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“I’m the lightest. The bridge will hold me and him. I’m sure of it,” I exclaimed.
He was practically seething, the light smattering of rain causing a sheen across his forehead.
“I can do this,” I yelled out, a crack of thunder drowning out my words as soon as they left my lips.
With a heavy sigh, his fingers slowly released me. His eyes burned with his reluctance.
“You be careful out there, little girl. Don’t do anything foolish,” he warned. I swallowed hard. There was nothing in his expression indicating that any of that was said in jest, so I nodded quickly, letting him know I understood. I glanced down at the belt and back at him.
“Yes, sir,” I said.
“Come back to me,” he declared. His voice shook with emotion, and I tried not to think too much into it.
“I will. I promise,” I shouted. I turned back, using both handhelds to slide forward. I took each step with great care as rapidly as I could, knowing that Jamie’s time was growing thin. The journey to him seemed long, but he’d made it about two thirds of the way across. I unbuckled one belt and looped it around the lower rung, shifting my wight back and forth. He swung his other arm through it, looking at me with sheer desperation as his lower half swung in the wind. I kept my knee soft.
“Use your legs. Don’t just use up all the energy in your arms,” I shouted. The winds were starting to pick up, drowning out much of my voice. He must have heard me though, because he swung his right leg up high enough so that much of his weight was on straddled toward one side.
The cord creaked, but I knew it would hold.
“Use that arm hold to pull yourself up,” I shrieked.
He tried but his hand slipped at the last moment. I gripped hard and threw myself forward, grabbing his hand just in time. The belt cut into my arm, but it held fast. I used every bit of strength in my upper body to yank him up far enough so that he could grab the other belt loop and pull himself the rest of the way up.
Thankfully, this time he did.
“Take a deep breath. You got this,” I shouted. Jamie’s eyes were solely focused on me, but he was still pretty panicked.
“Keep your knees bent. Use both loops. Don’t move until you feel stable,” I added.
He sucked in a big breath and slowly blew it out.
“It’s not that much farther. Stay with me,” I blurted out. I slid my feet backwards, using the one belt while he used two. We made it all the way to the other side before a pair of strong arms wound around my waist and pulled me back.
“Ryker. I’m fine,” I scoffed, and his arms squeezed a bit tighter before they released me. Jamie stumbled onto the ridge beside me, breathing heavy and throwing himself down flat on his back in sheer relief to have made it.
Ryker’s face was unreadable.
“Why don’t we find cover and make our way to Cressida when the rain stops,” I stated.
His grip around my waist finally lessened.
“I’m alright,” I added, and he nodded, finally releasing me from his grasp. He looked around like he was remembering that he was in front of others for the first time and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down a bit drastically.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he mumbled, the emotion still obvious in his tone. Luckily, Jamie’s heavy breathing was enough to cover it up. I grabbed my backpack and slung it back over my shoulders.
“Let’s go,” I called out. Ryker followed, his expression pensive. I kept my eyes on the ground, watching for loose rock or slick mud. Eventually, we found a spot that was partially covered and waited out the rain in silence. I found myself glancing back at him from time to time, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
When he happened to catch me looking, my heart swelled.
It was enough to make me wonder… What if?
I struck the thought from my mind almost as quickly as it had come. He cocked an eyebrow, probably catching the look of horror on my face, but I said nothing.
When the rain finally stopped, it was late in the afternoon. Ryker suggested we keep moving and I took up my spot behind him as he returned to his role in the lead. We climbed down the other side of the ridge into a much more gradual valley. He pulled out a compass and a few instruments, pausing several times until he got a good idea of our coordinates.
We stumbled on a clearing a short time later. In the center of it was a crumbling two-story building. There was a single wooden sign that had been painted, but the only discernable letter on it was a C.
We’d found Cressida Labs.
