Page 43 of Wild Temple (Tyson Wild Thriller #84)

I snatched Brooke's wrist and grabbed it tight before she fell into the abyss. Her wide, panicked eyes stared up at me as the color drained from her face. Her feet dangled precariously over the pit.

I pulled her to safety onto the ledge. She hugged me tight, exhaling a relieved breath. Her heart thumped against my chest.

We had one slight problem. Jack was stuck on the other side.

The center column had sheared away, leaving a sharp angle that was not conducive to getting a foothold. It would skewer you if you tried to make the jump now.

"I'm sorry, JD," Brooke shouted across the chasm to him.

"It's not your fault, sweetie.”

"Don't worry, I'll figure something out," I said.

It was time to improvise a solution .

"Do I look worried?"

"Don't ask,” I muttered.

I searched through Caspian's backpack and found a few MREs, supplies, another flashlight, a coiled rope, and a few camming devices for rock climbing—spring-loaded, aluminum, and never used. They had anticipated a mountain trek but not a deadly snake.

I tied the nylon rope to one of the cams and tossed it across the chasm to JD. The spring-loaded device would expand under tension and lock into place. Slipped into a crevice, it would create a secure anchor point.

Jack found a narrow fissure in the cave wall and inserted the cam, then tugged tight until it clicked.

I found another fissure on my side, inserted the other device, and drew the rope tight. I tied it off, creating a solid line over the void.

Jack tugged on the rope, then hung his full body weight on the line to test it.

It stayed put.

No slippage.

With the assistance of the rope, Jack was able to shimmy across the chasm, using the wall for footing.

The cam on his side did its job—but the rock crumbled away. The cam slipped, and Jack was in free fall.

He held onto the rope and swung like a pendulum, smacking into the wall of the pit on our side .

My heart leapt into my throat. I leaned over the ledge as he hung on for dear life. “You okay!?”

“Been better.”

Jack maintained his grip and climbed up to the ledge. I helped him the rest of the way.

“Son-of-a-bitch!” he said, scoping the severe rope burns on his hands.

He grimaced with pain, and a few more obscenities slipped from his mouth. Jack moved his shoulder around in circles, working out the lingering ache from the impact. I’m sure it had knocked the wind out of him.

“You gonna live?” I teased.

“For today, at least.”

Today wasn’t over, and we had a long journey ahead of us.

We grabbed the three backpacks left behind by Caspian and his men, then stepped outside to catch the last rays of sunshine.

It was tempting to camp here for the night and take shelter in the mouth of the cave. Every second we delayed was a second Rex was closer to death, if he wasn’t already.

I checked with the girls.

"I'm down for whatever," Brooke said.

"Hannah?"

She looked like refried death. “I don't see how anything can be worse than what I've already been through. Let's do it. ”

We set out to cover as much ground as we could before fatigue and dehydration set in. We had full canteens of questionable water, which was better than nothing, and at some point, we would have to resort to it.

At least the trail had already been cut. We knew the way back and the pitfalls to watch out for. This time, there were no guns at our backs.

We trekked back through the jungle until nightfall, then I used a flashlight to lead the way. I figured we’d carry on until the beam gave out. Even then, with the full moon and the stars above, with no cloud cover, we’d be able to navigate. Our eyes would adjust.

I took point, leading the way and keeping an eye out for snakes and other critters. With the weapons we had taken from our adversaries, I felt more equipped to deal with anything we met along the trail.

We marched for a few hours, then decided to grab dinner.

Stomachs rumbled, mouths dry like salt flats.

There were enough MREs to go around. We each had a nice meal of chili mac with all the goodies.

Caspian had packed water purification tablets with his gear—chlorine dioxide, in case of emergency.

I mixed the electrolyte powder with the sacred water.

It was all we had, and we needed to replenish everything we'd sweated out.

After a short break to let our food digest, we set out on the trail again. Going down the mountain was easier, but it worked different muscles.

The critters of the night swarmed, and I slapped at my neck and ears more times than I care to recount .

We marched through the night and all the next day. My legs were jelly by the time we reached the Temple of Wind. If I was feeling it, I know everyone else was too.

The setting sun angled fast toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the jungle.

I searched the area, looking for Rex.

He was gone.

I followed the trail of blood where he had crawled from our campsite back toward the Valley of Darkness.

“Rex!” I shouted into the jungle.

There was no reply.