Lost Contact (The Bridge Sequence Book One), Nathan Hystad [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗

working on analyzing the skewed digits from the photograph, and while he was optimistic, I was more doubtful.

With my backpack secured, and my legs already warmer with the shin protection wrapped around my calves, I headed after Tripp and Hasin, who’d taken the lead.

“I’ve always wanted to come to this region of the forest,” Veronica said from beside me. Her cheeks were red from the heat, her forehead locked in a frown. “I even went so far as to request a private tour from a local, but it was definitely not in his comfort zone. No one wants to be caught trespassing out here.”

“Neither do I. It’s funny. I’ve seen a lot of sites, mostly digs and previously explored ancient cultures’ civilizations, but there’s something special about places like the stone forest. Mysteries that seem to be created by the majestic Mother Earth. But in the long run, it’s just lots of water, time, and erosion.” I shielded my eyes from the sun as I stared toward the valley beyond. We could view some of the region ahead, but a few minutes later, once we crested the coverage of the forest around us, the area spread out beyond, wowing my every sense.

“I see what you mean. Where are we going next?” Veronica asked casually. She’d taken the job without anyone sharing the details of the entire mission with her, and I assumed there was no real harm in revealing the location.

“Japan,” I said.

“Where?” Her voice lifted in excitement. “I miss good sushi.”

“I don’t think there’ll be time for that. But we’ll finally get to see your helicopter skills in action,” I told her, and she walked faster, trying to bridge the gap between Hasin and us.

The ground began to grow exceedingly uneven as we started our descent into the park. This area was off limits, and there were none of the permanent steel rock-climbing ropes present. There would be no suspension bridges helping us across dangerous areas. The three-mile hike looked like a hundred from here. I saw the destination on the GPS and peered west to the target zone. A hundred-foot-tall limestone cliff stood between us and it, but Hasin didn’t seem to care.

There were still a few trees, most holding a lemur or two watching us cautiously with their big eyes, occasionally calling a warning to their nearby friends. The entire area was dark gray, and as we lowered into the stone forest, the rocky ground became slicker with moisture. Veronica almost slipped as we rounded a bend, but I was there to catch her.

“My hero,” she muttered sarcastically.

“Hurry up,” Tripp shouted from ahead.

We found them stopped at the end of a flat walkway ten minutes later, and Hasin muttered something in French that I didn’t understand.

“What’s the issue?” Veronica asked.

“The wall. There’s an entrance up to the right, but the climb is steep, and the locals are picky about who they let inside,” Hasin told us.

“The locals?” I asked.

One of the ring-tailed lemurs stood at the entrance, running away as Tripp walked closer to it. They were rarely a threat to harm a human, unless given cause.

“Come on. Let’s get this over with.” Tripp started up the cliffside, and I saw what Hasin meant. The fissure ran along the limestone wall, but it had natural footholds in the edges, meaning we were able to move up the face in relative safety.

“There’s no other way?” I asked.

Hasin shook his head and strapped a harness around his shoulders. He gave us each one and attached a link between himself and Tripp, then to Veronica, with me at the tail end.

“Won’t this just pull us all to our deaths?” Veronica asked with a laugh.

“It’s safer this way,” he said. “Something happens, stop and plant your feet.”

With that said, we began the ascent after I checked the GPS to see we were halfway to our target.

____________

I accepted Tripp’s extended hand as we exited the crack in the limestone wall, and I lay on my back a moment, letting my heartrate slow with a few deep breaths.

“That was incredible,” Veronica said. She was bent over, resting her hands on her thighs, and she smiled at me.

I climbed to my feet and looked back in the direction we’d just emerged from. The stone forest covered a vast area, and I peered past the rocks to the forest, where Marcus would be waiting with Hunter and Haja.

“Any chance we’ll be able to return before nightfall?” I asked Hasin, and he nodded, surprising me.

“Maybe. We have made good time.” The Malagasy man stretched his back and cracked his neck. “The trail is easier before it grows more difficult.”

“You’ve been here before?” I asked.

“Once.”

I didn’t press him. We took a brief break, and I drank deeply from my canteen before stowing it. My protein bar went down quickly, and soon we were on the trail, only a mile from the final destination.

Tripp lingered behind the guide, and Veronica switched positions, chatting amiably with Hasin.

“She’s quite the piece of work, isn’t she?”

Tripp’s comment could have been rhetorical, but I answered anyway. “She sure is. How can someone be so chipper after a climb like that?” My own legs were tired, but the thought of obtaining a Token fueled my motivation.

Tripp stared forward, his steps like robotic marches. “I don’t trust her.”

“Why?”

“She just happened to be at the hotel, and she conveniently had an airplane secured on the coast? It doesn’t add up,” he said.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Marcus and I had discussed this exact thing, but it wasn’t like we’d had time. I had a job to go home to, and Hunter was adamant we locate the Tokens soon. I thought about the Believers tracking me and remembered the dangers that awaited us if we failed.

“Hunter wouldn’t have listened. He’s so hell-bent on finding this Bridge, whatever that is. When this is done, and you all realize it’s been a huge waste of time and resources, let me buy you a beer and tell