Marsh stood waiting for screams that didn’t come. Frowning, he stepped closer to the edge, fearing Will may have caught himself on something. A smoky black figure whirled up from the crevasse, seizing Marsh about the waist and pulling him Anaconda-tight.
Marsh’s eyes bulged in total terror at what he saw. It wasn’t Will’s eyes staring into his but Jared Horn’s.
“I told you I would come back for you, Horn hissed, his face now a swirling vortex of broken ghost stuff.
As much as Marsh struggled to free himself, the disintegrating shadow showed no signs of weakening its hold on him.
“We had a deal. You promised me I’d be rewarded,” Marsh whined.
“I lied.”
Now dissolving quickly out of his material form, Horn raised Marsh high above the mouth of the crevasse. For a moment Marsh looked like he was riding a gusher of oil before being dropped shrieking into the abyss below.
Will turned his head to watch as the cable hoisted him up to the razor sharp lip of the crevasse. He couldn’t recall how he’s managed to grab hold of the line. After Marsh had pushed him over he’d fallen through the dark, waiting for the moment when his body would strike the bottom, wondering to himself how long he’d suffer unspeakable pain before his heart stopped. Then, somehow, he felt his frozen fingers being forcefully wrapped around a cable he couldn’t see and he’d magically started to rise…
As he neared the top he saw Nugget crouching by the edge. When he tried to pull himself up over the rim and slipped she thrust her head forward and sank her teeth into the sleeve of his jacket, holding him there with her jaw clamped shut until Robert could assist her in bringing him all the way out. Once cleared, Will collapsed on his side, struggling to regain his breath while Nugget happily poked his face with her nose.
“Give him some space, girl.” Robert said.
A distant thrumming sound soon caught their attention but it was impossible to tell where it was coming from.
Will rolled over onto his back and blinked away frost. “What the hell is that?”
“I don’t know,” Robert said. “But it sounds like it’s moving this way. Are you well enough to stand?”
“I think so.”
Robert pulled Will to his feet. He steadied him for a moment, waiting to make sure he could hold his own before releasing his grip. Nugget rubbed against their legs and wagged her tail. Robert looked into his friend’s eyes and smiled.
“It’s good to see you again buddy.”
Will coughed, and freed his throat of bloody spit. It took several times before his spit was clear again.
“I really thought that was it, Bobby. I really did.” Will’s voice was hoarse but he no longer believed he’d been badly hurt. He’d taken a good ass kicking though, no doubt about it.
Robert wrapped his arm around him for safe measure and they began to walk away from the crevasse. The gas-powered winch was still hauling in cable, but they paid no attention to it. Down slope they could see Peggy and Connor running toward them. Will soon patted Robert on the shoulder and stepped aside on quivering legs.
“Go get them. I’ll catch up.”
“Are you sure?”
“Go, damn you!”
Robert nodded and broke away from Will without turning back. He spread his arms out wide and ran to reach them when a chopper suddenly roared over the looming cliff to the south and hovered above. Its blinding floodlight splashed everyone in harsh white light.
The rescue crew, come to take them back to safety.
Could have used you a lot earlier, Robert thought.
A megaphone emerged from the side of the chopper and a voice blasted through the echo of the engine vibrating against the glacier. Robert thought he could hear the ice below them begin to crack.
“Do not move. Lie down with your hands in front of you,” the voice ordered. “This is Sheriff Foster of Wrath Butte County.”
Before they could begin to comply the chopper abruptly turned and moved up the mountain before slowly arching back. A powerful gust of wind had blown down from above making it difficult for the pilot to keep the aircraft stationary for long. Robert hugged Peggy tight in his arms, flagrantly ignoring the Sheriff’s orders. Connor and Nugget clung next to them. Tottering slightly but more or less holding his own, Will soon caught up.
“I’m not ever going to let you out of my sight again.” Robert said, covering his wife’s face with kisses.
“Can we go home now?”
“Yes. It looks like our ride is here.”
“I called for help hours ago.”
“Good thinking.”
“I guess they must have decided to take me seriously after all.”
“Well they’re making a big show of things now, aren’t they?”
Although the local authority seemed to be acting overly cautious, it was still fine by Robert. So long as his family was where he could see and touch them then everything else was merely a series of formalities designed to eventually deliver them to safety. The Sheriff would undoubtedly realize they weren’t the threat. They’d already taken care of the real problem on their own.
I still wish they’d hurry up before we freeze to death.
Robert glanced at Peggy and Connor’s bright red hands and faces. They were shivering hard. It would be stupid for them to lie flat on the ground like the Sheriff had asked. They’d get full-blown hypothermia for sure.
Another breeze whipped down off the mountain, scattering equipment and snapping the small tent left by the glacier research team. The cold passed through Robert’s chest like boxful of sewing needles, causing him to see white flashes of pain behind his eyes. He could only imagine how the others must feel.
Screw it. I’m not going to let them get sicker if I can help it.
“We’re going to have to get somewhere warmer,” Robert announced, placing an arm around Connor and squeezing him tight. The boy was deathly cold. The temperature on the mountain was plummeting fast. He’d have to figure out a way to communicate his decision to the Sheriff and he didn’t care if it pissed him off.
They watched as the chopper came back again, and this time the spotlight lingered curiously over the tripod-shaped winch. Robert thought it was a little odd except that maybe they were wondering about all the blood-covered feathers stuck to the ground.
A wave of relief came over him when the chopper finally began to hover toward them. But seconds later he was staring in sheer horror as the business end of an automatic rifle extended from the side door and began firing staccato rounds.
“Run!” Robert screamed.
They headed for the cave-covered hole where Robert had emerged earlier—a much gentler crevasse than the hellish mouth Marsh had fallen into. Bullets split the ice around them. One caught Peggy in the back, causing her to stagger next to Robert as they made their way below the ice.
“What the fuck is that about?” Will screamed. He wished he hadn’t used up his pistol on Marsh. Pinned in and nowhere to go but back down, it would be easy for their attackers to finish the job. Like shooting fish in a barrel..
****
Peggy lay on her side while Robert peeled away her jacket. Blood had already soaked all the way through. She was going into shock and her breath had become rapid. Robert took off his jacket and rolled it into a pillow. Peggy lifted her head and tried to speak.
“No baby, stay still,” Robert cooed as he lifted her back and shoved his jacket beneath her. For the few seconds her body was off the ground he’d glimpsed an immense pool of blood. He turned to look at Will and Connor. They could see in his face things were bad.
“What can I do, Robert?” Will asked.
Robert stared blankly outside the cave were the chopper paced the air.