“Some hike that you have brought us on,” Petra said as they picked their way south across the rocky terrain.

“Stop complaining,” Davies suggested. “You lot wanted a bit of time outside the compound.”

Nancy adjusted the backpack as dark clouds rolled overhead.

“It had better not rain on us.”

“We have the tents with us,” Steven reminded her.

The rubble-strewn field was obviously the product of an ice age, and the team stopped as a small stream cut across their path.

“I suppose this is when we get our feet wet,” Nancy said gazing at the dark water.

“How deep do you reckon it is?” Petra asked.

“Shall we find out?” Davies said.

He carefully put his foot into the water and slowly lowered it. As it reached his knees, he hit the bottom.

“That’s not too deep. Come on.”

He carefully waded the four feet across to the rocky bank as his friends followed. Just ahead, lay their target for the day.

“Looks pretty magnificent doesn’t it,” Steven said.

“It’s just a large square rock,” Nancy pointed out.

“A huge lump of flat topped sandstone more like,” Petra added.

“Let’s hope that after nearly a day’s walk, we can get to the top.”

“So we stay the night,” Davies said happily.

The ground began to rise gently as they reached the base of the rock. They gazed up and around, looking for an easy ascent.

“Why not try that?” Nancy suggested.

Steven looked at the sunken pathway and again at the dark clouds.

“As long as the rain holds off.”

“Why the concern?” Petra asked.

Steven pointed to the silt.

“The path has been made by heavy water that’s why. If we were to get caught...Well...”

His sentence needed no completing. The meaning was crystal clear.

“I’ll go first then,” Nancy said leading the way.

The sunken path was quite easy to negotiate. As they reached a rocky
overhang, the path moved underneath. The team stopped as Steven moved carefully ahead.

“I’ll check to see that it is safe.”

He started tapping the red sandstone with his fist until he was satisfied the edifice would not come crashing onto their clumsy heads.

“It’ll stay the course,” he muttered.

They moved on along the ledge as the path took a violent twist.

“Nearly half way,” Nancy said.

“This is far easier than I expected,” Davies admitted.

“Almost like a quiet Sunday jaunt,” Petra whispered.

They negotiated the twist easy enough until the path swung left and stopped suddenly.

“Seems to end here,” Steven said.

They looked at the stream of dislodged rocks and easily guessed the cause.

“Must have been a landslide,” Nancy said.

“Do we go on or turn back?” Petra asked.

“At least allow me to think,” Steven said analysing the problem.

His keen eyes picked up the slant of the slide and a slightly firmer section above.

“We go on.”

“Across that?” Davies asked. “It’ll give way.”

“There is solid ground above the slide,” Steven said. “I’ll go first.”

They watched as he crept forward carefully.

“The path resumes here,” he muttered happily.

Nancy slowly followed as Petra and Davies hung back.

“Come on you two,” Steven urged. “We need to reach the top before sunset.”

Petra nodded and crept forward to join them.

“Just looked a bit risky that’s all.”

She reached the safety of the path as Davies stepped onto the firm ground.

“Seems damn unstable to me,” he whispered.

As his foot ground into the rock, a sudden cracking sound was quickly followed by the firm ground giving way.

“Oh no..!” Davies yelled as he lost his footing.

Petra reached out with her hand but Davies staggered as the slide began and plummeted towards the rocks below.

“Davies!” Steven screamed in vain.

“What do we do?” Nancy yelled.

“We certainly can’t go back that way,” Steven admitted as the short collapse slid to a halt.

“To hell with staying overnight,” Petra said. “We reach the top and find a quick way down.”

“I agree,” the comrades said.

Steven looked ahead as the path lurched right and started a heavily slanted ascent. He watched the loose rocks as they carefully inched forward.

“This looks like the hard bit,” Steven said gazing ahead.

He started the climb slowly, double-checking the rocks with his fingers. As he pulled himself higher, Petra found herself stuck.

“Hey you two, hold it a second.”

“We have to keep going,” Steven called back. “I reckon on half an hour’s daylight left.

“My ruddy foot’s jammed!”

The friends stopped.

“Try wiggling it,” Nancy suggested.

“I tried that.”

“Just calm down,” Steven said. “Let me through Nancy.”

Steven slowly moved down until he reached her at last. He crouched down and carefully moved the gravel to one side.

“Now try it.”

Petra wiggled and the foot slid free.

“Just watch where you step,” he said smiling. “I’ll take up the rear
Nancy. Take it easy eh?”

“I’ll try.”

She clung on and hauled her body higher as the path got even steeper.

“I think there is a ledge here,” she mumbled.

“We could rest for a moment,” Petra suggested.

“When we reach it,” Steven advised.

Nancy placed two hands upon the ledge and pulled hard. Her body rose quickly and her eyes opened in horror as a crevasse opened below her.

“Steven..!”

“Nancy!”

The scream stopped swiftly as Steven climbed past Petra and pulled
himself carefully to the ledge.

“She’s had it.”

“What happened?” Nancy demanded.

“The ledge was the lisp of a crevasse. She went straight over.”

“Then we are stuck! How the hell do we get out of this?”

Steven shook his head.

“I really don’t know.”

He sat back as Petra looked at him.

“We just cannot sit here mate.”

“Look, two friends are dead. There is a ruddy great hole ahead that we simply cannot get around.”

“How large is it?” Nancy asked.

Steven turned slowly and gazed down.

“Roughly thirty foot wide I'd say. Probably a hundred foot deep as
well.”

“Look for anything that may help us,” Petra suggested. “I’m not dying out here.”

As Steven looked, he saw a large square block that seemed pretty solid. When he reported it, she had an idea.

“How much rope do we have between us?”

“About a hundred feet but we cannot lash it together. It won’t take
the strain.”

“Take your out and connect it to a pin. Then hammer it in.”

“You want us to climb down?”

“That fissure may extend to the outside world. It may be our only chance.”

“I hope you know what you are doing.”

As the rope was secured, Nancy removed her own and placed it over her head and shoulder. She took a metal pin and placed this inside her pocket. Once the rope was dangling, Steven went over the edge.

“It looks quite loose.”

“I’ll try not to knock it off then,” Petra said.

The slow descent was arduous and as they neared the free hanging end, Steven stopped.

“Wait a second,” she said removing her own rope and handing it over.

As he took hold, she gave him the pin.

“Now secure it.”

Steven lashed it to the pin and hammered hard. After a few hefty tugs, he was convinced that it would hold.

“So far so good eh?”

He climbed down slowly as Petra followed. After another ten feet, the rain began.

“That’s all we need,” she hissed.

“We got to make it to the bottom now,” Steven said as the drops turned into a torrent. “My hands can’t grip properly.”

They edged down as the downpour lashed their escape route with no let up.

“I’m slipping...Oh crikey!”

He slipped once too often and his body hurtled backwards as Nancy screamed in horror. She closed her eyes and pressed her body tight to the rock wall as the sickening thump reached her ears.

The rain suddenly stopped and she gritted her teeth.

“Come on girl, you have got to do this.”

Nancy placed her feet carefully and began the final descent. As the two crushed bodies came into view, she tried not to look.

She allowed herself to slide the final ten feet and saw that the crack widened a little way ahead.

“I was right after all.”

She scrambled through and found herself standing once more in that rock strewn environment.

“This must be the west wall.”

Nancy turned for home as darkness reached her.

“I see your bump has finally arrived,” Terrance muttered as he kissed Trudy.”

“After three months I’m quite relieved. A phantom pregnancy we can do without.”

“Do you think Moira likes your place?”

“She loves it. Her four companions are trying to make moonshine from
those grapes we found.”

Terrance shook his head as the communal fire burned brightly.

“As long as alcohol fuelled fights don’t start eh? We still don’t
have a jail.”

Trudy laughed as a concerned guard ran over.

“The team are still not back sir.”

“Those climbers?” Trudy asked.

“Gather the bowmen and we’ll mount a search.”

Terrance kissed her soft cheek lightly.

“I’ll see you later.”

The thirteen man party left soon after, and as they headed south a cry was clearly heard.

“It came from over there.”

They dashed forward and saw Petra staggering toward them. Terrance gripped her shoulders roughly.

“Where are the others?”

“As tears streamed down her cheeks she muttered, “They are all dead. I’m the only one.”

“How far away?” a chap asked.

“About two miles,” she replied.

Terrance shook his head.

“We’ll find them in the morning. We have to get you home.”

The bodies were recovered at noon, and brought back to the sad enclosure. After a simple ceremony, they were laid to rest.

Terrance returned to his home with Trudy and Larry the poet. Dudley had decided not to return just yet.

“We can’t keep losing people,” Terrance hissed. “We are down to one hundred and ninety six.”

“Especially not whilst climbing,” Larry added.

“They just wanted a little excitement,” Trudy suggested.

Terrance turned on her.

“Oh yes? Look where it got them!”

He sat down and rapidly calmed himself.

“I’m sorry my dear. I hate wasting lives like this.”

“I know dear,” she said sitting at his side. “We need a new directive.”

Larry tried to smile.

“Something along the lines of thou shalt not climb.”