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MOUNT BAKER:
Jamie grabs a lock of wet hair dangling across her face and shoves it back. “Stay out from the center, Wesley? We’ve walked at least a mile and this whole place is the center. It’s raining on me no matter where I walk.”
“It’s only been a quarter of that. Do you want to go back?”
“No. I’m already drenched, so what’s the point. It is amazing, walking under a glacier. I would never have known about this place if you hadn’t brought me along.”
The ground suddenly moves up for a fraction of a second, and a deafening CRACK echoes around the cave. “RUN!” Wesley yells as the left side of the ceiling crashes to the ground.
Jamie spins around to run for the entrance, but the wet gravel shifts under her feet and she starts to fall. Wesley grabs the back of her coat as she topples over, hauling her back onto her feet. They run toward the entrance to the sound of massive chunks of ice smashing onto the rocks behind them.
Wesley glances over his shoulder as the cave collapses. “Faster!” he hollers as he pulls her across the gravel.
The crashing sound is gets closer, but the exit is only a short distance ahead. Wesley hears a loud CRACK and looks up. He shoves Jamie ahead as chunks of ice smash onto his head and shoulders, then a massive block of ice drives him to the ground.
The roar of the collapsing cave is nearly deafening as Jamie runs for the entrance, jumping over blocks of ice while dodging falling pieces and trying not to slip on the gravel. It seems an eternity has passed when she finally runs out through a gap in the fallen blocks of ice.
She staggers to a stop and drops onto her hands and knees. “That was close, Wesley,” she says between deep breaths. She rolls over, sits on the gravel, and looks around. “Oh, no! Wesley!”
She scrambles onto her feet and runs back to the narrowing gap, staring through the opening. “Wesley!” She hollers, but he does not answer. “Wesley!”
She claws at the blocks of ice, desperately trying to get back inside. One large block falls onto the ground and she stares through the opening. Wesley’s arm protrudes from a pile of shattered ice. “Wesley!”
When he doesn’t move, she grabs another block and pulls, but it won’t budge. She places one foot against another large chunk of ice, clenches her teeth, and pulls with all her strength. “AAHH!” she groans, then the block breaks loose, and she crashes back onto the gravel.
She looks at the narrow opening and scrambles onto her feet, then runs into the cave. She kneels and shoves a large block off his back and smaller pieces off his head and shoulders, then hears him groan. “Can you get up?”
“Hell, yes!”
Wesley grunts against the pain in his ribs and pushes himself up from the gravel. Jamie helps him stand, and they climb over shattered blocks of ice and out through the opening.
Wesley bends over, clutching his right ribs and taking shallow breaths. “Thanks.”
Jamie notices the bloody water dribbling down the side of Wesley’s face. “Oh, no.” She parts his blood and water soaked hair above his ear. “You have a nasty cut. You need stitches.”
“I lost my hat.”
“What?” Jamie thinks she heard wrong and steps back. “We were almost killed, there’s a possibility you’ve got broken ribs, and you’re worried about your hat? Really, Wesley?”
“I’ll be fine once we get down the mountain.”
She sees the pain in his eyes. “Can you tell if any are broken?”
Wesley lightly shakes his head no. “Not broken. Just bruised, I think.”
“Listen, Wesley. That was a rough ride getting up here, and I don’t think you can take that kind of punishment. Not without aggravating your injuries.”
“I’m sure as hell not staying here.” He slowly stands up straight. “I’ll be all right. I just need to wrap my ribs before we get into the cat. Let’s go.”
“I’ve got a radio in my backpack. Let me call for a helicopter.”
“I’ll be fine, Jamie.”
She crosses her arms and stares at him. “Raise your hands above your head.”
“What?”
“If you can raise your hands above your head, we’ll take the cat. If not, I call the helicopter.”
“Fine.” Wesley brings his arms up, but his right ribs cause him to wince, so he brings them down. “Okay, no snow cat. Let’s hike down and get my truck.”
Jamie is about to argue, but the look in his eyes tells her it would be a waste of time. She runs to the cat and climbs into the cab, tosses both backpacks out the door, then climbs down.
Wesley grabs his with his left arm and slings it over the same shoulder. He looks around to get his bearings and walks across the loose gravel down into the tree line.
Jamie notices him trying to hide his discomfort, but decides not to say anything unless it gets worse. She slings her backpack on and follows him. “When I heard that crack, I thought someone had fired a cannon into the cave. What caused it to collapse?”
Wesley doesn’t think someone would be stupid enough to activate that device again, but Alex is not around to stop them. “I’ll find out when I get back to my truck.”
“I guess you won’t have your snow cat for a while.”
“Just give me a couple of days to recuperate and I’ll come back and get it.”