Survival in the Grand Canyon [2015]

Chapter 10

This is the second-to-last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this story!

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Alex PoV

After I realize that it's going to make no difference at all to yell at the top of my lungs until my voice is hoarse, I sit down on a rock and cry my eyes out. Why did I let her run away? Why did I yell at her? I insulted her and told her to go away, and she ran off! Now we're separated, and I hate to admit it, but I need her help.

Soon I decide that crying isn't going to help either. I blink my tears away and stand up. My pack is still on my back. My bandana is on the ground next to me. I put it back around my hair. I notice that my hat's missing, but that's the least of my worries right now.

I'm probably a mess. The wind keeps blowing my hair into my face. My cheeks are hot from spending time in the hot sun. My used-to-be-white shirt is caked with dirt of all different colors and ripped in a few places. My shorts are also dirty and torn, and my legs have been scratched by cacti and bruised by rocks. I look down at my hands, which have blisters all over them.

I really need Lauren's help. If I find her-- no, when I find her, we'll have to get out of here immediately. We're running out of food and I have the water pump, which means she's only got the water she has. I've got to find her, and quickly. But I see that the sun will be setting soon, so I'll have to stop hiking in about thirty minutes.

Half an hour later, I still haven't found Lauren. It's going to be too dark to see in a few minutes, so I'll have to pitch camp immediately.

I'm super stressed right now, and if you add that to my ADHD, then you do not want me to be holding matches. I don't want to risk building a fire right now, because I'd probably torch the whole campsite. Plus, Lauren has basically all the food. I just take out my snack bag and eat some trail mix. My stomach growls, unsatisfied with my tiny dinner. I spread out my sleeping bag on the rocky ground, make a pillow out of my raincoat and some other clothes, and slip inside the sleeping bag. Unfortunately, I can't sleep. Being alone in the wilderness is downright scary. I'm shivering from the cold night air, and from the fear of being separated from my family in a strange, unfamiliar place. Finally, I fall asleep.

I wake up to a scuffling sound. I open my eyes and see a furry brown shape nuzzling the green blob that I figure out is my backpack. When my eyes come into focus, I see a squirrel sitting next to my backpack, eating the last of the contents of my snack bag.

I scream. "GO AWAY! SHOO!" I yell at the squirrel, who looks startled and runs away. I run over to my pack and see a hole chewed in the top. My snack bag became a midnight feast for the stupid squirrel. I was so stressed last night that I forgot to hang my pack in a tree to protect my food. Angry, I pack up my stuff and put it in my pack, which I fix with duct tape. I knew there was a reason we brought it in our emergency bags. My stomach rumbles in protest at the thought of skipping breakfast, but I have no other choice.

About an hour later, I'm ready to drop. I started walking this morning with no food in my stomach, and my water is running low. I don't know where a water source is. My legs are incredibly tired. I'm about to sit down and take a short rest break when I hear something that lifts my spirits and gives me hope.

Voices. Happy, calm voices that I haven't heard for more than two days. For a moment, I think it's Mom and Dad, but the voices sound different. Also, there are three of them.

"The view is amazing!" a woman's voice says.

"I know, right?" a girl's voice replies. She sounds about my age. "I've been wanting to go here for my whole life!"

"Ellie, you've said that about eight times," a man chuckles. I'm guessing Ellie is the girl. The voices come closer, and then the family comes into view.

The woman has black hair that cascades down her back like a waterfall. The man has a light reddish brown beard, the color of Horseshoe Mesa. The girl, Ellie, has close-cropped black hair. They have clean clothes, so they obviously haven't been out here for more than a day or two. Each of them carries a set of hiking poles and a full-size pack a little bigger than mine.

The girl stops walking. "Hi," she says boldly. "What's your name?"

"Alex Delaney," I answer hesitantly. It's been about three days since I've seen people who aren't Dad, Mom, or Lauren. Still, I'm relieved to see them.

"Nice name. I'm Ellie McCarthy." The girl smiles. "You been out here for long?"

"Um, not really," I reply. "Only three days, but a lot of stuff has happened since then. You?"

"Same here," Ellie says. "We were heading to Grapevine Canyon, but we sort of changed course because we saw a few distress signals. We thought someone might need help."

My voice rises with excitement. "You mean flashes, and smoke from a fire?"

"Yeah, exactly." Ellie sounds a little surprised. "You saw them too?"

"I sent them!" I inform her. "My... my sister and I, we got separated from our parents, and we needed help so we sent out these distress calls hoping someone would see them. But... we got separated from each other too, and now I don't know where she is and I don't have any food and barely any water and Lauren's probably in the same situation."

Ellie stares at me. "Whoa," she says softly. "I wasn't expecting that."

My face is burning and my eyes are starting to sting. I nod, blinking back tears.

"We can help," Ellie says, turning to her parents. "Right?"

Her parents seem to have a staring contest with Ellie, who apparently wins.

"We'll help you find your sister," Ellie promises. "We can take you guys back to the trailhead."

"You really don't have to," I say, but I'm desperately hoping that they can keep their promise.

"I know," Ellie says. "But it's not like we can leave you and your sister stranded in the middle of nowhere, can we?"

I smile. "Okay, you're right," I agree.

Ellie turns to her mom and dad. "These are my parents," she says.

"My name is Joe McCarthy," her dad introduces himself.

"I'm Lillian," her mom adds. "It's nice to meet you, Alex."

"Nice to meet you too," I answer.

"How long have you been alone?" Ellie asks. "Without your sister, I mean?"

"About a day."

"You said you had no food? Like, none at all?" Ellie questions.

"Yup, a squirrel decided to eat my food."

Ellie rummages through her pack. She holds out a granola bar. "Here. Eat it."

"Thanks!" I say gratefully, and eat the granola bar. It's the first thing I've eaten since this morning, so it tastes unusually good.

Suddenly, a shrill whistle splits the air. It's from far off, but still really loud.

"What was that?" Ellie asks. "Sounds like a whistle of some sort."

My face breaks into a grin as I finger the whistle around my neck. "Lauren."