Chapter 21
Ennis had no idea how long he'd been unconscious when he came-to, sprawled out on his back staring up at the trees through small slits in his eyes, which seemed all the wider he could open them. If only he could get them open fully, he was sure he'd be able to focus better. He moved his arms a little and they seemed to work all right. His head hurt when he touched it, and it hurt when he wasn't touching it. Well, why shouldn't it? He must have hit the back of it judging from how he'd woken up.
Had he been thrown from the horse? How the hell had that happened? He hadn't noticed anything from Cody...no tensing up, no ears flickering...but he'd been distracted...he remembered that. Yeah, he was distracted because he'd come to the conclusion that he was lost. He wasn't paying attention to his horse, and he kept hearing Hank's voice repeating "Look where the horse looks - Look where the horse looks."
Fuck, why did I let myself get so flustered? I had the damn radio with me; all I had to do was call...Shit! The radio...
He stayed still for a time, almost afraid to move, fearing his back or legs were injured. At the very least he figured he could have a concussion, since he was almost too drowsy to move. He wanted to look for Cody, especially because the radio was in his saddle pouch, but he closed his eyes instead. His body felt cushioned on top of the undergrowth. Maybe that had saved him from serious injury. He hoped so anyway, but even if he wasn't injured...where the hell was he, and could he find his way out of there?
He felt like a total fool for being thrown. First thing to do was get up and see if he was okay, and then find out where the horse had gotten to, and hopefully he wouldn't have to look far. The ground felt so soft...his eyes were so heavy. He groaned and rubbed his head and knew he needed to stay awake and get his ass up off the ground. He'd already been asleep for who knew how long. He looked at his watch but couldn't focus on the numbers, and anyway, he couldn't even remember what time it had been when Cody got spooked. The horse wouldn't have thrown him unless...it musta been a snake. He bet that was it, and he sure hoped it was gone now. Gone with the horse, gone with Fred, gone with the wind. He drifted off...
A gentle wind caressed his face as he woke. Again, he had no idea how long he'd slept, but he noticed the sun had disappeared. This time, determined to get to his feet, he put his hands down to try to push himself into a sitting position, and a stabbing pain in his ribs caused him to suck in air and freeze in place. It didn't take but a second to figure out that he might have cracked ribs, or at least bruised ones, and hopefully that's all it was.
The only thing he could do was try to get up despite the pain, so he placed his hands down again and something sharp poked into one of his palms, startling him. Jerking it off the ground jarred his ribcage, sending another round of pain through his torso. Shit, he groaned, looking down, expecting to see a huge spider, but it was just pine needles. He realized he'd been sleeping on a bed of pine needles on top of the dense growth of underbrush.
His head still hurt, but his eyes seemed to open normally. He felt terribly thirsty and needed a drink, remembering that his bottle had been in the saddle pouch. He reached around his neck, wondering where the canteen that Brian had given him was. He glanced around and saw his cap about ten feet away, and then what looked like the canteen lying in a little thicket not far from it. He felt his pocket, and the bars the kid had given him were still there, although they seemed half squashed. Squashed or not, they'd come in handy if he had to remain out there for any length of time. His back felt okay, and he moved his legs some more and they seemed okay too, so he carefully struggled to his feet.
Once standing, he tried moving his head and neck, and felt a little dizzy, but he managed to keep his balance. He squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds, then slowly opened them, and feeling better, he took a few steps, looking around for the horse. His range of vision was limited by the many trees around him. He made his way over to the canteen, unscrewed the top and started to drink, but he knew he'd have to ration the water, so he made himself stop before he was satisfied. He jammed his hand into his jeans pocket to drag his phone out for as much good as he feared it would do. He tried, but wasn't surprised when he got no signal.
Not only am I up shit creek without a paddle, but I've lost one of Mr. Knapp's horses. Fred's lost; I was supposed to help find him. Jack's gonna be worried sick...I've got to get back...
...
Jack left the house in the dark to make the drive back to the Base Station by sunrise. Thinking back to the night before, he'd felt defeated when Hank and the other men returned just after dark, having seen no sign of Ennis. Gavin and Brian had tried to reassure him that Ennis would be fine, and that he'd be found soon, and he tried to hold that thought through his long, lonely, sleepless night. He'd felt bad for Mrs. Hunter for having to deal with that news on top of her own tremendous worry about her husband, who hadn't been found either. They'd all sat around for a short time once darkness had fallen, Mrs. Hunter refusing to leave, but finally Gavin insisted they were going home. They'd left with Gavin's promise that he'd bring her back first thing in the morning. Jack and Brian had headed out too, with nothing more to be done until daylight.
When he'd arrived home, the first thing he did was to call Don and ask if he and Dorothy could come up a day early. Don was already quite upset over Gavin's grandfather, and when he heard the rest, he offered to come right then, but Jack talked him into waiting — after all, there really wasn't anything anyone could do until morning.
After the call, he'd gone over to Herschel's to tell him what had happened, and to ask him to keep an eye out for Don's SUV, and to let them in the house when they arrived. Jack could tell that Herschel was shaken up by the news of the disappearances, and hoped he wouldn't worry himself sick.
After leaving Hershel's, he'd called Phyllis to tell her what was going on, and after he'd hung up the phone, she'd showed up at his doorstep. Since there really wasn't anything she could do, he sent her home and tried to rest, which was next to impossible. He must have tried calling Ennis' cell twenty times during the night, just in case, but of course, his call never went through.
As he continued the drive, he thought about last night's temperature. It had cooled down into the forties, and with no jacket, that was pretty brisk, especially for an elderly man like Fred, and for Ennis too, especially if he was hurt. Since Hank and his team hadn't found Ennis in the area where he was supposed to have been searching, that indicated that he hadn't been hurt badly, or at all, which was good in a way, but bad because evidently he'd gone off to try to find his way, and obviously he hadn't been successful.
Several of the people in charge of the search had stayed at Base Camp all night with the promise of getting word to the families if anything positive happened. Jack hadn't received a call.
It had been too late to call his mom in Florida last night, and he didn't want to worry her anyway, so he figured on waiting. Surely they'd have good news today what with the best-trained search and rescue people showing up with dogs, horses, and helicopters.
Being so early, he made good time to the Sugar Pine Railroad with barely any traffic at that hour. He hadn't had any trouble getting the day off, and he intended to go out searching along with the other volunteers.
The sun was just coming up when he parked, and on the surface, it appeared like a beautiful, peaceful day. He hoped that's how it would turn out by the end of it. A sign on the wooden entrance arch informed everyone that the tour for today had been cancelled. It gave him some comfort knowing that at least daylight was shining down on Mr. Hunter and Ennis after a cool, bleak night. He couldn't imagine how daunting it must have been for them huddled in the dark wilderness alone, likely with unnerving animal sounds all around. Yeah, things were always better in the morning, and he prayed that would be the only night they had to face out there.
By the time the off-road vehicle delivered him to the Base Station, he felt a sense of relief to see the hustle and bustle. It was obvious the rescue personnel meant business, and that was reassuring to him. In addition to some of the people he'd seen the evening before, there were many others who looked official, getting things organized for the search.
Adam noticed him and called him over. What with Brian having blurted out to Hank that Jack was Ennis' partner, everyone knew by now, and Adam was acting the same toward him as he had before, so he felt good about that.
By the time Adam explained the plans for the morning, the off-road vehicle made its noisy appearance bringing Gavin and his grandmother to the scene, plus two other people with them. Jack noticed how tired Mrs. Hunter looked, no doubt not sleeping any more than he had, and Gavin looked pretty tough himself. His heart broke for them. At least Ennis was a strong and healthy young man and had some water and a small amount of food with him. Thank God Brian had given him the canteen and granola bars which hadn't come back with the horse.
Jack wondered when Brian would show up — he'd said he was going to try to get the time off work to come help out. Funny thing was, he found Brian good to have around for moral support, so he didn't mind that he'd probably be there. And, Don should be arriving by noon. Jack had given him the directions on the phone, and Don said he'd get Dorothy settled at the house and drive on down.
Jack listened intently to the radio traffic he could hear, and kept expecting good news any minute, and then everyone could just go on home, and he and Ennis could have a proper visit with the Wroe's like they'd planned. If only that could come to pass.
Jack noticed Gavin pointing his grandma and the couple with them toward the chairs that they'd used yesterday.
"Hey, Jack," Gavin greeted, pulling him into a quick one-armed hug.
"I'm going out searching. Can you come?" Jack asked. "Are those folks friends of yours?" He looked toward the group of three.
"They're neighbors of my gramps and granma. With them here with her, I can go out lookin'."
"Good...I wanna be back around noon, because Don's supposed to be here."
"I expect they'll be found by then," Gavin said. His eyes betrayed his words, but a flash of determination crossed his face. "I think those dogs they're bringin' in will sniff 'em out. If not them, the helicopter is likely to see 'em."
"I think you're right," Jack said, trying to sound sure of himself for Gavin's sake as well as his own.
He followed Gavin as they made their way over to where Mrs. Hunter sat. "Hi, Mrs. Hunter," Jack said, placing his hand on her back.
"You need to start calling me Patricia," she said.
"Well, okay. Patricia it is," he answered, trying to smile.
"These nice folks are my granma's neighbors, Jan and Wayne Wilson," Gavin said. "This is a good friend, Jack Twist. His partner is the one missing since last evening when his horse came back without him."
Jack exchanged handshakes with each of them.
"We hope he'll be found soon along with Fred," Jan said.
"I'm sure they'll both be found safe and sound," Wayne said.
"I'm so worried about Fred not having any water," Patricia said.
"That's why they're pullin' out all the stops and sendin' out all the troops they got this mornin'. Jack and me are headin' out to have a look around too."
Patricia grabbed her grandson's hand. "You be very careful, you hear? And you too, Jack."
"We will ma'am," Jack said.
"Don't you worry. We'll be back by noon. Thanks for bein' here to keep her company," Gavin said to the Wilson's.
"No problem," Wayne said, patting Gavin's arm.
"Over there, Gavin said pointing, "they've got coffee if you want some." That's where the water is too, Jack. We'd best pick some up and get our radios so we can head out."
...
Jack felt it was best to stay together in the forest, so he and Gavin did just that. After about an hour, they'd started hearing the barking of the search and rescue dogs in the distance. Being able to hear, but not see them, brought home the cold hard fact how dense and secluded the woods were, and how it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and how hard it would be for a lost person to find their own way out. They didn't venture too far off the trails, and even then, standing with trees all around him made Jack feel a little claustrophobic. His throat was hoarse from shouting the two missing men's names. He'd drank plenty of water and still felt thirsty. No one had radioed with any good news, so he felt pretty discouraged when it came time to head in to meet Don.
Gavin was dragging by the time they got back to the Base Station. He looked burned out and broken-down. Jack was done-in too, and dreaded having to tell Don that there was no news. He glanced around, but didn't see Don yet, but he did notice Brian was there talking to some men.
He headed for the chairs under the canopy where Patricia and her friends were sitting. When he approached, he noticed that she was dozing. "No luck, huh?" Wayne quietly asked. Jan looked at him expectantly. Jack couldn't even speak, just shook his head. He was glad when Gavin came up next to him and handed him a bottle of water.
It wasn't long before Brian joined them. "Some folks are on the way up with food," he said. He looked worn out too. Jack figured he must have had to work part of the day before coming up to help, and maybe he hadn't slept too well either.
"They're gonna send a helicopter out within the hour," Brian said.
Jack had to hand it to him; he had ways of making everything his business and getting the information. That was another reason he was glad Brian was there.
Patricia opened her eyes, and Gavin knelt down next to her. "How you doin', granma?" he asked in a soft voice.
"I'm glad you're back," she said. She didn't even ask if he'd seen anything. She seemed to know there wasn't any news, and her face showed it.
The sound of the approaching off-road vehicle caused everyone to stare toward the dust that it kicked up. It seemed to be driving slower than usual, maybe so none of the food would spill. "Sure is nice of these volunteers to bring food," Brian said.
"Are you hungry, granma?" Gavin asked.
"No, not really," she answered sleepily.
"Patricia, don't forget to tell them what that man asked you," Jan said, handing her a bottle of water.
Patricia seemed confused, as if she didn't know what Jan meant.
"Take a drink, granma," Gavin said, helping her with the bottle. "Who asked you what?" Gavin prompted.
She perked up a little and her eyes looked brighter and more focused, like she had come fully awake. "Oh, yes...one of the men who seemed in charge. He wanted to know if there was someone he should call about Ennis being missing."
Jack had paid more attention to the vehicle arriving instead of what was being said, in case Don had ridden up in it, but when he heard Patricia mention Ennis' name, he gave his full attention to that conversation. He wasn't sure if he'd heard right, but he saw right away the look of concern on Gavin's face, so he knew that he had.
"What did you say?" Gavin asked.
"I remembered Ennis has a brother, so I told him, but that I wasn't sure where he lived...somewhere near Mono Lake, or in the area over that way."
Jack felt light-headed and sat down. Shit. Why the hell would anyone else need to be called? Didn't everyone up there know by now that he was Ennis' family? They didn't need anybody else.
"You didn't know his name though, right?" Gavin asked.
"No, but the man said he'd be able to find out, and that he'd call him."
Before Jack could let the ramifications of that information fully sink in, the off-road vehicle pulled up, and sure enough, Don was among the passengers. Jack felt like running over and throwing his arms around him. He needed Don there now more than ever. On his way toward the vehicle, it surprised him when he realized that Herschel and Ernie were getting out holding containers of food. Don got out, lugging a couple of big beverage containers, and the driver had one too, plus another food container.
Jack intercepted his friends on their way to deliver the food. "Let me take some of this," he said, helping Herschel with his load. "What did you guys do?"
"We thought the volunteers could use some lunch," Ernie said.
"Thank-you, this is really fantastic...Don, I'm glad you made it. How's Dorothy?"
"She's worried sick and wanted to come, but I made her stay at your house, which by the way, is really a nice place."
"Thanks," Jack said. All of a sudden he felt choked up and didn't think he could say anything more right then. Worry was etched on Don's face, and Jack had never noticed so many wrinkles before, but today the ones he had were deep with concern. Jack hated thinking of Dorothy all by herself at the house, and he wondered if he should call Phyllis to go check on her. He had so much bouncing around in his mind that he didn't know which end was up.
The food was barely set down when people started uncovering the containers to get at it. From what Jack could tell, it looked like chicken and potato salad.
"Gavin and his grandma are over there," Jack said to Don, motioning in that direction. He'd wondered where Brian was, because it wasn't like him not to have butted in yet, and then he noticed Brian and Gavin sitting together talking.
"Herschel, Ernie, come on and sit down." Jack directed them over to the group, and after making introductions, he grabbed some chairs for them.
Gavin stepped away toward the food table, and Jack couldn't help but notice Brian jump up to follow.
Don gave Jack a pat on the back. "I'm sure we'll hear good news any minute. You hang in there."
Jack leaned in close to speak without being overheard by anyone. "We might have another problem. Long story short...I'm afraid one of the search and rescue members called K.E."
Don closed his eyes and looked down, shaking his head. "This is not good," he said quietly.
"I know," Jack said.
"Well, we'll just have to deal with it when and if he shows up. We have more important things to think about at the moment."
Jack rubbed his temple and hoped he could bum some aspirin off someone for his splitting headache.
Gavin had no sooner returned and handed the food to his grandma when the loud and excited voice of one of the search and rescue crew hollered, "Mr. Hunter has been located! I have confirmation that he's been found unhurt, and he's talking to rescuers."
To Be Continued...