-Echoes- ON HOLD- RE EDITING

UnBound

Chapter Eleven

Unbound

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"Chloe!"

I heard a rustling noise.

"Chloe is that you?" My heart thudded

"I'm down here." Came the horse reply.

I stumbled through the bushes and I quickly realized the ground stopped.

I was standing on the edge of a steep cliff. Chloe was at the bottom of it laying in a pile of leaves and sticks, that I believed had at one point been a bush. She was covered in dirt and drying blood. Small scrapes and scratches covered her body and her ankle was twisted at an unnatural angle.

"Oh my God, Chloe are you ok?" I cried tears starting to show I'm my eyes.

The bushes shook behind me and I jumped a little at the sound, hoping it wasn't the Kitsune back for a second round.

Kale stepped through the bushes, followed by Nadia, Allen and the others.

"Brice!" I squealed "thank god you are here. I need you." I jumped up quickly.

I was thinking fast here. The quickest way to reach Chloe would be to free climb down the cliff wall. To bring her back up, I would have to make a safety harness out of the rope and have the guys pull her up but carefully so her ankle wouldn't get damaged any further.

'But is it possible?' I asked myself. 'It'll have to be.'

"Um ok." Brice walked over to where I crouched on the ground.

I smiled. "I need you to help lift Chloe up. Can you do that for me?" I asked

"Um. I gue-"

"How?" Stella cut him off. "She is all the way down there." She pointed to the bottom of the cliff where Chloe lay hurt.

I looked at everyone when I spoke. Trying to hide the fear I felt.

"I'm going to free climb the cliff, use the rope as a life-line to transport Chloe and the boys will pull her up."

"That's crazy." Allen complained. We can't pull that weight at a straight incline and its too dangerous for you to climb down."

"No it'll work." I whispered. My eyes searched around for a plan. I uncliped the snaps on my backpack and slid it off my back. Opening the front pocket I pulled out a tightly bundled knot of thick blue rope.

"Here." I tossed the rope to Brice. "See that small tree?" I pointed to a small oak tree directly above where Chloe lay.

"Use that tree as a pully. When I am down there and Chloe is ready to be pulled up pull the rope against that tree. It will support her and hold most of her weight and you just have to keep pulling her up. When she is near the top of the cliff tie the rope off tight. Give it no slack and have the girls pull her up. I will find another way around."

Kale was quiet until now. "A pulley system like she said would work." He whispered to Jasmine

"Yea, but what about you?" Jasmine shouted. "Are you crazy? You can't free climb!"

I chuckled "Today's a good day to learn."

I grabbed Brice's hand. "Good luck." He patted me on the back.

"What!" Nadia shouted but I was already grabbing the end of the rope, Brice and Kale had the other. I tied it around my waist and wrapped it around my left leg.

"Good luck guys. I'll see ya on the other side."

I got down on my hands and knees. Turned around and stepped backwards off the cliff, one foot at a time.

My feet scraping the sandy cliff but not securing in the cliff wall. It still held on to the top with my hands. I kicked my feet around until I felt my left one hit a rock. I dug my foot into it. I released my grip on the top of the cliff and reached lower for something to grasp.

A root was close to my hand and I latched on to it tightly. I moved my right foot lower digging deep into the sand. Slowly but surely moving lower and lower.

"Come on Kiri. Come on." I could hear Jasmine's worried whispers

I reached out my hand to grab a rock, but as soon as my fingers grazed it, it tumbled down to the ground twenty feet below me. I slipped losing my grip and the rope slackened and fell suddenly.

I looked down and saw the ground drawing near. 'This is gonna hurt.' I thought as I squeezed my eyes shut. The rope jerked suddenly knocking the wind out of me. I took me a second to catch my breath. I looked up and Brice was leaning over the cliff. Securing the line.

"Are you ok?" He called down worriedly.

"Yea. I'm ok." I coughed. "Just couldn't breathe for a second there. I'm ok now." I reassured him.

I was far from ok. I was terrified, but I had to help Chloe. I grabbed. The wall and began climbing down, much quicker this time. I was in a hurry to get off this wall.

I looked down only about five feet left below me. I looked up at Nadia who was leaning over looking down at me and gave her a thumbs up. And I jumped the rest of the way down, my feet hitting the ground with a loud thump, and dust flying everywhere.

I quickly untied myself and ran over to Chloe who hadn't moved since she fell which felt like hours but was in reality only for minutes ago.

"Chloe, are you ok?" I ran to her side and layed my hand on her leg, looking at her ankle.

"Yea," she coughed sitting up. "I think. Mostly scratches and a few bruises, but I think I messed up my ankle."

"You can say that." I said sadly looking at her twisted foot. "I'm not a doctor, but I don't think it should look like that."

She laughed at my little joke as I helped her stand up letting her put all her weight on me. I practically carried her over to where the rope was and tied it around her waist and under one leg.

" be careful." I told her ruffling her hair. "Try to stay away from the wall. The guys will do all of the work, but if you get to close to the wall just push your self away gently if you push against it too hard you will just swing back and hit the wall that much harder."

I smiled giving her a hug.

"Oh ok." She said exhausted

"Y'all can pull her up now." I called to the boys.

Everytime they tugged on the rope Chloe got a little higher off the ground. I helped her stand until both her feet were lifted into the air.

"I will see you back at camp." I said as I turned and walked away. Intent on finding another way around the cliff and back to the camp.