Into the Badlands. Caron Todd
She called Matt’s name, waited, then called again, louder.
“I think I heard something,” Melissa said eagerly. “It sounded really far away, though.”
“I’ll go up for a look. Wait here.”
Carefully Susannah edged up the side of the hill. At its crest she saw what she had been afraid of seeing: a hole about two feet across, with an uneven edge. She wriggled closer on her stomach and looked down into the stale darkness. “Matt?”
A faint voice reached her. “I’m down here!”
Susannah fumbled in her backpack for her flashlight and shone it down. There: a ghostly reflection. She called to Melissa, waiting at the base of the hill. “Have you got the whistle? Try to get someone’s attention—three blows means help.” She wished she could see Matt better. The flashlight’s beam barely reached him. “Are you hurt, Matt?”
“Get me outta here, Dr. Robb!” His voice quavered.
Get him out. Good idea. But how? From the sound of him, Matt couldn’t wait for the others to arrive, if they ever did arrive. There was no guarantee anyone would hear the whistle.
She could hear and see Matt, so the sinkhole wasn’t all that deep. She tried to estimate the distance to the pale face illuminated by her flashlight—thirteen feet, maybe more. Not a long enough drop to kill you, but long enough to hurt you, long enough to keep you stranded. She had to make sure Matt wasn’t hurt, reassure him, get him out.
His voice wafted up to her. “Dr. Robb? Are you there?”
“Of course I’m here. I won’t leave you.”
She couldn’t get him out. She could throw the flashlight down so he’d have light. She could send Melissa back to the quarry for help, and lie there with her head down the hole carrying on a long-distance conversation to keep Matt calm.
Bad idea. She didn’t want another child wandering alone in the badlands, and she wanted to have a good look at Matt, as soon as possible. He was talking, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt.
She’d have to go in after him.
Her body tensed at the thought. She didn’t like heights or the dark or jumping. She didn’t like fast sports or danger. But here she was, proposing to plunge into a dark void. Without a net. Well, she wasn’t exactly a couch potato. She did a lot of on-the-job hiking and climbing. She was fit.
Again she shone the flashlight into the hole. About a yard from the top, she noticed a small outcropping. Here and there along the sides were uneven areas that might provide hand- and toeholds.
“Melissa, I need you up here.” She waited until the girl joined her at the top of the hill. “Lie on your stomach so your weight is spread out—the ground could cave in again. I’m going down to see if Matt’s okay, and I’ll try to help him out.” She spoke calmly, as if she were just going to walk down some stairs to check on him. “Be ready to give him a hand.” She tucked the flashlight into the backpack.
“Matt? Is the ground clear? I don’t want to land on rocks.”
Several seconds passed while she waited for his answer.
“It’s clear!”
“Move out of the way—I’m coming down.”
Susannah sat on the crumbling edge of the hole, feet dangling. I can’t do it. She willed her muscles to relax. Do it. She let go and felt herself falling. She hit the ground and rolled, and pain shot through her left ankle and shoulder. Seemingly very far above her, she saw a small circle of evening light, and Melissa’s anxious face. Two small hands clutched her.
“Are you okay, Dr. Robb?”
“I’m fine.” Cautiously she flexed her arms and legs. It didn’t take much movement to convince her she’d injured her shoulder and ankle. Not seriously, though. Grimacing, she sat up. “Throw down the backpack, Melissa!”
The pack landed with a thump near her feet. She retrieved the flashlight and shone it on Matt. Apart from a few blood- and sand-encrusted scrapes, he seemed to be in good shape.
“Are you mad at me, Dr. Robb?” One hand still clung to her shirtsleeve.
“Definitely. But it’s nothing you can’t survive.”
“I was hiking, like you did. I wanted to find another bonebed. Then I fell in and I thought, wow, there really are sinkholes.”
Susannah’s eyebrows rose in surprise. What did he think, sinkholes were the bogeymen of the badlands? She had a strong urge to give him a good, long lecture, even though she knew it wouldn’t do any good. Instead, she said, “I’ve got a plan. Are you any good at math?”
“Yeah.” Matt sounded puzzled.
“If there are enough stones down here to make a big pile to stand on, you plus me plus the stones should just about equal the height of that ledge near the mouth of the hole. See it?” She shone the flashlight upward.
Matt peered up into the faint light. “I think so.”
“If you can reach that ledge, Melissa will grab your hands. The sides of the sinkhole are closer together there. You can plant your feet against them and climb out.”
“I dunno…I’ll try.”
“That’s the spirit!”
Susannah shone the flashlight around the floor of the sinkhole. There were plenty of stones, large and small, scattered here and there. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened if she or Matt had hit a knee or head on one of them. “I’ll need your help to move some of these rocks, Matt.”
He sprang to her side and helped her roll and push some rocks into place. He seemed glad of a chance to demonstrate his strength. With some difficulty, Susannah climbed onto the pile. “Can you jump up on me, piggyback?”
“Sure.” Matt’s confidence was streaming back.
Susannah put one hand against the cold wall of the sinkhole, but she still swayed under Matt’s weight. She tried to ignore the stabbing pains that accompanied his climb. A pointed elbow, then a bony knee, dug into her. Fingers grasped her forehead. Their bodies swayed.
“I can’t reach,” he gasped, fear returning to his voice.
“You’re nearly there, Matt,” Melissa called. “A couple more inches. Stretch!”
Finally he was on the ledge. She waited, ready to break his fall if he couldn’t hold on. She heard scraping sounds and the children panting, then Melissa called, “I’ve got him!” Loosened sand rained down on Susannah’s head.
Two faces appeared at the mouth of the hole. “How are you getting out, Dr. Robb?”
She hadn’t planned that far. “I’ll just hang around here for a while. I’ve always wanted to study the ecosystem inside a sinkhole.” The children didn’t laugh. “So I’ll get started on that. Any sign of the others?”
“I don’t see anyone coming,” Melissa answered. “And I didn’t hear a whistle.”
“Then you two trot back to the quarry. Ask someone to look after Matt’s knee, and to come back for me. Tell them if they bring a couple of tent poles and a rope, I should be able to climb out.”
Matt seemed unwilling to go. “Maybe I should stay and keep you company.”
“I want the two of you to stick together.”
As soon as the children left, there was total silence. Susannah stood in an eerie puddle of light thrown by her flashlight. “At least I hope I’ll be able to climb the rope. I was never much good at it in gym class.”
She picked up her backpack, wincing when she put weight on her ankle. It was beginning to swell over the top of her shoe. Bending down, she loosened the lace but left the shoe