Page 57 of Toy

13

Mason

“I think we should stop.”

Beck called out from somewhere behind me. I stopped trudging along the overgrown path and turned around. “Why? We’re so close,” I said, holding up the map. “The pass is only half an hour north. Less if we walk fast.”

After being dropped off via private plane in the secluded valley Leonel suggested to us, Beck and I had spent the last twelve hours hiking through it to reach the narrow mountain pass which led to the bigger valley where the cult was likely living.

If it wasn’t a dangerous rescue mission, we might’ve actually enjoyed our time here, marching along the narrow paths forged by nature over millennia. The jagged peaks of the soaring mountains beyond the valley stirred a thirst for adventure in my soul, urging me to climb up so I could stand on the highest peak and take in the heart and soul of the region with all its astounding vitality. There were probably more living things in the thick forests below than anywhere else in the world. Insects, birds, mammals; a constant cacophony of chirps and cries echoing throughout the trees. So much life.

However, I remained all too aware that Jolie’s life might not be among all the rest. Consequently, most of the hike had been spent in a grim silence with a pit in my stomach, plagued by fear and dread.

“It’s going to be dark soon, so we can’t walk fast,” Beck said, tilting her head upward. She was right. In the clear spots where we could see through the thick forest canopy, the sky was a brilliant orange and gold with velvety darkness appearing around the edges. “Besides, we really don’t want to be hiking at night. No phone service or anything out here. If we get lost, we’re screwed.”

“I know, but the pass is right up ahead. We won’t get lost,” I said, turning and pointing up the path. In the distance, the ground swerved into a valley so narrow it was almost a gorge before sloping back upward. On the other side was the cult land, if Leonel was correct about their location. “We can make it if we hurry.”

I heard the crunch of footsteps on leaves as Beck started walking again. “All right,” she said. “As long as we’re careful to… ow, fuck!”

I whirled around. “What happened?” I dropped my pack and headed over to her. “You okay?”

Beck was teetering on one foot, her face scrunched up in pain. “This is what I was worried about,” she said with a groan. “It’s so much easier for us to hurt ourselves in the dark.”

I held out one arm to steady her. “What have you done?”

“I think I sprained my ankle,” she said, wincing as she sat down on a large rocky outcrop next to a thick bush. She gritted her teeth and removed her left boot and sock. “Don’t worry, it’s not broken.”

“But you can’t walk on it,” I said, leaning down to get a good look at it. Her ankle was already swollen and red. “We’re gonna have to stop for the night.” I gestured to the left. “There’s a clear spot here, too. Good place to camp.”

She shook her head. “No, you were right. We’re too close to stop now. The longer we wait, the less chance Jolie has.”

I nodded and held out one hand to pull her back up. “I’ll have to carry you.”

Beck let out a pained laugh. “Are you kidding?” she said, waving her hand at the pass ahead of us. “It’s already dangerous enough to hike through there in the dark without tripping and smashing your face open. If you carry me it’ll be a death sentence for both of us.”

It was a fair point. Leonel had warned us about the mountain pass. The rocky terrain was jagged and unforgiving, and a bubbling stream wound through the area, making it easy to slip and fall at any moment if one wasn’t careful enough to avoid every single wet rock and sludgy patch of mud around the snaking edges. The consequences of falling in such a place weren’t just wet clothes and bruised egos. We could break our bones or give ourselves serious head injuries… and that was if we were lucky.

“I’m not leaving you alone out here,” I said. “No fucking way.”

Beck reached up and put one hand on my shoulder. “You have to.”

“It’s too dangerous. We’ll camp until it’s light out, and then we’ll—”

She cut me off. “No. Go and find Jolie. I’ll be fine.”

My eyes narrowed. “Just five minutes ago you were insisting on camping and talking about how dangerous it is to hike at night. Now you’re asking me to leave you alone in the middle of a forest with no phone service when it’s about to be pitch black? Come on, Beck.”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t thinking straight before. You were right, believe me. If the cult compound is only a thirty minute walk away, it doesn’t make sense to stop and wait.” She grimaced as she rubbed her ankle again. “I know you, anyway. You won’t be able to sleep a wink knowing Jolie is so close.”

“That’s true.”

“See?” She waved her hand. “Now go, before you lose all the light.”

I glanced up at the rapidly-darkening sky. Ten more minutes and it would be pitch black. “You sure you’ll be okay?” I asked, looking back down at Beck.

“Yeah. I’ve got everything I need in my pack. I can move around enough to set stuff up, and if anyone or anything happens to come across me, I can defend myself. We brought enough guns and ammo to fight off a small army.” She smiled bravely and unzipped her bag. “Here, take some extra,” she added, pulling out two pistols and several boxes of ammunition. “Without me there, you’ll probably need it.”

I stuffed it all in my bag. “I’ll come back for you.”

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