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We looked down the path he’d cleared and saw open grassland ahead of us. We sped up, everyone pushing harder now that we knew this was the final stretch. A few minutes later, we saw the rope bridge ahead of us. We hurried towards it…and then faltered and stopped.
The thing was a piece of crap. There’d been no way to tell when we saw it last night in the distance, but the ropes were old and fraying and it sagged on one side, so the planks you were meant to step on were sloping. The planks that were still there: about one in four were missing so you could see straight down to the river below.
“We could climb down,” said Colton.
“That’d take hours, it’s a sheer cliff,” said JD. “Plus, the river’s flowing too fast to cross, especially with the stretcher.” He thought for a moment. “Cal, you go first to keep us covered. Once you’re across, Colton and I will take the stretcher over. Then the rest of us will go one at a time, so there’s not too much weight. Danny, you go last so you can watch our backs.”
Everyone nodded. Cal stepped onto the bridge. There was a slight creak, but everything seemed fine. He took another step—
There was a crack like a gunshot and the plank he’d stepped on fell away. Cal fell through the hole and only just managed to catch himself in time. He hung there panting, his whole lower body hanging in space, a hundred feet above the rock-strewn river.
I ran forward to grab him but Cal waved me back. “I’m okay! I’m okay!”
I froze…then nodded and stayed off the bridge. The less weight we had on it at once, the better.
We all held our breath as Cal climbed back up. Colton looked especially pale.
Cal started to move again, this time testing each plank and skipping the ones he didn’t like the look of. The bridge creaked worryingly when he reached the middle: you could hear the ropes straining, but they held. A few moments later, Cal made it across and we all let out a sigh of relief.
“Okay,” said JD. “Colton, let’s get the stretcher across.”
He picked up the front end of Dr. Guzman’s stretcher. Colton walked around to the back. But with each step, the big guy moved slower. He bent and picked up the stretcher’s bamboo handles and when he straightened up, he’d gone sheet-white. JD, facing away from him at the front, didn’t see.
“Let’s do this,” said JD. And he started forward towards the bridge. Colton followed, walking like a man on the way to his own execution. I got a bad feeling.
JD stepped onto the bridge and started across. Colton walked up to the edge…and then he just stopped.
JD was taken by surprise and almost dropped the stretcher when it suddenly stopped moving. He turned to look back over his shoulder. “Colton?”
Colton shook his head once, twice. Olivia hurried forward and took the stretcher from him and she and JD reversed course and carried it off the bridge.
Colton paced, scowling at the ground and cursing. “Colton?” I asked gently. “What’s up, buddy?” But I was fairly sure I already knew. I’d seen that look on people’s faces before, that primal fear.
Colton didn’t answer at first, too busy cursing up a storm. But when he saw everyone looking at him, he violently shook his head. “I don’t like heights.” And then he started cursing himself again, telling himself how stupid and pathetic he was. The poor guy was humiliated.
JD came over and waved the rest of us back. We all gave them some space. JD sat Colton down on the ground and talked to him, quiet and relaxed. I couldn’t hear what he said, but I got the tone: fatherly, gentle. He didn’t yell at Colton or make him feel dumb. And when Colton looked at the bridge and shook his head—I can’t do it—JD put his hand on his shoulder and nodded. Yes you can. And while we waited, no one bitched about it, or made fun of Colton. I liked that about this team.
After a few minutes, Colton nodded and got to his feet and he and JD picked up the stretcher. I could see Colton muttering to himself, psyching himself up, and I found I was digging my nails into my palms, willing him on.
“Eyes on me,” JD reminded Colton. And then they were off across the bridge, carefully testing each plank as they went. With the weight of three people on the bridge, the ropes creaked even more, and it felt like the whole thing stretched and sank as they reached the middle. But as they passed it, the bridge rose again and a few minutes later they reached the other side. Colton slumped in relief: I thought he was going to kiss the ground. Everyone relaxed. If the bridge held for them, it should be fine for the rest of us, if we went one at a time.
