Page 41 of Fighting for Tawny

Stoneface Colfer’s team formed a circle around him, away from the other rescue workers. He handed Tawny a compass. “None of you have cell phones, and there’s no service out here anyway. That’s why we have to track Layla the old-fashioned way. We’ll travel in pairs, in more or less a straight line, and try to keep each other in sight. It’s darker than normal. Does everyone have a flashlight?”

They held them up.

“And who has the first aid kit?”

“I do,” Terrin answered.

“Okay. Let’s head out.”

As she passed a supply table, Tawny filched a rope and draped it across her body.

The search and rescue workers fanned out in different directions. Stoneface Colfer led his group due west. The thick canopy of trees prevented the rain from blinding them, though it fell heavily. When they drew near the spot where Layla Murray disappeared, the rescue team began calling her name. It echoed through the hills. They followed Stoneface Colfer off the trails and climbed the muddy embankments, trekking through the running rainwater and grabbing hold of small bushes and trees to keep their balance. They continued to search, sweeping the area and calling Layla’s name. The group switched on their flashlights when the sun dipped below the cloud cover. The temperature dropped several degrees.

After hours of searching in vain, Stoneface Colfer suggested they split up. “We can cover more ground. Joy and Precious, you’re with me. We’ll head north of our current location.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tawny protested. “You’re leaving us without a means of communication. What if something happens to one of us, or we find Layla and need to inform Captain Ward?”

He pulled out his cell phone and held it up. “Up here, I’m getting a signal.” Stoneface Colfer tossed Tawny the walkie-talkie. “Take it. I’ll look after Joy and Precious.”

“Thanks, Colfer.” After a moment, she added, “Be careful.”

Her instincts urged her to contact Moira to let her know the change in their circumstances. “Captain Finnigan, come in. Over.”

“Tawny? Over.”

“Yes, ma’am. Colfer took Joy and Precious, and they’re heading north. We’re approximately three miles northwest of Layla Murray’s last known location. I’m leading Yolanda and Terrin southeast. Over.”

“Copy that.”

As they treaded side by side, Yolanda remarked, “You done this before.”

“Yeah. Girl Scouts. Survival camp. That shit stays with you.”

With full-on darkness now, the moon rose high in the skies that were finally beginning to clear from the fierce storm. The rain soon abated to a drizzle before stopping altogether. To save the batteries in their flashlights, Tawny suggested they use only one. Yolanda lit the way, sweeping the light back and forth. Occasionally, they called Layla’s name.

Tawny kept their spirits up as they grew discouraged by the minute. Just when Yolanda’s and Terrin’s complaints started to take their toll on her, she spotted a piece of a blue plaid flannel shirt on a fallen tree branch.

“Look!” She pointed at the fabric. “Layla must be close! Layla! Layla Murray! Can you hear me?”

Yolanda and Terrin shouted her name. No answer.

Tawny switched on her flashlight and swept it over the area. They were standing on a ledge weakened by the recent torrent of rain. She shone her light downward and gasped. “Layla!”

The woman lay unmoving at the bottom of a short ravine.

Tawny took the rope and tied one end around a sturdy tree trunk, then used it to let herself down the steep incline. When she reached Layla, she called, “Terrin, I need the first aid kit!”

Terrin shimmied down the rope and knelt next to Tawny. Layla’s right leg lay at a weird angle, severely broken beneath the knee. The tibia protruded, and Tawny saw the fractured fibula through the break. Blood ran down Layla’s leg. More blood pooled beneath a head wound that occurred when she’d struck it on a rock during her tumble down the slope.

“Terrin, I need the tourniquet.”

Terrin fumbled to open the first aid kit and handed the tourniquet to Tawny. She quickly applied it above Layla’s knee.

“Layla! Can you hear me?” No response. Tawny lifted her eyelids and checked her pupils. They were dilated and unresponsive to the flashlight. “She has a concussion.” She felt her pulse. “Slow but steady.” Tawny touched her cheek and noticed Layla’s colorless lips. “I think she’s hypothermic.” She ripped off her rain poncho and covered Layla with it.

Tawny picked up the walkie-talkie next to her on the ground. “Captain Finnigan, we found Layla Murray. Repeat, we found Layla Murray. Do you copy?”

“Copy, Tawny. What’s her condition?”

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