Beneath This Lonely Ground [ ONC2020 ]

xiii. where they stand

Taylor and Elias woke to the crackling of the radio. Taylor blinked, her eyes bleary, and groped for the source of the noise, trying to hear above the rustling of her emergency blanket. She felt half-alive—not half-dead, but half-alive, exhausted and her brain barely functioning. Yet somehow she was more alive than she'd been before.

"Taylor? Taylor, are you there?"

She fumbled with the radio. "Yes, I'm here."

"Are you guys okay?" Sierra's worried voice came through the static. "We've been looking all over."

Taylor informed her cousin of their predicament, receiving a relieved but still concerned response and a promise that help would be there soon. Two hours later, after Taylor and Elias had packed up in silence and put out the fire, a shout came from above.

Elias stood and craned his neck to look to the top of the cliff. "We're saved," he said with a weak smile.

"We're saved," Taylor echoed. He looked at her, and she nodded at him, knowing he sensed the deeper meaning of her words and could see the peace that had settled over her during the night. "I'm sorry," she said simply.

He smiled, and it reminded her so much of Riyad. This time the pain was lessened, just a pang of longing and not a festering wound in her heart.

Sierra and the college kids had come, with ropes and a scolding expression on the former. In a matter of minutes they had a rope tied to a tree and tossed over for Taylor and Elias to send their packs up, then haul themselves up. Taylor wasn't even sure how she managed it. When they reached the top, Sierra threw her arms around Taylor, then Elias.

"Don't do that again!" she chided. She shook Elias gently. "Turns out Taylor's not the only one with a penchant for trouble."

Elias scoffed. "She dragged me into it. Literally."

Taylor rolled her eyes, then focused on Sierra again. "I'm sorry. For not listening to you. And for being a pretty horrible person this past week."

"Never mind that." Sierra waved a hand, wrinkling her nose. "Come on, now."

They set off again, the undergrads going on ahead, with Taylor lagging behind and Sierra and Elias waiting for her to catch up. Taylor was in no hurry now, had finally gave in to the protests of her weary body and slowed her pace. Her toes tingled, the objects in the ground below asking her permission to manifest themselves as images in her mind. She pushed them away, ignored them. She was done with them for now.

It was quiet, without all the thoughts raging through her mind. The forest was peaceful, dirt grinding beneath her feet and fresh air in her lungs. It was like she could finally breathe again.

She'd just caught up with Sierra and Elias when a voice called out to them, and they halted as someone came into view. It was Derek, Jameson right behind him with his customary baseball cap pushed up.

"What's up, Derek?" Sierra eyed them with suspicion. "Jamie? Where are the others?"

"There's a cave up ahead," Derek said. "Looks pretty deep. Dark. Do you mind if we go check it out? The girls are already about to head in."

Probably Katie's fault. She'd likely also persuaded Grace to follow, leaving Derek and Jameson to relay the news.

Sierra and Taylor exchanged glances. "I don't see why not," Sierra said. "It's probably a dead end, wherever it leads. Just be careful, guys."

"You wanna come, Dr. Sloan?" Derek called, bounding after Jameson. "We could probably use your help."

These kids were so full of energy. Taylor remembered college as a time when she desperately needed a thing called sleep. She waved a hand at him. "I think I'll pass, Derek. My 'powers'—as you kids call it—are decidedly drained right now. There can't be much in the cave anyway, though."