Cliff Diving
The Beginning
Callie stood in the mouth of the cave, a head lamp on her head, a machete in hand, and a belt full of tools on her hip.
Her close friend, Matt, stood next to her, giving her a serious pep-talk.
“I don’t care what’s down there. If anything, and I mean anything, happens, I want you out of there immediately. If I tell you to come back, do it. Alright?” He added.
Callie rolled her eyes, “Yes mother. We’ve done this before.”
“Yeah, well last time you didn’t listen.” Matt replied agitated.
“I’m going, before we start a fight.” She said as she slowly entered the cave.
“Be careful!” He screamed at her.
She wiggled her way into the cave, and soon discovered it opened up further in.
As she climbed, she heard Matt call to her through the two way radios.
“What do you see?”
“Eh, nothing really. It smells faintly of acid.. maybe even ammonia. I am stepping on something that crunches. It may be twigs, but if not, it’s gross.”
“You make me so nervous sometimes,” Matt said.
Callie laughed, and continued on through the cave.
As she went, the stench grew stronger, and it felt like the abundance of crunchy “twigs” was getting bigger.
Matt radioed once more, “Hey Cal, there’s people out here who want to talk to us. They say there looking for something called a Ropen.. I think.”
“Hold on. I think I found what looks like a nest. There’s definitely something living in here.” Callie radioed back to Matt.
“Hey, that’s just great. Get out NOW!” He cried to her.
Callie ignored his request, and dug a small bottle out of her belt, and scooped some dirt into it.
Closing the bottle she stored in back into her belt, when a low thunderous noise came through the cave.
“Hey, is it storming outside?” She asked.
“..No. Why?” Matt cautiously replied.
“It sounds like its thundering in here.. or maybe it’s growling..” She trailed off.
“Callie! Callie, answer me.”
She continued searching the cave for a few seconds, keeping the noise in the back of her mind.
As she was turning to exit the cave, the stench began to increase, making her fight to keep down her lunch.
She quickly began to reach the tight space, when she felt something hot on her neck.
She shook off the sensation, and started towards the tight space, and immediately felt something grab at her leg.
She emitted a blood-curling scream.
“Callie!”
She heard shuffling of feet, and continued to feel the sensation of trying to be pulled back underground.
“I got you,” Someone said to her, as they wrapped their arms around her underarms.
She gave one final kick at the things holding her captive, and landed backwards onto whoever was holding her.
“Holy shit Cal. Are you okay?” Matt asked trying to get closer to her.
She let out a low groan, “My leg.”
When she sat up, she saw her leg to be a bloody mess.
“Is my foot missing?”
Matt let out a low chuckle, “No, but we need to get you cleaned up.”
She nodded, “What did I land on?”
“Um..”
She slowly turned to see a man, mid twenties, with reddish brown hair and a matching beard, laying underneath her.
“Oh my god! I am so sorry!” She cried as she tried her best to scramble off the man.
Someone walked up behind her, along with Matt, and hoisted her to a standing position.
“So, you want to tell me what the hell that was?” Matt asked, only to receive shrugs in return.
The man had gotten up from the ground, and started ordering people around.
“I need a FLIR, and cameras set up all around this area. There’s something down there.”
Callie found a nearby rock, and motioned for Matt to sit along-side her.
He casually handed her a bottle of water, “What the hell was that?!”
She shrugged, “I told you I don’t know. Maybe they will find something.”
The crew member, who helped her up, came over and offered his hand.
“I’m Brad, and you are?”
Callie cracked a smile, “Lucky to be alive.”
The man flashed her a quick smile.
“I’m Callie, and this is Matt.”
He nodded to Matt, “Are either of your certified for First Aide?”
Callie shook her head, along with Matt.
“Alright, well.. we need to check out that leg, before it gets infected,” He said as he pulled a Kit out of his bag.
Callie placed her leg onto another rock, and “assisted” as Brad slowly removed her shoe.
As he sopped up the blood, the crew seemed to come alive around them.
“How’s she holding up?” A tall, thin, and blond man asked, as he walked by holding a camera.
“Cuts are shallow, but there’s definitely something big about the marks. I think we might want Josh to look at these.” He said to the man.
“Hey Josh!” The man called out.
“Yeah Casey, what did you find?”
“A girl with nice bite marks. You might really want to check these out.” Casey replied.
The man stepped out from the bush, and knelt in front of her.
He inspected her leg for a few minutes, when he sat back and looked up at her.
“Do you mind if I make a mold of these?”
“Usually boys ask my name first before they ask about my bite marks.”She said with a spark in her eye.
This made him laugh, “Ha ha, usually I’m the one with the witty remarks, but where are my manners. My name’s Josh. ”
“Callie. And I want to thank you once again for saving me.” She said with a sweet smile.
He shrugged, and turned a slight shade of pink, “I did want anyone else would do.”
Callie threw her head back and laughed, "Not intirely. Matt would have just sat there and screamed his head off and ran around in circles."
Josh gave her a sideways smile, and looked over at Matt, "Haha, well I guess we would have had to seen what happened."
"That would have been worth it."
Josh stared at Callie, unable to take his eyes off her.
She gave him a quizical look and his cheeks turned red as he quickly turned away.
Casey walked by toting a heavy camera bag, laughing as he watched the situation unfold.
Josh quickly jumped up and brushed off his pants.
"Alright guys, lets get these cameras rolling!"
Everyone jumped into a ready stance and started filiming the location.
Her close friend, Matt, stood next to her, giving her a serious pep-talk.
“I don’t care what’s down there. If anything, and I mean anything, happens, I want you out of there immediately. If I tell you to come back, do it. Alright?” He added.
Callie rolled her eyes, “Yes mother. We’ve done this before.”
“Yeah, well last time you didn’t listen.” Matt replied agitated.
“I’m going, before we start a fight.” She said as she slowly entered the cave.
“Be careful!” He screamed at her.
She wiggled her way into the cave, and soon discovered it opened up further in.
As she climbed, she heard Matt call to her through the two way radios.
“What do you see?”
“Eh, nothing really. It smells faintly of acid.. maybe even ammonia. I am stepping on something that crunches. It may be twigs, but if not, it’s gross.”
“You make me so nervous sometimes,” Matt said.
Callie laughed, and continued on through the cave.
As she went, the stench grew stronger, and it felt like the abundance of crunchy “twigs” was getting bigger.
Matt radioed once more, “Hey Cal, there’s people out here who want to talk to us. They say there looking for something called a Ropen.. I think.”
“Hold on. I think I found what looks like a nest. There’s definitely something living in here.” Callie radioed back to Matt.
“Hey, that’s just great. Get out NOW!” He cried to her.
Callie ignored his request, and dug a small bottle out of her belt, and scooped some dirt into it.
Closing the bottle she stored in back into her belt, when a low thunderous noise came through the cave.
“Hey, is it storming outside?” She asked.
“..No. Why?” Matt cautiously replied.
“It sounds like its thundering in here.. or maybe it’s growling..” She trailed off.
“Callie! Callie, answer me.”
She continued searching the cave for a few seconds, keeping the noise in the back of her mind.
As she was turning to exit the cave, the stench began to increase, making her fight to keep down her lunch.
She quickly began to reach the tight space, when she felt something hot on her neck.
She shook off the sensation, and started towards the tight space, and immediately felt something grab at her leg.
She emitted a blood-curling scream.
“Callie!”
She heard shuffling of feet, and continued to feel the sensation of trying to be pulled back underground.
“I got you,” Someone said to her, as they wrapped their arms around her underarms.
She gave one final kick at the things holding her captive, and landed backwards onto whoever was holding her.
“Holy shit Cal. Are you okay?” Matt asked trying to get closer to her.
She let out a low groan, “My leg.”
When she sat up, she saw her leg to be a bloody mess.
“Is my foot missing?”
Matt let out a low chuckle, “No, but we need to get you cleaned up.”
She nodded, “What did I land on?”
“Um..”
She slowly turned to see a man, mid twenties, with reddish brown hair and a matching beard, laying underneath her.
“Oh my god! I am so sorry!” She cried as she tried her best to scramble off the man.
Someone walked up behind her, along with Matt, and hoisted her to a standing position.
“So, you want to tell me what the hell that was?” Matt asked, only to receive shrugs in return.
The man had gotten up from the ground, and started ordering people around.
“I need a FLIR, and cameras set up all around this area. There’s something down there.”
Callie found a nearby rock, and motioned for Matt to sit along-side her.
He casually handed her a bottle of water, “What the hell was that?!”
She shrugged, “I told you I don’t know. Maybe they will find something.”
The crew member, who helped her up, came over and offered his hand.
“I’m Brad, and you are?”
Callie cracked a smile, “Lucky to be alive.”
The man flashed her a quick smile.
“I’m Callie, and this is Matt.”
He nodded to Matt, “Are either of your certified for First Aide?”
Callie shook her head, along with Matt.
“Alright, well.. we need to check out that leg, before it gets infected,” He said as he pulled a Kit out of his bag.
Callie placed her leg onto another rock, and “assisted” as Brad slowly removed her shoe.
As he sopped up the blood, the crew seemed to come alive around them.
“How’s she holding up?” A tall, thin, and blond man asked, as he walked by holding a camera.
“Cuts are shallow, but there’s definitely something big about the marks. I think we might want Josh to look at these.” He said to the man.
“Hey Josh!” The man called out.
“Yeah Casey, what did you find?”
“A girl with nice bite marks. You might really want to check these out.” Casey replied.
The man stepped out from the bush, and knelt in front of her.
He inspected her leg for a few minutes, when he sat back and looked up at her.
“Do you mind if I make a mold of these?”
“Usually boys ask my name first before they ask about my bite marks.”She said with a spark in her eye.
This made him laugh, “Ha ha, usually I’m the one with the witty remarks, but where are my manners. My name’s Josh. ”
“Callie. And I want to thank you once again for saving me.” She said with a sweet smile.
He shrugged, and turned a slight shade of pink, “I did want anyone else would do.”
Callie threw her head back and laughed, "Not intirely. Matt would have just sat there and screamed his head off and ran around in circles."
Josh gave her a sideways smile, and looked over at Matt, "Haha, well I guess we would have had to seen what happened."
"That would have been worth it."
Josh stared at Callie, unable to take his eyes off her.
She gave him a quizical look and his cheeks turned red as he quickly turned away.
Casey walked by toting a heavy camera bag, laughing as he watched the situation unfold.
Josh quickly jumped up and brushed off his pants.
"Alright guys, lets get these cameras rolling!"
Everyone jumped into a ready stance and started filiming the location.