Chapter 42
Chapter
Forty-Two
A thin layer of morning sun filtered through the canopy, heating the air just enough to make the first arrivals sweat as they reached Serena’s checkpoint. They trudged up the trail in a small group, breathless and smiling. She lifted her radio and keyed the button. “Alicia, this is Serena at the final checkpoint. The first climbers have arrived.”
A moment later, Alicia’s voice crackled through. “Great. Keep me posted if they need anything.”
Serena set the radio aside and offered the participants protein bars and sports drinks. Some took grateful sips, while others quickly inspected their harnesses, eager to tackle the wall. A few spotters lingered below, ready to guide the climbers.
Serena felt a knot of tension coil inside her. If Logan hadn’t found all of the faulty equipment, someone could get hurt. Theo was still out there, trying to collect evidence. The thought only made her more uneasy.
The climbers moved upward with surprising speed, though their excitement soon mixed with the strain of the climb. Spotters on the ground offered cheers and occasional warnings. Serena kept an eye on each person, watching them make their careful ascent. Then her gaze snapped to a figure rappelling down at a startling pace.
As the rappelling figure came to the bottom of the cliff, she realized it was Kai. He landed in a slight crouch, stood, and briefly locked eyes with her. A flash of triumph crossed his face before he bolted away down the trail. Serena started after him, but she couldn’t leave her post. She raised her voice. “Kai, wait.”
He didn’t even glance back.
She grabbed her radio. “Logan, this is Serena. Kai just rappelled down the wall and ran off down the main trail. I don’t know what he was doing up there.”
Logan’s response crackled through, sounding tense. “Understood. I’m headed that way.”
Anxiety spiked as she imagined what Kai might have done at the summit. She scanned the top of the wall, searching for any sign of fresh trouble. Her thoughts buzzed with dire scenarios, but there was nothing she could do from down here except watch.
A piercing scream shattered the calm. Serena jerked her head upward. One of the climbers, a middle-aged woman, dangled from a secondary safety line. The main rope had snapped clean in two, and the climber had slammed against the rock. She now hung motionless, unconscious, her body limp in the harness.
Panic clenched in Serena’s chest. She saw the spotters rushing forward, shouting for help. Without a second’s hesitation, she sprinted to her medic tent and yanked open the flap. She snatched up her radio again. “Alicia, we have an emergency. One climber’s main rope snapped. She’s dangling by her backup and hit the wall hard. She’s unconscious.”
Alicia’s voice turned instantly urgent. “Serena, you’ll need a backboard to secure her. You have to get her down carefully, or you’ll risk further injury.”
“On it,” Serena said, snatching the backboard from her supplies. Her heart pounded as she thought of the height of the wall and the tangled lines. Every second she waited, the climber remained unconscious and vulnerable, suspended in midair.