Getting a little food and water in my stomach had me feeling somewhat better, but the steep decline in front of me was still worrisome. I looked around for a spot that appeared to be easier to descend, but straight down from where I stood looked to be as safe as any other. I tied a ribbon on a tree at the top of the incline and slowly began to walk down. The slanted ground proved to be as difficult to navigate as it looked, plus there was nothing to hold on to. After falling on my butt for the second time, I finally realized that walking sideways with my feet running parallel with the mountain made the trip down easier. Pleased with my success, I was just about to pat myself on the back when I stepped down on a rock that wasn't buried as deep in the dirt as I had anticipated. The rock rolled out from under my foot, making my ankle twist at an odd angle before buckling from under me. The sudden shift threw off my balance and I tumbled head over heels the rest of the way down, until I finally came to a grinding stop. Loose rocks dug into the sensitive skin where I had landed ungracefully at the bottom of the hill with my face firmly planted in the dirt.
I sat up groaning and coughing with new aches and pains assaulting my body. Something wet trailed down my left cheek and although I hoped for the best when I swiped it away, I can’t say I was too shocked when my hand came away blood-streaked. "Well, that's great," I muttered, struggling to my feet. Pain tore its way through my leg as my ankle buckled again, sending me back to the ground. "Damn it,” I yelled. “Could I please get a fucking break?" I hollered up at the overcast sky. "Not a big one, but just something," I continued to scream as a feeling of despair set in. We were going to die out here.
The hopelessness of the situation became overwhelming and I broke out in tears. After awhile the sobs turned to coughing as my lungs protested the extra workout the tears were causing. Trying to calm down, I took several deep breaths, letting the oxygen fill my lungs until I slowly began to breathe easier.
Once I had regained my composure, I pulled up the leg of my pants to check the damage to my ankle. Dark splotches of purple, swelled skin marred the surrounding area of my foot. It looked grotesque, but I was pretty sure it wasn't broken since I didn't hear a snap when it happened. Touching the swelled area lightly with my finger made me cringe. Even if it wasn’t broken, it sure hurt like hell. "Just a bad sprain," I said out loud, trying to reassure myself. "All I need to do is wrap it and I'll be good to go." The only problem was finding something to wrap it with. The torn strips of raincoat were all too short to really do any good.
The only idea I could think of was to use a piece of my shirt, so I shrugged out of my heavy, wet jacket and pulled off my flannel shirt. The cold rain pelted my bra-clad chest as I hurried back into my jacket, cringing from the wet material clinging to my naked skin. Using a rock to get me started, I tore both sleeves away from the shoulder sections of the shirt. My constant shivering made the job difficult, but I wrapped one of the sleeves snugly around my ankle, tucking the end down into the layers. I then tied the other sleeve in a knot around the wrap to hold it in place.
The makeshift wrap was bulky, but looked like it would hold, and at least I was able to maneuver my pant leg to cover it. Before I attempted to stand again, I searched the ground for a stick that could work as a crutch. I spotted one about ten feet away and slowly scooted myself closer to reach it. It was a painstaking effort to stand up and although my ankle protested my weight, the wrap seemed to be working. I hobbled back to my backpack and pulled out another strip of raincoat so I could tie it to a tree where I had landed.
Leaving my latest pitfall behind, I shuffled along, leaning heavily on my bristly crutch. It didn't take long for my hand to blister from rubbing against the wet wood, but I wrapped it with one of the bright yellow strips of raincoat and moved on. I was over this abuse, but I’d be damned if I was going to let the rugged wilderness beat me down.
It was late afternoon when I reached my next steep decline. Without giving it a second thought, I sat on my bottom and slid down the bumpy path. The rocks bit painfully at my buttocks, but it was better than the alternative. Once I was safely at the bottom and relatively pain free, I allowed myself another small break to drink more water and eat another energy bar. My stomach wasn't exactly feeling up to any food, but I knew I needed any energy source I could get.
After I finished eating, I sat for a moment, looking at the ragged mess my body had become. I don’t know if there was a spot on my body that didn’t have some kind of scrape, cut or bruise. I was soaking wet, covered in filth, and to top it off, one of the blisters on my hand had popped open. Resisting the urge to swear at the heavens again, I remembered Mason, alone and fighting infection. I stood myself upright and continued forward, limping several feet when finally, the trees opened up, revealing a sight that made my heart stop.
Stepping forward cautiously, I nearly wept when my feet stepped onto asphalt. I had done it. One way or another, this road led to something. My steps seemed lighter as I shuffled along the smooth surface. I could do this. All I needed now was a car to come by.
An hour later, I was still walking down the paved road, not a vehicle in sight. My coughing had increased in frequency, pounding my poor head into submission. My steps became more sluggish as I stumbled on, too stubborn to give up. After another hundred yards, or for that matter, it could have been a mile, I was too tired to tell anymore, my body wouldn't allow me to take another step further. Darkness clouded my vision and I sank into oblivion with one thought. Mason. I had failed him.
A loud rumbling noise jerked me awake. Disoriented, I watched as tires screeched to a stop, inches from where I lay.
"Are you Kimberly?" a burly policeman asked, kneeling by my head.
I struggled with every last bit of energy I had left to nod.
I could hear him barking our location into his radio as I faded in and out of consciousness. His radio squawked back and Rick's voice came across the line. "You found her?" I heard him ask before I drifted back out.
My eyes fluttered open again several minutes later when the kind policeman scooped me up in his arms. "Don't worry, missy, we're going to get you help," he said, laying me gently on the backseat of his cruiser.
"Mason," I said, fighting my grogginess as he laid a heavy military-style blanket over me.
"We're going to find him," he said, gently pushing me back down as I struggled to sit up.
My coughs were traitorous again as I tried to tell him I knew where Mason was. Somehow, in between the fits I managed to describe how I had marked the path.
"He's in bad shape," I added, fighting to stay awake. "We're not leaving until you find him," I said stubbornly, resting my head on the seat.
I was in a daze when Rick showed up twenty minutes later with a rescue team. "Kimberly," he said, dragging me into his arms.
"Mason's hurt bad. His leg is broken and he's blazing with fever," I said as a new wave of coughs erupted out of me.
"Why haven't you taken her to the hospital?" Rick demanded, turning on the cop.
"She refused to leave until we rescue your boy," the cop answered, looking uncertain.
"Get her to the hospital now," he demanded.
"I want to stay until you bring Mason down," I protested.