Dupe spoke into the radio once again. "Danny, come in! Where the bloody hell are you?" he asked in frustration.
Again, there was no response.
"That's it!" Dupe said angrily. "I'm contacting the Search and Rescue."
Charlotte gasped and her lower lip began to quiver. Dupe tried to console the little girl. "Don't worry, Charlotte, we're going to find your mommy."
Rowan nodded in agreement. "What can I do?" Rowan asked Dupe.
"You can start by helping Evan get the Land Rover ready," Dupe said as he headed for the house with a rapid gate. Rowan took Charlotte by the hand and followed the older man.
Vanessa couldn't bear the waiting any longer. She had received a call from Georgina earlier explaining that Du Plessis still had not been able to contact Danny and Alice, and for that reason she drove to Leopard's Den to offer her assistance. Vanessa still cared for Danny even though he had turned down her advances and chosen Alice over her. Danny would always have a special place in her heart, if not in a romantic sense then just as a friend. Vanessa drove to the front of the house and was met by Nomsa.
"Hi, Nomsa. Any word from Danny?" Vanessa asked as she stepped out of the vehicle.
"Not yet. Good timing, they're having a meeting inside."
"A meeting?" asked Vanessa.
"Yes, Danny and Alice have been gone too long and they're still not answering their radio. They're afraid something has happened to them."
Vanessa felt her stomach do a flip flop as she followed Nomsa inside the house. Everyone was gathered in the living room.
"Hi," Vanessa said as she stepped inside. "The waiting was becoming unbearable so I thought I'd come and see if I could help."
"Hi, Vanessa," Rowan said. "We're trying to figure out what to do."
"So you believe they are in danger?" Vanessa asked with concern.
"They should have been here hours ago and we still haven't heard from them," Georgina said.
"I've contacted the Search and Rescue but it'll take them awhile to get their units up here. We can't wait around and do nothing, so we're going to start the search ourselves. Now, the waterholes are miles apart and we have a massive area of land to search," Dupe said.
"I would offer the helicopter but unfortunately the pilot has been rather irresponsible and had too much to drink, so, he won't be able to fly," Vanessa said.
"I can fly it," Rowan offered.
"You can fly a helicopter?" Vanessa asked quite surprised.
"Yes."
"You're a life saver, Rowan. We just have a few hours left before it gets dark so we've got to get going right away," Dupe said. "I'll get a map of the waterholes for you."
"I can have my staff help with the search as well," Vanessa offered.
"Good, the more people out looking the faster we'll find them," Dupe said.
It was agreed that Vanessa's employees would use the radios and be in constant communication with Dupe. Vanessa was grateful to have such an experienced tracker as Dupe instructing her staff.
Cedric Fatani met Vanessa as she drove up to Mara. "We have three vehicles ready and waiting."
"Great," Vanessa said as she led Rowan toward the helicopter. "Cedric, this is Mr. Collins and he's going to be flying the helicopter."
Cedric glanced over at Vanessa's companion and shook Rowan's hand.
"I want you to contact Mr. Du Plessis and let him know how many vehicles and staff we have available. He'll give you instructions on what to do next," Vanessa said.
Cedric nodded. "Right."
Moments later Rowan sat in the cockpit of the helicopter. As he switched on the controls on the instrument panel, Vanessa opened the cabin door.
"What are you doing?" Rowan asked.
"I'm coming with you," Vanessa said.
"Wouldn't you rather be with your staff?
"I've put Cedric in charge. Besides you'll need another set of eyes, two are better than one."
Rowan hesitated and watched Vanessa for a long moment.
"Come on, we're wasting time," Vanessa said as she seated herself and wrapped the seatbelt around her.
Rowan finally nodded and continued to prepare the helicopter for takeoff.
As Dupe and Evan prepared to leave in the Land Rover, Charlotte rushed over to the old man. "Please bring my mommy home safe," Charlotte said.
"That's exactly what I intend to do," Dupe said reassuringly. "Don't you worry. I'm sure they're fine. They probably just ran out of petrol or something silly like that."
Georgina joined Charlotte and watched as Dupe and Evan drove off.
"Come on, sweetie, let's go wait inside," Georgina said and led Charlotte back into the house.
The helicopter finally ascended into the late afternoon sky. But not long into the flight over the African landscape, the helicopter suddenly pitched downward causing Vanessa to gasp in fear.
"Sorry about that. The controls are a bit different than what I'm used to," Rowan said. "It's amazing how vast this area is."
Vanessa smiled. "It's one of the reasons why I love it here so much."
The terrain they were flying over was heavily overgrown with vegetation.
"I can't see anything below us except trees. How are we ever going to find them in all that vegetation?" Rowan asked irritably.
Vanessa couldn't agree more. She felt as anxious about the situation as Rowan. Where could Danny and Alice be? What could have happened to them? Why weren't they answering their radio? There were so many unanswered questions!
Suddenly warning bells went off in the cockpit.
"What's happening?" Vanessa asked with concern.
"I don't know!" Rowan exclaimed. "The fuel gauge is warning that we're out of fuel!"
"What? That's not possible!" Vanessa exclaimed.
"Something must be wrong with the gauge. But, we can't take any chances; we'll have to return to Mara!" Rowan said and switched the radio on. "Mr. Du Plessis, we're in trouble. We're heading back to Mara."
"I can see you from here," Dupe's disembodied voice could be heard over the radio.
Just then the helicopter pitched downward again as the engine sputtered and choked.
"What's going on?" Vanessa asked anxiously.
Rowan didn't answer. He was too busy trying to keep the helicopter in the air.
"Are we going to crash?" Vanessa asked in horror.
"Not if I can help it!"
Just then the helicopter began to spin out of control. Vanessa screamed. Rowan fought to keep control of the aircraft but at that moment the helicopter lost power. The fuselage shot up forcing the tail boom down. The helicopter dropped out of the sky and crashed into the trees below, its rotor blades cutting through the huge branches like a knife through butter.
Dupe and Evan watched in horror as the aircraft fell out of the sky into the trees.
DARKNESS…
Vanessa felt movement around her and heard someone coughing. Pain shot through her head as she opened her eyes. "What happened?" she managed to ask.
"We've crashed!" Rowan said. "Are you all right?"
"I think so," Vanessa said. "Are you?"
"I'm fine!"
Vanessa gingerly touched the side of her head. "Ouch. I must have bumped my head when we crashed."
"Vanessa, listen to me," Rowan said softly. "I don't want you making any sudden moves."
Vanessa was confused. "Why?"
"Look ahead. What do you see?" Rowan asked.
"Whatever do you mean?" Vanessa asked, noticing she was looking up at the sky through the cockpit window. "Why do I see the sky?"
"Because we've managed to crash with the tail boom underneath us," Rowan said.
"What does that mean?" Vanessa asked with concern.
"The helicopter is upright. We're dangling in the trees vertically," Rowan answered.
"WHAT?" Vanessa shouted. She looked out the window of the passenger door and could see the ground below. The tail boom was definitely underneath them and the aircraft was hanging precariously within the branches of the trees. "We're stuck in the trees?"
"That's right," Rowan said.
"How high are we?"
"I'm not sure, 10, 15 feet, maybe," Rowan answered.
"How are we going to get down?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. We could climb down, I guess."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Vanessa exclaimed. "I'm not a monkey!"
"I got a hold of Mr. Du Plessis. He's on his way and should be here shortly to assess our situation," Rowan said. "We'll just have to sit tight until help arrives."
"What about Danny and Alice? They have to continue the search!" Vanessa said sternly.
"Don't you think I know that?" Rowan said in frustration. "I don't know where my sister is! It's going to be dark soon and we still don't have a clue as to what's happened to them!" Rowan took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be angry with you."
"Believe me, I understand how you feel," Vanessa said.
"Listen, Vanessa, if we don't get out of this helicopter soon, there's a chance the branches will buckle under its weight and we'll end up tumbling to the ground on our heads." Rowan said.
Vanessa's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened like saucers. As she sat back in her seat the fuselage shifted and scraped against the branches holding the helicopter in place and keeping it from smashing to the earth below. Vanessa gasped in fear.
"I wouldn't be moving around if I were you," Rowan warned. "Just stay calm until they get us out of here."
Alice had to do something. She had to come up with a plan. They were in grave danger from the different predators that would be attracted to them by the smell of blood. Daylight was fading rapidly and they would soon be plunged into darkness. Alice didn't know how long it would be before they were rescued, and for that reason she had to take steps to keep the prowling animals as far away from them as possible and she had to do it quickly.
Alice knew that Dupe had realized by now that something had had happened and they were already out searching for them. In the meantime she had to keep Danny safe. He was still unconscious. His skin was hot and clammy; he was obviously running a fever. She had to care for him as best she could until help arrived. Fear was beginning to creep into her heart for Alice knew that if Danny didn't receive medical attention soon, there was a chance he would lose his leg, or worse. Alice couldn't lose Danny now, not after they had just found each other.