Vanished (8 page)

              She joins the others over by the waterfall.  I see her talking to Maddie and I wonder what they’re saying.  My mind flashes back to the lake, to her straddling the drowned boy, the jagged scar on her ribs, the stern and focused look in her eyes as she controlled the situation.  How she tried to hide her eyes from mine while we spoke with the Lake Patrol afterwards. One minute she seems so vulnerable and scared and the next she is brave and fearless.  I do not understand this girl and I like it. 

              I don’t like hurting her. 

              Standing up, I turn and lean against the large boulder at my back, getting a better view of the pool. My eyes cut over to Collin sitting at the edge of the pool, beer in hand, watching Maddie talk to Trin.  He has a strange look on his face, and I’m trying hard to read what he’s thinking, when I see Trin straighten and head back towards the tents. 

              She trips once on her way up but catches herself with her hand against the wall, so I ease back against the rock and watch her. She doesn’t look up at me during the ascent and she disappears inside the tent.  

              My attention is drawn back over to the pool where the four of them are clearly conspiring about something, giggling and laughing.  I frown.  They are obviously up to something.  I turn back to the tent and swallow hard.  The fire light creates a shadowy silhouette of Trin inside the tent and she is taking off her clothes.  

              I know I should look away but I’m paralyzed, except for my heart which is thudding in my chest. 

              Maddie squeals and, with every ounce of effort I can muster, I draw my eyes away from the tent and look over at the four of them.  Maddie’s eyes keep darting up to the tent as if she is eagerly anticipating something.  She points and they all look up so I turn too.  The tent is unzipping from the inside.  

              Trin steps out wearing a t-shirt.  She has something purple in her hand that looks like shredded ribbons.  She turns her face towards me as she passes by but she doesn’t see me.  She looks right through me and marches determinedly down towards the waterfall dropping strands of whatever she held in her hand along the way until she reaches the edge and stops.

              Bending down, I pick up one of the purple things she dropped by my foot.  It’s a strap, like for a bathing suit, cut jaggedly at one end like it was ripped apart.  

              Zayn, Collin and Jasmine are looking a little uncomfortable but Maddie is staring right up at Trin, that dangerously sweet smile on her face.

              Trin’s back is to me.  She slowly leans over and tosses the remaining purple shreds into Maddie’s face and proceeds to pull her t-shirt off, revealing her naked body underneath. I inhale sharply.  She lifts her arms above her head in a V shape, her hands barely overlapping each other, rises up slightly on the tips of her toes and dives gracefully into the pool, barely making a ripple as her lithe body glides into the water.  I realize I’m holding my breath and release it in a gush.

              It takes me a minute to process what just happened. 

It takes Maddie longer.

              The others are cheering and hollering when Trin emerges.  She smiles at them, splashes Maddie – who is still staring, her mouth hanging open - right in the face, says something I can’t hear and swims over to the edge.   I brace myself a second time, as she steps gracefully out of the pool and over to where she dropped her t-shirt.  

              Collin and Zayn’s eyes are glued on her, Maddie still has a stunned look on her face and Jaz is watching Maddie as if she is waiting for some cue on how to react.

              A small chuckle escapes my lips as Trin puts her t-shirt back on, wrings out her hair and walks away from the pool, and back up the path, her wet body sticking to the t-shirt in a way that causes me slight discomfort.  She stops in front of me, looks back at Maddie ensuring she is watching then looks back at me, her forest green eyes burning with defiant anger.  She’s brave, fearless Trin again.  

              She doesn’t say anything and she doesn’t have to.  She simply stands before me in all her glory, her eyes intense and the silent statement is clear: you were scared to be seen with this?   “You know I had nothing to do with the swim-suit thing, right?”

              She doesn’t answer. She just turns slowly and starts walking away, “Trin, you know that, right?” I call after her but she ducks into the tent and zips it up behind her.  

Chapter Seven

Trin

Something is following us. 

              We hear it behind us consuming everything it touches; peeling back the earth’s crust and mantle like layers of an onion, devouring them, until all that’s left is nothingness, and the edge of the earth is falling away behind us faster and faster. One by one, our feet slip out from under us and we fall.

              Down.

                            Down.

                                          Down.

              Until everything is dark and the only sound left, when the screaming stops, is a high-pitched ringing sound, pulsing like a heartbeat, vibrating through me. 

              “Trin”

              I cover my ears.

              “Trin” I blink and see light and feel someone’s hand on my shoulder, gently shaking me.

              I’m awake but still hear the ringing sound from my dream.  It’s so loud I think it might burst my eardrums, “What is
that
sound?” I yell, recognizing Logan behind the flashlight, looking down at me.  I can see another flashlight behind him and assume the sound woke the others also.

              “I don’t know,” he yells over the sound, “It started about three minutes ago.”

              “Is it coming from up there?” I point towards the surface.

              He shrugs, “Probably.”

              I glance at my watch.  It’s three a.m.

              “I’m getting up,” I yell. He hands me his flashlight and backs out of the tent, zipping it up behind him.  

              It’s hard to concentrate with the disorienting ringing sound surging through my body but I manage to find my bag, pull out a pair of jeans, some socks and a sweatshirt and get dressed quickly. I try to listen to the conversation going on right outside my tent door but the sound drowns out their words.  I throw my hair in a pony tail, slam my sketchpad shut – even in the disoriented state I don’t want anyone to see the pictures I’ve been sketching of the cave.

              Logan waits right outside my tent.  Collin is standing next to him, still in his swimming trunks and I wonder if he’s even slept yet.  He looks tired and he is saying something to Madison who stands beside him in sweatpants and a t-shirt.  Jasmine and Zayn come out of their tent. Jasmine’s eyes are wide and she is looking nervously around the cave. Zayn holds her hand and leads her over to us. “Any guesses?” He mouths to Logan.

The guttural vibration grates on my nerves like fingernails down a chalkboard, giving me the willies over and over again. 

              “Maybe an earthquake,” he says, stuffing his free hand in his pocket and shrugging.

There is nothing to do but sit, huddled around the fire, with our hands covering our ears and wait.

___#___

At approximately eight o’clock a.m. the noise stops
.
  Zayn and Jasmine are in their tent possibly sleeping, Madison is passed out with ear plugs stuck in her ears and Collin and Logan both look up from their chess game.  

The soreness I feel as I stretch reminds me of how I felt when I was seven and Judge shattered my femur with a tire iron.  I had to have electric stimulation in physical therapy.  Afterwards the muscles in my leg were like my muscles are now, aching.

Logan stands up, stretches and looks over at me, “See, I told you it would stop.” He says and bends down to pick up his pack, pulling it over his shoulders. Madison stands up too, pulls out her headphones, and helps him with the clips, ensuring the pack is securely in place on his body. 

The plan is for Logan to go up to the surface and check it out before the group goes.  If there was an earthquake the passages might not be safe and we felt, as a group, it was best to let the strongest climber scout out first so we can plan ahead for any dangers.

Logan’s face is blank while Madison helps him.  He doesn’t speak to her or even smile in response to whatever she whispers in his ear. He takes her wrist and gently moves her hand off his cheek and steps away from her, then turns to Collin and me. “I’ll maintain radio contact.” 

Collin holds up our radio, “We’ll be right here, bro, be careful.”

“I’m trusting you to take care of
everyone
, Collin,” Logan says, and his eyes purposely turn to me. 

“Dude, I’ve got your back.  We’ll be fine, just be careful.”

Logan’s eyes linger on mine for a full ten seconds until I have to break eye contact. How can he look at me like that when everyone is looking?  Madison drops her head, turns and walks away toward her tent, “I’m going to sleep” she says over her shoulder without looking back, “wake me up if something happens.”

Once Logan disappears through the wall fissure, Collin suggests we take shifts sleeping. He offers to take the first shift so I climb into my tent, not bothering to get inside my sleeping bag.  I am so tired that I immediately crash down on the air mattress, pull the sleeping bag over myself and pass out. 

I do not dream.

I wake up to a painful needle prick sensation on my left calf. Sitting up, my hand immediately touches where the pain is.  My fingertips brush against an insect of some kind and I instinctually swat it away.  Grabbing my flashlight, I shine it on my leg. Where the pain is, I see a tiny red dot.

I shine the light on the tent floor. There’s a black spider with a red dot on its back.  My pulse starts to race.  I grab a piece of paper out of my sketch pad and flip the spider over exposing its abdomen, “This isn’t good,” I say out-loud, upon seeing the distinct red hour glass shape on the bottom of the spider’s belly. 

“Trin?” I hear Collin say my name outside of the tent “Is everything oTrin?”

He must have seen my flashlight and heard me freaking out, “Um,” I call back, “have you ever seen a black widow before?” I ask, and press my finger against the tiny tender red bump forming on my calf. It’s warm to the touch and stings a little bit. 

“No. Why?” He asks, sounding confused.

“I think I just found one.” I admit. 

“What?” He yells and I can see his shadow stand up and come to my tent door, “I’m coming in.”

OTrin,” I reply. 

He climbs in and maneuvers over to where I’m shining the flashlight and looks down at the crushed spider. “Tell me it didn’t bite you,” he begs, his bottle green eyes widening. 

“I wish I could” I show him the bump, “it woke me up.”

“Oh, this is not good, this is
really
not
good.” He examines the bite, “do you know anything about this?” He looks hopefully up at me. 

I shake my head and the movement makes me feel dizzy, “not really.” 

“How do you feel?” He asks, giving me a concerned look. 

“Fine…just a…little…dizzy,” I tell him, touching my head. 

“Can you breathe oTrin? You sound wheezy.”

“Now…that…you…mention it… “I pat my chest and lean back on my pillow, concentrating on breathing slowly in and out through my nose.  

“OTrin, I’m calling Logan. We’ve got to get you to an emergency room.” Collin turns and disappears out of the tent. “Stay there. I’m getting the radio,” he says.

I don’t want to interfere with Logan’s investigation of the surface but suddenly a cramp shoots through my stomach followed by a wave of nausea and I forget any objections I may have been getting ready to yell at Collin. I grab my stomach and lean forward, a moan slips through my parted lips. 

The next few hours are a blur.  At some point Collin comes back inside the tent, and I see a puff of blond hair recognizing Madison with him.  She kneels down and puts her cool, dry hand on my forehead, “She’s burning up” I hear her murmur, “What did Logan say?”

              “He’s on his way.”

              “We have to get her out of here,” Madison whispers and something is weird about her voice.  Confused I try to understand why it sounds so strange and then I think it’s because she’s scared.  I’ve never heard Madison Delaney sound so vulnerable before, “she needs a hospital, like now, Collin.”

              “I woke up Zayn, he’s packing up. I’m going to help him.”

              “I’ll stay with her,” she replies.  Someone takes my hand. I curl my body into a ball as another wave of cramps hits me.  Finally, when the wave passes I lay back and try to catch my breath.

              I close my eyes and doze off for a minute until I feel warm hands, so hot they burn me, behind my neck, “Sit up,” someone tells me. I recognize the feeling of a plastic water bottle next to my lips. I want to push it away and cover up with a blanket because I’m so cold but the hands are persistent and I open my cracked lips.  The liquid is cool and eases the burning in my throat a little. 

              Someone picks me up, hoisting me over their shoulder and starts to run with me.  Every bump makes me want to throw up.  I hear voices far away and someone breathing deeply next to my ear.

              I gasp as pain licks through my body with every jolt and footstep. 

Finally, everything goes dark.

Chapter Eight

Logan

              I spend the two hour climb, with Trin - unconscious most of the way - in my arms, thinking of different, creative ways to murder Collin and trying not to fall and drop her. 

I know a little bit about black widow bites from first aid training in the boy scouts but that was a long time ago and I worry I’m getting my spiders confused.  I think people rarely die from black widow bites but, if untreated, they can be deadly.  Trin needs some kind of antivenom and the only place we can get that is a hospital. 

              The others are somewhere behind me. Occasionally I hear the Jasmine’s high pitched, panicking and Maddie’s shouts echoing but the further we ascend the less I hear them, until they stop altogether.  

Outside the cave I have to take a short break.  My arms are screaming.  As carefully as possible I prop her up against a smooth boulder and shake out my arms, bending my fingers and slapping my hands together to get the blood flowing again.  I gulp down a whole bottle of water.  

              For the first time since Collin radioed to tell me that Trin was bitten, I remember the bizarre ringing sound.  I look around but everything seems normal.  The sun is out, trees are all still standing, there’s was a warm breeze on the air and it smells like pine, fresh-air and rain. 

              Trin’s face is pale.  Her left leg, positioned across her right knee is swollen and red.  I lean over to examine it.  There is a small red bump encircled by an inch wide band of pale, white skin surrounding by a black line.  I carefully press my finger on the white area.  It’s warm to the touch.  Beyond the black line her skin is bright red and her entire calf is swollen from the ankle to the bend in her knee.  I gently squeeze her wrist.  Her pulse is faint and fast, her breathing labored.  

              I grab my cell phone out of my pocket and dial 9-1-1.  Nothing happens.  I look down at my phone and see the call isn’t going through.  
I‘m still be out of range
.   Grabbing the radio off my belt, I hit the button and speak into it. “I’m at the top. She needs a helicopter or something but I can’t get through to the police.”

              I let go of the button and hear static for a minute, then Collin’s voice bursts through, “Maddie says we’re about three quarters of the way up.”

              “I can’t wait.  I’ve got to get her to the car. I’ll keep trying to reach the police.  I’ll come back or send someone.” I release the button.

              There’s static for another minute then Collin answers, “Go. We’ll be fine.”

__#__

The nearest town with a hospital is twenty minutes away.  I drive out of the park heading toward the highway.  Immediately, I begin to notice an odd trend; vehicles off the road everywhere and some aren’t even
off
the road, some are just parked right in the middle of the road, abandoned.  I slow as I pass one of them and peer inside. 

Empty.  They are all empty.

              I do my best to navigate the bulky expedition around them and make it to the ramp for the highway.  Breathing a sigh of relief, I begin to accelerate up the ramp slamming on my breaks as I get my first look at the highway. 

              It looks like a parking lot. 

No drivers…no passengers.

It takes me a second to fully comprehend what I’m seeing.  Some collisions are visible, where a series of cars slowly collided into each other and the other vehicles – the ones that were isolated without any other cars around them – are angled outside of the lines, like their drivers simply released the gas and the car eventually just rolled to a stop. 

              My heart pounds as the seconds tick by.  I try to absorb what I’m seeing so I can work out some sort of plan to get around it.