"No, we haven't heard yet on him," Julie answers before she looks at me.
I nod my head in agreement. We both know Erick's bloody, mangled body is less than five hundred feet away.
We hear another atrocious growl and know it's closing in on us. As if someone is poking us with a hot prod, we pick up the pace.
How many more times can the animal attack? How many more bullets will it take to bring it down finally? I think as I climb, and how will this one horrifying day affect these young men, if they make it out of here alive? Thoughts can be in abundance in a terrifying situation such as this, but in the end the only thing that matters to us all is, we get out alive. The powerful need to live is the only thing keeping us going.
Now we hear the crunching and snapping of the forest floor. The delicate flooring doesn't stand a chance under the weight of the heavy creature.
I begin to worry we won't make it this time, an idea that should never creep into one's mind during an extreme situation. It's not healthy for me or the people around who depends on everyone's strength to get them through. I can't stop my mind from these notions, rightfully so, as we can't stop the animal.
* * *
At the lake, everyone waits patiently for the return of the missing along with the searchers. Talking, eating, and drinking to pass the time. Every now and then, they get on their radios or cell phones to keep the family members and authorities up to date. The wait is weighing down on the lake like ice in the middle of January.
"Why haven't we heard anything from them yet?" one of the EMT's asks Officer Roy.
"I don't know. I've called them, but they're not answering," he replies. Fear settles into his thoughts, what if they can't make it? He shakes his head to get rid of the image his mental etch-a-sketch is making.
"Can we go on in there and see if they need help?" the other EMT asks.
"No, we don't know their location. Besides, we could get ourselves lost and have to start this search all over again and no one wants to do that," Roy replies.
"No we don't," he says.
"Best thing we can do is keep a look out for them and help the wounded when they arrive." Roy hopes it will be soon.
"You're right, I just hate this waiting," the EMT replies.
The atmosphere is solemn as they wait by the lake.
Chapter 16
The Hill
It's closer, way too close for us, and we're terrified.
"Now you boys listen to what I said earlier, you run when you can, don't wait on us." I tell them and wish against all odds they won't have to. I still have so much more to live for and I'm not ready to die, definitely not this way. I look at Julie and we both know this is probably the end.
"I love you," she says to me quietly as she reaches over to hold my hand.
"I love you too."
Both of us cry and hope this will not be the conclusion of our lives.
Steadily we climb the hill that now seems like the Alps. I can almost see the snow covered caps. With each hand gripping this or that and getting our feet on something solid, the hill now seems ganglier. Tears flow down our cheeks as the two young men try to help us up a hill.
"I want just one more mushroom hunt before I go," I say with a trembling voice.
"Me too," Julie cries the words.
Our one true love in life, outside our families, is mushroom hunting. We spend ten months a year planning out our next mushroom season. We check our bags for holes, replace broken gear, make sure our walking sticks are still sturdy... All this work for two months of pure bliss.
Grrrrrrrrowl!
The sound is in the valley below us. Oh Lord, I think and move my feet faster as everything else is slowing down. It feels like time's coming to a standstill and everyone tries to climb with some weighted force holding us back, slowing us down. I can see Julie climbing beside me. Slowly she reaches at a rock and it must have taken her ten minutes to put her hand down. Oh, how my mind can play tricks on me when I'm terrified and struggling for my life. I look at the boys slightly ahead of us and they're slowing down to almost a stop. My mind is racing faster than an Indy car, but my body cannot. Why is everyone slowing down? I think to myself and know it isn't true, how can it be?
The animal sits at the bottom of the hill, staring up at its prey, deciding which one of us it wants first. It's so large and fierce in these small woods, displaced from a different world. As if it doesn't belong here, or anywhere for that matter. It sticks out its tongue and licks some of its wounds we've inflicted upon it tonight. The blood drips to the forest and spreads slowly as it covers everything it touches. Engulfing Mother Nature with its hot red liquid and changing her forever. The creature isn't slowing down from the assaults of the piercing bullets. It appears to be gaining strength, building on the rage within its tortured soul. Bright blue eyes stare into the night upon the hill and it lets out another....
Grrrrrowl!
We're moving like snails across a flower garden and I can hear my cell phone ring. No one can help us now, I think as it rings slowly. I felt a rock strike my hand, I look up to see Julie sliding back down the hill.
"Nooooo!" I scream and all of a sudden, the world moves faster, making my head spin as I come back to reality. I work my way over in time to catch her by a leg and I hold tight. I pray I don't drop her until she gets her footing again.
The boys are climbing down toward us to help retrieve Julie, and I wave at them to move on. They're too young to die tonight, with so much to do in this world. They've endured all a person should in a lifetime, all in one night. I know I have to save my sister; she's my true friend. A bond like Bob and Greg, a friendship you'd die for.
"Hold on, Julie, and grab at that rock, the one right by your shoulder." I yell at her to listen and I know she will. She instantly has a grip and I get below her to push her up, encouraging her to move.
Julie is climbing again and I see blood running down one of her arms, but she doesn't seem to notice. I think about our lives and everyone who will miss us. We must live for them, we have to, I think when the brittle outdoor flooring "crunches" below the animal's enormous paws. Oh, please help us all.
My mind starts drifting, not able to deal with the realization of what's happening. I'm mushroom hunting with Julie and we're picking so many that our bags are full. The mushrooms are so abundant they look like spring flowers growing in a field. It's a bright and sunny spring day and the birds are chirping in the tree branches. We're talking about the day and our grandchildren. Oh, how happy we are at this moment in life. Nothing can happen to us here, not in our woods. We sit down to have some lunch and lean against a tree. We toss some journey cakes to the birds and watch them eat. This is the life, our life, and we start giggling at a joke Julie just told. Resting by the trees, relaxing and wishing for more time, but more time for what? And then I come back to the unquestionable world around me.
We're still climbing up the hill and we're almost to the top. The boys make it and turn around to check on us. I think, you have to keep moving boys, go on another twenty feet at least.
Julie is about to reach the top, climbing ten feet from me and I'm glad to see her there. Greg and Bob reach out their hands to help her up from the long climb. She reaches to them and they get her hands and pull, almost dragging her to the top. She stands up and turns around. I can see her eyes fill with terror and she yells something, but I can't hear her. My mind won't let me. Then I hear a....
Grrrowl!
Bam...Bam...
The gunshots are deafening, and I look up to salvation. I can see my sister and she's no more than five feet from me. She's still yelling and this time I can hear her, she's yelling for me to hurry. The young men stand beside her with guns in their hands, still firing at the animal of the Black Woods.
I'm climbing, and Julie reaches for me with outstretched arms. I grab a hold of her sweaty hands and I feel safe, the warmth of her fingers reassuring me.
Pain, oh the pain, where is it coming f
rom? My head is killing me like it is ripped open, but it can't be. My sister's hands are in mine. I'm holding them tight and we're too close to the line, it's not fair. It was the last thing I was able to think before I heard myself scream. I was still looking into Julie's eyes when the world faded to black.
Chapter 17
The Lake
Two young men and one older woman walk from the woods to the safety of the lake. They're bloody and covered in dirt, but they're alive. As they leave the woods, one falls down and another helps them up. All three are in shock; each holds their head down as they weep. It's so sad and their lives are forever changed from the few hours they have spent in the Black Woods.
People are gathered at the lake as they wait for the group to emerge from the moonlit woods. Each one there walks, paces, and hopes for the best possible outcome.
"I see someone coming from the woods!" Dick screams with excitement.
"Where?" Officer Roy asks.
"Over there." Dick points to what the girls call "our woods."
The officer squints to get a better look and he can see them now.
"Come on, guys, let's go get them," Roy says to the EMT personnel.
All three take off for the woods to get the last of the survivors.
"They're probably so worn out," one of the EMT's says, as they walk along the edge of the lake.
"I believe that will be an understatement," the officer replies.
Dick is waiting impatiently as he watches for his friends to make that walk, to return to the safety of their friends and family. He can see there are only three in the group and he prays his girls are two of them. All I can do is wait and see, he thinks as he watches the two groups of people come together at the edge of the woods.
* * *
I can see everything going on at the lake as I step into the clearing from the woods. People are walking around and I can even see Dick as he sits in his truck with Sugar. I walk up to him, so happy to be here, but he acts like he can't see me. I reach in the truck and pat Sugar on the head, but the dog doesn't respond to my touch. Dick is gazing at the edge of the woods, so I turn to look in the direction of his stare. I realize why he's ignoring me. I can see them at the edge of the lake as they struggle to make each step. I'm so excited they made it out, as I stand here waiting. My head no longer hurts and I'm grateful for the loss of pain. All I want is to get Julie and go home, and see my whole family. I know they've been worried about us through the long night. I also want to see my brothers and my other sister and hold them tight. Oh, how I love them so. I stand by the old white truck and wait for them with my friend. I'm not sure how I got out of there before they did, but that doesn't matter now. They're almost to us and I'm ready for them, as I've had enough of these old woods to last me for the rest of my life. I look back at Dick, and he's crying, and I don't understand why.
We made it out! I yell in my head.
I go running to my sister and put my arms around her. She doesn't notice me.
"Come on Julie, I'm here. Let's go home!" I yell, but no one seems to notice me at all. What is going on here, why aren't they glad to see me? They all must be in terrible shock.
Julie falls to the ground and cries so hard I'm scared she won't be able to breathe. Then some guys run to the ambulance. They get out a stretcher and carry it over to her. Good, because I think she really needs it.
The two young men are also crying, but quietly as most men do. I can tell their lives have been shattered. They'll never be the same after what they've gone through. My heart aches for them, but I need to help my sister.
The EMT's have Julie on the stretcher, ready to take her to the ambulance. Dick walks over and tells her he's so sorry about her sister.
"What, what happened to our sister Judy?" I yell at him, and then I realize he doesn't know her. I look back at everyone standing here and I finally understand what has happened. I take a deep breath to let it settle in my mind.
"Noooo..." I scream as loud as I can, but no one can hear me.
I sit down on the cold rocky ground and weep. I wish this was a horrible dream and I could change everything that's happened, because I need more time.
Everyone else goes about, as they tend to the young men and Julie. They've got blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, I.V. bags, and other items I've never seen. Alcohol cloths are being used to wash and clean areas of skin on the wounded arms. They stick needles with medicine to help them calm down, and everything is moving on except me.
They have Julie at the end of an ambulance as they prepare her for a trip to the hospital. A second ambulance is there to help with the other wounded men. That poor kid Greg got shot so many hours ago. I'm glad they made it out alive, truly I am. I just wish I'd gotten a little more time on this Earth.
I get up and go to the ambulance, and reach over my sister to stroke her hair. I give her a big kiss, and then wish her well. She's loaded in the back of the vehicle as they leave this awful place. They turn on the ambulance lights and I watch as they flash back and forth. I raise my hand to wave.
My head begins to hurt again while the night gets darker and everything fades around me. I can only make out shapes in the dimming light, but I can hear everyone talk about how bad things are.
What's happening now? I think, as the world I love so dearly disappears.
Chapter 18
Hospital
People hurry around inside a hospital. The emergency room nurses get supplies and a doctor walks in a room. Families wait to hear the news on their loved ones, as they sit patiently in the lobby. Some children play a card game as they sit on the waiting room floor.
It looks like any other day at a hospital, but today is different and everyone can feel it in the air. A storm has settled in and looks like it's there to stay for a while. The lights flicker out a few times as if threatening to stay that way. Lightning flashes through the windows and the following thunder is deafening.
Some people are crying and some are just talking, but all are waiting to hear the news. That wait is always the worst part for the family, the unknown of their loved one's condition.
Julie sits in a chair in a hospital room while she looks out a window and watches the slow moving storm clouds roll by.
"How many hours has it been?" she asks.
"About four hours," Dale answers her as he sits next to the bed.
"Hello," a doctor with a name tag which states, F. Rhodes, M.D. says as he enters the room.
"Hey, Dr. Rhodes, when do you think there will be a change?" Julie asks him.
"Well, with something like this, I can't be sure until I look over the x-rays." He's holding an envelope in his hands. "Let me have a look at these and the patient and I'll know more after the exam," he replies to Julie.
Julie and Dale get up and leave the room to let the doctor do the exam in private. Maybe they'll get a better answer. The lights flicker again under the pressure of the storm, and they can hear the hospital generators fire up and then stop as if they're not yet needed. They stand in the hall and listen to the muffled thunderstorm.
Chris walks down the hall toward them.
"How's everything going in there?" he asks, pointing to the room.
"Dr. Rhodes is in there right now, hopefully he can tell us more soon," Dale answers. He looks more tired than usual today; he is sick with worry.
"How you holding up, babe?" Chris asks Julie as he gives her a kiss.
"I've definitely had better days," she replies to her husband. "I only want to know how everything's going in there."
The three stand by the door and wait for the doctor to step out, hopefully with good news. The talk is idle while they wait nervously in the hallway.
There's a full house of people in the hospital lobby and among them are Andrew, Addy, Izzy, and many more as they wait for the news.
"Is grandma going to be okay?" one of the little ones asks.
"We sure hope so, honey," Andrew replies to the child and then gives her a big hug
.
"Good, because I want to go to the party and have some mushrooms," the little girl says.
"I know you do, baby girl," he says to her as a tear builds in his eye.
The doctor opens the door and asks them to come back in the room. All three go in and shut the door behind them.
Dale goes to the bed, sits down beside it, and reaches up to take a hand of the patient. He holds the soft limp hand in his as he waits for the news.
Dr. Rhodes begins to speak.
"It looks like she took a hard blow to the head and no fractures on the x-ray. She'll have a slight concussion, but nothing to worry about. We're going to reduce the medicine in her I.V. and see if we can't wake her up. Everything I see looks good and she will be fine and out picking mushrooms again in a few days," the doctor says with a smile. He knows his patient well, and how she loves her mushrooms. He's been her doctor for over forty years.
Julie runs over, gives the doctor a hug, and thanks him for the good news.
"You're welcome, and when she wakes up tell her I want a pound of those mushrooms," he says, then leaves the room.
Dale has a tear in his eye as he holds her hand. He stands up and bends over to kiss his wife on the cheek. He sits back down and asks Julie and Chris if they would mind going and telling the family that Laura will be fine. He looks for the remote to the hospital room's T.V. and after locating it, he turns it to the bloody sci-fi show he loves. He sits there with his wife, anxious for her to wake.
Julie walks into the lobby and everyone looks to her for an answer.
"Laura is going to be fine!" She is so excited to tell them, she almost yells.
They're all so happy to get the news, some begin to cry as the stress of worry releases.
"When can we go to the room and see her?" Andrew asks. He's been so worried about his mom.
"Whenever you like, but just two can go together at a time," Julie tells her nephew. She walks over, gives him a big hug, and says, "I know you love your mommy as I do." They cry with relief.