Blowout Page 8

  Somewhere in the distance water rushed, maybe a stream or a waterfall. She walked towards the sound, then hesitated. She really shouldn’t venture further alone. Except she wasn’t alone, since the family was ahead of her. If anything, it was better to catch up to them.

  Jace and Raphael obviously knew she was here because she hadn’t returned to the boat. Before long they would retrace their steps to search for her. Not that she wanted them to. She was still angry that they hadn’t waited for her, or apparently even noticed her missing.

  Whatever. She hadn’t traveled here to miss all the attractions. She planned to at least explore the cave a little. She had time for a quick look before she headed back to the beach.

  The water sound grew louder, and she imagined a waterfall cascading down rocks. The light dimmed as she ventured towards the melodic sound. It was a beautiful subterranean world even in darkness. She crossed the open area and was so mesmerized that she hit the rock barrier at full speed.

  “Ouch!” her voice echoed through the cavern. Her nose throbbed from the impact. She had hit her nose and face on the rock.

  She stepped back and lost her balance. She cursed as she tumbled to the ground. It was her second fall in just minutes.

  “Hello?” Her voice echoed throughout the chamber as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. She wasn’t even sure if she still faced the same direction. The darkness had enveloped her so quickly and completely that she was disoriented as to her direction of travel. How could she possibly retrace her steps if she didn’t have her bearings? Her eyes should have adjusted to the darkness by now, yet she couldn’t see a thing. Everything was black, with no hint of the open cavern she had traversed moments earlier. She fought rising panic and reminded herself to think clearly. All she had to do was feel around the cave wall in a methodical fashion to find the break in the cave wall. She could then retrace her steps to the entrance and the way out.

  She hadn’t heard the family’s voices since entering the cave. Not even the children’s’ voices. The family must be further inside, probably lured by the same rushing water.

  “Hello?” She hoped for a reassuring reply but heard only the echo of her own voice. Strange that she couldn’t hear anyone.

  She debated exploring further, but what more could she possibly discover in five or ten minutes? Venturing further just increased her risk of getting lost. Besides, now that she had found something, she could easily convince the whole group to return later to see the massive cavern. By then Uncle Harry’s back might be better, and even Gia might be up for the trek. It was more fun to explore together.

  Without a flashlight and proper shoes she wasn’t equipped to go further anyway. She also hadn’t seen any other lights inside the cave. Her pulse quickened as she wondered if the family had even entered the cave at all.

  She rose to her knees and steadied herself. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to make out a dim outline several feet away. It must be the cave wall. She counted her steps as she shuffled towards it. She breathed a sigh of relief when she touched the damp rock.

  She leaned against the cave wall and assessed the damage. Her knee ached. In addition to being skinned, she had likely strained a ligament. Add in her sore ankle, and it was going to be a long, painful journey back to the beach. She rose slowly to a standing position and paused to test out her leg. She could walk as long as she avoided sudden turns.

  She willed herself to remain calm and slid her palm along the cave wall. Within a minute she found the opening. But was it the same passageway? She hadn’t considered that there could be multiple openings.

  She turned the corner and emerged into another chamber. Her heart sank as she realized that it wasn’t the same place. For one thing, the ground sloped downward and the ceiling was much lower, not more than ten feet high. This must be the start of the undersea tunnel.

  She ventured further inside and it immediately darkened. She waited again for her eyes to adjust and soon made out dim outlines of the cave walls. As she took a few steps forward the ceiling dropped dramatically, to the point where her head almost touched it.

  She continued on a slight downhill, but as she descended the ceiling gradually rose. A few minutes later the ground beneath her leveled out. She had no idea if she was still on the island or now under the sea. It was hard to be sure since she had made a few twists and turns. The only thing she was sure of was that she hadn’t retraced her steps inland.

  She kept her left hand on the cave wall to ensure she could retrace her steps back to the main chamber. It was amazing to think nature had created a tunnel under the sea. She had read somewhere that it was nearly impossible to build underground or even lay electrical cables in this part of the Pacific Ocean. The deep water and unstable ocean floor in an area prone to earthquakes had stumped engineers. Yet this natural tunnel had existed for thousands, or more likely millions of years. It had withstood earthquakes, storms, and possibly even the Ice Age.

  She guessed she had been in the cave less than thirty minutes. Her confidence restored, she decided another five wouldn’t hurt. She fingered the moist cave wall for reassurance and continued onward. A few more minutes and then she would reverse course and retrace her steps back to the entrance.

  The water grew louder. It had to be a fairly substantial waterfall, one that Jace and Raphael had completely missed. That was another problem with Jace’s Raphael obsession. In his quest to get another story, he had missed a chance of a lifetime to see a beautiful natural wonder. It was all the more disappointing since Jace loved the outdoors and they were unlikely to ever return here. The island was only accessible by private boat and they didn’t own one. Jace had chased the bright shiny object and missed the treasure in plain sight. Judging by how quickly the guys had returned, they probably hadn’t entered the cave at all.

  She followed the water sound and emerged into a third cavern. This one was the largest yet, and much better lit. She stood before a pool about twenty feet wide. Turquoise green water cascaded into the pool from about eighty feet above her. Her mouth dropped open as she followed the waterfall upwards. The water’s path had etched deep into the rock and carved a narrow canyon where the water spilled over the edge. From there it tumbled down into the pool before her.

  The sheer size and rumble of the subterranean waterfall was breathtaking. Pete obviously hadn’t known of its existence or he would have mentioned it. She gazed in awe and wondered if she was the first person to see it. Probably one of a chosen few and hopefully not the last.

  The waterfall wasn’t the only attraction. To the right of the water was a large flat boulder, probably ten feet across. She walked closer and brushed her hand across its surface. It looked like an altar, or at least some kind of ceremonial rock. She bent down to examine it and traced her hand over the faint outlines of animal figures in red and brown pigments.

  She shivered and wondered how far she was below the ocean floor. The slope had been gradual so she hadn’t realized the extent of her descent.

  This part of the cave was dim but better lit than the previous chambers, even though it was deeper underground. She scanned the chamber to locate the light source and noticed a pinprick of light beyond the pool, probably fifty feet away. Was the illumination an opening onto Valdes Island in the opposite side of the tunnel, or a second exit on De Courcy Island?

  De Courcy, she decided. She pressed the light on her watch. According to the illuminated dial, she had been in the cave about thirty minutes. Not long enough to walk the three-mile distance across the channel. Aside from several stops, she had also taken several twists and turns. It would take an hour to cover a three-mile distance at a brisk pace, and longer still with her limping gait.

  It had been at least forty minutes since she saw Pete, and longer still since she separated from Jace and Raphael on the trail. She really ought to get back to the beach. But it wouldn’t hurt to check out the other side of the pool. She’d kick herself later if she was right by the pool but didn’t
check it out. She allowed herself another five minutes. Then she would definitely turn back. At least that way she could describe the pool and tell the others what they had missed. When she returned with everyone else, she’d bring a flashlight.

  She took one last look at the waterfall, eerily beautiful in the dim light. She turned to the source of light and headed to the narrow passageway. Had Brother XII followed this same path years earlier? Rumor had it that his jars of gold were hidden all over the island. Why not here? This was the perfect hiding place.

  The light grew and then dimmed as she ventured further into the passageway. Within minutes it was completely dark and again she walked blindly through the tunnel with her hand on the moist cave wall. Moss and lichen tickled her palm. She slid her palm along the slick surface and tried not to think about what else besides water was under her hand.

  “Ouch!” The cave floor dropped off beneath her. She fell into water and panicked as it encased her. The frigid water entered her lungs and nose as she sank underwater. She thrashed in the water, panicked that she couldn’t tell the right way up.

  One flip-flop popped off her foot and brushed her head as it passed above her. Her panic subsided when she realized it had floated to the surface. She pushed her body in the same direction and broke the water’s surface. She gulped air as she righted herself. She coughed from the inhaled water and was surprised to find the water only waist deep. Still a problem, but wading was much better than swimming blindly.

  She must have turned several times in an effort to right herself. Which direction had she come from? Her thoughts scrambled as she scanned the cave walls. She no longer saw the passageway, or any opening at all.

  Everything looked the same in the dim light.

  Her impromptu exploration may have been a fatal mistake.

  11

  Victims panic, survivors survive. Kat silently repeated the mantra and willed herself to think calmly. She had read somewhere that many fire victims were only inches from safety when they died. They became disoriented and chose the wrong direction. She faced a similar situation, except that she had plenty of oxygen and wasn’t in imminent danger.

  She was lost, but she hadn’t traveled any significant distance. She simply had to find the ledge and climb back up again. She had to reverse course methodically or risk getting herself even more lost.

  She cursed under her breath. She had extricated herself from trouble minutes ago, only to put herself in a worse situation. No matter how many natural wonders she might see, this time she was heading back. Exploring a cave without a flashlight was a recipe for disaster.

  No more solo explorations, she promised herself.

  Just as soon as she got back on course.

  She carried her flip-flops in her left hand and inched to the right. She counted a dozen steps and she was still in the water. She reversed course and counted fourteen steps when her thigh butted against a ledge. She smiled. It felt like the same ledge where she had slipped into the water.

  She boosted herself up and considered that there could be more than one ledge. She’d better be certain she was headed in the right direction before going further.

  She slipped back into the water and returned in the direction she had come. She counted fourteen steps. From there she counted an additional eight steps for a total of twenty-two steps before she came upon a similar ledge, only this time it was knee-level. She dropped a flip-flop on the ledge as a marker. Then she stepped up onto the ledge.

  She reached a dead end less than twenty feet later. The passage’s light source was an opening in the cave’s roof. It was too small and far away to really see anything. That further alarmed her, since it meant she was much deeper underground than she had realized.

  At least her questions were answered. As she turned, her knee protested with a sharp stab of pain. She reached down and found it was swollen. The sooner she reached the boat, the better, but it would be slow going. Jace’s annoyance would have turned to worry by now.

  She retraced her steps once more and returned to the ledge. She felt around for her flip-flop.

  Nothing.

  Just as she had feared. Because she hadn’t walked in a straight line, she had arrived at a different spot on the ledge. The missing flip-flop was proof of that. Now she second-guessed all her earlier directions. If she was way off course, she’d never even know it. Even worse, she now had only one flip-flop.

  She sighed and slipped back into the water. It rose to chest-level, much higher than it had been where she left the flip-flop. She inched along the ledge, feeling for her shoe. Her pulse quickened as she came up empty.

  Survivors survive.

  She suddenly smacked against a wall that blocked her way forward.

  A wall that hadn’t been there before.

  She had taken a wrong turn, but where? Up until the waterfall, she had been careful to keep her hand along the wall, so she had to be headed back in the right direction.

  That is, until she dropped off the ledge and had hurt her leg. That must be where she got turned around. In her excitement at finding the waterfall, she had forgotten to trace her steps along the cave wall. She realized in horror she was lost.

  And alone. The family had obviously never entered the cave or she would have encountered them by now. Jace and the others would return to search for her, but would they venture this far into the cave? Would they even check the cave at all? As far as they knew, she hadn’t gone near the cave. Then there was the wrong turn she’d made. They might never find her.

  Her only hope was Pete. Once they realized she was missing, he’d tell them to check the cave. She brightened at the thought.

  “Hello?” her voice echoed unanswered throughout the cavern.

  But what if Pete didn’t say anything? He didn’t like her prying questions, and if he had something to hide, he might be worried about her uncovering it. She was safely out of the way. Surely Pete wouldn’t be so cruel as to leave her trapped and alone in a cave.

  Or would he?

  What if he did? How on earth could she reach anyone? Her cell phone didn’t work in the cave. Then it dawned on her.

  Of course. While her cell phone wouldn’t transmit a signal, it had a light. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Better late than never. She pulled it out of her pocket, thankful that she had thought to place it in a plastic bag for the short trip in the dinghy. She pulled it from the bag, pressed a button and her phone sprang to life. Seconds later the phone’s flashlight illuminated a few feet around her.

  The opening to the smaller cave was just three feet away. She had gotten turned around. She waded towards the entrance and boosted herself up onto the ledge. She knelt and grabbed her flip-flop. This time it took a bit longer to get back on her feet. Her knee was stiff and swollen, and so was her ankle. She swore as she stood. She limped towards the opening and walked through the tunnel.

  Her hopes soared as she heard animal, or maybe bird noises. That meant she was close to an exit. Funny that she hadn’t noticed the noise before.

  The light was a lifesaver, but in some ways it was better in the dark. The illumination worsened her claustrophobia. For the first time, she clearly saw her surroundings. A breeze fluttered on her arm as something flew a few inches above her head. She grimaced as she realized it was a bat. It seemed to follow her path and landed in an alcove directly in front of her.

  As she stared at the bat, she realized the entire shelf was moving. Hundreds of bats perched upside-down above her. She shuddered, wondering how she could have mistaken the sound for animals. The refreshing coolness of moments ago was suddenly suffocating. She willed herself to think calm sunny thoughts. In minutes she’d be out in the sunlight, or at least on the trail. At least that’s what she told herself.

  Relax.

  Her trip inside had taken almost an hour, but her exit should be less than ten minutes.

  Or maybe a bit longer, since it was increasingly hard to walk with her injured leg.

  How
ever long it took, she didn’t care. She was back in familiar surroundings and she just needed to follow the path. Her spirits were buoyed as the waterfall came into view. She trudged past the pool and toward the opening to the next chamber as the familiar mist returned.

  Soon she was in the outermost chamber. She just had to locate the rock outcropping with the notched rock to guide her around the corner. She had only felt the notch before, not seen it, so she traced her hand along the cave wall to locate it. She’d be outside and back on the trail within minutes. That was her last thought as she fell.

  12

  Kat gasped as a spasm of pain shot through her leg.

  She had tripped on the uneven ground and tumbled down off the path. She was so focused on finding the notched rock that she hadn’t noticed the steep drop off beside the path. Her swollen knee and twisted ankle made it increasingly hard to walk and keep her balance. By favoring her good leg, she had gone over on her ankle and tripped as she stepped into a gaping hole.

  That was the least of her worries, though. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  Literally.

  Kat’s fall had dislodged several rocks and her arm was pinned underneath some of them. She cursed under her breath as she considered the odds of getting hurt three times in less than an hour. Was she really that clumsy?

  No, just plain stupid.

  What had she been thinking, wearing flip-flops and hiking alone? But she hadn’t started out alone.

  She sighed and pulled out her phone to illuminate her surroundings. She was just a few feet away from the cave opening, so close she could almost taste the fresh air. The scent was probably just her mind playing tricks on her, but her cell phone’s increased signal display was most definitely not her imagination. Against all odds, she had cell phone reception again. She punched in Jace’s number and called him.