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Makenna
“Well fuck!” I mumbled as I pulled myself the rest of the way over the side of the mountain and laid there. Stupid flashlight. I’d held it in my mouth to light my way all that time, and it felt as if my damn jaw had locked. Now I know how a prostitute who made her money on her knees felt. I’d transferred the light to my hands, and it had slipped from my cramped fingers.
I wiggled out of my satchel and rolled to my back, staring at the darkness that surrounded me. I trembled from head to feet. I don’t think my body had ever ached this much, or that I’d been this exhausted. Talk about pushing yourself to the limits of your endurance.
About halfway up the side of the mountain, my arms and legs began to cramp, and I was pretty sure that my fingers were raw. I had been in so much fucking pain, but every time I’d thought about giving up, I pictured everyone in the group. I had to keep going.
I made it, though. I grinned. Nash certainly couldn’t say I was soft now. I told him I would have him eating crow.
I moved to a sitting position, stretching my arms out in front of me, easing the ache in my back. Rice Krispies had nothing on me. Every time I moved I snapped, crackled, or popped.
It was a good thing it would be daylight soon. If I didn’t keep moving, I’d probably have spasms. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be going anywhere until then.
Stupid flashlight.
I would have to make sure that I stopped tonight before it got too late. The last thing I wanted to do was stumble around in the dark and step on a rattlesnake or something. That would suck.
Right now, I didn’t care about anything except taking a breather. I took a long drink of water, then brought out one of the two protein bars I’d brought with me. I chewed slowly and only ate half, just in case I was on the trail longer than I expected.
The sun suddenly burst above the horizon casting an orange glow across the sky. I looked toward the camp, but didn’t see anyone moving about. I caught some movement closer to the mountain. They looked as if they were searching for something. I yelled out to them, but they apparently didn’t hear me, so I picked up a small rock and tossed it toward them. I still didn’t get their attention. I picked up another rock and threw it toward Nash, then bit my bottom lip when I almost hit him. That was close. This high up hitting someone with a rock could do some damage.
I watched as he glanced around, then looked up. I waved both hands at him. He said something to the others, and they stepped away from the mountain, also looking up. Then Rachel began jumping up and down and clapping her hands while the others waved wildly.
It was Nash who kept my attention. Once he’d spotted me, it was as if I was the only one he saw. His gaze never wavered away from me. I waved back at them, then pointed toward the sun, then waved again to let them know I was leaving now. Still, for a moment I couldn’t move. These people had become my lifeline, now I was separated from them, but I knew they still had a tight hold on me. I wouldn’t let them down.
The burning in my fingers didn’t go away. I studied them. I was right, they were raw, but I knew they would heal. I carefully brought out my compass and found North, then came to my feet. I had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
As the morning stretched, I felt as if I was the only person in the world. If we ever had an apocalypse, I knew what it would feel like. If I didn’t run into a wild animal who thought I would make a great meal, I should be okay.
Or the person who set off the dynamite. Hopefully, it was just some asshole fooling around, and not someone who intentionally wanted to harm us. As I walked, I thought about Eric. He was a bastard, but I still didn’t think he would go to this length to take his revenge just because I’d divorced him. Besides, he should still have plenty of money, if he managed it right.
When the sun was almost directly overhead, I stopped for lunch, sitting on a fallen log. I ate the rest of my protein bar, and drank a little more of my water. When I checked my phone, I still didn’t have service. I would love to be able to punch in 911 and get some help. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be happening until tomorrow.
I began walking at a brisk pace, but it didn’t last long. My body protested the lack of sleep, and being pushed beyond its endurance. I couldn’t stop, though. I had to keep moving. I wouldn’t even let myself take another break because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to go any farther if I did. My survival instincts kicked in.
So I kept walking. I thought about Nash and the kiss we’d shared. How his lips were firm against mine. I knew we would make love. It was probably only a matter of time. Funny, that thought didn’t seem to bother me as much now as it had before. Maybe because deep down, I knew he wasn’t Eric. Nash was a good and decent man.
Except he was bossy, and he hadn’t thought I could climb the mountain. I’d shown him, though. Well, except maybe when I’d almost fallen. It was a tiny slip, that’s all. Maybe he hadn’t seen me.
The guy was way overprotective, too. I don’t think I would have ever convinced Nash that I could do it. I wondered if he was angry with me?
I stumbled and fell, reaching out with my arms so my face wouldn’t pound the ground.
Fuck! Was the universe conspiring against me? I pushed up and looked around, then looked behind me. Nothing there. Great, I’d tripped over my own two feet. That was brilliant, just brilliant. I sat up, sucking in a sob. I was all alone, in the middle of nowhere, and I was fucking tired.
I scanned the area. Yep, I was still alone. I glanced at my watch. No wonder I was exhausted. I’d been walking all day. I hadn’t even noticed the sun was sliding behind the horizon. It would start getting dark soon. I wanted to go a little farther, but it wouldn’t help the group if I collapsed somewhere along the trail.
I gathered some firewood, then some rocks that would circle it. When it started getting darker, I started my fire and prayed someone would see the flames and come check it out. I ate half of another protein bar and drank some more of my water—which was almost empty.
A coyote howled.
A shiver ran down my spine. I warmed my hands against the fire. There wasn’t much heat from the small flames, but if nothing else, maybe it would keep wild animals away. I planned to get up during the night and feed it, so I’d gathered more wood.
When I lay down on the hard ground, I sighed with relief. I set my mental alarm for three hours, then closed my eyes as exhaustion overtook me.