Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not my own, yadda yadda yadda. I'm not making any money off of this. (Though I wish I could.)
Brown had not been joking about this path being more difficult. It involved a lot of climbing and a lot of upper body strength. Our ruck sacks each weighed around 50 pounds. Add on to that, the extra weight from our vests and the weight of our weapons. What should have only taken us four hour or so, had we actually had trained for such terrain, took us six.
Just as dusk began to set, the darkness that had been looming over our heads all afternoon broke into a thunderstorm. At the risk of becoming completely drenched, Andrews called a halt. She reached into a pocket on the lower leg of her pants and tugged out her olive-drab poncho. As she tugged it over her head and gear, we followed suit.
"Conner, Downy, start looking for some dry firewood. It shouldn't be too hard, yet, but if it continues to rain, it'll be impossible to get anything going. Brown, get that map out and get our bearings. Wallace, you are with me. We are going to scout around and see if we can't find a dry place to pitch our tents. Lets go."
I shot a glance at PFC Downy and jerked my head towards a copse of pine trees not too far in the distance.
"It should still be relatively dry there. If not, there should be dead branches to break off of those trees, along with dry pine needles and pine cones to use as kindling." I slung my M-16 over my shoulder, my arms glad to have some relief from carrying around the thing. It became heavy after carrying it in roughly the same position for hours, despite the sling. I pulled a small length of 550 cord out of one of the pockets on my ruck and tied a lose slip knot. Downy looked at me questioningly until I began to gather a few logs here and there, using the rope to keep them bundled neatly. She smiled and followed my lead.
Once we were under the pine trees, it only took a little digging before we found enough kindling to get us started. Brown joined us and, after gathering her own load of wood, lead us back to the camp site, where we promptly dropped off out rucksacks, stripped off our vests, and set our first load of wood down. Set back up under a short out cropping of rocks and tucked back into the hill somewhat, it was not much, but at least it would keep us dry.
Andrews began to set the fire while she directed Wallace to start setting up our sleeping bags. Downy and I brought back a few more loads of wood. Brown worked on a little side project. She had learned from the girl scouts how to tie a plastic tarp up into branches and gather fresh rain water to drink.
By our third fourth trip, we had enough to last us through most of the night. The fire, which had taken awhile to start, was now dancing in the wind, throwing our shadows on the back of the outcropping. We all stripped off our ponchos and laid them near the fire to dry before we slept. One by one, we settled around the fire, MRE's in our hands.
Downy was the last one to plop down, and, as she settled down, grimaced.
"Whats wrong, Downy?" I asked, glancing up as I was beginning to open my own. Beef stew, yum.
"I got Chili with beans," She answered, still frowning down at the package.
"Whats wrong with Chili?" Brown asked, just as she was squirting a package of cheese into her mouth, stashing the crackers into her pants pocket, no doubt for an easily accessible snack while hiking.
"It hates my stomach," She grinned wryly. "Or, rather, my stomach hates it."
"Well, we wouldn't that," Andrews said. "Here. I've got chicken noodle. I happen to love Chili."
Downy smiled brightly and tossed her pack to Andrews, who tossed her own back to Downy.
We settled into a comfortable silence as we ate. By now, I had assumed I would have started to feel better. I had greedily guzzled the entire contents of one canteen, and was on to a second. I was very grateful for Browns' little set up. If this rain kept up like this, it would be slowing our progress down to our first check point greatly, and I wasn't sure if my water would hold out the way I was drinking it. As I took a second, and third, bite of my beef stew, I set it back down.
"I think I am just going to head off to lay down. I'll pull the grave yard watch." I knew no one would mind me going to bed early if it got them out of having to keep watch over everyone in the middle of the night. Andrews tossed me a small wrist watch and I set the time to wake me just before eleven.
She made her way over to me.
"You look like shit."
"Thanks."
"I don't think this is just a hangover, Tal."
"Yeah," I admitted. "Probably the flu or some bullshit like that."
She nodded her head slowly.
"Get some rest. Wallace is taking first shift. Brown will take second. I'll take third, and Downy will take forth. Tomorrow, you and Brown can switch."
"I owe you one, Ally."
"No," She corrected. "You owe me two. Remember, I had you pack your ruck early."
I grinned tiredly.
"Keep that up, and I'll just have to go tell Scott about your crush."
"Fuck off, and go to bed Tal." She answered back, returning my grin.
I slunk off to my sleeping bag, using my ruck as a pillow and pulling my M-16 close. Normally, I would have shed my ACU's and tucked them under me to dry them, but I was too tired. Within second of closing my eyes, I was asleep.
I awoke to screams, and a deafening roll of thunder.
"Sergeant! Sergeant!" My eyes snapped open for the second time in twenty four hours to find Andrews in my face, a beam of light just to my left "Get everyone up and moving, now!"
I sat up abruptly and watched as she strode back over to Brown, flashlight in hand, who was motioning wildly. Disoriented, I looked around me and was horrified. Lightning was lighting up the sky around us, the fire long having since been dowsed by the rain. Golf ball sized rain drops were coming down on our heads, and the thunder was nearly deafening. I pulled myself out of my bag, thankful I had fallen asleep in my clothes and with my boots on. I shook Wallace awake, then Downy. In a matter of minutes, we were all standing, our gear back on. All joking aside, we did have our discipline and our training. We were still soldiers.
"ALRIGHT! Gather around!" Andrews motioned for us all, and we closed in around her, straining to hear over the noise. Her eyes were wide, and she seemed frazzled. Even Brown was looking slightly panicked.
"Alright," Andrews said again. She swallowed. "Now, don't panic,"
Now, in my experience, when someone says 'don't panic', its usually a damn good time to start to.
"We need to start moving our asses. We need to get out of this ravine, ASAP. Brown…"
"I miscalculated. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We are two miles south of where I thought and we are right below a cliff…" She was breathless, nearly sobbing now. I reached out and touched her arm.
"Its okay, Brown. Relax. Breath."
"No. You don't get it. Look!" She pointed down. I didn't understand what I was seeing until I stepped closer. My eyes widened. If the rain, thunder, and wind not been so loud, we would have heard it sooner. There, at the edge of our ledge, was a thick stream of mud and rocks beginning to slide and drop down. It was not much, and I glanced at Brown.
"It started off as nothing. But within minutes, minutes! It started dropping faster. We need to get out of here…"
"What the fuck where you thinking?!" Wallace snapped. She reached out and smacked Brown soundly across the face, her glasses skewing on her face and biting in. Immediately, I snagged her by the arm and hauled her back. Despite the fact that she was 5'7", easily topping me by five inches, I had sinewy strength built up from years in the service, and from a childhood of working on a farm.
"This isn't the time, dammit!" Andrews snapped, her voice breathy. I glanced at Brown, who was touching her cheek and starring at Wallace shocked. Poor Downy was silent, obviously frightened.
"I'm the one to blame. I'm the one to make the decision." Andrews allowed. She looked down.
"Damn right it is." Wallace snapped.
"Oh shut up, bitch. You agreed to this path too!" Downy finally snapped.
"Why don't you shut your…"
"Enough!" I snapped. "It doesn't matter how we got here. We need to get the fuck out."
"Conner is right. Brown, look at that map of yours and tell us where we are going."
Andrews reached out and steadied her as she looked at the map again, holding her flashlight above her head to illuminate the now damp map. Brown wiped at the water gathered on her glasses.
"If we head up this way, maybe…"
Just then, we heard a loud, long creek followed by several snaps. We all jerked our heads up. In the near absolute darkness that surrounded us, we could hear a dull roar. A flash of lightning, and all hell broke loose.
"RUN!"
The tree that we had heard breaking came down the cliff that was above us at a terrifying pace. We all broke out in a dead run, heading up the ravine, searching for a place we could climb out. Where it had once been dry, water began to pool and swirl. Mud splashed back up at us as we ran. Brown stumbled in the mud and she fell.
I hesitated, then ran back to her.
"My glasses!" She yelled.
"There's no time!" I hauled her to her feet and looked out into the storm, trying to see where Andrews, Wallace, and Downy went. I dragged Brown along with me until we met up with the rest of our squad. We had reach a relatively low outcropping. We were out of breath and panic had truly set in. The water, which had started in puddles, was now above our ankles.
"We're going to have to climb here!" Andrews yelled above the storm. "Come on, Downy. You first."
Downy nodded frantically and dropped her ruck. Andrews and I knelt close to one another with our hands criss-crossed. Downy stepped up on our knees, then into our hands. We heaved her up, slipping as the mud sucked at our boots. She grabbed once, twice, and then the third time snagged a hand hold. With a little effort, she hauled herself up the rest of the way. We passed her her ruck and she used the weight of it to anchor herself. She laid on her belly and reach down a hand. Wallace was next, then Brown. Without her glasses, she was nearly blind and she needed the other two to help steady her. We passed up each ruck as we went. We could not be without supplies in this storm. After Andrews and my own gear were up, I yelled to her.
"Come on, Andrews!" I said, beginning to kneel down. The water was rising fast. It was at least a foot now.
"No. You first! I'm taller and it'll take less for you guys to reach me!"
"Dammit, Ally!" I snapped.
"Come on!" She knelt down and braced herself. I clenched my teeth and stepped up into her cupped palms. She hefted me up to the waiting hands. Wallace and Downy grasped my wrists as I grasped theirs and I was unceremoniously hauled up and dumped. I whipped around, wiping mud out of my eyes, and reach out for Ally as I lay on my belly. Wallace and Downy helped feed me down by my feet and I reached out for her. We grasped wrists and I was slowly pulled back.
I hauled her up and over my shoulder. I slowly stood up near the edge and we all looked at each other in the dim light starting to grin stupidly. We had made it out of the ravine. I stood slowly.
"Lets get a move on! We need to find some place dry!" I shouted. I reached down and grabbed my pack, wiping rain out of my eyes once more. Another flash of lightning rent the sky and hit a tree right next to us. We all yelled and ducked. I slipped in the mud and hit the ground hard, smashing my face against something hard. Immediately, warmth spread over my lip and a copper taste coated my tongue.
I slowly began to sit up, the disorientation I felt earlier back with a vengeance. As I came to my knees and was about to stand, I heard a loud groan followed by a crack. My eyes widened as I felt the earth beneath me move.
"Conner!" I jerked my heard up to look at Andrews' stricken face. She glanced up stream, then back at me. "Don't stand! Crawl! Hurry!"
I glanced up the ravine and paled. In between flashes of lightning, I could see water, mud, uprooted trees and whatever else that had been in the way of the flash flood coming at me in a swirling maelstrom. I could feel the ground shake as the water flowed near. I hurriedly began to crawl, but as I started forward, I felt my boot get caught in a root. I twisted in a panic and tried desperately to free myself.
"CONNER!" I could barely hear the yell of my squad mates as the flood crashed below me.
My heart raced faster. I had seconds. I yanked my boot free and turned around just as I felt the ground give way.
Nothing slowed down. Time didn't stop. I wasn't suddenly numb. I could hear and see everything with a painful clarity. The faces of my squad, the horror written on the face of my best friend. The sudden plunge into the icy water.
I struggled, panicking, trying to get my ruck off of my back. I had been out in the cold too damn long and my fingers were numb. I kicked hard and managed to grab a breath of air, sputtering and choking as I inhaled water, too. I tried desperately to keep above the water, trying to get air into my oxygen starved lungs.
Out of nowhere, a tree limb whizzed by me and struck my chest. I reached out blindly even as the air was pushed out with a painfully sharp blow. I managed to hang on to the branch, clutching at it desperately. I sputtered and coughed again as a mouthful of water made its way down my throat.
Flash of lightning. My squad was nowhere in sight. I spotted a sudden wave of water come at me and I managed to hold my breath.
Flash of lightning. A tree was bent across the ravine and I reach up, frantic to grab on to something, anything. A moment of success.
Flash of lightning, and I realized, too late, that the tree was balanced wrong. I let go, but too late. The tree tilted and I heard the creak as I rushed pass on my branch. The resulting splash sent me crashing into the side of the ravine.
Flash of lightning. My branch cracked into pieces as it struck, and my body was jolted.
Flash of lightning. My head submerged and I kicked hopelessly, trying to get air. My head broke surface once.
Flash of lightning. And then.
Nothing.