Page 90 of Wrecked
I fight through the intense wind, making my way to where I see a drop-off. I inspect all along the ridge, but I don’t see her anywhere. My visual acuity is impaired, the rain coming down so hard it’s almost painful.
“I don’t see you!”
“Over the edge! I fell over the edge!”
I run to where I hear her voice and grab ahold of the nearest tree as I peak over the edge of the cliff.
Holy fuck.
She’s hanging onto a branch, the high winds swinging her back and forth. I need to move fast. I look around me, trying to find something I can use to get her back up.
Nothing.
There’s fucking nothing.
Without thinking, I strip down to my boxers. I tie my shirt and pants together, making a rope of sorts. I hang on to one of the legs of my pants and toss the other end over the edge of the cliff. She’s only a couple feet down, so the length is perfect.
“Grab a hold of that, Ellie. Tie the shirt around your waist as tight as you can and then wrap your arms around the pant leg. You’re going to have to climb, okay?”
She looks up at me like I’ve lost my mind. Honestly, this is a stupid idea, but it’s the only one I’ve got. There is a hurricane coming, and she’s not going to be able to hang on much longer.
“I didn’t mean what I said,” she shouts up to me, desperate for me to hear those words.
“Later, Pip.”
“No, now, Nate.” I know why she is saying that.
I’m not going to let her have those thoughts.
“Tell me when you get up here,” I say sternly. She takes a deep breath and gives me a small nod.
She ties the shirt around her waist, switching hands so that she can maintain her hold on the branch. She double knots the sleeves and then holds onto the pant leg, wrapping it around her hand to ensure she has a strong hold. I sit down, wrapping my legs around the tree near the edge of the cliff so that I don’t fall over.
“Okay, I’m going to pull, and you’re going to use your legs to climb.Do notlet go of the pant leg, okay?”
“Okay,” she yells back, a semblance of confidence in her voice.
“Okay, I’m going to start pulling you up, I need you to slide down the branch and stand up. Once you feel yourself start to lift, lean back a little and use your feet against the cliff wall.”
“Got it!”
I wait until Ellie is standing at the end of the branch. I can feel the gusts of wind try to yank her small body off of the cliff,but she stays steady. I start to pull, and she starts to climb. She climbs up several feet when the shirt that is tied around her small body tears apart from the strain. Her dead weight yanks down on the pant leg in my hand. The wind whips my shirt down the cliffside, the only thing keeping Ellie from falling is her hold on the pant leg.
“Oh my god!” she screams, sheer terror in her voice.
“Hang on, baby!” I have never felt fear the way I do right now, but I need to keep it together for her. “I’m going to keep pulling, and I need you to climb fast!”
I pull on my pants as fast as I can, but easy enough so that I don’t yank them right out of her hand. She’s only got a couple more feet to go, so I lean over the cliff and reach for her as I continue to pull. I loop my arm underneath hers and pull her body as I pull on the pant leg. She doesn’t weigh a lot, but the force of the wind makes her feel fifty pounds heavier than she is.
Finally, I pull her over the edge, and she lands in my lap, breathing heavily and shaking from the adrenaline. I wrap my bare arms around her, hugging her close to my body as she wraps her legs around my waist.
I pull back so I can look her in the face. “What were you thinking?” I cry out, panting heavily. “What the fuck were you thinking?” My voice shakes both with fear and relief. I palm her face and bring her closer to my lips. I pepper kisses everywhere I can reach.
The wind around us amplifies, and I can tell the hurricane will reach the shore soon. We need to get somewhere safe. I’d noticed a cave system about twenty feet from the cliffs. That will be the safest place for us to wait out the hurricane. I just hope other wildlife in the area don’t have the same idea.
I pull her to her feet, grab my jeans, and we run. The rain pelts me in the face, leaving a sting behind. It doesn’t slow medown. The need to get Ellie somewhere safe is the only thing driving me. Finally, I see the caves up ahead.
We enter the cavern, soaked and out of breath. I look around the dwelling, noting there has definitely been wildlife in here before. It doesn’t appear that anything is living here now, but this is a deep cave system, so we might not run into the same luck if we explore any further.
