I could stay here forever.
“Take the time to have a little explore,” Vic says. “But please don’t go near any edges, it’s far too dangerous. There are some nice little caves just over there that are safe for you to go and look at.”
He points to the left, where the cliff tapers down onto a flat area, and off that are some rocks that do look like they form little caves. I make a note to explore those as soon as I enjoy this view for a little longer. I find a flat rock that’s not too close to the edge and take a seat, breathing in the fresh air as I pull of my pack and take out a granola bar. Fallon joins me, sitting down beside me and then Ember finds us too. Marg and Betty find their own rock and chat amongst themselves.
“I’m going to take a look around,” Vic tells me. “If you need anything, just yell out, I won’t be far.”
Aaron and Waylen both eat a bag of boring looking nuts before telling us they’re going to check out the caves. Of course technically they shouldn’t leave us here, but where the hell are we going to go? It would take us ages to run off back to the ranch, and as soon as we were there, we’d be stuck anyway. Besides, none of us are having any thoughts of escape right now, it’s too nice up here.
“This is everything I’ve been dreaming and more.” Ember sighs, staring out.
“It is pretty nice,” Fallon agrees.
“You’re not wrong,” I say, stuffing the granola bar into my mouth.
We chat for a little longer and then the three of us decide we’re going to go for a little stroll and look around. Marg and Betty have gone off for a walk and Waylen and Aaron are still checking out the caves. I have no idea where Vic is. We leave our packs at the rock and start walking toward a trail that leads down beside some large boulders.
Trekking through, we climb a few surfaces, dodge a few close calls to the edge, and then find ourselves in another clearing, small this time, a little lower, but really pretty. From here, you can see a river down below, surrounded by beautiful colored rocks. It’s gorgeous and we all sit on the edge, dangling our feet over even though we know we’re not allowed to.
It's then I see something at the bottom that I didn’t notice until now.
Beside a rock that is overhanging the water is a man.
I gasp and shove Fallon, who quickly looks down and her eyes widen. “Is that Vic?”
“Oh my god,” Ember gasps. “That’s Vic!”
Shit.
Oh god.
He has fallen.
I get to my feet and press my hands to my mouth, hollering his name. The body doesn’t move. He looks to be in a very awkward position, and my blood runs cold because I know it’s highly likely he is no longer alive, or if he is, he’s gravely injured.
“Get help,” I cry. “Hurry!”
Fallon gets to her feet and starts scurrying toward where we left our packs. I stare down, calling out to Vic, but there is no response. How the hell did he fall? It’s not like the spot we’re sitting is slippery, in fact, there are a few overhanging rocks that kind of stop your fall, how did he manage to slip so far?
“Do you think he’s dead?” Ember gasps, turning so she is no longer looking.
“It’s not looking good. God, where is Fallon?”
What seems like long, long minutes pass and finally Fallon arrives back with Waylen and Aaron hurrying behind her. Her face is pale and she looks as though she might just pass out. The two guards peer over the edge, and their eyes widen. “Fuck. What happened?”
“We don’t know, we were just sitting here and looked down and there he was ...” I tell them.
Even as I’m saying it, I know it sounds sketchy. Of course it does. We’re criminals and our guide just fell off a damned cliff. A guide who probably knows this land and should have no reason to just slip and fall.
“You just found him?” Aaron asks, staring at us.
“If you so much as hint that we had something to do with this, I swear ...” Fallon growls.
“Call for help,” Waylen orders. “Now.”
Aaron pulls out his cell and dials for help as we all stare down at the man lying on the bottom of the cliff. He’s still not moving, and the more I look, the more I can swear I see blood. Feeling queasy, I step away from the ledge and sit down on a rock, staring at my feet as chaos continues to erupt around us.
Within two hours, Rhett and the guys are at the top of the cliff face, all of them staring down at what is, without a doubt, the lifeless body of Vic. Why the hell didn’t they call paramedics? Search and rescue? Why did they call the ranchers? That’s not going to save this man’s life.