Bitter Wild Page 10

  Jack nodded and they stepped off the narrow track that she’d been calling a trail. He was guessing it was actually a wildlife path. Deer and other such animals tended to follow the same paths through the trees. Eventually a narrow, but visible trail developed. They wove their way through the trees for another half hour before coming across another trail. They’d just gotten there when the rain started falling. Casey led them along the trail for a while, then finally stopped and turned to face him.

  “It’s no good. This rain isn’t going to let up. And it’s cold enough that it’ll probably turn to snow by nightfall. We’ve got to find some shelter before that happens.”

  He didn’t argue. The rain was already starting to soak through to his skin and it was frigidly cold. The light was fading fast, even though it was still the middle of the afternoon.

  “Stay close to me.”

  He nodded, then followed her as she stepped off the narrow trail and into the trees. By the time she stopped again, Jack was soaked to the skin from mid-thigh down. His heavy coat was repelling most of the rain, keeping his core from getting anything more than damp, but he was still freezing. He looked up at the wall of rock in front of him. Casey stared at it as well and he wondered if she’d somehow gotten confused and led them in the wrong direction. He’d no more thought the question than she turned around to face him. “Wait here.”

  He watched as she moved toward the wall and began to climb up onto a ledge that sat just about five feet off the ground. He didn’t even see the opening in the rock until she disappeared into it. A few minutes later she came back out and motioned for him to join her. Jack climbed up onto the ledge, then took his hat off as he stepped into the narrow split in the rock. It was barely wide enough for him to fit through. It began to open up almost immediately, though. Within seconds he couldn’t see anything. He felt Casey reach out to grasp for him and he closed his hand around hers as she led him into the darkness. They turned a small bend and then another and Jack suddenly saw light. A moment later they stepped out of the narrow passage and into a large cavern. Jack looked around himself in surprise. The room was easily fifteen feet wide and twenty or so feet deep. The ceiling was relatively low, hanging less than a foot over his head. It rose higher though, toward the rear of the cavern. He glanced at the lantern that was burning a few feet away. Casey hadn’t had that when she came in. As if she could hear his mental question, she answered it.

  “I used to come here a lot. There’s another lantern over there, along with some other things that might prove useful.” He watched as she moved toward the rear of the room. She sat the light down beside what was obviously a fire circle. She lifted her gaze to him.

  “There’s some wood over by the other stuff. You can use it to make a fire.”

  She pushed to her feet and he realized that she was planning on going somewhere.

  “Wait a minute, where are you going?”

  She stopped in front of him. “I’ve got to go back to the fork in the trail and move the marker.”

  He shook his head. “You can’t go back out in that mess. That rain is freezing.”

  She nodded. “I know, and it’s going to wash away every track. If I don’t mark which trail we took they won’t know where to look for us or for Jester. It’s got to be done, Jack. There’s no point in arguing.”

  She stepped around him, then stopped at the narrow passageway that led outside. “Build the fire and try to dry off as best you can. It’s going to take me a while to get there and back in this mess.” She hesitated for a moment, then met his gaze steadily. “If something happens and I don’t come back, you stay right here. Don’t try to find me, don’t try to go for help. John knows where this place is. He’ll find you.”

  Jack felt an odd sense of foreboding. He took a step toward her. “Casey-“ She cut him off with a shake of her head. “I’ll be fine. I’m just being cautious.”

  She turned and disappeared into the crevice, leaving Jack alone in the cave. He had to resist the urge to chase her down and demand that she not go. He could just imagine how well that would go over. But he couldn’t shake the worry that she was taking too much of a risk. Or maybe he was still feeling the strain of his close brush with death. He wasn’t sure which was the case. So he turned around and set about doing what she’d told him to do.

  By the time Casey made it to the fork the rain had turned to sleet. She moved her marker to the correct trail, then turned around to head back to the cave. She was soaked to the skin and her teeth hadn’t stopped chattering for the past fifteen minutes. She should have known better than to try this. But she’d been praying that the cold front coming through was bringing only rain. It was getting late in the year for this kind of weather, even at this elevation. She stumbled through the gathering darkness, relying as much on Chance as her own sight. She left the trail finally, and breathed a sigh of relief. The cave wasn’t far now. The sleet had long since turned to ice. Everything was coated with it, including her. The wind was really starting to kick up now and she could hear the trees groaning overhead. She was shaking so badly that she knew hypothermia was beginning to be a real threat. Jack was going to have a fit when he saw her. She stopped beneath a tree for a moment to catch her breath. Chance shook himself, sending pellets of ice flying.

  “Just a little further, boy.” He shot her a look that might have been sarcastic if he’d been able to give it voice. She pushed away from the tree. “Okay, okay, I’m coming.”

  She took two steps then froze when she heard a crack somewhere above her. She looked up just in time to see the tree branch that knocked her to the ground.

  Jack paced back and forth in front of the cave’s entrance. He kept looking at his watch and refiguring the time it had taken them to reach the cave from the trail. He was trying to figure out how long it should take her to go back down the trail to the fork and move the marker she’d placed. Casey had said it would take her a while in this weather, but it was quickly approaching three hours since she’d left. Surely that was too long. He knew it must be getting dark by now. The storm would certainly make twilight come earlier than usual. He knew Casey was good at what she did, but he couldn’t imagine how anyone could find their way in the dark. He ran his hands through his hair and kept pacing.

  Casey groaned as she felt something warm and wet on her face. She heard a whine and mumbled Chance’s name. He whined again. She tried to move and found that something heavy was holding her down. Her head hurt, as did her shoulder and back. She braced her hand against the ground and tried to push herself up. The weight on her back shifted a little, but she had to stop because the effort sent an agonizing pain through her skull that was mercifully followed by unconsciousness.

  The next time Casey came to, Chance was tugging on her sleeve. She felt like she was frozen solid. In fact, her clothes were becoming stiff as they began to freeze. She could barely keep herself from throwing up as she tried to drag herself forward. She couldn’t make her brain understand what was happening. But something inside her insisted that she had to move. After what felt like forever she finally managed to free herself from the heavy branch that had pinned her to the ground. She lay there for a while, trying to keep from retching as she fought to resist the blackness that hovered at the edge of her mind. Chance swiped her face with his tongue, then nudged her. She had to move. She knew that. But where was she going? She couldn’t seem to remember. She closed her eyes and immediately saw an image of Andy. She felt a smile touch her lips. Was she going to see Andy? Somehow that didn’t feel right, though. The smile faded as she tried to make sense of the scrambled thoughts in her head. Chance nudged her again and she tried to push him away.

  “Let me sleep!”

  Jack grimaced as he pulled on his still damp clothes. He’d taken them off and laid them out by the fire, hoping they would dry out. They were getting there, but still had a long way to go before they’d be fully dry. He didn’t care. Casey had been gone for three and a half hours. That was too long.
His gut insisted that something was wrong and he couldn’t just stand by and wait any longer. He grabbed the heavy duty flashlight she’d brought and headed for the exit.

  Casey didn’t remember getting to her feet, but she had managed it somehow. She was half walking, half running through the woods. Fear clogged her throat as she tripped over something and fell to the ground. She had to keep moving. It was coming for her. It would tear her apart if she didn’t get away. She scrambled to her feet and ran on through the darkness until she came up against a solid rock wall. For a moment her mind seemed to clear and she took a few seconds to get her bearings. The cave. She had to get back to the cave. But which way was it? She felt the fear closing in again but fought to think clearly. Chance was standing a few feet away and she prayed that he was leading her in the right direction. She reached out to touch the wall beside her as she stumbled forward.

  Jack felt his stomach drop as he stepped out of the cave. He might as well have been in another world from the one he’d left only hours before. Somewhere along the way the rain had given way to ice which coated everything in sight. Now that was turning to snow. He arced the light around as the enormity of the situation settled over him. Casey was out there somewhere in this mess. How in God’s name would he ever find her?

  Casey thought she must be seeing things when she looked up and saw a light ahead of her. Chance barked and almost immediately she heard someone shout her name. She blinked as she tried to make sense of it.

  “Andy?”

  No, that wasn’t right. Andy was dead. She’d watched him die. Tears began to pour from her eyes as she began to remember bits and pieces of that nightmare. The scream of the horses and the roar of the monster as it charged them. She felt herself sink to the ground as Chance barked again. She was drifting toward unconsciousness as she heard her name called once more, closer this time.

  Jack called Casey’s name and the dog barked in answer. A moment later it suddenly appeared in front of him. He might have been amazed by the ice that covered the poor creature if he wasn’t too busy being horrified by the blood that stood out in stark relief against its pale fur. It gave him a steady look, then turned around and trotted off. Jack reached for his gun. Suddenly he found himself wondering if the animal might have gone insane and turned on Casey. But then why would it come to him like this? Wouldn’t it have just attacked him outright? He took several steps forward, using the light to scan the area in front of him. He spotted the dog again, then began to run when he caught sight of Casey lying beside it. The dog backed away as he dropped to his knees at her side. There was blood on her head and face as well as ice and mud and bits of leaves and twigs in her hair. She looked like she’d been through hell. He reached out to check her pulse and was shocked by how cold she was. He tried to wake her but got only a groan. At least she was alive.

  He lifted her into his arms, then got to his feet. It seemed to take forever to get back to the cave and he began to fear that he’d missed it somehow. Then he caught sight of the small outcropping of rock that marked the entrance. He laid Casey on the ledge then scrambled up onto it himself. The dog stayed right with him as he put his arms around Casey’s chest so he could drag her into the cave. The entrance was too narrow for him to carry her in.

  The moment they were inside he lifted her again and carried her to the fire. He’d laid out their bedrolls beside it and he carefully laid her down on one of them. Her eyelids fluttered and he said her name.

  “Casey? Can you hear me?”

  She moaned, then slipped fully into unconsciousness. He reached out to touch her face, then began removing her clothes. She was going to die of hypothermia if he didn’t get her warmed up quick and he had to get her dry before he could get her warm. The clothes were nearly frozen. He wrestled with them almost frantically. When he pulled her gloves off he took a few moments to check her hands for evidence of frostbite. They were cold, but he didn’t think any permanent damage had been done. He hesitated as he got down to the last layers. The uncertainty didn’t last long, though. This was no time for modesty. He lifted her so that he could pull the undershirt over her head. Then he froze as he got a look at the scars that marred her right shoulder. They were large and ugly, completely healed, though with the red puffiness that marked them as relatively new. He stared at them for a long moment before making himself finish. He got rid of her bra, then made a conscious effort not to look at her as he tugged off the thermal pants she wore. He found another ugly scar hidden beneath them. Now he knew the source of the weakness in her leg. But he was no closer to understanding what horrible event had caused it.

  He dragged his blanket over and wrapped her in it, then moved her even closer to the fire. That done, he began searching for the source of the blood on her head and face. He found it just above the crown of her head. The cut was small in proportion to the amount of blood. Jack rummaged around in her backpack and found a first aid kit. He used a gauze pad and water to clean the wound as best he could, then smeared it with antibacterial ointment. Then he cleaned as much of the blood off her as he could. Once he finished that he was left with nothing to do but sit by her side and pray that she would wake up.

  Jack eventually fell asleep with Casey nestled against his chest. She hadn’t moved at all when he woke the next morning. He reached out and touched her forehead, then cursed when he realized how warm she was. A fever. That’s all she needed. He got up and added some fresh wood to the fire, then headed toward the rear of the cave. There was a convenient source of water there in the form of a small stream that seeped through a crack in the rocks and then disappeared through another. The water moved with enough swiftness to keep it clean. He put some in a pot he’d found in the cave and carried it back to the fire. He sat it down, then met the gaze of Casey’s dog. The moment Jack had moved, the animal had taken his place. It was stretched out beside Casey, watching Jack intently. “Your mistress isn’t doing so good.”

  The dog didn’t even blink. Jack sat the pot on the fire, then dug out some of the jerky. He took a piece for himself, then tossed another to the dog. It gave the dried meat a sniff, then dropped its head back onto its paws with a sigh. Jack nodded. “I know, I’m worried, too.”

  He couldn’t believe he was talking to a dog. But then he’d seen Casey do it and looking into the animal’s eyes, he could almost believe it understood his words. He glanced at Casey and fought the sense of guilt that assailed him. He should have stopped her. He should have done whatever it took to keep her from leaving. He got up and went over to her, reaching out to brush the hair away from her face. He thought about the scars that marred her body. The wounds had been horribly traumatic. He didn’t know what had caused them, but he knew she’d been lucky to survive. In the short time he’d known her, he’d managed to figure out that if Casey Nolan was anything, she was a survivor. He’d known men who didn’t have half her courage. She was strong and tough, too tough to be brought down by a bump on the head and a little fever. Or so he prayed. He went back to the pot and dropped a few pieces of jerky into the hot water. It wouldn’t taste all that good, he was sure, but a bit of broth would be better than nothing. He had to keep Casey fed if she was going to have any chance of fighting the fever. He left the pot on the fire until the water turned a pale brown. He poured some of the weak broth in a cup he’d found with the pan, then slipped his arm beneath Casey and lifted her into a sitting position. He reached out to touch her pale, damp face.

  “Casey, honey, wake up. You need to try to drink some broth.”

  She groaned and he took that as a good sign. At least she wasn’t comatose. He spoke to her again.

  “Come on, open your eyes for me.”

  She groaned again, but her eyes fluttered open. She squinted up at him. “Andy?”

  Jack blinked. Andy? Who was Andy? He pushed the question aside. “It’s Jack.”

  She frowned, clearly confused. “Where’s Andy?”

  “I don’t know.” He reached out to pick up the broth. “Yo
u need to drink this, Casey.”

  He brought the cup to her lips and she obediently took a sip. He wasn’t sure how much of the liquid actually went down her throat, though. She coughed most of it back up an instant after she tried to swallow. He set the cup down, then froze when she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled against his chest.

  “I’ve missed you so much. Please don’t ever leave me again.”

  Jack looked down at her. Her eyes were closed again and she’d already drifted back into a fitful sleep. Jack cradled her against him, murmuring to her as he wrapped the blankets more tightly around her.

  “I won’t leave you, Casey. I promise.”

  She must have heard him, because she sighed and relaxed against him. He laid there, holding her tightly as he prayed for a miracle.

  Jack tried to feed Casey some of the broth again a few hours later. Again she coughed more up than she drank down. He knew the fever was getting worse. Her skin was on fire. Jack had never felt so helpless in his life. He tossed more wood on the fire, then resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to go outside to find more. The small pile wasn’t going to last them through the night. He tucked Casey’s blankets tightly around her, then pulled on his jacket. His clothes had finally dried, though the heavy jacket was still a bit damp.

  He lifted her rifle, then headed for the cave’s entrance. He hadn’t been outside since the night before. He was totally unprepared for the sight that greeted him. He stood just inside the crevice and stared out at the snow-covered landscape. There were at least five inches of the stuff blanketing everything in sight and it was still coming down. How in the world was he supposed to find wood in this?

  Contents

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Jack considered himself resourceful. He used the rope that had saved his life the day before to make sure he didn’t get lost. He tied it securely to a tree just in front of the cave’s entrance, then attached the other end to his belt, tethering himself securely to his source of shelter. It turned out that finding wood wasn’t as difficult as he’d feared. The ice that had fallen before the snow had brought several branches down. They were wet and a mixture of dead and green, but he knew that as long as he kept the fire hot enough, they’d burn. With any luck at all, most of it would dry out before he had to use it, anyway. He lost track of how many trips he made back to the cave. He was increasingly thankful for Casey’s experience. Along with the pot and cup and lanterns the cave had held a hatchet. It wasn’t in the best condition, but it was sharp enough for him to chop the wood he collected into manageable pieces. By the time he got it all cut up and hauled into the cave twilight was falling and his feet and legs were soaked to the skin. He dropped the last load of firewood, then collapsed onto the cavern floor. He’d always believed he was in excellent condition, but the past few days had taught him that he might be wise to spend a little more time in the gym when he got home. Home. He felt a rueful smile touch his lips as he imagined what many of his friends and colleagues would say if they could see him now. He wasn’t known for being an outdoorsman. He’d lived his entire life in the city and never once considered living anywhere else. Why would he want to? The city had everything he wanted. Restaurants, theaters, nightclubs. He loved the rhythm of the city, the fact that it never fully went silent. There wasn’t anything that could take the place of that.