They both needed to talk but how could she make that happen. Her sister was a clam when she didn’t want to discuss things. And her husband could put an emotional wall up in record time when he felt the need to protect her. So, her stroll quickly turned into a power walk. Needless to say, Lacey wasn’t exactly paying attention to her surroundings and didn’t notice just how close to the edge she was until the ground gave way underneath her feet. The fall happened before she could scream. Instead of going straight down to the jagged rocks below, she found herself on a ledge with a twisted ankle.
Now what?
She eased herself to a standing position and tested her weight. Her ankle protested with a vengeance and she lost her footing. Lacey was in great shape, thanks to dancing, and able to grab onto a small tree root, pulling herself back onto the ledge. Breathing heavily, she reached in her back pocket for her cell phone and noticed there was no service. The adrenaline dump, along with her emotional turmoil and precarious situation, put Lacey into a panic as she screamed for help. The sun was setting and Lacey was shivering from the cold as she pulled into a tight ball. Her voice was long gone. She wasn’t one to lose hope but even she’d admit this didn’t look good, at all. Leaning her head back against dirt and rocks, she silently prayed for help to come.
E finally decided to tell Lacey everything and hope she could find mercy for him. He was not exactly looking forward to this confession but knew he couldn’t keep such secrets from his wife. After searching the house thoroughly, he went outside. It was considerably colder than when they arrived, and he noticed the wind was picking up. Didn’t take long for the thunder to rumble and lightning to flash. A storm was on its way.
Where was Lacey?
He raced back inside and banged on Keeley’s door, waking her up. “What the hell, E?”
“Is Lacey with you?” he blurted out giving away his panic.
“No. Why?” She rubbed her eyes and noticed the brilliant bolts of light over the ocean. Her eyes widened all of a sudden. “She’s not out there,” Keeley pointed, “is she?”
“Fuck. God. No. Please say no,” E bellowed as he ran outside with Keeley on his heels.
The storm was unleashing with a fury, blowing inland. Slanted rain made visibility damn near nonexistent as they searched and yelled for Lacey. Keeley thought to grab her phone and tried to call but there was no answer. E was using his phone as a flashlight. “LAAAAAAAACEY,” he yelled over and over, all to no avail.
Keeley couldn’t believe her sister would be out in this. It didn’t make sense. She went to the side of a cypress tree and the ground slipped from underneath her. Her reactions were swift and she was able to grab a branch to keep from going over the edge. Thunder rumbled so loud she almost didn’t hear E. She cautioned him, “Be careful. It’s not stable over here.”
“Okay. Hang on. Let me grab some rope.”
Keeley nodded keeping her arms locked tight around the tree. She couldn’t help but be mesmerized by nature’s display as the streaks of electricity lit up the sky, blinding her momentarily. She had spots before her eyes and didn’t notice at first the person hunkered into a ball below her. Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she ignored what appeared to be a figure until they moved. Keeley screeched in outright terror unable to discern who or what was on that ledge. Convinced it had to be an animal because no human in their right mind would be out in that kind of weather. She managed to pull herself up to the tree trunk and then scrambled to more solid ground, taking off at a dead sprint in the direction she came from. The rain coming down in sheets made it impossible to see where she was going until she hit a wall. Well, she thought it was a wall until she heard, “Keeley. Fuck. Are you okay?”
“E! Oh my God, run. There’s something down there,” she shrieked.
“What?” He grabbed her upper arms. “What’s down where?”
She pointed to where she’d just come from. E hurried in that direction. With extreme caution he held onto the tree, where Keeley had been, and leaned over the edge. Unable to make out anything but a figure below him. He called out, “Hello! Are you okay?”
A head raised but again E couldn’t tell if it belonged to an animal or a person, until another flash of lighting. What met his eyes sent tremors through his body. Lacey was staring right at him with a fear he never wanted to see again as long as he lived. Finding a calm he didn’t feel anywhere inside, he called out, “Hang on, Sweetness. I’m coming.”
E forced himself off the ledge to find Keeley. Luckily she was where he left her. He grabbed her hand, ignoring her protest. “No. I’m not going back.”