The Sirens of Catalunya

Author's Note:

I've split this novel into four sections for publication here. If you haven't read part 1, I strongly suggest doing so before proceeding. All sensuality (on page or otherwise) takes place between characters who are eighteen or older.

Eleven

"Is that a log cabin?" Ali yelped as they approached a small clearing three hours later.

"I don't think so," Sofi replied after a few moments. "It's too small."

Ali raced forward into the campsite and looked around anxiously, the eager look on her face not unlike a child on Christmas morning. There, she found a small Adirondack shelter, a three-sided structure made of rough-hewn wood with a plank floor and a low roof. Izzy limped along behind the threesome, enjoying their infectious enthusiasm.

The trek from the canyon where he had taken a tumble had been arduous. They had been forced to traverse the gorge where the plane had crashed, transiting over one hundred meters down toward the water before climbing back up to the opposite ridge. He was grateful his companions had thought to grab a few bottles of water to cram in their pockets before setting out after him following his brief descent into madness.

Despite the throbbing pain in his knee, he had garnered great enjoyment from the journey. He had given them his word that he had moved on from the self-hatred which had consumed him since daybreak, and he was no more capable of lying to them than he was sprouting wings and taking flight. They had made it easy for him to move on from his depression, keeping their conversation light and playful. The highlight had been when Ali had convinced everyone to play a drinking game. He had seen through her ruse (which was certainly targeted at convincing him to accept a reasonable share of water) and laughed unselfconsciously for the first time in weeks.

He took a seat on the edge of the shelter and watched his companions explore the area. From his vantage point, he could see a fire pit with the remnants of a recent fire and several areas which had obviously been cleared for use as tent pads. What he did not see was either a water supply or any evidence of current occupation.

"What do you think?" Liv asked as everyone coalesced around where Izzy was resting his knee.

He waited for the answer, but quickly found that everyone was looking at him expectantly. He pulled out his waterproof phone and powered it up, only to find that he still had no signal. He glanced upwards at the slowly gathering clouds and said, "We should get everyone up here as quickly as possible. Both to get out of the elements, and because it's our best chance to run into people who know the best way out of here."

Ali nodded and asked, "What if no one happens by?"

"I'm actually not that worried about it. I toured once with a roadie who was fanatical about backpacking. He'd done the Appalachian Trail twice, which is insane. It was kind of all he ever talked about. He said shelters like this are liberally sprinkled along the trail, typically on longer segments so people don't have to walk more than twenty klicks in a day. I suspect the presence of this place means we're roughly equidistant between two trailheads. If we don't see anyone by tomorrow, we could just pick a direction and start walking."

"Is the Appalachian Trail the one that runs from Georgia to Maine?" Sofi asked.

"Yup," Izzy replied. "Thirty-five-hundred kilometers along the top of the oldest mountain range in the Americas." He chuckled and added, "Like I said, it was all the guy ever talked about."

"Did you say rain?" Liv asked worriedly.

He glanced up. "Unless I miss my guess."

"How are we going to find our way back to the campsite?"

Sofi held up her phone and said, "I dropped a pin. The map part won't load, but GPS still works so we can still use the app to find our way back."

"Brilliant," Izzy enthused. "Let's go."

Sofi shook her head decisively. "Oh, no. You should stay here. You can barely walk as it is."

"No way," he retorted quickly.

"I thought we were past this self-sacrificial bullshit."

He sighed. "It's not that. I'll concede that my knee hurts like a motherfucker. But Oscar will need help with the copilot. Not to mention all the supplies."

"I guess," Sofi grumped.

Ali piped up, "And it's not like Murdock will help. All that guy knows how to do is bitch about work other people already did."

"Or leer at our tits," Liv added.

A growl echoed in Izzy's chest, and he said, "What?"

"Settle down," Ali said cheerily. "It's not like it isn't something we deal with all the time."

"Perhaps, but I'm still firing his ass as soon as we get back to civilization. I don't give a fuck what your father says."

"Suits me."

Sofi smiled. "It was always ultimately up to you, Izzy."

"I wish I could do something to shake your unflappable belief in me. All of you. If today's events prove anything, it is that there will eventually come a day where Iwillfail you."

Liv sat beside him and whispered, "Impossible."

Sofi settled in on her other side and added, "You will make mistakes. We all will. But you would never, could never, fail us."

He frowned and said, "I wish I shared your faith in me."

Liv patted him on the chest and murmured, "You will," before standing up and saying, "Shall we?"

***

***

It took another hour to reach the crash site despite the fact that they found a small trail which led them most of the way down to the river. Based on the endless chattering he had endured in the company of his former roadie; Izzy figured the path had been forged by campers seeking water. The impending storm had given him reason to hurry, but his companions had done everything possible to ensure that he did not injure himself further.

As they approached the river, he heard a curious sound above the distant thunder: laughter. Emerging from the trees, they spotted Oscar and the copilot sitting close together near the fire, the latter cackling uproariously. Whatever was transpiring between them was sufficient to prevent them from noticing the foursome's approach. So much so that the copilot screamed in fright when Ali called out to them.

Oscar sprang up from where he had been sitting and hurried over to them. "Jesus, dude. Are you ok?"

Izzy glanced down at the prodigious peppering of lacerations along his legs and arms before smirking and saying, "I'll live." He gestured back toward the copilot and added, "How's she doing?"

Oscar nodded and said, "She's great!"

Izzy looked over to where the copilot sat beside the firepit. From one point of view, she looked to be in miserable shape. Her clothing was mismatched and ill-fitting and the bandage on her head and splint on her leg made her look like something out of a Civil War movie. On the other hand, she was smiling brilliantly and looked to be in generally good spirits. Izzy suspected her heritage came from a part of the world not too far removed from where the band had originated. She had the same dark hair, angular face and fair skin as the women who surrounded him.

Izzy smiled wearily. "That's great to hear. But..."

Oscar frowned. "Murdock and Phoebe took off about an hour ago."

"Why?"

"Looking for you. At least, that's what they claimed." Izzy regarded his longtime friend with a raised eyebrow, prompting the latter to add, "He seemed really fucking pissed after you all took off. Well... not you so much, but definitely the band. They also took a bunch of shit with them. More than you'd need if you were planning on being back in a few hours."

"Well fuck," Izzy grunted.

Oscar quirked an eyebrow at him. "What am I missing?"

"We found shelter. Up along the ridge behind us. But I'm not sure how to let them know where we went. It's not like we can text them. Or even leave a note."

"Let's see if Chloe has any ideas."

The copilot made to stand as the group approached, but Oscar hurried to her side when she grimaced in pain. She smiled wearily up at Izzy and said, "Thank you for saving me."

Izzy looked away in embarrassment. "It was far more Oscar's doing than mine."

She looked toward the indefatigable roadie. "Jerk! You said you just watched him do all the work."

Sofi laughed. "Two peas in a pod, these two. It's a wonder they haven't come to blows trying to give credit to the other for all they do. How's your head?"

"Better," Chloe answered after a brief pause. "Oscar's been amazing. I just wish I could do something to help."

Izzy knelt before her awkwardly, in deference to his injuries, and said, "There might be. What can you tell us about our position."

"Not a lot. We were about seventy-five klicks east of Sweetwater when everything went to hell."

"Sweetwater," Izzy exploded. "We were headed for Chattanooga."

"Not according to our flight plan. That's why you guys chartered such a small plane. Anything bigger couldn't have landed at that tiny airport."

"Wait," Sofi interrupted. "What exactly happened?"

"We ran out of fuel," Chloe answered simply. "I have no clue how it happened. We should have had enough onboard to make it to Nashville. Hell, I checked again just before take-off, and wedidhave enough."

"Wait a minute," Izzy said gently. "Where's Sweetwater?"

Chloe thought for a moment before saying, "About three-quarters of the way from Chattanooga to Knoxville. When we asked why the change, your guy said it was necessary because there was a threat in Chattanooga, and he was trying to sneak in the side door."

"That doesn't make any fucking sense," Izzy grumped. "We're trying to dodge a couple of fucking stalkers, not the goddamn KGB. Why would he choose a strategy which required more time on the road?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. First I heard about your charter was late yesterday afternoon when Wyatt called me."

Izzy's features fell at the reference to the dead pilot. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

Chloe sighed wearily. "Thank you. We weren't really close, but he seemed like a good guy. He threw a rock star off the plane once when the dickhead groped me while quote, unquote, touring the cockpit."

"Did he have any family?" Liv asked softly.

"I'm not sure. He never wore a ring, or talked about kids, or anything like that."

Sofi said, "Regardless, we need to find out once we get back to civilization."

"Ok..." Chloe replied slowly.

"If so, we'd like to do anything we can to take care of them. You guys saved us last night."

She smiled warmly. "You guys aren't like any other band I've ever met."

Sofi gestured to Izzy. "It was his idea."

Any further discourse was cut off by a crash of thunder, which filled the gorge and caused most of them to flinch.

Izzy looked up to the darkening sky. "We need to get the hell out of here."

Chloe started to try to stand again as she said, "I think I could make it if I had something to lean on. Perhaps I could fashion a crutch."

"Not on my fucking watch," Oscar grumbled. He looked to Izzy and said, "Think you and the band can carry the supplies if I take her?"

"You bet. Just give us a second."

"What are you..." Chloe stammered, but her question turned into a yelp as Oscar bent at the knees and scooped her up into a bridal carry. Her voice rose in both pitch and volume as she continued, "Doing!"

"I'm carrying you to shelter. Quit wiggling."

"Are you insane?"

"No. But you are if you think I'm letting you climb a mountain with a goddamned broken leg."

"At the very least let me get on your back. You'll kill us both like this."

"Fine," Oscar grunted. "But don't try to put any weight on your bad leg."

"So bossy," she quipped as he set her down gently.

She hopped in place for a moment while he turned around. He then crouched to allow her to climb onto his back. He stood and shifted her around slightly before heading off toward where Izzy and the band had emerged from the trees.

The remaining survivors hurried to scoop up the luggage and rations, combining them into as few bags as possible.

As they worked, Ali said, "What about the other two?"

"Fuck 'em," Izzy grunted.

Liv frowned. "But what if they really did go out looking for us? I'd hate to think of something happening to them just because they were trying to help us."

Sofi said, "How about I leave them a note?"

They turned to find her holding up a waterlogged, but usable, spiral notebook. As the band's primary lyricist, she never went anywhere without the means to jot something down when inspiration struck.

"Good idea," Izzy admitted. "We can stick it in one of the suitcases we'll have to leave behind, to keep it out of the weather."

Task done; they each hefted a pair of bags loaded with the belongings they needed most, along with the remaining rations. Izzy had managed to make his bags the heaviest, by snagging the majority of the water. He shifted them around a few times before heading off after Oscar. The rain began to fall before they reached the tree line, promising a long, miserable climb up the mountain.

Twelve

"Goddamnit!" an unfamiliar high-pitched voice pierced the relative calm of the wilderness as the group of survivors finally reached the summit after climbing out of the gorge into which their plane had crashed the day before.

Izzy paused in his agonizing trek, resisting the urge to set down the two suitcases full of water he carried lest he find he could no longer pick them up, and fiercely whispered, "What the fuck was that?"

"I think it's someone at the campsite," Ali guessed. "It's just up ahead."

"Thank God!" Sofi enthused with a sympathetic glance backwards to where Izzy led Oscar (who, despite her constant protests, still carried Chloe on his back).

Liv looked worriedly in the direction from which they had heard the voice. "Should we be concerned?"

Sofi shook her head and replied, "This was what we were hoping for. I know she sounds a bit upset..."

"A bit?" Ali interjected loudly.

"Whatever. At this point we're committed. Izzy is exhausted and I honestly have no idea how Oscar can still stand."

Chloe snapped, "That's why I keep telling him to put me down."

"That's not happening," Oscar grunted.

Izzy pushed ahead, saying, "Look on the bright side. Maybe she'll be a delightful person who just stubbed her toe."

Sofi nodded in agreement. "Maybe she'll be a fan!"

"I hope not," Liv murmured as she followed close behind Izzy.

Within moments, the shelter came into view for the exhausted group. Izzy paused to scan the clearing for the source of the voice they had heard, but he saw nothing different from their last visit to the campsite. He briefly pondered making a discreet approach, but then he remembered the pitch of the voice. It was possible the person had moved on while they were debating, but he considered it more likely that it was a small group (perhaps even a person hiking alone). In this instance, he suspected there was a high likelihood a sextet of dirty, injured crash survivors appearing out of the wilderness would scare an unsuspecting woman to such a degree that she would refuse to help them.

Decision made, he called out, "Hello?"

"Who's there?" the voice they had heard previously yelped from the direction of the shelter.

He pondered the question briefly, discarding several possible answers as either too snarky or too threatening. At length, Ali gave him a pointed stare to remind him that he had yet to reply. "Um... no one of consequence?"

A shock of auburn hair appeared on the left side of the shelter framing a face which was more freckles than not. She stared at them with wide eyes and said, "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I just..." Izzy began, but he fell silent when he felt a bump against his hip as Sofi pushed past him.

She approached the shelter saying, "He just didn't want to scare you."

"What happened to you guys?" the woman whispered.

Sofi shrugged theatrically. "Oh, you know... nothing big. Just a plane crash in the middle of the mountains."

"Are youserious?"

"You think we'd be out backpacking with a bunch of suitcases?"

"I mean, I guess not. Is everyone ok?"

Sofi's grin fled her features and she somberly replied, "The pilot died in the crash and the copilot was hurt pretty bad. The rest of us are mostly just bruised and battered. Oh, and two of our, I guess you'd have to call them acquaintances, left. We don't have the foggiest idea where they are."

"Jesus," the woman murmured reverently. "I'm so sorry."

Izzy, who had been trying to work the feeling back into his arms after dropping the suitcases, said, "I don't suppose you could tell us where we are."

"I guess that depends on what you need to know. We're in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, right near the border between Tennessee and North Carolina."

"Which way is the closest town?" Chloe asked from the shelter where Oscar had just finished gently depositing her.

"I'm not sure. I came from the south. It's about fifteen klicks to where I started from. It's another eight klicks to the next parking area to the northeast where I left my car. But I'm not sure which is closer to a town. They're kind of both just parking lots along a state highway."

"Well," Ali said brightly. "I hope you don't mind us sharing your campsite. Our gallant men are just about knackered after carrying the bulk of our stuff up from the river."

"You know where the river is?" the hiker asked excitedly.

"Sure," Ali replied. She hooked a thumb behind her and added, "About two hours, not to mention a couple hundred meters damned-near straight down, that way. Why?"

"I thought this site had a water supply. But I just arrived and discovered I was misinformed. I've only got a tiny bit left."

Izzy moved over to accommodate the still-huffing Oscar and said, "Tell you what. As this party's designated water carrier, I will gladly trade you some water in exchange for any ideas you might have for how we can avoid another cold, miserable night. It would seem that, as a group, we're somewhat lacking in outdoor acumen."

The hiker smiled dazzlingly. "Deal!" She stuck her hand out and added, "I'm Faye."

***

***

"Ali?" Izzy said carefully to his companion who was squatting by the fire as she kept close watch on a pot lest if fall (again) into the fire.

"Yes?" she replied at length after Izzy said nothing further.

He favored her with a strained smile. "I was wondering if maybe you three would consider loosening the restrictions on me contributing around here."

"Are you crazy?" she yelped. "You carried two suitcases which weigh as much as I do all the way up from the river. And Oscar carried a human. What's more, neither of you uttered a single word of complaint. You're both sitting right there and letting us serve you for a while."

"Here, here!" Chloe enthused from where she was awkwardly massaging Oscar's back without placing any strain on her broken leg.

"You're sure I can't help out even a bit?" Izzy retorted. "Perhaps you could bring the boiling water over here and I could prepare our beverages."

Confusion was written plainly on her face as she asked, "What are you saying?"

He held up his cup, which had started off as a plastic water bottle before being converted to a coffee cup by cutting the top off and nestling it in a doubled-over sock. "How much coffee did you use in this?" By way of answer, Ali held up an empty pouch which looked capable of holding at least a few hundred grams of grounds. He winced and said, "I see."

Chloe said, "Good lord! That's enough for a whole pot."

"Oh," Ali said softly.

Izzy was consumed by embarrassment for her. "I wasn't trying to criticize you."

"Yeah, right," she grumped. "I can only imagine how hard it is for you to not point out the irony of me drinking about ten coffees every day, but still having no idea how to make the stuff."