Page 5 of Searching Blind

“I won’t,” she promised softly, pulling a chair closer so she could sit beside him. Her hand stayed locked with his, and she leaned back in the chair, her gaze fixed on his peaceful face. She would remain at his side, just as he had stayed by hers all those nights in the hospital. His throat bobbed slightly as he swallowed, a remnant of pain possibly, and then his grip loosened as sleep took him.

A gust of wind blew in through the broken window, carrying with it the scent of fresh rain and fallen redwood needles— nature going about its usual business as if nothing had happened. Lucy closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the familiar smells of the forest. It was a harsh reminder of how they were, once again, at the mercy of nature, their lives hanging in the balance. But there was also a strange comfort in it, a reassurance that even after disaster, life finds a way to go on.

“Is it raining?” Sawyer asked, startling her. She looked at his face again. He hadn’t opened his eyes, but his mouth curved into a small smile, “Smells like rain.”

“Yeah, it’s working up to it.”

His smile dimmed. “The ground’s unsteady.”

“I know.” She was fully aware of how dangerous their situation was. The quake had weakened the terrain, and a heavy downpour could trigger landslides.

“Fuck.” Sawyer lay his head back against the wall, a low groan escaping his lips. “Where are we?”

“A decommissioned ranger station. We took shelter here after the first quake. It’s not much, but it has a roof and four walls… somewhat.”

Sawyer’s brow furrowed. “The quake... How bad was it?”

Lucy hesitated. The truth was, she didn’t know, couldn’t tell from their vantage point. But the station–a sturdy, well-built structure–had taken a brutal beating, and the trail down the mountain had collapsed, so she suspected the valley below hadn’t fared well, either.

“Bad,” she admitted finally. “The trail is gone, and aftershocks have been happening pretty regularly, causing rockslides. It’s dangerous to move, and we can’t contact anyone.”

“Your radio’s dead?”

“No, but it’s just static. We... we’re trapped here, for now.”

A hiss of air slipped past Sawyer’s teeth, and for a moment, he looked like he was about to argue. But then he just exhaled a long breath. “What about Pierce and Raszta? Did anyone find them?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

“Fuck,” Sawyer said again, very softly.

“Maybe they made it off the mountain before the quake. Mr. Grassley said he saw him going down the trail. Maybe they’re safely back in town.”

“Yeah,” Sawyer breathed out, a note of forlorn hope tingeing his words. “Maybe.” His hand tightened slightly around hers, a silent plea for reassurance she didn’t fully have herself.

“Once the rain stops and things settle down, we’ll find them.”

His fingers relaxed under hers, and he turned his head in her direction. She knew he couldn’t see her, but she met his sightless gaze anyway as if trying to communicate with him through sheer will. After a moment, he gave her a small nod and lay back again.

“Why are you so worried about him?” she asked. “Pierce seems like the kind of guy who can take care of himself.” She’d met most of the men and women of Redwood Coast Rescue when they rescued her last summer, and they were all strong, capable people. Most of them were former military and could hold their own under even the toughest circumstances. But Sawyer’s concern for Pierce seemed to go beyond that to something more personal.

Sawyer was silent for a long moment. “He’s... he’s more than just a friend. He’s my brother in every sense of the word except blood. He’s been there for me ever since I lost my sight. We were both at Landstuhl at the same time, recovering from our injuries. The man had damn near been decapitated by shrapnel and had lost his voice, yet he still helped me adjust to losing my sight and made sure I didn’t lose myself in self-pity and bitterness. Without him...” He trailed off, his throat working as he swallowed. “Yeah. I wouldn’t be here. But he went through some bad shit recently, and… he hasn’t been the same since.”

Lucy felt a painful tug in her chest. She could picture it so clearly, the two battered soldiers bonding in a military hospital over their trauma. She squeezed his hand again. “We’ll find him. If he’s on this mountain, I promise we won’t leave him behind.”

Sawyer released her hand and scrubbed at his dirty face. “I feel like I let him down. He needed a shoulder to lean on, and I didn’t notice until it was too late.”

She knew he was wiping away tears but didn’t call him out on it. Instead, she glanced away, giving him a moment of privacy.

“What if he couldn’t take it anymore and came up here to—” He stopped short, leaving the thought unspoken.

“He didn’t.” She didn’t know Pierce, but he didn’t sound like the kind of guy to take the easy way out. “From what you’ve told me, he’s a fighter. He’s survived hell and came out still swinging. I don’t believe for one second he’d come up here to end his life. Especially since he had his dog with him when my tour group spotted him.”

Sawyer let out a shaky breath. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t leave Raszta up here alone.”

There was a silence, the room filled only by the patter of falling rain and the murmurs of her tour group in the other room. The quiet moments were Lucy’s least favorite. It was during those times that she could hear her own thoughts too clearly—the fear, the uncertainty. But for Sawyer, she would endure them. She reached out to touch his hand again.

And then, from beyond the battered walls of the ranger station, came a sound that made her blood run cold. The sound of rocks sliding and earth moving, a low rumble growing into an earsplitting roar.

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