A Touch Too Real

The problem at hand now was how to rescue the man without drowning either of them or aggravating any potential injuries. He was busy going through the supplies in his bag, taking stock of them again as he tried to think of a solution that didn't result in hypothermia, when he noticed a sound over the roar of the water cascading down. Was that...? He cocked his head to the side and listened harder. Yes, it was the sound of a dog barking. 

“Hey.” The call echoed down, slightly muffled by the small waterfall. Cody looked up to see a man in plain clothing looking down into the pit at him. “You don't seem like the normal sort that comes around here. Everything okay?” His tone held a hint of suspicion. 

“No, everything's not okay,” Cody answered back. “I was out here with three others when they got swept away by a surge in the river. I've found one, but he's not conscious and I can't reach him.”

“By any chance, would you be part of the group that left the audio and video equipment a ways back?” the stranger asked. 

“That's right.”

“Well, what do you need? I see you've got paracord. Do you need something sturdier?” 

“Do you have anything?” 

In response, the man disappeared for just a second before holding up a length of fairly thick rope. “This do? I don't have any more with me at the moment.”

“That should do it.”

“Alright. I'm coming down.”

The man looped the rope across one shoulder and momentarily descended by Cody's route. He stopped just before setting weight on the small ledge and let Cody take the rope from his shoulders. Once done, he cleared out a handhold in the rocks and secured one end of his rope around the protrusion. At last, he stepped down on the ledge. From his hands, he removed two metal things reminiscent of D-rings and clipped them onto his belt. 

“Are you a strong swimmer?” the stranger inquired. 

“No strong enough to fight the current,” Cody admitted, “but that's what the rope's for.”

The man wedged himself against the rock-face and peered over to see the man they were attempting to rescue. A moment of thought turned into a brief plan and he nodded, standing. 

“If you can get back there and get him, I'm sure I can haul you both back. The distance between the walls is pretty narrow here. I can lean my back against this point and pull without dragging the rope against the edge.”

“That's as feasible as anything at the moment,” Cody agreed. 

Already cold and damp from the constant spray of the water beating down, he turned his body and slipped off the ledge. The cold took his breath away instantly and he clung tight to the ledge with his fingertips, reluctant to let go until he had the rope in hand. He firmly grasped the rope and let the water carry him a short ways, letting a little more of the rope pass his fingers until he was where he wanted to be. 

“Eric?” Cody nudged the other man and watched a moment to make sure he was still breathing. He showed no response to the survivalist, but at least he was still alive despite the unhealthy blue tinge. It took time to securely wrap the rope around Eric's waist and get them into a position to be pulled back up, but once it was done Cody gave a sharp tug on the rope and hollered. “Alright.”

Methodically, with a respectable amount of speed, the stranger pulled on the rope hand over hand, water crashing down on him every second, until Cody could again grab the ledge. Reaching down, he helped pull both men from the water and then leaned back into the deluge to give them space on the ledge. 

“Any injuries?” he asked, spitting water and keeping his head tilted down to avoid inhaling any of it. 

“Nothing obvious besides a likelihood of hypothermia,” Cody replied, checking. 

“I can climb the rope with him if you'll secure him to my back. I can't secure him and climb, though,” the stranger offered. 

With a nod, Cody did as he'd been asked and worked on wrapping the rope around the two men until the stranger had a living backpack. By the time both men were back on solid ground, Cody could see blood running down the paracord from the stranger's hands. As soon as the stranger had laid Eric aside, he lowered down one end of the thicker rope for Cody's use. A few moments later, everyone was above ground again and they'd ascertained that Eric didn't seem to have any permanent injuries. The fact that he was ice cold to the touch and not waking up, however, gave cause for concern. 

“Cody,” the survivalist offered, extending his hand. They both had sat for a moment to rest after the strenuous ascent. 

“Bastion,” the stranger replied as he accepted the handshake, but not before smearing the blood off his hand onto the grass. 

“What were you doing out here, anyway?” 

“Training my new hound.” Bastion gave a short whistle and a dog stood up, stretching under the shade of the trees, and trotted forward. For being a very lean albeit muscular dog, the animal was very much on the tall side and had ears not unlike a bat. “I used to train Search and Rescue animals, mostly the common lab and shepherd breeds. In my retirement, I've considered expanding my interests to other breeds and seeing how they do. This is an Ibizan Hound, granted though he's quite big for his breed.”

“Can he follow a trail?” Cody seized on the idea and immediately thought of all the things in his bag that Dave had touched. Surely something retained enough of his scent to work? So taken by the thought was he that he didn't even consider the cameraman's chances. 

“He can, but if your friends traveled down the river and not overland, it's nearly impossible. The river is wide, fast moving, and currently engorged with the rains. I can take him along the banks and see if he turns up a scent, but it's not going to be a reliable option.” He glanced to the unconscious man on the ground and then off into the distance through the trees. “I've got a cabin out here, but it's several miles off. With him weighing us down, it'll likely take a few hours to get there. I'm afraid I have no way of contacting civilization, though. No phone lines or satellite phones or anything.”

“We need to get him someplace safe first, then we'll tackle that problem.”

Between the two of them, they managed to rig a stretcher of sorts with branches and clothing. Two hours of hiking later, the dog at its owner's heels the whole time, they broke into a small clearing not much bigger than the cabin into which they preceded. A room off to the left of the main one revealed a bedroom and they were quick to strip Eric out of his clothes before laying him on the bed, wrapping him in a thick comforter and additional blankets. Bastion, too, dropped his clothing in a pile and was quick to snatch fresh clothing out of the closet. He offered a t-shirt and sweatpants to Cody.

“Don't know if they'll fit, but give it a try. I think they're the biggest sizes I've got.” Once he'd passed the clothes off, he was quick to move to the cast iron stove in the main room and throw more fuel in its belly. “You know what to do for hypothermia?”

“If you'll look for the others, I'll take care of things here.”

“I was hoping for that,” he replied. A quick rummage in the cabinet under the wash basin procured some empty hot water bottles and various medical supplies. “There's a rain barrel outside and it shouldn't take too long to get the water boiling. The wood pile's around back and I keep it covered, so it should all be dry. I don't have a lot, so try to save some for the others. I'll be back by nightfall.”

“Good luck.”

As he went about preparing hot water and tending to the cuts and scrapes on the crewman's body, Cody found himself at a bit of a loss. People, well-equipped people at that, usually didn't just show up at opportune moments. Silently, he sent a prayer of thanks up to all his beloved deities and added a request of safe return for his friends. At that moment he flinched, remembering that he'd thought nothing at all of the cameraman when the abilities of a SAR dog had been presented. He shook his head and kept working to bring Eric back around to a normal body temperature.

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Please review. I've now posted 3 'chapters' and no one has said anything about any of it. Is my writing style okay? Am I presenting Dave and/or Cody with proper personalities? What am I doing wrong? What am I doing right? Answers to any of those questions would be greatly appreciated.