Page 9 of Searching Blind

Chuck opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. He sputtered, face red as a cherry. With an angry huff, he turned to help Joel up. “We’ll see who’s more capable when the shit hits the fan.” Chuck grunted, heaving Joel onto his feet despite the younger man’s protests of pain. They trudged ahead, heading east, their forms swallowed by the misty veil of rain.

“It’ll be okay when we get to the tower,” Theodore said and scurried after them like a frightened rabbit.

Lucy looked at Bea in silent gratitude. Bea nodded before turning to follow her husband. “Hang on, Theo. Let me go first.”

Sawyer and Lucy hung back a moment longer. She squinted toward the watch tower again, but still couldn’t pick it out of the gloom.

God, she hoped it was still standing.

Zelda sat at their feet, her tail brushing over the wet grass as she watched them with her intelligent eyes.

“It’s not going to get any easier,” Sawyer finally said, and she turned to look at him. For once, he didn’t look calm. He was worried, too. Even without sight, he still seemed to see everything. “The longer this drags out, the more unhinged he’ll get. Guys like that don’t handle powerlessness well.”

Lucy nodded, tugging nervously at the end of her ponytail. She was very aware the situation was a powder keg and Chuck was the lit fuse. One wrong move, one wrong decision on her part and the group would explode into chaos.

“I can handle Chuck,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

“Who’s going to handle you?” Sawyer asked gently.

She frowned at him. “What?”

“You’re taking too much on your shoulders, Luce. You can’t carry the weight of each one of us.”

She whirled on him, outrage burning through her. “Are you saying I’m not strong enough?”

“No,” he said quickly, reaching out to grasp her arm. Once he found it, his hand slid down to hers, his fingers lacing through hers. “I’m saying you don’t have to be. Not all the time. Lean on me. Let me take some of that weight.”

She stared at him for a heartbeat then looked down at their clasped hands, her throat suddenly dry. She swallowed hard, the words “I need you” threatening to tumble from her lips. She couldn’t say them, though. Wouldn’t allow herself that vulnerability.

“We should catch up with the others,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady considering she was shaking all over. “If we hurry, we’ll reach the tower before nightfall.”

He nodded and let her pull her hand from his. His fingers hovered for a moment in the air before he dropped his hand to his side. “You’re right. Lead the way.”

They found the rest of the group huddled under an overhang of rocks providing some protection from the rain. Chuck was pacing like a caged animal while Bea and Theodore exchanged worried glances. Joel lay propped against a boulder, his face pale and drawn with pain.

“We can’t stay here long,” Lucy said. “We’re too exposed and the terrain is unstable. We’re moving to the tower.”

“But it’s pouring buckets,” Chuck protested, his hands on his hips. “Joel can’t walk all that way. We barely made it a hundred yards before he had to stop.”

“As much as I hate to agree with him, he’s right.” Bea swiped the rainwater from her face. “The kid can’t make the walk.”

“I’m sorry,” Joel muttered, his eyes brimming with tears.

“It’s okay,” Sawyer said easily. “We can make a stretcher. It won’t be comfortable, but it will save you from walking and?—”

“Easy for you to suggest,” Chuck spat. “You won’t be carrying it.”

“No, not unless you want more broken bones,” Sawyer said with a lightness that didn’t quite match the hardness in his eyes. “But I can help make it, and I can help guide. I know these mountains.”

“He does,” Theodore spoke up. “He knows his stuff. He’s hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail and the Colorado Trail through the Rockies.”

When everyone looked at Theodore, he flushed.

“I… I’ve read all the articles about you,” he added faintly. “What you do, how you do it, is fascinating.”

There was a beat of silence as Chuck stared at them all incredulously. “You’re not seriously suggesting we let the blind man lead us.”

“I will be leading us,” Lucy said. “But Sawyer does know these mountains as well as I do. Maybe better. So I’d appreciate it if you kept your disparaging comments about his abilities to yourself from now on, Mr. Grassley.”

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