The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 67

Walking towards Route 90, Aurora continued to study the map. As the area had been constructed for tourists, a maze of roads and trails had been drawn out for hikers and skiers alike. For the sake of ease, she chose McLeod Hill, as she had been in college long enough that she may not physically be able to handle anything difficult. Of course, Maya, not having ever hiked, needed something relatively easy, so her choice seemed appropriate. Crossing Route 90, the girls found their way to the ‘Coeur d’Alene River’. The only problem was in getting across, as there was no bridge that could be seen either upriver or down. But Aurora, possessing a sharp eye, spotted a shallow area strewn with small rocks perfect for crossing the otherwise deep river. Maya, however, tried to use this as an excuse to return to the RV. “Well,” she began. “I guess we’re not going to be doing any hiking today, right?”

As she turned and started back to the campground, Aurora interrupted with a hand on her arm.

“Wait a minute, you,” she said. “There’s a place right down there where we can cross.” Pointing a finger, she showed Maya exactly the place she was referring to.

“See it,” she replied. “See where all those little rocks are? That’s where we’re going. Then we turn left and start uphill. The first part of that will be the hardest, so let’s get going.” Maya was noticeably frustrated with the idea of hiking when she had never done it before and really didn’t want to in the first place. Yet, they were on their way and there was no changing Aurora’s mind.

Having crossed the highway, they stopped at the intersection of Route 90 and the ‘Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes’, Maya and Aurora walked the short distance to the river and soon found the crossing point. It was shallow enough to expose a wide layer of small rocks that could be easily crossed. Despite this, Aurora cautioned Maya to care in crossing them, warning her against falling on anything that looked slippery. Of course, Maya saw it as something of a challenge and crossed with ease. Once on the other side, they turned left and started for the power lines. Ordinarily, Aurora was averse to hiking along power lines knowing that electromagnetic fields they produced could be highly dangerous and, after explaining this to Maya, looked for another route.

“Can I see the map?” Maya asked.

Aurora handed it off to her, wondering what she had seen, and after she examined the area off to the left, made a suggestion.

“What about over there?” she asked. Off to the left was a small neighborhood, surrounded by a circuitous well-maintained road and seemed far simpler to navigate as opposed to the confusing switchbacks that littered the way to McLeon Hill.

“You’re right,” Aurora replied. “That looks a lot easier for both of us, and it’s flat on top.” Their plans had changed, and they were now off to Kingston Ridge.

“This shouldn’t be that bad,” Aurora said. Pointing to the beginning of their hike, she saw several switchbacks.

“See these?” she asked. “These are switchbacks. These will keep us from having to go straight uphill. Once we get through these houses, it should be easy to get to the ridge.” Taking a deep breath, Maya prepared herself for something she had never done and never wanted to do again.

Before continuing, they were forced to double back and cross the river, then follow route 90 to Lahde Hill Road. Traversing the street, Maya and Aurora walked through the small set of houses. As they passed, their eyes carefully scanned each façade looking for anything unusual – a slightly moving curtain, a face peering out from a dark window. Their eyes were prepared to see the faces of the half-dead infected, waiting for death to stop dragging its feet and finally come for them. Finally, rounding the corner of Skyline Drive, the way up the ridge was clear and Maya thought the hike might not be all that bad. But there was one more thing. Aurora had to teach her how to fall. Compared to Everest, this was an easy hike, yet accidents can happen anywhere, and this brief lesson could save Maya’s life.

Stopping at the corner of the first switchback, Aurora gave Maya her first ‘important’ lesson in survival – how to fall. This generally worked if someone had fallen from a ridge or cliff with an angular side.

“Okay,” she began. “If you fall off the ridgeline, it’s really important to get yourself on your stomach with your head turned to the side. At the same time, put your arms and legs out spread-eagle. This gives your body more surface area and slows you down. As you're sliding, grab anything close to you. Once you start slowing down, I’ll come down and get you, got it?”

The idea of falling off a cliff was terrifying enough, but the thought of taking Aurora down with her was something Maya could not do. She would rather release her grip and tumble to her death.