AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They hadn’t been the first group of city kids I’d led on an expedition, but for some reason they’d been the ones who’d seemed to benefit the most from it. Maybe it was because I knew none of them had ever been out of the city— never slept under the canopy of aspen leaves and listened to their soft whirring sounds as an evening breeze passed through. Each of the boys in Bennett and Aiden’s group had needed this. Needed open space and fresh air and the time to use their imaginations without electronics, chores, or parents.
I looked around at eight smiling faces and had a moment of such gratitude for where my life had taken me, I wished I could have called Aunt Lolly and told her about it. When she’d finally settled us down in Colorado, I’d found my true home and purpose. And as much as it had killed me to lose both my dad and Bennett, I couldn’t imagine how different my life would have been had I stayed in the northeast.
Before I had a chance to get too emotional, I heard an unexpected squawk from my backpack. I rustled through the deep pockets until I found the wilderness radio I carried for emergencies. It was Gary. Probably trying to raise me on the radio to confirm our pickup at the trailhead the following day.
“Yeah,” I said into the radio. “I’m here. Hey, Gary.”
“Xander, good. I’m glad I got you. I think you were out of range earlier today. Everything okay out there?”
“Yeah. Just arrived at Caldera after the solo. All good. We should be to the pickup on time tomorrow.”
“That’s what I’m calling about, actually. We have a problem.”
“What’s up?” I asked as I noticed Bear following Bennett into the woods. I stifled a smile, thinking about Bennett’s reaction to whipping out his dick for a piss and finding a very large dog staring at him.
“It’s Jake. He’s injured,” Gary said through the radio. The sound was muffled through radio static, so I asked him to repeat it as nerves caused my heart rate to increase.
“Is he okay? What happened? How bad?” My words came tumbling out as I thought about my friend, as well as the group of younger children in his care.
“Just a sprained ankle, he thinks. The problem is, it happened after one of the kids went missing. He found the boy, but now he can’t get back by himself.”
“I’ll go,” I said without thinking. “I’ll go get him. Where is he?”
“On the northern slope of Lower Bower. He found a rocky overhang and set up a tent. Says he has plenty of food and the river is close enough for water. It’s just a matter of someone getting there and helping him get the kid back.”
I saw Bennett emerge from the woods, talking to Bear and shaking a finger at him. After waving to get his attention, I gestured for him and Aiden to join me while I told Gary to hang on. I told Aiden and Bennett what was happening and then clicked the radio back on.
“Gary, I can get there. There’s a shortcut between Caldera and Lower Bower. Aiden and Bennett can get this group to the trailhead tomorrow without me. It’s a straight shot.” I eyed the falling darkness around us. As badly as I wanted to get to Jake and the boy, I needed to be smart about it. “Gary, you said Jake is set for provisions and the kid’s not hurt?”
“Yep, they’re both okay. He said he and the boy decided to have an extra adventure.”
I understood what he was telling me. The boy would have been within earshot when Jake radioed in. He’d probably called the whole thing an adventure so the kid wouldn’t get scared.
“I’ll leave at first light. I should be able to make it there by nightfall or the very next morning.”
Bennett started to speak, but I held up a hand to stop him. He narrowed his eyes at me, but kept his mouth closed.
“Xander, there’s a giant river between you and Lower Bower. I’m not okay with you doing that river crossing alone,” Gary said.
Bennett grabbed the radio from my hand and pressed the button. “Gary, this is Bennett Crawford. He’s not going alone. I’m going with him. That’s one of my kids out there. Who is it?” I stiffened at Bennett’s words, but I didn’t interrupt the conversation since I could tell Bennett was desperate to know which kid was involved.
There was a pause while Gary seemed to regroup. “Mr. Crawford. I’m sorry about this. I promise you—”
“I understand, Gary. Just tell me. Who is it?” Bennett interrupted.
“Jimmy. And he’s fine. Just took off to see some snow, apparently. Jake says they’re holed up safely and playing lots of games to learn about plants and animals.”
