Chapter 10
‘Guys, it’s raining,’ said Tom when opened the tent the next morning.
‘Riding down is going to be a pain in the ass,’ said Mike under his blanket.
I get out from my sleeping bag and crawl over to where Tom was. I looked out and could only confirm what he had told us. A light rain was coming down, and the sky was dark. We decided to get going before it turned into a downpour.
‘Didn’t anyone check the weather report yesterday before we left?’ asked Mike.
Tom and I shook our heads and began packing our stuff. Mike grumbled and started collecting his clothes. When we were ready, we stepped out and began pulling the tent down.
‘Nothing forgotten?’ asked Mike as he straddled his bike.
‘No, we got everything.’ said Tom as he kick-started his bike.
‘I need to take a leak, so go ahead if you want,’ I said.
‘Actually, I need to do the same,’ said Mike and got off his bike.
‘I’ll go on ahead,’ Mike said while revving his engine.
‘Just be careful, its quiet slippery.’ Mike warned him.
But under the sound of the revving engine I don’t think Tom heard him. We could hear Tom’s bike while we are peeing, and then suddenly, it went into a higher pitch and I thought I heard a scream. Mike and I looked at each other for a second then ran to our bikes and rode down after Tom. At the second hairpin we saw tire tracks in the mud, they went straight, not turning as they should. We stopped and rushed over to the edge of the ravine which was at least fifty feet deep. Both of us were shouting Tom’s name and when we looked down we could see his bike at the bottom, and Tom was lying beside it. We looked around trying to see if there was anyway we get get down to him.
‘Fuck, John, we need to get down there as fast as possible, to make sure he is OK. Did you bring rope by any chance?’
‘No,’ I carried on shouting Tom’s name, to see if I could get a response, but there was nothing, he just lay there.
‘We need to call the emergency unit, if he is badly hurt he needs a hospital fast.’ said Mike, and I could see tears in his eyes. I took my cell phone out and called 911. I told the operator our location and what had happened. Mike and I sat down in the mud, there was nothing else we could do except to continue shouting to Tom for a response.
A police cruiser, an ambulance and a mountain rescue Jeep arrived forty-five minutes later. Tom hadn’t moved during that time. While the mountain rescuers got ready to go down the ravine we told the police officer, who worked with Chief Harris, what we knew and he wrote everything down. Then the medics from the ambulance asked us if we know whether Tom is allergic to any medicine, his weight, height and any other medical information we could give them. Then we hear the rescue team over the radio the deputy was carrying.
‘We are by the body, the kid is dead, he must have broken his neck in the fall.’
‘OK, copy that.’ The Deputy responded.
Mike and I sat down stunned by what we have just heard.
‘I am sorry for your friend guys. I will call Chief Harris so he can inform Tom’s parents what has happened. I will call a towing truck to get the bike up; I assume the Chief will want to know if there was some mechanical problem with it. I understand you know this trail well, and are experienced bikers, Tom should not have lost control of his bike here.’
Before we left, Mike called his dad to tell him what had happened, and to come and pick us up. The shock was so big I realized that I hadn’t called my parents either.
On the ride back we were quiet. Mike's dad asked us a few questions to which Mike gave short answers. They dropped me off at home. After parking the bike and locking it, I went inside.
‘John, what happened?’ My mom hugged me hard, and I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks.
‘I don’t know mom, one second he was there, the next he was gone.’ I hugged her hard and she stroked my head as I cried into her shoulder.
I headed to my room, picked up the phone and called Brooke.
‘Hey, babe, how was the night with the boys?’ she asked.
I told her what had happened, trying hard not to cry again. When I finished she said,
‘I’m so sorry for you; I know how much Tom meant to you and Mike. Do you want me to come over?’
‘Please do, I need you here Brooke.’
‘Of course, baby, I will be right over.’
I decided to wait for Brooke outside, and when I passed the living room I said to my parents who were there watching TV with Amy.
‘Mom, Dad. Brooke is coming over, I would appreciate if we had no drama, I really couldn’t handle it.’
‘Don’t worry son, we will leave you alone,’ my dad said with a concerned smile.
Back in my room, Brooke and I lay on my bed. She was stroking my hair, and holding my hand and I was crying again.
‘You know John, it was an accident. It wasn’t your’s or Mike's fault. Dirt bike riding is dangerous; all three of you knew that.’
‘I know, but what I can’t understand is why there were no brake marks in the mud. It was like he didn’t even try to stop before he went over.’
‘Maybe a cable snapped or something?’
I lifted my head. ‘How do you know about brake cables?’
Brooke looked into my eyes, there was something there, she looked away when she said, ‘oh my dad had a dirt bike once, I used to watch him work on it.’
I lay back down again, turning my head towards Brooke. She moved closer to me, and we kissed. No urgency, and one touch led to another, and suddenly we were naked.
‘We have to be quiet,’ I whispered hoarsely.
‘I will be quiet as a mouse,’ Brook whispered back while maneuvering her hips to meet mine.
We made love slowly that evening, and I felt our souls meet; we became one with each other. Before midnight Brooke left and I was alone with my thoughts of Tom.
Why would there be a problem with his brake cables? He took better care of that bike than he would a girlfriend. With that thought in mind I drifted off into dreamland.