In The Dark

10 - June 11th

The next morning, Brian and Melanie picked up right where they left off with their search for AJ, not stopping for food or rest. Melanie could no longer feel her feet after four days of walking barefoot on rocks, dirt, mud, and broken sticks. They walked the entire day until the sky began to turn orange as the sun made its descent amongst the trees once more. Neither had spoken for hours. The rush of adrenaline was gone and they were beginning to lose hope as well.

They kept their eyes on the river, no longer searching for AJ's arms and legs thrashing in the water, but rather for his lifeless body to be snagged along branches at the edge of the water.

They both knew they would have to stop searching for AJ soon. It was getting dark and they would once again need a shelter and a fire if they were to continue to survive. They needed food and water as well. Both of their stomachs were growling audibly as they trekked up and down the mountain ridges, over fallen trees, and through tall grass and bushes.

-0-0-

Both Melanie and Brian woke to something beating loudly in the distance and the rustling of tree tops nearby. Brian quickly stood up and helped Melanie to her feet. The two of them stood in silence, trying to discern the sound.

"Do you know what it is?" Melanie whispered fearfully. Brian shook his head and continued to listen. Melanie kept her eye on Brian, waiting for him to tell her whether they should stay still or run.

"I don't know," Brian whispered. "It's not an animal."

"What do we do?" Melanie squeaked.

"I think I want to check it out," Brian replied. "Follow me. Try not to make a sound."

The two of them moved slowly through the trees, trying to make as little noise as possible as they pushed through the foliage. Melanie followed Brian, although deep down she was terrified and wanted to run in the opposite direction. Her head was spinning, having gotten up to fast and she was having trouble keeping up as she felt her way through her surroundings. She wanted to ask Brian to stop, but refused to be any more of a hindrance to him.

Brian stopped suddenly. He held on to a nearby tree and listened closely, still trying to discern the noise they were hearing. He frowned as the sound seemed to come toward them.

He jumped suddenly as a snake slid down the tree and over his fingers. He stumbled backward and tried to regain his footing. He tripped over an exposed tree root, toppling over onto his hands, and slid down a deep ridge in the forest floor that neither of them had been able to see in the dark.

He cursed as he fell into a pit about ten feet deep and three feet wide, smashing his shoulder into a rock and landing on his backside at the bottom. A jagged rock sliced through his jeans and cut a large gash into his calf. He cried out and instinctively gripped his leg.

"Brian!" Melanie screamed, racing toward the hole in the ground and stopping just before she could fall in after him.

"I'm ok," he hissed through clenched teeth. "It's nothing a bit of Morphine won't fix."

"Oh, I'll get right on that," Melanie replied sarcastically. "Can you get back up?"

Brian tried to make out his surroundings, but the light from the moon only lit some of the crevasse. He placed his feet on one side of the wall and pushed his back against the other, thinking he could shuffle himself back up to the top. He cried out both from the pain in his shoulder and the pain in his leg.

He bent forward with his hands on his knees and breathed through the pain. "Not that way," he said once he'd composed himself.

Melanie looked around, attempting to see through the dark in search of something to help Brian out of the hole. She grabbed a large broken branch and pulled it toward the hole. She let the base of the branch slide to the bottom of the hole and held the branches near the top of the hole. "Quick," she whimpered. Pain coursed through her torso as she bent to hold the branch up. She panted and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to keep holding on.

"Take a break for a second, Melanie," Brian warned. "Just sit down for a second or you're going to pass out."

Melanie stood up and gingerly held her ribs as she cried. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"It's ok," said Brian softly. "Just breathe." Melanie nodded and forced herself to pull herself together. She inhaled in short gasps and set her jaw, preparing to help Brian out of the hole.

The two froze suddenly as the blinking lights of a helicopter flew over them, rustling the branches above and sending leaves and loose branches scattering on their heads.

Melanie tried to flag them down, but the two of them were invisible amongst the trees and the crew of the helicopter was preoccupied and not checking their monitors. As the helicopter disappeared amongst the treetops, Melanie sighed and walked slowly toward the hole.

"That's a good sign," said Brian. "We'll try to start a fire tomorrow and maybe they'll find us." He grabbed hold of the branch and checked his footing. He looked up, expecting to see Melanie approach the hole and hold on to the top of the branch, but he couldn't make her out. "Melanie?"

She slowly approached the hole, crouching and looking intensely at something on the other side. She glanced down at Brian and slowly put her finger to her lip, indicating he stay quiet.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, staying as still as he could.

"Something's up here," she squeaked. "There's an animal staring me down. What do I do?"

"Um... keep eye contact," Brian suggested. "Don't run. Slowly come to the edge of the hole and slide down. I'll catch you."

Melanie cautiously sat at the edge, never taking her gaze off of the glowing eyes staring her down. As she shifted herself closer to the edge, the animal slowly approached her. She froze and held her breath. As the animal quickened its pace, Brian grabbed Melanie's calves and pulled her into the hole.

The cougar raced to the edge of the hole and snarled down at Brian as he pulled Melanie out of danger. He stumbled backwards, causing Melanie to hit her head on the side of the hole and knocking her out. He set her on the ground and grabbed the branch, shaking it wildly and scaring the cougar away. He continued shaking the branches, wanting to be absolutely sure the cougar wasn't coming after them. When he felt safe, he quickly knelt next to Melanie and gently cradled her head.

"Shit!" he hissed, sounding panicked. "Melanie, I'm so sorry. Wake up, please! Come on, wake up."

He looked up, checking for the cougar once more, then tipped the branch over, providing himself and Melanie with a bit of coverage. He gently turned Melanie on to her side, avoiding her injured ribs, and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Fuck!" he sighed as he leaned back against the wall of the hole. Feeling around with his fingers, Brian found two small sticks and made a pile of dead branches and pine needles. While he waited for Melanie to regain consciousness, he kept himself busy starting a fire.

He continued until his hands felt numb and his mind had wandered, causing him to flinch when he actually created a spark that was enough to create an ember. He quickly leaned over and tended to the flame until he was confident it wouldn't go out. The flame provided enough light for Brian to see that he and Melanie weren't actually in a hole, but a long, narrow crack in the earth. The space behind Melanie continued for a few meters before curving and disappearing around a corner, all of which was covered over top with moss and broken branches, creating a tunnel.

Brian gently lifted Melanie and carried her toward the curve, limping and grunting as the pain in his calf intensified. He could see a small patch of light at the end and slowly walked toward it, testing his footing at each step to avoid falling into an unseen hole once again.

The sound of rushing water became increasingly audible until it drowned out any other sound. A cold mist hit Brian as he neared the end of the tunnel and he found himself at the base of a waterfall, hidden behind the rushing water. The moon lit the water as it poured in a curtain over the entrance of the cave, creating intricate dancing patterns on the cave wall.

Confident nothing would enter the tunnel through the entrance beneath the waterfall, Brian carried Melanie back to where he had built the fire and set her down. He maneuvered the branch so that it would keep any wild intruders from getting into the cave before checking to make sure Melanie was still breathing and checking her neck for a pulse. He sat back down with his back to the cave wall and looked up at the stars above that were peeking through the trees.

"Please, don't die," he choked.