Page 28

Billy

I’m a little bit worried about Calla. She’s been unusually quiet, but she hasn’t indicated any discomfort or shown that she’s not okay.

I’m about to ask her if she’s okay when Clyde comes over with the ropes. He must be ready to continue. I put my worry on the back burner for now, though I’m still going to watch her closely and make sure she’s alright.

None of us would let anything happen to her; that’s why we’re taking all of these safety precautions. We’re risk-takers, but none of us has a death wish—as far as I know.

Besides, we’d be well and truly fucked if anything did go wrong. She’s our entire reason for being here, and without her, I’m sure we’d all feel lost. Calla has given us all so much, not just of herself, but everything else she’s done for us since we met her.

Once we’re all ready to move, I reach back and give her hand a reassuring squeeze before we slowly start moving forward. Calla squeezes back, holding on a little tighter and longer than I expected.

I give her a smile and she returns it. I open my mouth to speak, but Cl yde ’s voice cuts across what I was going to say to her.

“Let’s go! Slow and steady, guys. We want to reach the top in one piece and all together.”

He sets the pace, and we all follow. Silently concentrating on where we step and on the path ahead, we begin our slow ascent of the mountainside again.

As we gain altitude, the air gets thinner and thinner, and soon, we’re all feeling the burn as we struggle to get enough oxygen. We’re really high up now, but we still have a long way to go.

I feel a tug on the rope as it pulls tighter, and I glance back at Calla and Jesse. Calla seems to be falling somewhat behind, as much as the rope will allow her to.

“Wait, we need to slow down,” I call out to Clyde, who stops and turns to look back at all of us.

We wait a moment for Calla to catch up again, but something doesn’t seem quite right.

Her movements are less coordinated, and she looks as though she’s really struggling.

“Calla, are you okay?” I ask as she finally catches up.

She sways unsteadily on her feet as she looks at me and shakes her head.

“I feel faint,” she whispers weakly.

We all shout as she topples, nearly going over the edge, and we rush backward to try and catch her before she can.

“ Calla! ” I yell as loud as my lungs will let me as I grab for her and miss.

Jesse is quicker, catching a hold of her hand and gripping it tightly in both of his as she slips. The rope pulls tight as he falls to the ground, still holding onto Calla.

He groans at the exertion, weakened by the lack of oxygen, but somehow managing to hold on.

My heart jumps out of my chest at the sight of the two of them, and the rest of us grab the ropes in our hands, holding tightly.

It burns my hands, cutting into the flesh of my palms. I grit my teeth as I ignore the pain. This is nothing compared to how it would feel to lose Calla.

“Don’t let go of her,” Doc orders from behind me, and I nod.

“Hurry up and pull her back up,” Jesse grunts, his voice muffled by the path that his cheek is currently pressed into as he hangs part way over the edge.

I wince as I pull on the rope while Doc and Clyde help. The seconds tick by, seeming so slow as we fight against the pull of gravity threatening to claim Calla and Jesse.

He’s managed to get a stronger grip on her, one hand clasping hers and the other wrapped around her forearm. Somehow, we manage to get them both to safety.

My hands are bleeding, and we’re all breathing hard, but I’m more worried about Calla and Jesse than myself right now. Clyde carefully moves past me with the tote in his hands and goes to check on them both while Doc digs through his backpack.

“Is she okay?” I ask, balling my hands into fists to apply pressure to the rope burns.

“Unconscious,” Clyde says, “But she’s alive and doesn’t seem to be hurt anywhere.”

He pulls out a small, portable oxygen tank and turns it on, then presses the little mask over her face.

“How are you doing, Jesse?” he asks, looking him over while he tends to Calla.

Jesse lifts his arms, and I can see blood running down them where he’s cut them on the rocky cliff face.

“Peachy,” he laughs weakly, rolling onto his back as he lies down near Calla. “I don’t know if she hit her head or anything, but it didn’t look like she did.

“Got it!” Doc exclaims, holding up the first aid kit.

He sets it down and unclips it, rummaging through it for the medical supplies we’ll need.

“I need help as well,” I tell him, holding up my bloody fists.

“Clyde, once we’re done patching everyone up, I think we ought to go back down,” he suggests as he sets down three packages of bandages and a bottle of saline.

Doc shuffles closer to begin wrapping my hands. After undoing the cap and rinsing my palms with saline to clear out any grit or dirt from the rope, he then passes it to Clyde so he can begin helping Jesse.

Doc tears through the plastic wrapping of one of the bandages with his teeth and unrolls it.

It doesn't take long, and soon enough, my throbbing hands are tightly wrapped in white bandages.

“Keep pressure on your palms to slow the bleeding,” he instructs me, and I roll my eyes.

“Yes, I know what to do, Nurse Doc,” I say sarcastically, balling them into fists again.

I wince at the pressure of my fingertips on the cuts, but he ignores me.