Chapter Twenty Three

Bella

I heard terrible noises as if animals were fighting and scuffling in the passageway followed by dull thuds and groans of pain. It seemed whoever had trapped us in here was ready to make their move and Garrett was trying to stop them. He was a vampire but it sounded as if he were fighting for his life which meant his attackers were something more than human too and I cowered at the back of the cave struggling back into my clothes although they would hardly make a difference to whatever was making the terrible noise and then there was a terrible crashing sound and the roof of the cave started to crumble around me.

Dust filled the air and I started to choke then dipped the edge of one blanket in the water and held it to my mouth. The air was full of swirling dust particles and rock hit the floor, springing back up with the force and shooting around like missiles. I ducked pulling the blanket over my head as the rumbling got louder and felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and head. I must have been hit by flying rock and I slumped to the floor feeling a sticky wetness on my face. I was bleeding and that was all I needed, my only hope for rescue and safety was a vampire who already admitted he was having a problem controlling his thirst around me. How did I end up in such a difficult situation?

I must have passed out because the air was clearing slowly next time I lifted the blanket to look around me. What I saw wasn't exactly comforting, I was in a small space, the rest of the cave filled with rubble and the water percolating down from the rain soaked ground was making pools of muddy water around my feet. I wiped my face and looked at my hand, it came away red, so I was right, I had been bleeding but it felt more sticky than liquid so either it had stopped or the dust had clogged the wound. My head ached and I wasn't sure how I'd got here or even where here was. Thinking back I remembered catching the plane to Seattle and landing in a storm with heavy rain. Then there was a gap and the next thing I remembered was...a man...a man helping me into the cave. Had he abducted me? How had I got here? Was I really in a cave? If so it had collapsed and if it had I could be trapped and no one would ever find me. I might die down here but then something struck me, I could see, which meant light was coming in from somewhere. I looked around and saw atop the largest rock fall a hole and from it issued light, rain too, but I wasn't going to complain about that.

I experimented moving my arms and legs and although sore and bruised they all still worked so struggling I managed to move enough rock to reach the shaft. Fresh air blew on my face from above and I gave up a silent thank you for my luck. The hole was narrow but I thought I could possibly squeeze my way up if I could find enough hand and foot holds. The shaft went up about twenty feet and if I got stuck part way up I would die trapped for sure but if I didn't try something I might die trapped in the cave. I took a few deep breaths and started up the steep walls my hands aching with cramp almost immediately but I kept going. It was agonizingly slow as I inched up but each inch brought me closer to the surface and that spurred me on.

Then below me I heard movement, was the rock falling again? Would the sides of my escape route fall in and crush me? I tried to go faster panicking for a moment before realising I would lose my footing and fall, possibly to my death, if I didn't calm down. So I stopped and took a few deep breaths and as I did so I heard movement below me just as liquid mud started to pour into the top of the shaft.

"Can you hear me up there? You'll never keep your footing with the mud. Come back down, the entrance is open again now. Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall"

And just who was going to catch him if I fell twenty feet to land on him? Who was this anyway? I didn't recognise the voice.

"I'm stuck"

I couldn't climb any further, the mud was making the walls slippery and I scrambled to keep my hold.

"Just stay still, don't panic, I'll come up for you"

How he expected to climb up if I couldn't I had no idea but I kept still frozen by fear of falling. A few seconds later, covering the same distance that had taken me what seemed like hours, I felt a hand on my foot.

"I've got you. Now I need you to trust me. Let go and slide down. I wont let you fall I promise"

My fingers were slipping anyway so I did as he said closing my eyes and I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, my body jammed against his as he slowly slipped back down although how he regulated the speed of our descent I had no idea.

Once we reached the bottom I was handed over to someone else and when I opened my eyes I saw a hauntingly beautiful face just as it turned away and another older face took its place.

"Bella, just keep still. We'll be out of here in a minute."

I nodded and closed my eyes again, feeling suddenly nauseous and my head was thumping again now the tension lessened. I just hoped the people who were helping me now weren't the same ones who had been trying to get past Garrett and into the cave to get me. Once outside I understood just how dangerous my situation had been. The wall where the cave entrance was crumbled as the heavy rain hit it, rock and mud sliding down more and more rapidly and I was taken quickly away from the wall which suddenly shifted with a loud roar and the cave entrance was gone.

I looked around rubbing mud and icy water from my eyes but I couldn't see much through the rain and then I saw a giant approaching and screamed.

"Its OK Bella. This is Emmett and he's going to carry you back to the truck. Once inside I'll check you for injuries but for now I want you to keep as still as possible. OK?"

I nodded and wished I hadn't as my head whirled but as I fell into darkness I recognised my saviours, they were Garrett's friends, the Cullens!

Carlisle

Jasper had found a way in and the next thing I heard was him talking quietly to the girl who had obviously got herself caught somehow. There wasn't really room for me to join him so I waited at the entrance watching horrified as a huge crack appeared above then realising we had only seconds left I shouted through for Jasper to hurry. He thrust Bella into my arms just as the wall of rock and mud slid down to the floor of the clearing taking him with it. Emmett had helped Garrett up and the two of them were standing with Rose over the injured girl who through her pain was still spitting curses. So giving Bella to Emmett I sent them back to the truck.

"Don't wait for us, get Bella in the dry but don't let her move around until I examine her, she could have broken ribs"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll check the girl here then find Jasper. We'll meet you at the truck, now go"

They ran off, Rose supporting Garrett, and I hoped she and Emmett would be sufficient to stop Garrett if his thirst did indeed get the better of him.

I looked down at the girl who flinched as I squatted beside her,

"I know you, Leah Clearwater. What are you doing so far from the reservation? You know this amounts to a breach of the treaty?"

"Go to hell leech"

Despite her injuries she was trying to phase so I gritted my teeth and punched her on the jaw a little harder than I had intended, feeling the bone snap beneath the force. She went limp and I knew she wouldn't cause us any trouble for some time. Leaving her unconscious body in the mud I went down to where I saw Jasper struggling with a huge boulder that had landed on his legs pinning him to the ground. As I approached however he heaved it off and stood up dripping muddy water from his sodden clothes.

"It's good to finally meet you Carlisle Cullen"