"It hurts so much!" cried Carla, slapping at Vonn's hands.
"Carla," he sighed, "It's going to hurt. You got rope burns and bruising, just like the rest of us! I'm tying you differently, so maybe it won't hurt as bad, but you have to bear with it. None of us have the strength to climb down on our own. We have to use the ropes."
"I know," she said softly, licking her lips. "It's just so far!"
"Vonn, I think she's more scared of the distance down, than she is of the ropes," said Gia.
He nodded and sighed. "Just close your eyes and hold the rope. It'll be over before you know it."
"That's what I'm worried about," she said deadpan, glancing towards the edge again.
"Mom, we can't let you down with anyone else. Do you want someone else to go first?" asked Gia.
"No, I have to get off this cliff," said Carla shaking her head.
"Alright, then let me loop this around your legs one more time," said Vonn, basically making a seat with the rope for her to sit in, before tying it tightly around her waist.
Carla winced in pain and grasped the rope tightly, as she closed her eyes. Gia and Vonn guided her to the edge of the cliff, directing her to sit and swinging her legs around to dangle. She was breathing hard, and Gia hoped she didn't pass out.
"Okay, I'm going to start lowering you now," said Vonn, fighting to stay calm and patient.
Gia watched as he lifted her mom up, so she wasn't sitting on the edge anymore, using the rope and the tree. Gia pushed her mom out over the edge so Vonn could slowly start letting her down. Laying down, Gia held the rope gently away from the rock to keep Carla from bumping against the rock.
As soon as she was near the ground, Gia called down to her, "Get ready, you're almost near the ground!"
"Oh, thank goodness!" exclaimed Carla, giving a little yelp as she bumped against the ground.
"Step out of the rope, so we can bring it back up for Tom," said Vonn, leaning against the tree and looking down at her. "You should be able to just step out of it."
"My middle hurts so much, this rope is too tight," called Carla, struggling with the knot around her middle.
"If you can't get it undone, you're going to have to come back up," called Tom.
"Oh, no I'm not!" she called back, tearing at the rope with even more fervor. "There! I got it!"
Gia watched as she stepped out of the rope and looked up with a wide grin.
"Okay, bring up the rope," said Gia, climbing up from the ground. "You're next, dad."
"Do I need to close my eyes, too?" he asked with a grin, standing up.
"Only if you want to," laughed Gia.
Vonn helped him into the rope, making sure it was tight where it needed to be, then Gia guided him to the ledge just as she had with Carla. He didn't have any issues going down, and soon it was Mikey's turn. When it was the two of them, Vonn sent down all of the backpacks then turned to her.
"I have an idea on how to do this, so we don't leave the rope up here. Are you willing?"
"What does it entail?" she asked, glancing at the edge of the cliff hesitantly.
"The rope isn't long enough to go all the way to the ground with both of us, be if we untie it, once we get almost to the bottom, we can climb down the rest of the way," said Vonn.
Gia glanced at her hands. They were pretty scraped up from the climbing and the tsunami, but she didn't think they would be alive if it wasn't for that rope. Nodding in determination, she watched as he tied the rope around both of them differently than he had with the rest of her family. He showed her how to quick release it so they could both untie and not risk pulling the other down.
"Ready?" he asked, as they both sat on the edge of the cliff. "Roll onto your belly and start down slow. I'll be right beside you. The rope should stay somewhat slack, so you can climb, but if you slip it will catch you. Okay?"
She nodded, and rolled, painfully because of the bruises, onto her belly, feeling for footholds. Once she found some, she started climbing down. Her whole body ached and cried in pain. Her hands wanted to cramp and tears came to her eyes, but Vonn was right beside her, struggling too. She could see his arms quivering as he struggled to hold on. They should have waited a day or two, to make sure they had healed enough to do this.
When they were about halfway down, there was a rumble and the rock they were clinging to started to vibrate under her hands.
"Earthquake," whispered Vonn in horror. "Quick, climb down!"
Gia struggled to speed up her descent as the rock under her bounced and shook underneath her. How she managed to keep her grip, she had no idea. Then the rope went tight. They were at the last of the rope, literally.
"Gia, this rock could give way at any moment, we need to untie and climb down," panted Vonn as the ground seemed to stop shaking and calmed down.
She reached down for the rope at her waist, and struggled not to slip. They couldn't be that far from the ground. She had only a little way to go. Pulling the end of the rope, that released her completely, she started climbing down when things started shaking again.
"Climb!" screamed Carla.
Gia rushed and slipped, falling only a few feet as Vonn tumbled after her, pulling the rope quickly. The others had the bags and were already making their way along the rocks. Helping her off the ground, Vonn grabbed up the rope and they hurried to catch up.
"Is the earthquake going to make another big wave?" asked Gia, panting as they ran.
"I don't know, but it could," said Vonn.
"Do we need to climb up the cliff again?" she asked, looking ahead to see a more gradual incline."
"Carla! Go up the mountain more!" called Vonn, pointing towards the incline.
She steered Tom and Mikey towards the incline as Gia and Vonn caught up with them. The climb was difficult, as Tom couldn't see what they were climbing over, and everyone was sore and tired.
Reaching the top, where the land started to level off, Gia looked around. There were a few trees they could use, and if any rocks gave way, they would be safe. A rumble from behind them, drew their attention back from where they had been earlier. They all watched as the side of the mountain came down, destroying the little cave they had stayed in the night before.
The water was starting to withdraw again.
"There's going to be another big wave," said Mikey.
"Let's get into the trees," said Vonn. "We can tie ourselves in them to keep the water from washing us off the mountainside."
"More ropes," sighed Carla, guiding Tom over to the trees.
"These don't look very secure," said Gia, once they were close enough to see them better.
"The roots probably don't go very deep," agreed Vonn with a sigh. "We don't have much of a choice, though."
"Look!" cried Mikey, pointing further south, towards the cleft they had been heading towards.
Figures were rushing towards them, trailing long reptilian tails behind them as they ran.
"Quick, where's the scales?" asked Vonn, diving for the bags.
"In my bag," said Carla, pulling her bag off so Vonn could dig through it.
Pulling out a scale, he held it up for the incoming lizardmen to see.
"Come! Quickly!" cried the lizardman in a rough voice, waving at them. "It's not safe here!"
They grabbed their bags and Gia grabbed one arm, while Vonn grabbed Tom's other. Between the two of them, they were able to move faster than the blind man would have otherwise been able to move over the rough terrain.
The roar of the water as it approached the land had them moving even faster. One of the lizardmen picked up Mikey when he stumbled, and threw him over his shoulders to be able to keep running. As the water reached their cliff, the ground underneath them started rumbling again.
Gia couldn't tell if it was from the water hitting the ground, or if it was another earthquake. All she focused on was placing each foot in front of the other as quickly as she could, while keeping a tight grip on her father who was trying the best he could to keep on his feet, and following the lizardman in front of them who was leading them up another incline. As water lapped against her heels, she spotted the village they were rushing towards. The moment they stepped through the gates, a tall lizardman slammed his staff down on the ground, and a magical barrier stopped the water that had reached that far.
Turning as she panted, trying to catch her breath, and holding her side where a sharp pain had erupted, Gia saw that the water had really made it that far at all, but another wave was approaching that was even bigger.
"Oh dear," whispered Carla as it crashed into the cliff they had just left.
The barrier held back the water, but Gia wasn't sure how.