1:43 A.M.
IN A SILENT LINE, they trudged onward, but now they were finally going downhill. No one had the energy to restart the chant about holding on to the cable.
Natalia’s toe, which earlier had been burning, now felt wet. The blister must have broken. But it was silly to pay any attention to a toe when Ryan and Lisa must be suffering far more. She had given them pain pills from her dwindling supply, but over-the-counter medications could not make up for the fact that they both needed rest and a real doctor.
Gradually the sounds of Hideaway Falls faded, replaced by the huff of labored breathing, the scuff of feet, and the faint grumble of the flames behind them. Marco kept up his steady, light cough.
Eventually, the trail widened so it was no longer just a narrow edge cut into the side of a cliff. The terrain began to flatten out, the rocks giving way to bushes and even small trees. Now if someone missed a step, they wouldn’t fall to their death. They reached the last stretch of cable. After Natalia let go, she had to massage the cramped fingers of her left hand. They felt as if they were permanently shaped into hooks.
She slid her phone from her pocket. Still no service. It was nearly two in the morning. They had been hiking six hours. It felt like forever.
Once the trail widened, Wyatt began again to walk up and down the line. He checked in with folks, joked around, but still kept everyone moving. Natalia realized that he did something similar during rushes at the Dairy Barn. Until today she hadn’t appreciated how vital his efforts were to keeping things running smoothly.
As Wyatt fell back into step with her, he reached for her hand without saying anything. For a moment, the press of his warm, calloused fingers made her forget about everything else. She wondered what it would be like to kiss Wyatt. The thought even took her mind off Trask. He was regarding her dully, his eyes at half-mast.
Ahead of them, the trail curved. When Natalia and Wyatt rounded the bend, the people at the head of the line had come to a halt. Wyatt let go of her hand and went forward to see what was wrong.
A tree had snapped at the base and fallen across the trail. The light from her headlamp traced the trunk, which was a little bigger around than a telephone pole. At the roots, where it had splintered, was a black, rotting spot. The tree’s crown was propped up by the branches. The top edge of the trunk was about waist-high and the bottom edge ended about two feet above the ground. Wyatt leaned his full weight on it and gave it a shove, but it didn’t budge.
Too tired even to debate what to do, some people started clambering over while others crawled under. Deciding she would rather start on the ground than fall onto it, Natalia opted for the latter. First she pushed her pack through, then went under herself. Rough bark scraped the top of her head, and the metallic scent of earth filled her nostrils. The glow of her headlamp picked out the scrapes on her hands, the dirt rimming her fingernails. She had cleared the trunk and was about to stand up when a cracking and groaning noise to her left jolted her with panic. She threw herself forward.
And then AJ screamed. When Natalia turned back, he was flat on his belly, his hands pushing his backpack in front of him, and the trunk resting on his lower back and hips.
And there was no space between them. Whatever branches had been holding up the trunk must have snapped.
Natalia dropped to her knees next to AJ. “Do you feel like anything’s broken?”
“I don’t know.” His voice shook. “I don’t think so. It feels more like pressure than pain.”
“That’s good,” she said in cheerful voice. She had no idea if it really was, but at least it might not be as bad as it looked. “Can you feel your toes? Move them?” She could sense everyone’s gaze on them. Zion was starting to cry. The questions hung in the air as they waited for an answer.
“Yeah,” AJ finally said. But when he tried to scoot forward, he stopped with a groan. “I think I’m just stuck. But I’m really stuck.”
Wyatt’s voice rang out. “Okay, everybody, we’ve got to get that log off AJ.”
“How are we going to do that?” Zion said through tears. “It’s too big.”
“No it’s not,” Wyatt insisted. “Not if we all lift together. We just need to give him an inch or two. And then AJ, you’ll use your elbows to drag yourself forward.”
“Sure,” AJ said.
Wyatt looked at them. About half the group was on each side of the log. “Okay, guys, stay on whatever side of the trunk you’re on and get on either side of AJ. I want the strongest people closest to him.”
They each found a space facing the log. Natalia was across from Wyatt, both of them on the left side of AJ’s body. Although she shouldn’t think of that word with regards to AJ, because body sounded too much like something dead.
“Okay. This is what we’re going to do. When I give the word, we’re going to keep our heads up, push our butts back, and squat down with our backs straight. Don’t let your knees get ahead of your toes. Then we’ll all quickly find a knot or a branch or anything to grab on to underneath. And then we’ll tighten our bellies and lift on my count. Everybody ready?”
There was a chorus of agreement.
“Okay, AJ, be ready to move as soon as you feel the log moving.” Wyatt took a deep breath. “Now, everybody else, keep your back straight, bend your knees, stick your butt back, and squat.”
Natalia’s knees grazed the rough bark as she followed Wyatt’s instructions.
“Reach under and find something to hold on to before we lift.”
Her fingers found a crack, and she pressed them into it.
“Now on my count tighten your belly, straighten your knees, and lift. One. Two. Three. Go.”
Natalia gritted her teeth and heaved. Or tried to. The log didn’t seem to have moved at all. Her elbows pressed against her knees and her lower back protested as she strained to stand. The air was torn by grunts and shouts as they all struggled to raise the trunk. But centimeter by centimeter, it edged a tiny bit higher. The muscles in her upper arms started to quiver.
“Go, AJ, go!” Wyatt ordered.
And suddenly AJ was worming his way out. And then he was free.
“Okay, everyone get your body parts out of the way and on my count let go.” Wyatt took a deep breath. “One. Two. Three. Drop!”
The trunk landed without crushing anyone’s toes. In fact, it was still about four inches above the ground, supported by a broken branch farther up or just the natural contours of the land. That small space must be the reason that AJ didn’t have a broken back.
To Natalia’s immense relief, AJ got to his knees and then his feet. She went up to him and touched his arm. “Do you have any numbness or tingling?”
“No.” He rubbed the small of his back. “I think I’m going to have one hell of a bruise, though.”
“Do you mind if I look?”
For an answer, he turned around, tugging up his shirt and backpack. In the light from her headlamp, the skin was abraded, dotted with blood.
“Is it okay if I touch your spine?”
“Go ahead.”
She reached under his shirt and with her fingertips pressed his spine from the curve of his back down to the crack of his buttocks. He was as furry on the back as he was on the front, but she was past feeling grossed out. AJ sucked in his breath toward the end, but otherwise didn’t complain. She repeated the movements on each side. But her fingers found no lumps or unexpected edges, and AJ didn’t hiss in pain.
Her shoulders loosened. “I think you’re okay.”
Susan gave AJ a hug. “Oh, honey, I’m so glad.”
Natalia looked around the ring of faces. Her headlamp played over them one by one. She saw exhaustion, fear, and grim determination. What emotions did her own face betray?
Wyatt sighed. “I think we need to stop and rest for a while. It’s too dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Jason echoed. “What about what’s behind us?”
“We’ve put some distance between us and the fire.” Marco cleared his throat and spit. “And B’s phone is dead, and mine almost is, which means no more flashlights. I don’t feel safe trying to keep walking in the dark.” He hadn’t complained once about hiking in open-toed Tevas, but Natalia figured it couldn’t be easy.
“It feels like we’ve all used up a year’s supply of adrenaline.” Pushing up his worthless sunglasses, Darryl scrubbed his face with his hands. “Everyone’s dead on their feet.”
“And I’m hungry.” Zion sounded like he was close to tears.
“I don’t know.” Natalia couldn’t keep her voice from trembling. “Is it really safe? What if the wind picks up or changes direction?”
“I’m not saying we sleep for eight hours,” Wyatt said gently. “But if we keep pushing without a break, I think we’re just asking for more injuries. As soon as we come to a clearing, let’s stop and eat something, check the map, and rest for an hour or two. Even if you don’t sleep, it will recharge your batteries. In Eagle Scouts, we call it STOP. Stop, Think, Observe, Plan.”
The others nodded in agreement. Reluctantly, Natalia did, too.