partial flip, allowing him to land on his back and side rather than his head. His left hip and torso took the brunt of the fall. He gasped to get the air back into his lungs.
Wiggling fingers and toes told him he wasn’t paralyzed. The searing pain that cut through his chest when he pushed up on an elbow was possibly a broken rib but most likely a bad bruise. He’d live.
Fear gripped him when he realized he hadn’t heard anything from Kyndal. “Kyn?” The darkness swallowed his word, making it almost inaudible even to him. He breathed deeply, holding his side, and forced his voice. “Kyndal!”
A low moan came from somewhere to his left. He eased up onto his feet. As he raised his arm to wipe his face, the hands on his watch seemed to float in midair. They put off a ghostly glow, but it gave him something to focus on as he stepped gingerly in the direction of her sound, keeping his arms out to feel his way. “Kyndal? Where are you? Talk to me, baby, so I can find you.”
“Uuungh.”
He turned his ear toward the sound and redirected his steps. “That’s it. Lead me with your voice.”
“Chance? Ooowww.”
His heartbeat went wild. He didn’t know whether to be thrilled that she’d spoken or terrified because she was in pain. “Keep making noise, Kyn. C’mon, babe.”
“Chance!” Kyndal’s voice grew to a cry of alarm. “I hit my head. Everything’s so black, I’m afraid I’m blind!”
“No, you’re not.” Spurred by her fear, he groped his way toward the voice through the enveloping blackness. “It’s just the dark, Kyndal. We’ll find a way to get some light. Just let me find you first.”
Her soft sobbing pulled him to the right this time. The thick darkness was nearly tangible, like a living creature. It wrapped around him and squeezed, made his breathing come fast, licked at the sweat on the back of his neck. He needed to touch Kyndal. If he could touch her, things would be okay. “Are you wearing a watch?”
“Ye—yeah.” The word broke on a snubbed breath. She wasn’t too far away. A few more feet.
“Look at your watch. Are the hands glowing? Can you see the hands?”
“No!” A panicked shriek this time. “Oh, my God, Chance! I can’t—I can’t see them! Ohhh.”
Something soft against his foot. He dropped to one knee and felt. A backpack. Please let it be mine. “Kyn, listen to me. Shhh. Don’t panic.” He could hear her panting—maybe going into shock. He located a zipper and jerked it open. “I’ve found one of the bags, and I’ve got it open. If it’s mine, there’ll be a light in just a second.”
He took a blind inventory of the contents. Two bottles of water. One crushed and leaking. A small first aid kit.
He plunged through the contents to the very bottom and grabbed the emergency flashlight his mom had put in his stocking last Christmas. A novelty item—a flashlight with no batteries, modeled after ones used in World War II. He’d thought it pretty useless at the time but had put it in the “cave bag.” Now, as he squeezed the hand pump on the bottom and watched the tiny bulb begin to glow, he thought it was the most wonderful item ever invented.
The beam broke through the inky blackness and landed on Kyndal about ten feet away, huddled into a tiny ball, knees pulled to her chest. Her head jerked up at the sound of his movement toward her. She squinted and then her eyes grew wide as she jumped up to meet him, flinging her arms around his neck. “Oh, Chance,” she sobbed, “I’m not blind. I was so scared.”
He pulled her against him, lifting her completely off the floor and buried his face in her hair. “Shhh. It’s okay. You’re okay.” He gritted his teeth against the pain in his side, but he couldn’t bring himself to let her go. He held her, breathing deeply, stroking her hair. His stomach did a somersault when his hand came away wet.
Gently, he set her on her feet. “Kyn, I think you’re bleeding.”
She winced and eased herself down into a sitting position. “Yeah. My ankle’s hurt. I landed on one foot, I think, then fell backward and hit my head.” She sat down, removed her hiking boot and sock, and pulled up her pants leg. He stooped to examine it, noticing the shattered lantern behind her. Her ankle had already begun to bruise and