Catalyst

Catalyst

Ross Richdale

© 2011 Ross Richdale

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*

There is an a cave-in at Misty Depths Catacombs,
Wyoming and Renee Bonnet finds herself stranded with a broken ankle
and two strangers, Lem, a business man and a runaway teenager,
Courtney. The cave is the catalyst but the events depend on the new
catalyst, Renee, who finds herself drawn into the lives of her
companions

Catalyst is a gripping action story of three people
trapped in a cave together. They learn to trust and depend on each
other not knowing whether they will survive the ordeal or not. It
is a romantic drama that combines the sheer force of nature with
the frailty of human emotions, greed, jealousy, passion,
companionship and love.

This is a rescue story that does not stop when the
victims are rescued but continues, as real life does, to mould new
lives for the lonely characters.

Chapter 1

Renee Bonnett was scared, really scared. Her heart
raced as another cloud of fine dust clouded her safety glasses but
she did not dare move her sweaty hands from the wall to wipe them
clean.

Take slow deep breaths and relax, she advised
herself. Yes, that was easy to say in the security of the small
reception room of the national park service building. Why did she
insist on avoiding the commercialized cave of Wyoming Bighorn
Caverns for the unexplored Misty Depths Catacombs nearer the
Montana border? Was she trying to prove something to herself again
or had the name attracted her?

She swallowed, shook a strand of auburn hair aside,
and turned her head. The light from the helmet's flashlight moved
with her to cast an eerie beam along the wall. Half a dozen paces
ahead, Sam, their Native American guide, turned and grinned. .

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Fine," she lied and attempted deep breathing.

"The roof gets lower but this is as narrow as it
goes," Sam continued.

That was all she needed.

The cave was barely six feet wide at this point, but
one redeeming factor was the ceiling that towered into darkness
above them and gave some feeling of space to relieve the
claustrophobia. After an hour of narrow, twisting passages, Renee
was ready to return to the main cavern but the other three plodded
relentlessly on.

"It gets to you a bit." A second male voice said from
behind.

Renee turned, her flashlight picked up the speaker
and she smiled. This quiet guy, Lem she remembered his name was,
had spoken little during their expedition, but when he did his
voice sounded reassuring. It was as if he knew she was anxious. He
was third in line with a teenage girl whose name she'd forgotten,
came up in the rear.

"Yes," she replied. "I love the huge caverns with the
stalactites and stalagmites, but these narrow passages…" Her voice
trailed off.

"You're lucky," Lem said. "I'm so wide I reckon I'll
be wedged like a cork in a bottle if it gets any narrower, while
you'll stroll along as if it was High Street."

"Doubt it," she replied and had to chuckle. His bulky
jacket, one with zip pockets everywhere, did make him look
rotund.

His chatter helped her gain confidence as she
concentrated on the next section. The cave twisted so much that her
companions were often out of sight with only their flashlight beams
dancing along the walls beside her. Their heavy breathing and the
crunch of footfalls provided the security she needed as she bowed
her head to avoid hitting the limestone above.

"A short section on all fours is coming up." Sam's
voice floated back and Renee had to smile at Lem's audible
sigh.

All fours!

Hell, it was slithering forward on one's stomach and
worse, far worse, than anything yet encountered. She used elbows
and knees to propel her body forward so she shut her eyes and tried
to imagine a blue sky above.

"This is the bit where it's so much easier for you,"
Lem panted from behind. "I think I'd better take my jacket
off."

His flashlight dropped back. Renee swallowed and
wriggled on until the walls parted, the ceiling disappeared into
darkness, and they could stand again. She accepted a fruit bar
distributed by Sam and wiped her safety glasses.

"How are you, now?" Lem asked

"Not too bad, thanks," she replied with forced
lightness. "That last bit was claustrophobic, though."

"I'm hot," Sam confessed and removed the backpack he
was carrying. "The main cavern makes it all worthwhile. We can take
a different route back. It's longer, but isn't such a squeeze."

"Now he tells us," Lem said with a chuckle.

****

Renee was in the next narrow section when a distant
rumble became a roar. The walls gyrated. Before her mind could
comprehend what was happening the ceiling split open and a deluge
of gray earth dropped in front of her eyes.

It was sheer terror. Flashlight beams twisted around
and disappeared. In complete darkness, she felt gritty sludge grip
her body. It was as if some giant was rubbing sandpaper down her
body. The air filled with choking dust, stung her eyes, and she
couldn't breathe.

Seconds later, another sensation pierced her
petrified mind… she was falling.

A hollow rasping scream that ricocheted from a dozen
places was her own, for she was not a narrow passage but a massive
open space. The darkness spun, her head hit something hard and her
helmet banged. The sensation of vertigo filled her mind, her
stomach lurched and she felt dizzy and disoriented. Her limbs stung
from gravel burns. She heard a sort of clunk and excruciating pain
shot through her right foot. Something was wrong!

After an eternity it seemed, she landed on something
soft, heard a gasp, and realized there was a person beneath
her.

More sensations.

The falling motion stopped, but she still slid on a
pile of debris. Her flashlight and helmet had gone. Choking chalk
dust filled her mouth. A guttural cough cleared this, but the
particles continued to tickle her throat. Lem slipped by in a pile
of rubble with his flashlight lighting up a million dust particles.
Beyond him, another flashlight jerked haphazardly.

At least she wasn't alone. Her leg hit something and
she shrieked. It was too painful; her mind could not cope and she
slumped unconscious onto a cavern floor.

****

"Hi Renee," said the soft voice. "Can you hear
me?"

Renee felt an arm around her shoulders and a cold
moist object pressed to her lips. God, her mouth was like chalk.
She sipped. Water shot into her mouth to send her into a spasm of
coughing as she opened her eyes.

"Take it slowly, now," Lem said and held the plastic
mug to her mouth again.

"What happened?" Renee gasped and attempted to sit
up. A spasm of pain shot up her right side.

"You twisted or broke your ankle, I'm afraid," Lem
said. "Otherwise, I think you're fine. It's good to have someone to
talk to."

Renee pushed her hands back, and with Lem's help,
managed to pull herself up into a sitting position. She glanced
around and saw millions of tiny blue pinpoints of light far above.
Could they be outside in the darkness? It was warm and still with
Lem's helmet flashlight the only source of illumination.

"Where are we?" She gasped.

"A cavern. Those are glowworms above us."

"But how?"

"I'm not sure. When we were walking along the passage
I heard a rumble and glanced up to see the ceiling coming down. I
fell and just kept going. The floor wasn't there any longer."

"That's right. I remember seeing the ceiling
collapse."

"Yeah." The man grinned and held out the mug of
water. "We dropped twenty feet and slid a couple hundred more. Your
ankle was probably caught between some rocks. When we reached the
bottom I saw it was twisted. Both of you were out cold."

"Both of us? Who else is here?"

"Courtney, the youngster who was behind me. She was
knocked out in the fall."

Renee muttered, "What about the guide?"

"Sam's nowhere around, so chances are he wasn't
caught in the landslide. Our backpacks came with us and I found a
coil of rope. Sam probably tossed it down for us to use and has
gone back to get help. It'll be three hours at least before anybody
can get back to us. We're a fair way down." Lem shrugged. "My
biggest casualty is my jacket. I can't find it anywhere. Remember,
I'd just taken it off. It's a pity. I had bits and pieces in my
pockets."

Renee studied her companion for the first time when
he stood and walked a few paces to examine the girl. Lem would be a
few years older than her. He was clean-shaven with a five o'clock
shadow across his tanned face. His dark hair receded, but like his
weight, did not detract from his muscular appearance.

Lem glanced up. "It's the bump I'm worried about," he
said in a soft voice as he unfastened the girl's helmet and placed
it on the ground. "She got a real wallop on the head. The helmet
absorbed most of the blow, but a bruise is appearing."

He held the long blonde hair up to show an egg-shaped
bruise behind the left ear.

"Are you a doctor?" Renee asked.

"No such luck," Lem replied and chuckled. "I've done
a couple first aid courses. That's about the limit of my medical
knowledge."

He placed his backpack under Courtney's head, rubbed
her hands, and gave her a gentle shake. Apart from a slight moan,
there was no reaction, so he covered her with a jacket and turned
back to Renee.

"At least it's warm in here," she said.

"These deep caves usually are," Lem commented. "It
could be a hundred degrees outside or freezing below, but in here
it stays about seventy all year round."

Their eyes linked and they both smiled.

Renee coughed, grimaced in pain, and looked past her
companions. Three stalagmites stood like Roman columns a few feet
away. Beyond was darkness with no sign whatsoever of the hole
they'd fallen through. In the opposite direction, the glowworms
seemed a hundred miles away. She pushed her good leg through loose
white dust and wriggled her bottom into a more comfortable
position.

"Well, I'd rather be here than in that narrow
tunnel," Lem said. He frowned at Renee's dysfunctional leg. "I'll
get us something to eat. I'm sure it's about time we got stuck into
those prepackaged lunches we were given."

"No thanks," Renee answered. "I doubt if my stomach
could handle anything at the moment, but I wouldn't mind more to
drink."

"Sure," Lem replied. "Hot or cold? There's a thermos
bottle of coffee."

"Coffee please, but what about yourself? Did you get
hurt during your fall?"

"Abrasions and bruises. Nothing worse. I guess I was
lucky." He stood up. "I'll get the coffee."

****

Two hours turned into three and then into four, but
Lem's constant prattle kept Renee optimistic. Their younger
companion woke to a semi delirious state and was violently ill.
Though open, the girl's eyes rolled into her head and she did not
respond to Renee or Lem's voices. After jerking in a spasm she
lapsed back into unconsciousness.

"Concussion," Lem muttered as he felt the girl's
pulse. "I think she's over the worst, though."

Renee nodded. "Poor kid. I hope Sam arrives back
soon."

Though she didn't want to burden Lem by complaining
she didn't feel good. Her body ached and her head thumped in a
terrible headache.

Lem glanced at her and frowned. "I'll get you more
painkillers," he whispered.

"More?"

Lem reddened in the glare of the flashlight. "I added
a dose to that water I gave you," he admitted. "Some object to
pills, but you weren't in a better state than Courtney is now so
I..." He gave a shrug.

"I don't have any hang-ups," Renee said. "Well, no
health ones. If it helps to relieve the pain, I'm all for it."

She appreciated this considerate man and was curious
about him. In the hours they were together he'd said nothing about
his personal life. They'd talked about caves, tourism, a bit on
current events, but nothing personal.

"Do you mind if I turn the light out?" Lem's voice
interrupted her thoughts. "It might pay to conserve power."

"Sure, go ahead."

Nothing else was said, but Lem's voice gave her the
impression he was concerned about the time that had gone by.
Blackness soon became gray with the closer cave walls visible.
Overhead, the number of tiny pins of blue glowworm lights
multiplied by the minute, like a gigantic cathedral. Accompanying
the view was complete silence, seldom noticed on the surface with
the usual wind, insects, birds and noises of human habitation.