Chapter 46—Found, Then Lost

Nikki and Jake had never climbed so fast. They reached the top of the mountain in record time after almost running all the way. They bent over to catch their breath and heard loud barking from Ranger up ahead.

"Do you think Ranger's found something?" Nikki asked. Her lungs burned and her words came out in chunks.

"We'll find out soon enough; it's not far now." Jake removed his safari hat and wiped the sweat with the orange bandana he had coiled around his wrist.

They could see the cairn and Ranger. His nose bobbed up and down, and his barks sounded frantic. Jake ran over to the cairn to calm him down.

"What is it, buddy?" He rubbed Ranger's head. Jake looked around and nothing had changed—he saw the same flat grass where Devin had been lying, the same blood spots, the same dusty road surrounded by thickets and brush. Birds sang cheerily unaware of a crisis.

"Any sign?" Nikki panted as she approached. She wiped her forehead with her purple scarf.

"Nah. Maybe Ranger's upset they're not here. I didn't expect them to be, did you?"

"I hoped he could make it back. What do we do now?"

"Let's see what Dad says." Jake sat on the resting rock. "I have no idea where to start."

Nikki joined Jake on the rock and waited for the team, trying not to cry. Jake tapped his foot along with the beat of a silent drum.

* * *

Christina finished her nursing duties and opened their water containers. Finding a little moisture, she rubbed it over Devin's dry, peeling lips. His body shuddered, but he didn't wake up.

"Fight hard, my prince," Christina said softly, and against her better judgment, stood and walked into the woods to look for water.

* * *

Nikki and Jake watched the team approach with the stretcher and other equipment. Jake ran toward them. "Dad, they're not here."

"I didn't expect them to be, Son. If Devin's as hurt as you say, he wouldn't be able to hike back to the cairn, right?"

"Well, right, but what do we do now?"

"We leave the equipment here and split up into two-person search teams. I'll section off the terrain and we'll fan out. As we come across caves, we'll search them. Devin knows the area and probably spotted a cave and hiked to it. We'll hope they're staying put—the first rule of being lost. It's hard to track a moving object. This will take a while, Jake. You and Nikki can join the teams if you want to."

"Shouldn't one of us stay here at the cairn?" Nikki asked. "I could wait with Ranger."

Joe nodded and walked to the blood spots. "I wish it hadn't rained last night," he said. "Even though he's not a trained tracking dog, Ranger could follow the scent."

Joe turned back to his six-man team as they set down gear and took drinks. The stretcher had been stowed, and everyone was waiting for the next set of orders.

"Nikki will stay here with the stretcher and the dog," Joe said. "I'll divide the terrain and we'll split up. Jake will come with me. When we find them, if Devin can be moved, we'll come back for the stretcher. The helicopter team is on call. Keep your radios active."

He handed Nikki a two-way radio. "Channel seven—alert me if anything comes up."

"Yes sir." Nikki took the radio and dragged her feet back to the resting rock.

The gravity of the situation hadn't sunk in before for Nikki—not when Devin got hurt, not when her dad yelled at her and her mom cried, and not when she saw the search team with a stretcher at the trailhead. But now, not finding Devin and Christina pushed her over the edge into despair. This expedition had been her responsibility, and she had messed it up. Her confused and guilty mind whirled around like a tornado. Nikki hoped the team would leave so she could cry.

* * *

Christina stopped to look at the water pooling inside some leaves on a tall tree. Not knowing a lot about trees gave her pause, but the water looked clean. She pulled a container from her pack and, careful not to take it all, tipped some of the water into her flask while offering thanks to the tree for sharing. Moving from one leaf to the other, she soon filled the container. Christina was so focused on her task that she didn't notice she was moving farther away from the cave and from Devin.

* * *

Starting near the relaxing rocks, the searchers explored every square inch of ground in an ever-increasing circle. They radioed Joe every fifteen minutes and after one hour had still not found any kids.

Jake and his dad stopped to rest on an outcropping with an open view. As Jake scanned the terrain he spotted a light flickering on a distant hill.

"Dad, look!" he said. "I see a light."

Joe shaded his eyes. "There's definitely something up there. Maybe they set up a home-made reflector—good idea." He smiled with approval. "Let's go find them."

Pulling out his radio, he informed the others. "Keep going for now; we'll report what we find. It'll take a while to reach the top of that cliff. Let's hope it's them."

"Roger. Got it," the team leader replied. Nikki added a shaky "good luck."

* * *

Christina smiled as the water level neared the top of her flask. Amazing, she thought. Devin will be so proud of me. She twisted on the top and placed the bottle securely in her pack. The smile on her face shifted to a look of horror, however, when she looked up and realized she had lost sight of the cave. How could she be so stupid after Devin had warned her? Her tummy felt as if two dry rocks were rubbing together inside. With no one but the forest watching, she fell to her knees and wept.

* * *

Joe and Jake stared up the rocky cliff. "There's no way Devin climbed this with his injury so there must be a trail," Joe said. "You look on this side and I'll go to the other."

After ten minutes of searching, Jake yelled, "Over here, Dad. I think I've found one."

Joe thrashed through the brush to his son and smiled when he saw the narrow animal path. "Let's go."

In fifteen minutes they arrived on top of the cliff. Sure enough, there lay Devin with his pack. An emergency medical kit sat next to him along with a pair of upright binoculars, the beacon that had flashed the sun's prisms.

Joe rushed over. "Jake, go to the cave. See if Christina's inside."

Jake ran off, hoping his friend was all right. Joe removed his compass, took coordinates of their location, and radioed his team. The plateau was flat and large enough for a helicopter to land if necessary.

"Everyone, we've found Devin. Go back and get the stretcher and other gear. I'll evaluate the situation and be back with further instructions. We may need you here, or I might call for the helicopter. It's too soon to tell." He signed off.

Jake returned from the cave with a tight grimace on his face. "What is it?" Joe asked.

"They were definitely in there," he said, holding up a gray tarp. "Here's the ground cover they slept on. But there's no sign of Christina."

"Son, help me move Devin into that shady spot. He's burning up."

They gently transferred the tall young man to the shade. Devin rolled his head and muttered incoherently but didn't wake up. Joe checked his pulse and other vital signs and then pulled out two blister ice packs, one for the leg and one for the back of Devin's neck to reduce the fever.

"I don't think we can wait for the stretcher and the long way back, Son. Devin needs emergency care right away." Pulling out his compass with the coordinates, he radioed the helicopter dispatcher.

"Is he going to be okay?" Jake's eyes were big with worry. Joe didn't answer.