Page 20 of A Little Discovery

There is silence for a few seconds until someone calls, “And we’re out!”

Avery jumps up and does a silly dance, but I don’t have time to celebrate. “Hate to cut and run, but there’s an emergency back at the house. I gotta get back there.”

She stops dancing and her serious face is on, not the one that she shows to people at work or through the camera. This is the real Avery, the true face of my good friend who was there the night my parents were ripped away by a drunk driver.

“Need my help?” she asks. “I’m done for the night, and it won’t take me longer than a minute to get out of this suit.”

I let out a laugh that I know she expects when she wiggles her eyebrows, but my mind is pushing me to get back as quickly aspossible. “I’m going now. You can just show up at the house after you’re done changing. Jay and Eric will be there and can show you where you can help.”

I run out of the studio as soon as the microphone is unattached from me. My car races home as fast as I reasonably can get there. It’s still light out for another forty minutes. I have under an hour to find him before I really will need to test my boy scout skills.

LUCKY

Once the sun is gone, the others are easy to spot when they get too close. It’s obvious that even though they live surrounded by forest, they don’t spend a lot of time in it. They are noisy and using flashlights to navigate. At least, I don’t have to worry about giving away my position with one of those. Even if I wanted to use the flashlight, my cell phone is completely dead at this point.

“Lucky? Where are you?”

Eli’s voice is so far away, it should be a comfort. But it isn’t. My vision blurs as I struggle to keep the warring feelings inside. They wanted me and I ran. Even if they do think I’m a thief and a liar and an adulterer, they want me to be with them. At the very least, I know I can trust Shiloh, Toby, Jace, and Eli… and the mysterious landlord.

I wipe hurriedly at my face and turn to head back toward the house, but in my rush, I miss my footing. Me feeling weightless should only happen on roller coasters, not falling off a cliff. As I tumble through the darkness, the only thought in my head is that I wish I could have told them all I want to be a part of their family, too. I come to an abrupt stop with a thud and a flash of pain radiates up my left arm.

I smell it before I see it. It’s like being in a horror movie. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop myself from looking. The blood looks black in the moonlight, but even without color, my lizard brain knows exactly what it is. My vision starts to gray out and I struggle to keep myself conscious. I reach up to rub my right temple to try and clear my head but pull my hand back when I touch wetness.

Did I fall in a puddle?

Bringing my hand into my line of sight, I notice it’s covered in a wet sticky substance.How big of a puddle did I land in?I look down and around me and there’s no sign of moisture anywhere around me. In fact, the ground is extremely dry and hard…

My confusion leaves me when I see a drop of dark liquid fall to the ground in front of my face. I bring my hand closer to my face and sniff.

I don’t even have time to lay back down before my vision completely blacks out…Head wounds bleed a lot, don’t they?

Before the darkness completely consumes me, I hear a rustling noise from above. Letting out a whimper, I hope whatever it is happens to be an herbivore.

CHAPTER 14

SPENCER

“SPENCER!”

Avery’s panicked yell sends me crashing through the undergrowth. Her voice came from the direction of the area we’ve nicknamed the Canyon because of the topography. It’s not too deep, but the drops are dangerous. Three sides are steep enough to be troublesome, but we’ve had to put a few animals out of their misery over the time we’ve been around when they have fallen from the northern drop… the side that Avery is standing atop of.

I never would have thought that her tracking abilities would surpass mine, but apparently hunting with your uncles trumps scout camp. Either way, she found his trail in under ten minutes from the time she got out of her car.

As I reach the edge of the canyon, I slow down to make sure I don’t cause the ledge to crumble away beneath our feet. This side gets more and more unstable every year, and I can already see where parts have fallen away since the last time I was out here. Avery’s light is pointed down into the bowl of the canyon, but I can’t see what she’s seeing yet.

The look she gives me when she faces my approach has my blood freezing in my veins.

“No,” I tell her. “Tell me he is not down there. Tell me it’s justanother clue. It’s not him putting that look on your face.”

“Spence,” she says, swallowing hard. “I can’t tell from up here if he’s just hurt or if he is… is…

“You and the guys know how to get down there safely. I don’t. I need your help to get to him.Heneeds your help.”

The memories of all of the deer carcasses I’ve had to drag from the base of this drop-off keep flashing in my brain. If he is dead, I don’t want to see it. I can’t have that image in my head.

On the other hand, if Lucky is hurt badly enough that Avery can’t tell from up here, every second counts. The thought that my hesitancy could cost him his life makes me move. I grab my friend’s hand and start pulling her to the path that will get us safely into the bowl of the canyon to reach him. I can hear Avery praying as I lead her to him. I’m not a religious man, but I send a quick one up myself.

Please let him be alive.

---