Emp disaster box set boo.., p.64
EMP Disaster Box Set | Books 1-3, page 64
part #1 of EMP Disaster Series
“Oh, when I was little, I climbed all kinds of things,” Rita said, waving off Melanie’s comment. “Trees, buildings, gravel piles, telephone poles. My friends and I even formed a neighborhood group called ‘The Climbers/Leapers Club.’ It lasted a few years, until Charissa jumped off a shed roof and broke her leg, and our parents collectively put an end to it. Anyway, it’s not hard. You just need good balance and a little upper body strength.”
“What did you see up there?” Melanie asked.
“Well, sorry to say, boss, but this damn rock wall never ends,” Rita replied. “It just goes on and on in both directions as far as the eye can see. If you’re really determined to keep heading south, it looks like we’re in for a rather challenging climb. What do you think?”
“That’s not going to happen,” Shona muttered. “I can barely walk, much less climb a cliff.”
“We can go around,” Melanie said, “even if it takes a while. It can’t go on forever.”
“Based on what I saw, it goes on for miles and miles,” Rita said.
“Well, maybe we’ll adjust direction and deal with it. There’s no way we’re all climbing.”
She felt a hand on her back as Mark stepped up. He had the backpack in his other hand. “Now, honey, let’s not abandon our grand plan just yet. Did you forget I used to climb the rock wall in the gym at college almost every day? The VOL Wall at the University of Tennessee. It was challenging, but it was so much better than lifting weights or riding stationary bikes.”
“Mark, it’s been a while since you were in college,” she said. “We have no safety equipment.”
He set the backpack on the ground and fished around inside, pulling out a large rolled length of nylon rope. “We have a nice, sturdy rope.”
“That won’t help you get to the top,” she said.
“No, but it’ll help everyone else,” he said. He pulled one end of the rope loose and tied it to his belt, then approached the rock wall. “It’s gotta be about thirty feet, not that tall. I can make it. There are plenty of trees up there to tie off the rope.”
Rita was beaming at him, and when he looked back, she gave him a thumbs-up. Clearly, she approved, but Melanie felt dread. She hated taking risks out here in the wild. If Mark fell and got seriously injured, they might not be able to help him. There was no emergency service. No one was coming to fly him out of here if he broke a leg.
“Mark, we really don’t need to do this,” she said. “What about your injury? Your shoulder never healed right.”
He gave her a big smile. “Honey, I’ve got this. My shoulder is uncomfortable sometimes, but it works just fine. Trust me. I want to do this. I won’t fall.”
“Be careful, Dad,” Shona said.
He nodded, then turned and began his ascent. He wanted to do this. That comment struck Melanie. What was behind it? Perhaps he felt like he hadn’t done enough in the past few days. He’d mostly just been along for the ride. Did he see this as his chance to step up and make a difference? Melanie didn’t know for sure, but she wished he’d chosen another time, and a safer activity, to become a hero.
“Take it slow and easy,” she said. “We’re not in a rush.”
“You got it, babe,” he replied, beaming at her.
He found a handhold and pulled himself up, planting the toe of his right shoe into a crack and using it to boost himself higher. Melanie watched anxiously from below, pacing back and forth as he slowly picked his way up the steep slope. Ten feet up, he grabbed a protruding rock, and it broke loose. For one awful second, he was hanging by a single hand, as the large rock tumbled down to the clearing.
Melanie and Rita both had to step aside to avoid the rock as it bounded past them and flew into the trunk of the magnolia tree with an echoing thud.
“Sorry about that,” Mark shouted from above. He managed to get the side of his right foot onto a narrow ledge, then reached up with his other hand and wedged a finger into a crack. “Watch out for falling rocks.”
“I’m more worried about falling husbands,” Melanie called back. “You need to be more careful.”
“Yeah, the handholds on the VOL Wall didn’t break away like that,” he noted.
He reached for a higher rock and tested his weight on it for a second. Then he pulled himself up. He was close to the halfway point now, but moving just a little faster than Melanie thought was necessary. His left foot kicked loose another rock and sent it tumbling down.
“Careful below,” he shouted.
The rock hit the wall and deflected at an angle, coming straight for Melanie. She ducked and lunged to the right, and it flew just over her left shoulder and crashed through the branches of another tree. Mark was near the top now, at least. Indeed, if he’d meant to impress his family, he had succeeded. Despite a few hiccups, he was scrambling up the sheer rock wall with surprising nimbleness.
Since his injury, Melanie had come to think of him as frail, suffering, someone who needed to be protected. Maybe it was that exact image that he’d hoped to subvert. If so, he’d done it. Melanie glanced to her left and saw Shona staring up at her father with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open.
“He’s a pretty good climber,” Nathan said. “I had no idea.”
“Dad never told us he was this good,” Shona said.
Finally, Mark reached the top of the cliff, but here he got stuck for a few seconds. The roots of a big tree were hanging out over the edge, too smooth to make easy handholds. He made a few grabs at the roots, then seemed to reconsider. In the end, he had to shift a couple of feet to his left, picking along the rocks. Then he was able to reach his right hand up over the edge of the cliff and grab something on top.
Melanie was tempted to yell some advice, some encouragement—maybe just a hearty, “Please, for God’s sake, slow down. Don’t lose it now.” But she was afraid it might distract him, so she bit her tongue. Slowly, achingly, Mark pulled himself up onto the top of the cliff and dragged himself forward, inch by inch, until finally it was just the soles of his shoes sticking over the edge.
“I’m good,” he shouted. “It’s safe up here.”
He reappeared, leaning against a tree as he leaned out over the drop. Then he waved down at them. Shona returned the wave, and Rita gave him a round of applause.
“Good climbing,” she said.
“Don’t lean over the edge,” Melanie called up.
Mark was huffing and puffing. Though he’d made it up the cliff, clearly it had been a lot more difficult than it looked. He tipped Melanie a little salute, then began unwinding the long length of nylon rope. He tied one end around the nearest tree, tested the knots, then tossed the other end of the rope over the cliff. It fell, unraveling as it went, and finally flopped into the rocks at their feet.
Rita bent down and picked it up, then turned to the others. “Well, there you go. Who wants to climb next? Personally, I don’t need the rope, but I guess some of you might.”
“Using a rope doesn’t seem much easier than not using a rope,” Shona said, hobbling forward on her crutch. “What are we supposed to do?”
Melanie tried to envision some way of creating a harness that they could use to pull Shona up the cliff. Maybe heading due south wasn’t so important, after all. All of this risk made due west seem like a perfectly suitable alternative.
“Well, I think…”
A strange sound arose from somewhere in the woods nearby. She knew it right away, and she spun around. The clop of hooves on hard ground, the rustling of reins, and the soft snort of a horse.
21
“Is that a horse?” Mr. Turner said, just a little too loudly.
Melanie tapped a finger to her lips and strained to listen. While the sounds of the horse were distinct, she couldn’t tell how close it was. She scanned the gaps between the trees and didn’t see any sign of its approach. There were other sounds, possibly footsteps, maybe voices. Many of them. And in that moment, she felt a little flutter of fear and certainty.
“It’s them,” she said.
“The militia?” Lizzy said, whirling around to face the trees and reaching for the rifle over her shoulder. “On horses now? How do you know?”
“Call it instinct,” Melanie replied. “A gut reaction. It’s them. They couldn’t get their vehicles into the woods, so they got a horse somewhere, and the rest of them are on foot. That’s what I think.”
Shona whimpered and backed away from the trees. “How did they find us? How could they even know we came this way?”
“No idea,” Melanie said. “Doesn’t matter. We have to get everyone and everything up on top of the cliff. Otherwise, we’re doomed. We’re not going to win a gunfight with that many trained militiamen in a place like this.”
Rita held up the end of the nylon rope. “Here you go, folks. Start climbing.”
Melanie made a desperate spinning gesture with her hands. “Come on. Let’s go. Nathan and Shona, you’re up first.”
“I can’t climb fast enough with this aching foot,” Shona said. “And what about Dusty? How do we get a dog up there?”
Rita beckoned her. “Just get over here, kiddo. I’m your resident knot-tyer. I’ll get you and the dog up that cliff safe and sound.” She began looping the end of the rope, tying it together in a complicated series of knots to create a sling.
“Is it safe?” Shona said.
“Oh, yeah,” Rita replied. “Tell me, have I ever let you folks down?”
Shona seemed to consider this question for a moment, then shook her head and said, “No, I guess not.”
“Exactly. If I say it’ll be safe and sound, I mean it.”
Rita held up the sling she’d created. It seemed designed to fit around the hips, with a hole for each leg. Not the most comfortable contraption, but sturdy and functional. If not for the approaching militia, Melanie would have balked, but they had no choice. She stepped up and helped Shona get into the sling one leg at a time. Once she was in place, Shona held the rope with one hand, the crutch with the other. Then Rita looked up at Mark and gave him an OK sign with her fingers.
“Shona, hold on tight,” Melanie said. “Dad’s got you.”
Shona grimaced and tightened her grip as Mark began pulling the rope up the cliffside. Fortunately, Mark was strong enough, and Shona small enough, that he was able to whisk her up quickly, as she stifled a squeal of fear. Then he pulled her onto the cliff and tossed the rope back down.
“We need to do this quickly,” Melanie said. The sound of the horse was getting louder, and now she was certain that there were many people walking with it. This was a large force of some kind. She looked over her shoulder, but there was still no sign of them.
When she turned back around, Nathan and Dusty were on their way up. Rita had fitted the dog into the sling, while Nathan held the rope in his hands. As they were hoisted up the cliff, Lizzy and Mr. Turner approached the wall, clearly anxious to get up there fast. Mark had left the backpack at the bottom of the cliff, and Mr. Turner now had the strap over his shoulder.
“Pop, let’s send up the gear separately,” Melanie said. “That strap might slip off your shoulder.”
The horse whinnied loudly, and someone shouted, the voice echoing far and wide. It sounded a lot like Sue Ellen’s voice, though she wasn’t using her megaphone.
“We’re cutting it damn close here,” Rita muttered. “Less talk, more climb.”
Mr. Turner took the backpack off and handed it to Rita, and she set about tying it to the rope above the sling. Then Mr. Turner put his legs through the holes. As Mark started to pull them both up, he gave a loud grunt from the effort. Nathan appeared beside him and helped pull at the rope.
As he was ascending, Mr. Turner began trying to press his legs against the rocks, apparently nervous about dangling from the rope. His heel kicked a small rock loose and sent it tumbling down, and the sound echoed against the cliff face. Melanie winced.
“We’re making too damn much noise,” she muttered. “There’s no way they didn’t hear that.”
After pulling Mr. Turner onto the cliff, Mark tossed the rope down again. It was Lizzy’s turn now. They were working as fast as they could, but it felt too slow. Excruciating. Melanie took the rifle off her shoulder and held it in her hands. The horse whinnied. Melanie traded an anxious look with Rita as Lizzy was hoisted up the cliff.
“It’s down to you and me, boss,” Rita said. “Personally, I don’t need the rope, so why don’t you take it, and I’ll clamber up the rocks on my own.”
“That seems like an unnecessary risk,” Melanie said, taking the sling from her hands.
“Not really.” Rita gave her a big grin, which made her seem boyish and young. She was enjoying this all just a little too much.
“Well, let’s at least send the duffel bag up with me,” Melanie said, stooping down to grab the handles. She handed it to Rita. “Hurry.”
Rita proceeded to tie the handles to the rope. And in that moment, the sounds of the horse changed, the clopping of hooves becoming fast and frantic. It had broken into a gallop.
“Rita, start climbing,” Melanie said. “Right now. It’s going to take you longer. Go!”
Rita had just finished tying the duffel bag handles. She looked like she wanted to double-check them, but she glanced past Melanie’s shoulder, nodded, and turned toward the cliff. As she started up, picking her way from rock to rock, testing her weight as she went, Melanie slipped her legs through the sling. She was forced to put the rifle strap back over her shoulder in order to hold the rope. It felt flimsy and dangerous, and as soon as Mark pulled on the rope, it went taut in a very uncomfortable way against her inner thighs.
“There! There!”
Sue Ellen’s voice! Melanie turned and gazed into the woods. It took a moment of scanning, but then she saw it, a dark shape in the distance moving through gaps in the branches.
These guys are persistent, she thought. Don’t they ever give up?
Suddenly, she was hoisted off the ground, and the sling became significantly more unpleasant. Dangling from this thin rope was nerve-wracking, but she clutched it in her hands as best she could. Mark and Nathan worked together to lift her, and she soon passed Rita.
“Quickly, men!” Sue Ellen shouted. At least a dozen voices replied, unleashing a terrible cry that filled the forest.
Rita continued picking her way up, one handhold and foothold at a time. Some of the rocks she tried to use shifted beneath her, forcing her to steady herself and course correct along the way. Just as Melanie reached the top of the cliff, she saw movement in the trees below. The horse had been forced to slow down by the sheer number of obstacles, but she saw the animal winding its way toward the cliff. Farther back, she saw people on foot picking their way through the underbrush.
And then arms took hold of Melanie, and she was hoisted backward onto the cliff. Here, they had an expansive view of the trees stretching out below far into the distance. Rita was making her sure and steady way to the top, but she still had a little way to go.
“Faster, faster,” Melanie cried. She couldn’t help herself.
Beyond the cliff, a broad slope ascended toward another higher ground and another dense line of trees. Melanie could see the great humped backs of mountains to the south and southeast. A few stray trees grew up toward the cliff’s edge. The others were gathered close to the cliff, so Melanie waved her people back.
“Stay out of sight,” she said. “Otherwise, you’ll be a target.”
And then she heard the horse crash through the underbrush and come tromping out into the clearing. She peeked over the edge of the cliff and saw Sue Ellen mounted on the horse’s back, a drawn pistol in her hand. She came out of the woods a few yards to the right, cutting at an angle toward the bottom of the cliff.
“You won’t take what belongs to me,” she cried, raising the pistol and aiming it at the top of the cliff.
Mark grabbed Melanie by the back of her coat and pulled her away from the edge. She didn’t fight him, but she felt a moment of near panic. Rita. Where was Rita?
“Nobody takes anything from me,” Sue Ellen cried, shouting it so intensely that her voice cracked and broke. “Least of all my own kin!”
And then a hand reached over the top of the cliff, scrabbling at the tree roots there. A callused hand, with rough fingers that had seen much hard work, and short, ragged fingernails. Rita’s face appeared next, as she struggled to finish the climb. Clearly, it had been more challenging than she’d expected. Nathan rushed forward then, moving low, and grabbed Rita’s hand. She grabbed his wrist with her other hand as he dragged her up onto the high ground.
“Okay, that was harder than climbing the tree,” Rita said, grunting.
Just as her shoes kicked against the edge of the cliff, they heard a gunshot. The bullet hit a tree root inches from Rita’s right foot, splitting the wood with a crack.
“I said, nobody takes anything from me,” Sue Ellen cried again, hoarse and growling. “I’ll chase you to the end of the earth, you thieves! Do you hear me? I’ll never stop until you pay for what you’ve done!”
22
Only when Rita had been pulled to safety did Melanie realize the nylon rope had somehow fallen back down in all of the chaos. Maybe she’d kicked it when Mark was pulling her backward. Whatever the case, it was down there now, with the sling on the end just enticing Sue Ellen or one of her militiamen to climb up after them.
She glanced over her shoulder to see the others gathered behind her. Mark still had hold of her coat, but she gently removed his hand and dropped into a crouch.
“I have to pull the rope up before they decide to use it,” she said.
“Don’t lean out over the edge,” Mark replied. “You’ll get shot.”
Melanie waved the others back just to be sure, then reached up to where the rope was tied around the trunk of a small, sturdy tree. Though she was behind the tree, hidden from the clearing below, she could see the vast forest spread out below. She heard the militia tromping about below, speaking to each other. She heard the horse stamping on the rocks.
