Chapter XI

Don’t Get Close to the Spiders

"I was kind of hoping for room service and a hot bath. Tell me it has a telephone so I can call for our ride you mentioned earlier?" I looked up into the trees for a telephone line and there wasn't any. My hope died and I was sure Albert was going to die too. He was never going to walk back down off this mountain in his condition.

He laid down groaning. "Ka…, Jake, listen very closely. Go inside the cabin. Count floor boards and lift up the fifth one from the door. Watch for spiders and snakes. Some of them are very poisonous. After you lift the board, buried in the dirt is a plastic bucket. Inside it is a canvas oil bag. Inside the bag is an emergency radio. The batteries will be dead but that's okay. There is a crank on the side of the radio to generate electricity to operate it."

I found me a stick about four feet long and the size of my wrist. With the stick I whacked brush and things back from the door. The talk about spiders and things wasn't a whole lot of help in making me want to go inside that shack. Counting boards I worked on the fifth one from the door. I couldn't get it up and my stick was too big to fit in the cracks. Looking around the shack I saw a rusty bar over by the old fireplace. I retrieved it and worked on that fifth board. I chewed up the board with the bar before it finally gave up and it lifted out of it's slot in the floor. Something darted off to the side in the dark of the crawlspace. Whatever it was it wasn't a spider. I probed the ground with the rod until I found something hollow. With the rod, I whacked all the way around under that floor as much as possible without getting down there myself.

Stabbing at that pail with the rod didn't work. I was going to have to drop down there and dig it up. "God, if something gets me down there, tell my parents I loved them."

I dropped down into the crawlspace and slowly turned around with my rod at the ready. I was scared to death and running on adrenaline. Spider webs were everywhere. I hadn't knocked down hardly any of them when I was beating from above with my rod. Now I could see what had run when I first lifted that board. There were several spiders under there as big as my fist and they didn't seem the least bit scared of me. They were probably sizing me up for lunch. I started digging the pail up with the rod while I tried to keep an eye on those spiders. I had it. I threw that pail up on the cabin floor.

That must have jiggled the spiders web. Several of them moved in toward me while others backed further off. I put my hand up on the floor and pulled with all that was ever inside me. I shot out of that crawlspace like a jumping jack. I never slowed down as I latched onto that pail and bolted from that shack.

Throwing the pail down beside Albert, I collapsed on my knees. "There are spiders in there as big as me."

He rolled his head over to look at me. "I bet they looked at least that. When you get down eyeball to eyeball with them, they do look big. Did you count their eyes?"

"WHAT!" I stared in shock at him.

"Did you count their eyes? Spiders have eight legs and eight eyes. Their eyes are green. Next time you feel them watching you, count their eyes. Besides giving you something to do, it take your mind off their size."

"YOU'RE CRAZY! WHY WOULD I WANT TO COUNT EYES!"

"Jake, I'll make you a bet. I bet every spider you ever met has eight eyes." Albert was smiling from ear to ear.

I finally figured it out. He was making me talk about it so I would get over my fear of having just looked at the biggest spiders I had ever seen in my whole life. "You're on. I bet they don't."

"Sure they do. Count them from now on."

"I'm going to find one that has been in a fight and lost and eye or two. Then that spider won't have eight eyes."

He laughed. "Okay, I can believe that. I guess I lost the bet already. Call me up when you find that spider and I'll come and take a look."

I was pulling the lid off the bucket. The canvas bag and then the radio slid out. The radio looked brand new. Not a speck of rust or dirt on it anywhere. Someone had packed it well. "What do I do next?"

"Set the dial to twenty two point three and crank." He rolled back over so he was flat on the ground.

"That's it? Don't I have to call for help or something?" I set the dial and started cranking.

"No, it's already calling for help. The person who hears it will know where it's coming from and what he has to do. Crank it until he answers, Jake."

"How will I know when he answers? What do I do, get a signal back?" I was busy spinning that crank.

"No, he will send a different signal. Don't crank so hard and fast, Jake. Easy does it. It doesn't put out a stronger signal because you crank it hard." Albert closed his eyes and he was resting or asleep.

If he was sleeping I had no idea how he could sleep with all the pain he had to be tolerating.

As I sit there cranking on that handle on the radio, watching Albert sleep, I wondered what I had got into? First the mess at home where I was supposed to be at a party I didn't remember. Now I was involved in some government thing where supposedly lives, make that thousands of lives, were at stake. Momma said I would move up in the world. I don't think this was what she meant.

I was still cranking on the radio hours later when I heard it. It was faint at first and then it kept getting steadily louder. A clacking sound coming our direction. "Albert, wake up. Something or someone is coming."

Albert groaned as he sat up. "Our ride has arrived. You can quit cranking on the radio, Jake."

The brush on the side of the mountain parted and a cart came rolling out on the steel tracks that led back into the brush. "What is that?"

"It's our ride. Come on Jake. Bring the radio. We don't want to leave anything behind.

I gathered up the pail, canvas bag, and the radio as I followed Albert over to the miner's cart that had appeared out of the mountain. It was white from spider webs and cobwebs all over the front and top of it. It had a canvas over the top. Albert picked up a stick and wiped spiders and web away from the canvas. He tried to pull the canvas back and cried.

"I can't do it Jake. Pull the canvas back far enough for us to get in." He was holding his shoulder and panting.

The canvas was snapped down. Making sure I wasn't grabbing any spiders, I pulled it loose at the front and pushed it back. "Get in Albert."

He was in serious pain as I helped him up in the cart. I threw the things I had picked up inside with him and then climbed in beside him. The darn thing had a switch and batteries inside it.

"Close the tarp. There are things inside the mine we don't want in here with us."

I pushed the tarp back in place and snapped it from the inside. It became terribly dark and I couldn't see a thing. "Albert, I think I heard voices coming up the path before I crawled in."

"It's okay, we aren't there any longer and I don’t think they will be stupid enough to go into the mine. A small red light came on and everything was cast in an erie red glow.

Albert turned a switch and I could fell the wheels turn as a soft whine came from under our feet. It's battery powered. It will take us where we want to go. Sit back and enjoy the ride."

Sitting there in the ether world of the glow from the red light, I felt movement as the cart rolled along a track only it knew. The wheels clanked as the cart gently rocked from side to side. Every once in a while something heavy would drop on the tarp above us. I started to put my hand up and push where one of the things had fallen on the tarp.

Albert grabbed my wrist. "No! It's fangs can go through that tarp as if it wasn't there. Remember those spiders you saw under the cabin. Those were babies compared to what is ridding on the tarp. Keep your hands away from the tarp and it will be okay. They will get off when we start getting close to the other end."

I shrank back as far as I could from the tarp. It was when Albert wrapped his arm around me I realized I had settled in on him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get on top of you."

He held me firmly but gently. "It's okay. They scare me too. I've been through here several times and it wasn't always in a cart with a cover."

It felt good to be held by someone who had been through here before. "How did you get by them?"

"Bring a darn big torch. Flame thrower would be more like it. Flashlight would really work. They don't like the light so they try and avoid it. Give them time to get out of the way and they try to avoid contact. The cart is knocking their webbing down so they fall onto the tarp. They probably aren't any more crazy about this ride then we are." He wiggled to ease the pain in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I should be holding you." I tried to move off him but he held me.

"No, it's okay. I like holding you. You don't feel soft like all the other girls or women I ever held but you smell like a girl. What do you do when you aren't transporting horses all over the world?"

"You mean if I'm not running from some government who is trying to kill me?"

He laughed. "Yeah, when you aren't doing that too."

"I rodeo and help on the dairy farm."

"You barrel race?"

"No, I did that once. I thought I was a calf roper. Bill Randall told me I unofficially broke the world record. I had a...,"

"You're a calf roper?"

"No, I only thought I was. I'm not big enough to toss them down once I have them roped. The only times I qualify is when they fall down and I'm there to tie their feet before they can get back up. I ride with Bill Randall as part of a head and heel roping team."

I moved off of him over to the other side of the cart. "We made top in Montana for the past three years. Since I was in school we didn't get enough points to be top nationally. That takes working most of the year to gather up enough points to be tops there."

The cart slowed down. "What's the matter? Did our batteries die?"

"No, we are probably there. Don't raise up yet." He prodded the tarp with the radio bouncing it up and down.

I knew he was trying to make sure we weren't carrying any extra guests. "Are they gone?"

"Yep, all gone. Didn't like the light. Don't take this ride in the dark because they don't know when to get off."

There was a thumping on the side of the cart. "You going to stay in there all day? Come out of there with your hands in the air where I can see them mister. I'm gonna give you to the count of three and then I'm gonna start shooting."

Albert had a smile in his voice as he responded. "Mike, you old snake doctor, watch your language. We have guests."

The snaps on the tarp clicked and it slid back. The light shining in blinded me and I couldn't see a thing as my eyes had adjusted to the dark.

A shadow backed against the light spoke. "So I see. Who's your pal Albert and what do you mean bringing him along on our track?"

Albert stood up and was climbing out of the cart. "You dumb ass, if you had half a brain you would know my pal is a gal. I made the mistake of picking her up when I had problems Our lives are in danger Mike. I hope you are flying something a little bigger than the ultralight you are so fond of flying everywhere."

The dark shadow slowly turned into a man. He was intently watching me. "Who is she?"

Albert almost fell out of the cart before he caught himself. Slowly he eased himself over the edge. "I'll introduce you two later. Do you think you can get us out of here?"

The other man reached over the edge. "Hand me the battery and toss your radio and other junk out too."

Looking at the battery, it had wing nuts on the cables. I took them lose and handed the battery up. Tossing the radio, pail, and tarp out, I climbed out after them. Mike started pushing the cart back toward the mine. "Give me a hand."

I put my weight against it and it started rolling faster. It was when I looked up I noticed I was pushing it by myself and was almost back inside the mine again. I stopped and the cart kept rolling on into the darkness of the mine. Turning around I saw Mike walking away with the battery in his hands. He and Albert disappeared into the trees.

I followed the voices through the trees as there wasn't a path.

"Are they going to follow you?"

"Probably, they want it real bad and they want us dead even worse."

"Good grief, Albert, how do you get into these situations?"

"I'm a reporter. I report things even when they aren't popular and I see things that aren't supposed to be seen."

"They will lose men in those tunnels. Think they will keep coming."

I walked into a clearing and there was a helicopter. Mike was bolting his battery back into the helicopter. He glanced up. "Chunk the radio and other stuff in the jungle. It's extra weight and we are going to be maxed out already. I need full tanks to get back and you are going to overload us. If you are carrying anything besides the pants you have on then chunk it. Say your prayers, ask God to forgive us for all our sins, and climb on."

"Where?" I was looking at a two seat helicopter and I didn't see any extra places to hang on. I threw the radio and other things off in the trees.

Mike was climbing in already. "You get to sit on Albert's lap. If you don't like that arrangement then he can sit on yours. The third option is to stand there and watch us disappear."

I didn't need to think over that third option. Running around to the other side I climbed in as the engine turned over and started. Albert tried to close the door but it was his right shoulder where he needed to reach up and get the latch handle. I did it for him. Mike closed his door as the blades above us begin to spin and the engine reved up.

Nothing was happening as we were stuck to the ground. Mike was wiggling the sticks as the helicopter refused to budge. He pushed down on the stick by his left and the engine sped up more. He lifted up with his left hand and we hopped up and settled back down as the engine lugged.

"Come on baby, give me all you got and then some." Again we hopped up and then down.

"I'll stay. You can come back and get me later." I started to open the door.

He shook his head. "No, we all go or nobody goes. There isn't going to be any coming back. If I could only get moving forward it would carry us."

"What if I dropped out, you start flying and I jump on as you came back by me?"

Mike looked at me and I could feel Albert shaking his head behind me. I knew if I didn't do something we were never going to get up in the air. Opening the door before it could be discussed, I dropped out. Immediately the helicopter lifted off. For a minute it looked like they had second thoughts and were going to leave me as the helicopter flew up and out of sight past the trees. Then the chop grew louder and I knew they were coming back. I got ready.

Mike was having a hard time judging the speed with which he thought I could catch it and it would stay in the air with the extra weight when I was on. He floated down out of the trees into the clearing. The world stopped as I watched the right skid coming straight at my face. All those years of roping and catching calves had taught me to go with the momentum instead of fighting it or taking it head on. Running backwards as the helicopter flew past me, I jumped at the skid. I crooked my right arm and caught the brace that held the skid to the helicopter. I was jerked off my feet and my arm felt like it had been yanked off. I grabbed my right hand with my left as my arm went numb and I lost all feeling. Swinging my legs up on the skid I rolled up on top wondering if we were still flying and if we would clear the trees? Finally I was standing on the skid and opened the door.

"Want to try it again?" I leaned in so they could hear me.

"What? Hell no I don't want to try again. Get in. You're costing us fuel hanging out like that."

I was sure we were only a couple feet off the ground. I started to step off the skid so we could try again. Looking down at my feet I watched trees go by twenty or thirty feet below. WE WERE FLYING! I jumped in and closed the door. Albert groaned as I landed on him when I jumped in.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. You want me to hold you?" I tried to look over my shoulder but it was impossible in that little cockpit. When they said it was for two people they didn't mean three or even two and a half.

"No, just be still will you? I can stand you sitting on my lap if you will stop moving." Albert was talking to my back.

Five minutes later I was looking up and watching mountain tops go by us. "Shouldn't we be flying a little higher?"

Mike glanced at the mountain to our left and the one over on our right before he answered. "No. They can't track us in the canyons and I seriously doubt they will have any planes up looking for us. It wouldn't make any difference. They wouldn't be able to spot us unless they were extremely lucky."

An hour later we were still flying through mountains and I had no idea where we were. The only thing I was sure of, Albert was in a lot of pain. He kept trying to ease me from one side to the other. I was rubbing my right arm where I had caught the skid. It was throbbing something terrible. I knew it had to be bruised. I wondered if it had been yanked out of the socket? I looked over at Mike. "Have you used enough fuel to set this helicopter down and take off again? Albert is hurting and I should be holding him."

Mike looked ahead of us. "I only have one answer to your question. No. Another few minutes and we will be home. He can get some serious medical attention there. Albert knows the rules. You tough it out until everyone in the party is safe."

"That's mean. Albert is in pain. I can hold him. There isn't any need of him suffering like this."

Mike glanced in my direction. "I don't hear Albert complaining. Be still and don't wiggle around on him. He's passed out if he isn't dead. Either way doesn't make much difference. We can't land in the jungle and the first clearing is another thirty minutes away."

The helicopter lifted up and over some trees before Mike looked in my direction. "What's your name kid and how did you meet Albert?"

"I'm Jake. I was left behind when the plane I was supposed to be on took off without me. My host, Mr. Pladure said the plane would wait for me but it didn't. I called Leo and asked how I was supposed to get back. I didn't have enough money to buy a ticket and I didn't know anyone down here so I was kind of caught between a rock and a hard place. Leo told me to wait and he would have Albert pick me up."

Mike nodded. He was waiting for the rest of the story. "What happened then?"

"Well, I don't really know. It seems a bunch of people in a car following us started shooting at us. Albert said it was the police. He led them down a dirt path and turned off just before it went over a cliff. They didn't see the turn and didn't make it. Anyway, his car was shot up. He said we couldn't get back out on the highway and there was no way we could contact the police as it was them who were trying to kill us. That's when we walked up the path and radioed you."

The helicopter was circling around a hill. "What did Albert tell you about why the police were chasing you?"

"He said he had taken some pictures of their military and some secret black box that belonged to our government or something like that. It involved the police and drug dealers and it was a mixed up story."

I pulled the roll of film out of my pocket. "Albert gave me this and told me to give it to our government. He said he had the story in his head and hoped one of us could make it out."

"Here, I don't know anything about any of this. You take it." I held the film out for Mike to take.

He shook his head. "No, you keep it. By the way, what kind of name is Jake for a girl?"

"Oh, it's not really my name but it's what daddy always called me. I'm the boy he never got."

"Fair enough. What's your real name?" He reached up and tapped on a gauge.

"Katrina McDonald. Is that your fuel gauge?" I was looking at the gauge he had pecked on and it looked like we were running on empty.

"Un huh."

"Is it showing empty or does it read differently than a car? Do you have another tank on this machine?" That dial was sitting on the bottom side of the gauge.

"Look, there's the ranch."

I looked up. Half a mile in front of us was a clearing with houses, barns, and livestock everywhere.

At that moment the engine coughed. Mike wobbled the helicopter. "Come on baby, just a few more feet and we're home. You can do it."

We flew on in and set down in front of the barn. As soon as the skid touched the ground the engine died. Mike smiled from ear to ear as he looked in my direction. "See, not so bad. She knew she had to get home."

I opened the door and fell out. I got up off the ground dusting myself off. "Tell me you killed it and it didn't die because it was out of gas?"

"Nope, bone dry. She didn't have another few feet in her." He was turning all the switches off.

"Why didn't you carry some fuel up there with you? Surely you knew it would be close even without my weight." I couldn't believe he hadn't prepared for the round trip.

"Honey, I did carry some fuel up there. All I could lift in a bladder tank. Put the fuel in the chopper after I sent the cart through the mine for you. Ditched the tank in the forest. If those people who are after you make it all the way through the mine? If they figure out you had help? If they find the radio and the bladder tank? If they calculate how much fuel it held? If they start searching for the maximum distance one could possibly fly? I will probably be wishing it were me in Albert's place."