern?” Lara shrieked as she and Charlie ran after Ranelle, “what if stalactites are hanging up there where we can't see them?”
“Then you'd better step lightly!” Ranelle called back over her shoulder without pause.
Chapter Eighteen
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Abree stumbled, her feet kicking up sand into the chilled air as she reached and shoved forward. Her hands ran over the smooth surface as she heaved the heavy object with all her strength, sliding it forward several feet. Gritting her teeth, she gave the object one final shove as it slid smoothly, finally reaching its destination at the water’s edge.
In the distance, she could hear the clatter of falling rocks.
It can't be, they were supposed to wait back in the tunnel.
“Damn it,” she swore to herself. She should have known that Ranelle wouldn’t let Gideon stay out of her sight for long.
Abree pushed the heavy vessel further into the lapping water, heaving her supplies into it bag by bag. As she finished loading, there was a faint and distant call.
“Gideon!”
She growled with irritation.
I'm running out of time.
She had to decide. Debating the repercussions of leaving him behind, she bit at her lip, nervously weighing her options. Realizing that going back and bringing him would take too much time and effort, she heaved herself into the vessel, using her uninjured foot to push off hard.
Please, don't sink.
Abree felt very unsure, which was to be expected as she’d never used this type of craft before. Luckily, a few moments later, she was still floating. With a sigh of relief, she took hold of the long, thin object that had been inside the craft and started to propel the vessel forward.
Not long now.
She heard another distant call, but this time Abree didn't flinch.
As she floated away smoothly through the inky water, she felt lighter than she had in a long time.
“Gideon!”
Ranelle called out again as she darted between boulders, Lara and Charlie casting nervous looks upward to the cavern ceiling as they followed behind.
“If there were stalactites in this cavern, they would’ve fallen by now,” Ranelle spat, looking back, noticing their worried glances roof-ward.
She focused her attention back on the ground, holding the pyrus lantern ahead of her as she pressed forward.
As the others struggled to keep up, Ranelle hurried along the dirt path that crisscrossed up the hill. She scurried over small piles of rubble and large rounded boulders.
“Ranelle, wait!” called Lara as she and Charlie began to fall farther behind. Ranelle just couldn't stop. Her legs willed her forward, her lungs burning from the strain.
As the hill grew steeper and more treacherous, she dug in with her free hand, pulling forward, following the path that continued up to the crest of the mound. A few more staggering steps and Ranelle reached the top. Still, as she did, she stood breathless and wide-eyed at the scenery that stretched out before her.
Ranelle barely noticed the sounds of climbing behind her. She simply stood, pyrus lantern in hand, staring off into the dis
tance.
The hill upon which she now stood, made up the highest point of the cavern. To either side, the rocky ground sloped away gradually, following the curve of the cavern walls to form a crescent. The hill was abruptly cut by a steep cliff face, the bottom of which butted up against a sprawling sandy beach.
Peering over the edge of the cliff face, Ranelle traced the beach with her eyes as it followed the shoreline of a massive lake. The sprawling body of water continued far past the limits of her eyesight. Standing firm, she listened to the distant sounds of waves crashing softly onto the sandy shore.
“There you are!” cried Lara as she and Charlie both crested the hill, coming to stand on either side of Ranelle. Each of them was bent over, hands on knees as they gasped, trying to catch their breath. When they’d both recovered from their hastened climb, Lara and Charlie stared out in awe of the massive body of water that stretched into the seeable distance.
“My god,” said Lara in a breathless whisper, “that lake’s as big as Ashbourne!”
As they each appreciated the seemingly boundless body of water, Ranelle squinted down at the beach, observing small rocks and reeds poking out of the sand sparsely in places along the shore. As she continued to scan down the coast of the lake, a dark mass caught her attention on the beach below.
“Gideon?” she whispered, daring to hope, but her heart soon sunk with the realization that if it was a person, they were lying on the ground.
“Gideon!” Ranelle screamed with fear, but the mound didn't move. Feeling desperate, she scanned the cliffside below for a way down. Her keen eyesight caught the faint shadow of a small landing just below the edge of the cliff face.
Squatting down, Ranelle set her rump on edge, letting her legs dangle dangerously over the side.
“Ranelle, what’re you doing?” asked Lara, suddenly aware of the girl’s intent. Before she could stop her, Ranelle leaned forward, sliding off the edge.
As Charlie and Lara rushed forward, they expected to see her dilapidated body down on the beach below, however, they were relieved to find Ranelle standing precariously on a narrow ledge that jutted out just beyond the cliff-side. Both teenagers clutched their chests from the fear she’d just given them.
“Ranelle,” Lara said breathlessly, “you need to take it easy.”
“Where are you going, anyway?” Charlie asked, staring down at her.
“These little outcroppings form stairs...we can make it down this way,” Ranelle called up to them, pointing at more rock landings that formed a path downward.
Charlie and Lara glanced at each other, then with resignation, they both descended onto their knees, lowering their packs first to Ranelle. They then turned, sliding their bodies off the cliff face, holding on with their hands as they dangled their bottom half’s off the edge. Their legs kicked out until they each found the courage to let go, dropping awkwardly to the ledge below. Taking a steadying breath, each of them climbed one-by-one until they were all moving down the cliff face in unison.
Slowly traversing each small outcropping, they eventually took their last step down onto the beach. As feet stood firmly upon the sand, each teenager was sweaty and tired. They collectively looked back up at the cliff they’d just descended.
“That had to be at least a hundred feet!” Lara panted.
Ranelle was exhausted, but she was too busy gathering her satchels to slow down. Holding the lantern before her, she proceeded across the sandy beach toward the figure she’d seen from the hilltop. She could hear the others stumbling along behind her, but her focus was firmly ahead. Slipping awkwardly through the beach sand, giving the occasional cluster of sharp rocks a wide berth, her breath caught in her throat as her lantern suddenly illuminated a mass on the shore just ahead.
“Gideon,” she mouthed, but nothing came out. It didn't matter. She already knew it was him. Running, she found him crumpled up as if he'd been dragged and then dropped hastily. She fell to her knees beside him and tried to roll him onto his back, winking back the flood of tears that threatened to blur her vision.
As she lowered the lantern and set it down upon the sandy ground beside her, his injuries were suddenly thrust into the light. She gasped as she caught sight of his face, which was a mess of blood mixed with dirt. His black curls were matted and knotted, stuck to his head with blood that was nearly dried. She slowly slid her fingers down his neck, feeling the cold and clammy stillness of his throat. She held her fingers there, as hot tears broke through and spilled down over her dirt-smudged cheeks.
She sniffled, but then felt a flutter below her fingers.
She held her breath. Could it be?
Another flutter. Bum, bum, bum.
A heartbeat. It was weak, but it was there.
Ranelle gasped. There was still hope. Quickly snagging her water bladder with one hand while cupping her other hand over Gideon's nose and eyes, she slowly poured the clean, fresh water over his head, watching the dirt and dried blood wash away. Carefully she ran her fingers through his hair, pouring more clean water. Eventually, a long, nasty gash was exposed on the top of his head which undoubtedly was the source of his abundant loss of blood. The wound, which was about a full finger's length long, appeared shallow, albeit messy. As she studied it, she heard Lara and Charlie's footfalls getting closer.
“Gideon!” Lara gasped, mortified as she dropped to her knees next to Ranelle, who continued cleaning Gideon's wound.
“What happened to him?” asked Charlie, who was paler than usual as he looked down at their fallen friend.
“Abree,” growled Ranelle, assuming the rest was self-explanatory.
“She hit him with a rock too?” asked Lara, helping Ranelle by gently holding Gideon's hair away from the wound as she examined it.
“I don't think so,” Ranelle replied, noticing the differences between her wound and his, “I think it was a tool, maybe an ax.”
“How can you tell?” asked Charlie quietly as he scanned the scenery around them, making sure they were alone.
“My wound didn’t bleed much, but he’s lost a lot. My guess is she meant to knock him out, not kill him. I think she wanted him alive.”
“But where could she have possibly wanted to take him?” asked Lara incredulously.
“It seems to me that Abree’s had her own intentions this entire time,” said Ranelle, “I should’ve trusted my gut.”
“Where do you think she went?” asked Lara, gazing at Gideon with pity.
“There,” said Charlie with resolve, summoning Lara and Ranelle's attention. They found him staring out at the water, arm held out in front of him, finger-pointing at the lake. In the far distance, they could just make out the silhouette of a vessel bobbing up and down in the middle of the vast body of water.
“She's in some sort of craft, I think,” said Charlie with disdain.
“But where could she be going?” asked Lara with confusion, “we don't even know what’s on the other side.”
“We don't, but maybe she does,” Charlie commented, turning back to the girls, “Maybe she's known this entire time.”
“Maybe she's running,” Lara suggested, “what if she hurt Gideon by accident, and she's afraid of how you would react?”
“I doubt that,” Ranelle replied.
“How can you be sure?”
“Everything she’s ever done has been intentional,” Ranelle replied curtly. Turning her attention back to Gideon, she resumed the washing of his wound. When it was clean, she noticed the injury was more profound than she’d first thought.
Ranelle froze.
Noticing her hesitation, Lara spoke up. “What's wrong?”
“It needs suturing.”
“Haven’t you done that before?”
“No.”
“Well, there's no better time to learn,” said Charlie as he knelt on Gideon's other side.
“But if I mess up...” Ranelle spoke softly as she ran her fingertips gently next to the gash. The injury extended from the top of Gideo
n’s forehead, in front of his left temple, backward across his scalp, forming a ridge of cut flesh among his black curls.
“If you don't sew it closed, will it keep bleeding?” asked Lara gently.
“I’m not sure, but it could fester, or heal...grotesquely,” the last word brought forth great pain as tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Then you have no choice,” replied Charlie as he pulled all of their water bladders together, “what else do you need?”
Ranelle sniffed, looking at the bladders as he held them out, her mind in a daze.
“Hey,” Lara prodded gently, “what else do you need?”
Ranelle took a breath, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “I need a sewing needle, thread, and the rest of the poultice that I made for Charlie,” she listed.
Lara picked up the medicine satchel and passed it to her, “Is everything you need in there?”
Ranelle pawed through the bag, pulling out a piece of cloth that had three small sewing needles stuck into it. She then set out the small clay pot that held the poultice salve.
“What about the thread?” Lara asked.
Ranelle dug into the bag, pushing the supplies around as she searched. After a few moments, she realized they had no thread. Trying to think objectively and not panic, she looked at his wound again, wiping away the excess fluid that had seeped out.
He will die if this isn't closed. Ranelle’s thoughts were turbulent as she absentmindedly ran her fingers gently through his curly hair.
Then, she stopped suddenly.
Examining his hair for a moment, she noticed it was thin. But hers wasn't. She quickly pulled a few strands of her hair apart from the rest and held them up to the light. Her hair was coarse and thick–but was it strong enough? Realizing there was no other option, she pulled a knife from her satchel, grabbing a small chunk of the longest hair she had left on her head. Taking a breath, she sliced through the small selection as close to her scalp as she could manage; the knife passing through without hesitation.
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