Finding the Fallen

Chapter 16

"Ahhh!" he nearly shouted, his head jerking up and his hands moving instinctively to his ears. "Sonofabitch!"

"Merik?" Kala spoke in the darkness. He was in a sitting position now; he could feel the cold earth beneath him. As the shrill sound faded, he could hear the soft rush of water nearby. He could sense he was leaning against a tree. Someone was hastily trying to remove his shoes and socks. Given the signs, it seemed they were back in the woods.

"Oh, please tell me we didn't jump off another bluff...where are we?" he mumbled, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs.

"Have a nice nap, Sleepy?" Logan's voice echoed gently off the surrounding trees.

Merik groaned and continued to hold his head in his hands. He could feel Kala move closer to him; the smell of her body and hair was intoxicating even in his injured state. Her hands touched his shoulder and slid down to his side. It was then he realized he was shirtless. The tough bark of the tree felt like it was grinding into his back. He heard every little sound that managed to rise above the gentle gurgling of the stream.

Kala was gingerly examining his wound when he lowered his hands and opened his eyes. A flash of light nearly blinded him. He closed his eyes again quickly in defense, but the damage had been done.

"Turn off that damn flashlight!" he said in frustration. White circles floated across his closed eyelids.

"What flashlight, man?" Logan replied.

--------------------

"Merik?" Kala said again, only this time she did not attempt to hide the concern in her voice. "Open your eyes, please. What do you see?"

"Damn, I feel like shit," was Merik's weak reply. "How long have I been out?"

"Not long," she answered. "What do you see?" Kala could barely make out Merik's face in the blackness that surrounded them in the lush forest that buffered the stream. She knew the forest wasn't very deep, only a hundred yards or so on either side of the flowing water, but it was extremely dense. The moonlight did not reach the forest floor here. Having Logan and the rapidly fading glow of the single light stick he carried helped, but it had taken them longer than she hoped to get to the stream once they entered the forest.

Merik groaned, and she thought she saw his eyelids flicker. "Merik, are you OK?" she continued to prod him. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well, let's see," Merik began, pain indicative in his tone. "It was night, and Geronimo over there had just led us off a cliff to our near death." Kala moved her face closer to his, and in the faint light of the glow stick, she could tell his eyes were now open. He was pointing in Logan's direction.

"What are you doing?" he asked, slowly turning to face her. Their eyes locked for a moment.

"Can you see him, Merik?" she asked slowly.

"Did I get stabbed in the eye, and I just don't remember it? Of course, I can see. It's daybreak. I can see both of you." He pointed in the direction of the stream. "Water's over there." He pointed at Logan again. "There's the big guy."

Kala's chin dropped. Logan's probably did the same, only she couldn't see it to confirm her hypothesis. His reply did that for her, though.

"What the hell are you on?" Logan said, incredulous. "It's pitch black. You've only been out for about half an hour, man. Dawn's still at least another hour or more away. The only light we've got is this wimpy thing." He held up the dwindling glow stick.

--------------------

Now it was Merik's turn to stare dumbfounded at the two Servants sitting beside him. What were they talking about? He could see them just fine. It was still early, but dawn had definitely arrived in West Virginia, at least as far as he could tell.