Page 13 of The Fragile Ones
“They’re not going anywhere,” Emir replied, as he reviewed his footage. “Although,” he laughed, as Katie and Matt headed off followed by Cisco, “I’m not really the babysitter type.”
Chapter Six
Thursday 1215 hours
After repacking the off-road vehicles and moving everyone out of the temporary garage at the Parks Patrol sub-station, Katie and the film crew were on their way again to the area where the town of Silo was rumored to be. Katie had put in a call to the park facilities to explain their situation and apologize for the broken locks.
Katie felt herself beginning to relax as the weather returned to normal. She and Ty rode mostly in a comfortable silence as before.
She rounded another sharp turn in the bumpy road and finally drove into a flat area.
“We’re here,” she said.
Ty looked up and surveyed the area. “So we walk from here?”
“Unless you want to get stuck in the Jeep along the way.”
“Walking it is then.” He pulled some things out of his pack and clipped a mini sports camera on a harness, before strapping it to his body. “Just my way of documenting things.”
Katie parked and jumped out of the car, followed closely by Cisco. Opening the back hatch, she grabbed her backpack and hoisted it over her shoulders. Then she strapped Cisco into his hiking harness.
A cool breeze blew across the parking area. The chill stopped them for a moment, then as quickly as it came it was gone. It appeared that everyone was still on edge as they prepared the limited equipment they needed to carry to the location.
“Okay, listen up,” she said. “The hike isn’t difficult, but the rain will have made it harder to traverse, with some deep mud. So keep your eyes on the trail and your footings. We go in single file. Okay?”
“We’re not children,” said Keith, laughing alone at his stupid comment.
“Speak for yourself,” replied Butch.
“Hey, watch your footing like she says, guys,” warned Matt. “We don’t want any equipment damaged.”
Katie took the lead. Cisco seemed content and trotted uphill with the agility of a much younger dog. Every now and again Katie turned to check on the group, and as instructed, they were following in single file with about six feet between each of them. Matt took up the rear with Emir in front with his small digital camera.
“Everyone okay? No one needs a rest or to adjust their pack?”
No one responded.
“Okay then!” she said, and picked up her pace a little. Her mind relaxed.
Noticing that the trail was becoming extremely muddy, she slowed her pace a little and shifted to the right-hand side of the path where her hiking boots had better traction. Glancing behind, she saw the group followed her example. Their packs were heavier than hers, and she knew all too well from her army days how hard it was trekking through tricky conditions with a heavy pack on her back.
A sudden rustling sounded next to her. Katie instinctively stopped and made the motion for everyone to stop and stay still—which they obeyed. The noise was louder than a squirrel or nesting bird. She listened intently before moving on.
She whispered for Cisco to stay in his location in a German command that she had been originally trained in the army to do: “Bleib.” The dog obeyed her command, but his body became rigid, his head slightly cocked. Hearing nothing more, Katie decided to trudge on. They were almost at the accessible area of Silo.
Soon they reached an open area where there were clusters of pine trees, some extremely tall, as well as some old fruit trees and foliage. Katie waited for the group to catch up and congregate.
“Is this it?” asked Matt, looking around.
“This is it,” Katie said. “Don’t be so quick to dismiss. There’s a lot of history here and around the mountain areas. It’s up to you to figure out what, where, and why.”
“She’s right,” said Ty. “There were Native Americans here once—there are some caves with prehistoric writings. And obviously, there were some leftover Gold Rush enthusiasts still hunting down gold, wanting to strike it rich. Definitely more than meets the eye here.”
“From what I’ve heard, it was a small town made up of farmers and ranchers who wanted to set down roots and build a community. They were, of course, attracted to the prospect of gold and silver,” said Katie. “There are several areas where the mines have been sealed. Some believe they were instrumental in creating today’s sink holes, rather than them being a geological phenomenon.”
“I already contacted a town historian…Tony Beard…and he was full of information. Whether there is any validity or not remains to be seen,” said Ty.
Glancing at her watch, Katie said, “In order to make it back at a reasonable time, you have an hour and forty-five minutes before we leave.”
