Walker: Secrets

Chapter 17

'Oh crap...' Maddie exclaimed, all thoughts of collecting wood vanishing with this new crisis. 'It didn't even rattle!'

'Sometimes they don't.' Abeline replied as she held onto her wrist again. 'Maddie, listen. You're going to need to call for help-'

The teen nodded, forcing back the rising panic inside her. 'Let's just move you away from here and get you sitting down and I'll call, okay?' Watching her grandmother closely she helped her move a little ways from where the snake had disappeared and helped her sit down. Pulling her phone from her pocket she dialed 911 but there was no signal. 'Damn it!' She held her phone up, trying to get some service. 

'There's a radio in the truck.' Abeline suggested, trying to stay calm for both her sake and Maddie's. 'In the glove box there's a first aid kit too. Once you've called for help you'll need to bandage and splint my arm. You remember how Trey showed you?'

Maddie nodded as she returned her phone to her pocket. 'I'll be right back.' 

Her heart was racing as she hurried up back to the truck and she had to take a moment to compose herself before she tried using the radio. Flicking the power switch to on, she frowned when it didn't light up. 'Oh come on... please!' She tried again twice without any luck and began looking for the problem. 'Damn mice...' She found where the cable had been chewed through under the dash. There was no way she was going to be able to use the radio.

Knowing time was of the essence she didn't linger with the radio any longer and quickly got her phone out again to check for signal. Still no service and with no service, no way of calling for help. 'Okay... Stay calm Maddie. You've got this... You know what to do.' She told herself as she felt the panic rising inside her again. Opening up the glove box she pulled out the first aid kit and hurried back down into the gully to where she had left Abeline.

'Mice chewed through the radio cable.' She reported when she returned, carrying with her a large straight stick she had found on the way down. 'Can't get any signal up there either.'

'We'll need to get back to the ranch to get service.' Abeline winched as Maddie pulled the glove off her hand and her wedding rings, the teen placing them in her pocket. 

Maddie looked up at her with worry. 'You can't drive.'

'Your going to have to Maddie. We ain't got a choice with the radio broken.'

She nodded, swallowing back the lump in her throat. 'Well, we did say I was going to drive back didn't we?' 

Abeline managed a weak chuckle.

'I'm going to have to get this coat off you so I can bandage up your arm.' She said as she forced herself to keep calm and focus on following the correct first aid protocol Trey had shown her. 'I'll try to be gentle.' As carefully as she could she eased her arm out of the sleeve and took the coat off before wrapping it back around her shoulders. 'How are you feeling?'

'Arm feels like it's on fire.' She replied through gritted teeth as Maddie placed a dressing on the wound and began to bandage up her arm, starting at her fingers. When she ran out of bandage she grabbed another one from the first aid kit and kept bandaging right up to her shoulder. 'Your doing good Maddie.' She encouraged as Maddie tore up another bandage to use to tie the stick to her arm as a splint. 

Maddie managed a nervous smile, hoping Abeline couldn't see how frightened she was. As she finished tying the splint on so that her arm was completely immobilized, she started to think of what they were going to do next. She knew a snakebite victim had to be kept still and not move around but she didn't have much of a choice. Glancing up at her grandmother she could see she was already starting to sweat and her color didn't look too good. The wound too already had started to turn discolored and swell leaving no doubt as to if the bite had been given with venom.