Ancient Echoes

CHAPTER 6



AS DEVLIN LOOKED at the faces of the professor and his fellow students, he felt sick with the realization that no one had any idea where they were.

They had no supplies, shelter, food, or means to contact the outside world.

On the night of Brian’s disappearance, it was too dark by the time Devlin gathered the group to return to the spot where Brian went missing. No one slept that night. Devlin told them about the strange sounds he heard right before Brian vanished. Most feared a grizzly had dragged Brian off and killed him. Devlin, however, knew that with a bear, some sign would have been found and Brian would have had time to call out for help.

Whatever lurked out here, it wasn’t a bear.

At dawn, scared, sleepy and cautious, they returned to the area with the berry bushes. They might not be huckleberries, but they weren’t poisonous, and were ripe and juicy.

“We’ve got to go right back and report Brian missing so people can come and help search for him,” Rachel said as she ate. “Hopefully, he’s alive. We’ve got to get help for him as soon as possible.”

The others agreed.

They pushed forward, and soon noticed the absence of small forest creatures and birds. They never even heard the sound of a leaf rustling in the breeze.

And then, to everyone’s amazement, Rempart saw that the mountains and a nearby creek matched the shape of those on the hand-drawn map he carried. He insisted they follow the map, and told the students if they did so, it could be the answer to their hopes and dreams for the future.

Non-stop, exhausted, dehydrated and hungry, they forced themselves to trudge on as best they could.