Chapter 15: It’s The Only Way…

As Blue continued searching for Delta’s canteen in the overly cramped backpack he brought, it became apparent to him that the water wasn’t that important to Delta after all. And that’s when he heard a loud crack like thunder from the direction they just scurried off to.

Ace! Where is he?!

Scanning down the bank of the stream, Blue spots me hunched over on the ground, not moving.

Is he okay?!

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Blue calls out to me, grabbing my attention. I quickly rush across the surging stream, water splashing onto my shins as my socks and shoes get soaked. Once I’m on the other side, we start running toward where Delta and Grace have gone.

“I should've kept the whole group together. It hasn't even been five minutes, and something has already gone wrong…” I mumble to myself. "What do you think that sound was Blue?"

"No idea, it was so sudden."

I point ahead of us, "There! Around this turn!"

We round the corner and abruptly come to a stop. In front of us is a steep downward slope with a thunderous roar echoing from the stream. The current rapidly speeds up from where we are, water gushing violently toward a waterfall that beckons at the end of the stream. Although, I wouldn’t call this a stream anymore.

Grinding my teeth together, I say, “Damn it. They might have both gotten caught in the sudden riptide. There's no way anybody could get out of something like this… hell, even though it's so shallow... it would be tough to stay on your feet.”

As Blue steps forward, I quickly put my arm out in front of him, "Careful, it's still unclear how exactly they disappeared."

Blue gazes at the stream, following it to the waterfall, "What exactly happened to them just now…?"

I lower my arm, "I don't know, but we must proceed cautiously. Every step, every sound… we have to be alert. Look around. There must be something here that can help us find them."

Luckily, there’s at least one person I can rely on out here. So far, Blue has seriously helped out by staying level-headed. In fact, he’s even helped me keep my own focus.

Checking every aspect of the stream, which has practically transformed into a violent river at this point, I notice distinct variances in the water. Upon further examination, I discerned that large rocks were impeding the water, and these rocks looked a lot like they could be used as stepping stones to cross to the other side.

Glancing over his shoulder and seeing me staring at the water, Blue goes back to surveying the area. And then, he nearly steps on an arrow carved into the dirt. It pointed toward the waterfall, and the letter “D” is etched into the dirt beside the arrow.

"Ace, get over here! I got something!"

Ignorant of his find, I couldn’t hear Blue’s voice over the rumbling of the waterfall. A sudden shake of my shoulder gets my attention, though, and that’s when Blue notices what I’ve been so distracted by. A branch sticking out of the water with some blood on it.

"Hey, I found a message from Delta!" informs Blue.

Pointing at the branch, I shout back, "I guess that means Grace must've been trying to cross the stream, and she slipped! She probably scratched herself on that branch on the way down and then got swept away by the current to the waterfall!”

Blue nods, "That message I found was an arrow carved into the ground from Delta! It points in the same direction as the waterfall!”

"Looks like she might have done something useful after all!” I shout.

With that information, I slowly creep over to the waterfall cliff and peer over it. The steam and fog mask the bottom, and I crack a nervous smile.

“Isn't that just great?”

Blue walks up beside me and freezes at the same sight. 

"What the… is there even a bottom?! How deep is this drop?!"

"I don't know! Delta probably jumped down after Grace, but who knows if she survived?!"

"No way…" he says, and I notice his body trembling.

And for some reason, those two words make me burst out laughing, "Well, shit! We have to follow them! And this looks like the only way down!"

Blue flashes a fearful expression, and I barely manage to control myself so I don’t start losing it.

"I wasn't really planning on gambling my life this early, but here we are…!" I cup my hands around my mouth. "Delta!! Grace!! Can you hear me?!"

There's no response as the waterfall roars down below.

Can’t say I didn’t expect that… she probably wouldn’t even hear me if she was on the opposite bank of this stream, let alone at the bottom of this waterfall. Screw it.

"Well… you ready, Blue?!"

Blue’s eyes darted between me and the waterfall, his pupils dilating more and more as genuine fear set in, "No, no, no, no, no, you can't be serious right now, Ace! There's no way we are jumping! Absolutely no way!"

I sigh and put a hand on my hip, "It's the only way…"

Blue takes a step back, wanting to believe I was joking, but he knew I wasn’t. After a deep breath, he shouts, "Am I jumping first?! Or are you?!"

I extend my only free hand to him, "How about at the same time?!"

Blue looks back at the waterfall and says, "This is really stupid, and I mean, really, really stupid! We- we are probably going to die! As soon as we jump, we are as good as dead, and you–"

Grabbing his hand, I say, "If you want to sit up here and wait till I'm back, you can do that! But I'm going after them because, like I said earlier, our survival depends on everybody staying alive! And whether I like them or not is meaningless if their lives are in danger! Now, make your decision! Are you coming with me or staying here?!"

For a few seconds, Blue juggles between his options. But then, the next thing I knew, he was taking off his backpack and giving me a nod.

"No countdown this time. We go when I go, alright?!"

Blue nods and closes his eyes. I take a few steps back, and he does the same. But before I jump, I can’t help but think that he's right.

This is really stupid…

As Blue opens his eyes and grips my sweaty palm firmer, I nod and release our grasp of one another.

"Now!"

We both sprint forward and jump off the cliff.