14Chapter Two:
It was a beautiful day – perfect for hiking.
It was cool out with a nice gentle breeze from the south, but the sun was out in a clear sky.
'Absolutely perfect.' She said allowed to no one in particular as she stood on the front porch.
'I packed you a little something for the walk.' Her Gran's voice made her start and she turned to see her come forward with a small bag of cookies and cakes.
'Naw, thanks Gran!'
'Your father still doesn't want to go I hear.'
'Mm-hmm. Wants to watch the footy as usual.'
Her Grandmother looked worried.
'How far to the peak anyways? Dad said only two hours, but, don't know if I quite trust him on that one.'
Her grandmother sighed. 'More like three, sweetie. But you should get there maybe a little quicker if you walk at a brisk pace. Have you got your phone?'
'Of course.'
Her Gran looked slightly appeased. 'There are several towers out here Rick said. You should be able to get plenty of reception to call if you need to.'
'Don't worry Gran!' She kissed her wrinkly cheek with a smile. 'Trust me! I looked on the map last night, and my phone is fully charged and ready to go. Plus it has GPS. And I have enough supplies packed for a week in the bush if I need to. The net said heaps of people go walking out this way. Families and stuff. I'll be fiiine.'
Her Gran still looked too pale for Sara's liking and so she gave her a warm hug with a chuckle.
'I love you Gran. And I love you for worrying.' She pulled back from the embrace and then looked over her Grandmothers shoulder into the house and yelled 'Yeah, I'm leaving Dad. Thanks for coming with me!'
A muffled response greeted her as well as loud cheering from the TV and Sara shook her head with an amused grin.
'Well, I better get a move on. It's getting late and I want to be at the peak in plenty of time to take some good pics.'
'Don't stay too long out there, honey.'
'I will call you from the top. How's that?'
Her Gran nodded and then Sara turned and bounded down the steps with a casual wave.
'See you this afternoon – and don't let Dad veg in front of the TV all day, kay!'
She didn't hear her Grandmothers response as she was already across the field and through the back gate.
.
There were plenty of other people on the trail up the hill exactly as Sara had thought there would be.
She saw a few couples, several singles and even a family of five. And so, any fear that her grandmother had subconsciously instilled was banished within an hour of the walk.
She gave a friendly wave to the fourth person she had seen up the hill as she passed them taking some pictures of a tall aged oak and he gave a wide grin in return, dark eyes twinkling from beneath a tangle of blond hair.
Wow, he was kinda cute… Maybe I should slow up a bit…
Sara eased up a little, throwing a curious look over her shoulder.
He was snapping away on his camera though and he didn't look over her way.
The rest of the walk up the mountain was a little quieter. She passed a bubbling brook coming out of a hole in the ground – an underwater spring? – And then she took some photos further up on her phone of some vines twisted around a huge tree she couldn't identify.
'Wow… beautiful.' She breathed out loud.
I wonder how old this tree is? Amazing…
She had been there maybe five or ten minutes when she heard it.
A muffled cry from somewhere in the woods to her right. She stopped dead still her phone still held up to take another picture. Silence… and then;
'Help me – please!'
It was muffled as if smothered by something and it came from the woods to her right.
Goosebumps erupted down her arms and her hair stood on end as she heard it again, a little louder.
'Please! I'm stuck!'
Sara didn't even think. Her legs carried her quickly through the trees – with a quick look over her shoulder and up at the sun to keep her bearings – she hurried forward.
The male voice continued to cry out, getting louder as she hurried through the now denser foliage.
'Hello?' Sara called back, flinching as another branch hit her in the face as she pushed her way through trees and brush. 'Are you ok?'
'Hello! Can you hear me?' The voice sounded frantic still 'Help me, please! I'm stuck down here.'
Oh my God… Sara's heart was pounding now with adrenaline and she at last found the place she believed the voice was coming from.
It was a strange little clearing with a large twisted tree growing out of what looked like solid rock on the far side of it. A large gaping hole was at its base and inky blackness greeted her when she came closer.
'Are you there still?' Came the terrified cry.
'I'm here! Where are you?'
'Down here! Under the tree!'
Sara took off her backpack and threw it down on the ground to her side, her phone still clutched tightly in now shaking hands.
'Oh my God – are you ok?'
She knelt down and peered into the dark hole beneath the tree – it was perhaps an arm's length high and wide – and an earthy and strangely sweet scent greeted her.
'Help me; please… my foot is caught!'
'What the hell are you doing in there anyway?' She couldn't help but ask the question. Confined spaces scared the shit out of her, and the fact that some crazy guy had wanted to crawl in there was utterly beyond her.
'I dropped my camera and came to get it-'
Sara paused. The guy from before? His voice sounds young enough…
She gritted her teeth and delayed but a second before she said; 'Hold on. I'm coming in.'
Later she would curse herself for not calling for some kind of help on her phone. Even perhaps calling her Gran to let her know… or something.
She cursed under her breath at the entrance and then taking a deep breath to steady her nerves slid into the underground space and landed unceremoniously on her side.
It took her a second to catch her breath and she took a quick look around. The space under the tree was larger than she had anticipated and she looked up at the beam of light above her head and swore.
How the hell was she going to get this guy out if he was too hurt to walk or stand? In fact, how was she going to crawl back out? She belatedly looked down at her phone and cursed again when she saw there was zero reception.
The stranger didn't give her time to think further however as he pleaded for her to help him.
'Hold on, I can't see anything. I'm coming – it'll be ok' using the light of her phone she shone it in front of her and just made out the shape of a person huddled up on the far wall, just a few feet away.
She couldn't see his features in the dim light, and it looked like he was wearing a hoodie or something pulled up over his head.
'Help me.'
'Everything will be ok. I will get you out of-'
Sara's next words were cut off in a tremendous crash of earth and rock slamming together and she screamed through the sound, spinning to see in horror that the opening – and the only way out – had caved in.
She spun back, breathing hard, 'are you alright? Are you there?'
She wished she had been able to keep the hysteria from her voice, but her claustrophobia was kicking in with a vengeance.
No answer.
'Oh my god oh my god. He's dead and I'm alone in here. Trapped… holy sh-'
Her thought process didn't get much further. From dead in front of her came a very calm and very deep voice.
'I am here.'
The scream that tore from her throat was one of realization.
The guy wasn't hurt. Never was.
'Do not scream.'
The order terrified her more and she turned and tried to run, but only met cold earth and twisted tree roots. She slammed hard into the wall and stumbled to the ground, crawling, trying to get away in the darkness.
She had dropped her phone when he had spoken and her hands groped in front of her as she desperately searched for it.
Her hand instead touched what felt like a sturdy leather boot and she snatched her hand back with a startled gasp and flipping onto her backside gave a hard kick upwards, her heel connecting.
It didn't stop the stranger however.
A hand managed to find her and grabbing the back of her shirt and she was pulled to her feet roughly.
'Enough.'
She tried to push the man away, his chest like immovable rock.
'Let me go! What the hell is-'
Her next words never came.
A dreamless sleep was thrust on her and everything was forgotten.