Rogue Evolution

The Mountain 6.2

"The Adirondack Mountain range covers, how far?" The bushy-faced, bushy-nosed, bushy-eared, and non-bushy-headed Mr. Frock addressed his gathered sheep at his rear. "Taylor!"

"5,000 square miles!" Answered a girl whose freckled nose and cheeks glistened with sweat, giving her a radiant glow in the mid-day sun. Anna glared at the girl. She looked like a Lord of the Rings elf come to life.

Meanwhile, Anna had long given up on pushing the greasy hair out of her eyes, and around her neck, a giant sweat 'ring to rule them all' formed thanks to all the crap she was made to carry on the group's 'little hike.' She was in the best shape of her life, and still, she couldn't keep up with these rock nerds who somehow managed to take the tangled tree roots, slippery rocks, and steep inclines all in stride. Not only were they surviving the physical labor, but they somehow kept up with the dwarfish Mr. Frock and his crappy little pop quizzes.

"Excellent, excellent! Now, who can tell me what the tallest mountain in the range is?"

"Mount Marcy!" Declared a slick-haired person whose long arms were locked with a girl with bouncy curly black hair. "It's also the source of the Hudson."

"Very good, very good!" Went on Mr. Frock. He paused only once to find a better walking stick, that was near twice his height, then got back on the beaten path. "Now, what is the height of Mount Salvo, our query today?"

"4,300 feet!" Anna was too far behind to see who exactly had answered.

"And what made it popular?"

"Several bone shards and arrowheads-"

Anna stopped and dropped her bag on the ground. Newly liberated of the back-breaking weight, she stretched till she heard her pop and stared at the great blue sky above.

"Anna Marie? Are you alright back there?" Anna returned her eyes to the earth, tried unsuccessfully to blink the colorful spots out of her eyes, and looked in the direction of the voice. She found the stubby Mr. Frock, apparently far more fast and nimble than his little legs would first let on, already standing before her. "You alright, young lady?"

"Yeah - just need to catch my breath."

The little red-headed man nodded and looked to the others. "Water break everyone, water break!" There were a few groans as backpacks were shed and canteens were uncorked. He looked back up at her. "Air is a bit thinner up here, so it may take you just a minute longer than you think to re-cooperate. Take your time."

"Alright. Uh, thanks, Mr. Frock."

He smiled, pulled a wadded-up ball cap from his back pocket, and screwed it tight to his sunburned bald head. He turned and rejoined his students. "Snacks, water - don't forget electrolytes, young archaeologists!"

Anna pulled a fat canteen out from of her backpack, found some shade under a tree, and sat down in a patch of lush green grass. It killed her to admit it, but the view was almost worth it. From where she sat, the trees below looked like a sea of green, and below was a steadily flowing river of perfect blue that reflected the wispy white cotton candy-like clouds above. She was never for this nature crap, but even she could consed when a view was truly epic.

She took a long pull of her lukewarm water, then rolled onto her back. The tree above her swayed in the wind, and she listened to the branches and leaves rustle against one another as if they were a praising audience at the end of a song. The wave of fresh brisk air stirred in her lungs and flushed the fog from her brain. To her left, she could just see the others mingling and walking around. Some claimed spots under trees just like hers, while others gathered closer to the cliff face to the left of the trail or looked down the deep descent to its right. She turned onto her side and watched the little rock nerds have fun. Though 'little' was probably the wrong word for the upper-classmen she was with. They might be on freaking fire for rocks and facts about them, but it was clear to Anna now that these people were jacked. Tight-fitting shorts and rolled sleeves on sweaters revealed sculpted thighs, calves, and arms that weren't too far behind. It was clear to her now that hiking was one hell of a sport, and while she wasn't sure if she was ever going to catch the bug herself... she found she didn't entirely mind looking at people who it had.

Though her eyes did finally fall upon the big fat sour grape - fucking Summer-boy. Like the others, he too wore some tightly fitted shorts, but his knobbly knees and bleach-white legs left a hell of a lot to be desired. Angel-hair spaghetti arms crossed the trunk of his penne pasta thin chest, his shoulders still bore the burden of his backpack. Back to the group, he was staring at the cliffside. The strong wind tousled his mound of chestnut hair, and it was a wonder to Anna how it didn't completely knock over his wet noodle body. She watched as his head bowed towards his chest as if he were falling asleep, then jolted to the side suddenly. He looked around, then back at the spot. He wrapped his hands tightly around the straps of his backpack, then started to make his way towards one of the many open caves in the cliff face.

"What the hell got up his ass?"

She watched till he approached the cave mouth, looked back, then walked into the cave where he disappeared. Anna wasn't sure if it was out of pure curiosity, or some sort of strange instilled responsibility to watch out for a fellow member of the moron brigade, either way, she found herself standing, shouldering one of the straps of her bag, and making for the cave.

The gaping mouth of the cavern was just as large as it looked from a distance, and its many damp surfaces reflected the sunlight from the outside. She could see, even from where she stood, a deep recess that stretched back nearly as far as her vision would allow.

"Hey!" She called out into the empty space. "Dumbass, what are you doing?" She heard no reply, not even an echo. She stepped foot into the cave. "The group is back the other way. Don't get me wrong, I don't care if you die out here, but I at least want to be able to tell the others I tried." Still no answer. She cupped her mouth with her hands. "Scott!" She sucked in a breath through her nose and hissed, "God-fucking-damn-it."

She walked further into the cave to the point where the daylight ceased to reach. "Scott, you in here?"

"Anna?"

"Scott? What the hell are you doing in here? The trail is the other way, asshole!"

"Anna! I slipped and got my foot caught between these rocks. I need your help!"

"Seriously, Summers? You've been in here for, what, three seconds?"

"I know, I know - just - please."

"Fine... where the hell are you?"

"I'm not sure exactly. It's dark. I went kinda far in and I slipped."

"What, straight in from the entrance?" Anna activated her watch light and played it off the darker walls.

"Yeah!"

"Alright - alright, I'm coming you freaking idiot. Shine your light or something so I can see where you are."

"It won't work. Must have busted in the fall or something."

"You busted your watch?" Anna walked deeper into the cave. With all the sunlight gone, she had only her flashlight for light. The further she went, her footfalls began to find puddles of water and slick stone.

"Yeah, it was a pretty hard fall."

"Must have been." To her left and right Anna spotted statutes and stalagmites forming and dripping water. In the corners of her vision, they were beginning to look like jagged teeth. "Fuck, Scott - where did you fall?"

"There is a drop-"

"Hang on!" Anna stopped short of a sheer slick descent that plunged into darkness. She tried shining her light down the shaft but the drop contorted halfway through and blocked her view. "Hang on, I think I found it. God - did you fall down this twisted-looking slide thing?"

"Yes!"

"Oh man, hey - I don't think I can do this by myself. I'm going to go back and get Mr. Frock. He probably has rope or something - he'll know what to do."

"Anna!"

"Just hang on, I'll be right-" As Anna was about to turn when something shoved her hard from behind and she was sent falling headlong into the black crevice where she only heard her own screams shouting back at her.