Free Shadow Cave by Angie West Page A

ponytail, securing the strands that had slipped out to frame my face. Civilization was gone . A few settlements were scattered along my way—crude structures, mostly—but I remembered the man at the hotel and immediately abandoned the idea of hiding the bag in one of them.
    I could not, in good conscience, put someone else in danger. That left only one choice, as I saw it ... I would have to bury the thing. I walked a little farther and kept a sharp eye on my surroundings , looking for a spot that would be both secure and easy to locate later. Landmarks…I needed landmarks. Two miles later, I stopped abruptly.
    “ Oh, this is perfect , ” I breathed. The clusters of brush would provide excellent cover , and the large rock up ahead would serve nicely as a landmark. I toed the ground lightly, testing the soil without disturbing it much. The ground was reasonably soft too.
    The thickest cluster of brush seemed to be the best choice so I approached it and knelt down. N othing in my pack would be use ful for digging , so I simply gripped the earth with both hands and pulled hard.
    Digging the hole took longer than I expected. It was nearly midnight when I stood and brushed grimy hands across my denim - clad thighs. I covered the area as thoroughly as my increasingly limited time allowed. There, that should do , I nodded in approval. I was covered in dirt, but at least I didn ’ t have to involve innocent bystanders in the mess I was in. The way I figured, a little dirt was a small price to pay for such peace of mind.
    I tossed my pack over my shoulder and stretched my arms to the sky. Rolling my shoulders back in a quick stretch I told myself to get a move on. There was still a lot of ground to cover.
    It was the tenth mile that did it, I lamented , dropping to the hard ground and trying in vain to stretch the ache out of my legs. I was tired, hungry, and in pain , and very certain that if I took another step my feet were going to fall off. The cold sandwich was fished out of my pack and ravished in record time before being washed down with the last of my now warm water. I sighed and took another bite. Was it too much to hope that wherever I ended up had water ? Alternate universes had water, didn ’ t they? Maybe there would be a Starbucks. A nice hotel and a bubble bath would be welcomed too.
    R ocky hills surrounded me as my back twisted from side to side . The cave sh ould be close, I knew. I took the maps out, unfolded one, and spread it over my lap. The light breeze in the night air rustled the thin paper , and I took the smaller of the two flashlights and put it between my teeth in order to see. Tracing the path I ’ d been wa l king , my fingernail tapped the spot marked as the general ending area. Yes, I was getting close ... very close.
    I folded the map and tucked it under my leg on the ground. The other two were more detailed. One was about three years old, while the other had been torn from a book. It was a copy of an old sketch of the area that I had found with the rest of Mike ’ s things. Once again I marvelled at how similar the images were to one another.
    “ Amazing , ” I breathed. “ Truly amazing. ” I clicked the switch on the small penlight to ‘ off ’ and stood up. According to the maps, I had a mile, if that, to go. I scanned the horizon carefully. There , just over that ridge . I hastily gathered the rest of my gear and started off at a brisk pace towards the ridge up ahead.
    An hour later my lungs were protesting and my previous aches — plus several new ones — were making themselves known again. Every discomfort was swiftly forgotten when I reached the top of the hill. The scene that stood tall and majestic before me was breathtakingly beautiful. I braced my hands on my thighs and leaned over, catching my breath and laughing at the same time. God, I made it and I ’ m here , was all I could think for a triumphant moment , grinning like a fool. Checking the map would have been un n