Page 6 of Searching Blind

Sawyer’s head snapped up, and he turned towards the noise. “What’s that sound?”

Before Lucy could answer, the ground beneath them shifted violently. A wave of icy terror washed over Lucy as the wooden boards beneath them bucked and tilted.

Pain blossomed in her shoulder as she collided with the wall, her breath leaving her lungs in a sharp exhale.

“Landslide,” she gasped, scrambling to her feet. Sawyer was struggling upright as well, his face pale and strained.

“Everyone!” she shouted, rushing towards the door that led to the rest of the shelter where the others were huddled. “We need to move! Now!”

Chaos erupted as they tried to evacuate. Chuck Grassley helped his son to his feet, draping Joel’s slender arm over his burly shoulders. Bea rushed over to help, wedging her shoulder under Joel’s other arm. Between the two of them, they all but carried the kid out. Bea’s husband, Theodore, brought up the rear.

The thunderous noise outside continued, shaking the station and drowning out their panicked shouts. Dust filled the air, making it hard to breathe. The world tilted sickeningly as the ground beneath them gave way.

Lucy gripped a wooden beam for support, nails digging into the splintering wood. “Sawyer! Get to the door!”

He seemed momentarily disoriented, swaying on his feet. Zelda was already by his side, her body tense and alert. With one hand on her harness and another outstretched to find the door, Sawyer slowly navigated through the chaos.

Suddenly, with a horrific groan that resonated deep in its bones, the station tilted dangerously sideways. People screamed as they lost their footing, falling towards the collapsing wall. Zelda whined urgently, leading Sawyer towards the rapidly narrowing exit.

As if in slow motion, Lucy watched as Sawyer stumbled, his hand brushing the door frame. He was so close... yet the world continued to buckle beneath them. Pushing off from her support beam, Lucy launched herself at him. Her body collided with his, and they tumbled out of the station moments before the structure gave a final, anguished groan and collapsed in on itself.

They landed hard on the rain-soaked earth, Lucy still clutching onto Sawyer. Disoriented and gasping for breath, she rolled off him and lay there for a moment, blinking up at the smeared sky as the rain pelted down on them.

“Sawyer? Are you okay?” She turned her head, finding him prone beside her, his face white in the dim light. Zelda whined again, her nose nudging at his cheek. He reached up and gave her a reassuring pat.

“Fuck,” he muttered, his voice strained.

Lucy sat up, ignoring the pain radiating from her shoulder as she scrabbled over to him. “Are you hurt?” Her hands ghosted over his body, seeking wounds against the wet fabric of his clothes.

He waved her away and sat up with a wince. “I’m okay. Just winded. Landed hard.”

She released a sigh of relief. She looked around, the reality of their situation sinking in. The ranger station was gone, swallowed by the landslide. The mountain had reclaimed its own with a vengeance.

Chuck and Bea settled Joel against the thick trunk of a nearby tree. Theodore stood in the rain, staring at what was left of the ranger station, his eyes wide and horrified behind his crooked glasses.

“How bad is the damage?” Sawyer asked.

“It’s gone. We need to find shelter. Can you move?” She noticed he was trying to stand and hurried to his side. He waved her away.

“I’m not helpless,” he said through his teeth.

Right. Okay, he had a point. He wasn’t helpless. He’d lost his sight, not his ability to function. Still, a part of her wanted to shelter him from this disaster.

She stepped back, her hand retracting from his arm, but her eyes never left him as he pushed himself upright. He winced, leaning heavily on Zelda for a moment before he straightened with a determined look on his face.

“We need to move higher,” she called over to the group, raising her voice over the rain and the blood pounding in her ears. She still heard the roar of the landslide in her head, a horrifying reminder that the earth under their feet wasn’t as stable as it should be. “We can’t risk setting up camp near another landslide. If we go up to that ridge over there…” She pointed to a rocky outcrop. “We should be able to see a fire watch tower.”

If it’s still standing.

She saw the same doubts on Sawyer’s face, but he didn’t voice them.

No. She put the doubts out of her mind. It was made of steel, reinforced against earthquakes. It was still standing.

She turned back to the group. “We can take shelter there.”

“What if there’s another one?” Joel asked, his voice shaky. His gaze, though directed at Lucy, kept darting back to the pile of rubble that was the ranger station.

Lucy wasn’t sure how to answer that. The truth was, the mountain was unpredictable on a good day. After the earthquake and onslaught of rain… it was a landslide waiting to happen. The only question was when and where. However, she didn’t want to add to the teenager’s already palpable fear. She decided on a partial truth.

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