This adventure story was written for a NYC Midnight challenge – but it was perfect opportunity for Leslie Kicklighter, one of my strong women characters.

Leslie backed up to the edge of the cliff, rope in hand, and smiled.

Jerry, the hotel guide, glanced at a black sedan pulling up and shook his head. “I’m going to go see who this is. George is on belay down below, so go ahead. I’ll see you down at the bottom.”

Leslie nodded and stepped back, embracing the thrill of that first step going over the cliff edge, the rope stretching a tiny bit as her full weight tugged against the rope’s bonds. Walking perpendicular to the cliff, she took a few more steps back, the black lava rock reflecting the heat of the Hawaiian sun.

Leslie thought she heard a yell from up top. Maybe Jerry was arguing with whoever had arrived. She didn’t hear any more yelling, so she kept going.

Now, she pushed away from the cliff into the air, letting the rope run through her gloved hands faster, and landing back on the cliff ten feet from where she had pushed off. Oh yes, it had been awhile but she still remembered how.

She bounded down the rest of the three hundred foot cliff, landed on the bottom, knelt down to loosen the rope, and climbed out of her gear. The six others on the tour were waiting, sitting on rocks, taking in the view of the lava tube in front of them. Leslie had never explored caves formed from an old flow of lava, so this promised to be an interesting excursion.

Leslie looked up to see Jerry was coming down the ropes. Only, it wasn’t Jerry. The man who landed nearby was taller and his short brown hair was covered by a black baseball cap.

“Hey everyone,” he called as he disconnected from his gear. “Jerry had to head back to the hotel, I’m Sean. I’ll be your guide into the network of lava tubes.”

Something wasn’t right. Leslie had interviewed the hotel staff for her latest article about travel, and no one had mentioned this guy. An imposter impersonating a guide? But why? And what had happened to Jerry?

Maybe she was just being paranoid. Besides, why would anyone impersonate the guide?

“On my way down, I thought I heard Jerry yelling about something,” Leslie said.

Sean nodded. “Oh, he didn’t want to go back, but the boss asked for him.” Sean pointed to the lava tubes. “Let’s get in there and start exploring.”

The group moved as one, stepping through small pools of water toward the ten foot tall tube. The water reminded Leslie they were here during low tide. If they stayed more than two hours this bowl and the entire network of tubes would be flooded. Which was why the only way in was with a guide who knew what they were doing.

She looked around at the small group she had met in the van on the way over from the hotel. An older couple; George and Marge; a mom and daughter, Sandy and Christine; two sisters, Elisabeth and Katy; and herself. Now, as Sean led them forward, the cave looked menacing.

“Sean, how about telling us more about the network before we go in?” Leslie asked.

Sean sighed and threw his pack onto the ground. He unzipped the bag and pulled out a gun waving it at everyone in the group in turn. “I don’t have time to fool around. Everyone keep moving and get inside that tube.”

Elisabeth gasped, stepped back and tripped on a lip of rock. She hit her head on the rocks with a thunk and let out a scream of pain.

Marge threw an angry look at Sean. “She needs help.” And walked over to the Elisabeth.

As a group the rest of them rushed to the young woman, Marge quickly wrapping Elisabeth’s bleeding head with a bandana, Katy standing with her mouth covered in shock looking from her bleeding sister to the gun in Sean’s hand.

Leslie bent over, pretending to check on the young woman, and pulled her knife from her day bag. She slipped it into the end of her sleeve. She didn’t want to use it on Sean, but it looked like she might have to.

George noticed her move the knife and nodded at her in silent agreement. Then he turned to the gunman.

“Look, Sean, whoever you are. I know you’re here for me. Please, just take me. Leave the rest of the group alone.”

Leslie wondered what George had done to merit a killer guide. Marge stood up from administering to the girl and looked sadly at her husband.

Sean ignored the plea. “Everyone get up and get in there and I’m not going to ask again.” He pointed the gun at the girl on the ground. “Get up.”

Leslie and Katy helped Elisabeth to her feet. Elisabeth held her hand to the bandana, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Leslie figured Sean would shoot them once he got them into the network of tubes where their bodies would be less likely to be seen, and leave their bodies for the ocean. She had too many things in this life to do to let it end here.

Leslie walked slowly, staying close to Sean. As they entered the open mouth of the cave, she pretended to trip and fall towards Sean. She shoved the knife into the wrist of his gun hand. He dropped the gun, grunted in pain, and punched her in the face.

Leslie stepped back dazed. When she opened her eyes she saw that the George had picked up the gun and had it pointed at Sean.

Sean shook his head, his face red, his hand clamped over his wrist to staunch the bleeding. “Shoot me now, man. They’re not going to let me live if any of you get out of here.”

“Start moving,” George snarled. “Everyone, let’s get out of here.”

Sean and a few others stepped out into the sunlight. A shot hit a rock a foot away from where Sean stood, the sound echoing through the bowl. They jumped back to the safety of the cave. Leslie’s hopes plummeted further when she saw the ropes piled up at the base of the cliff. Their only means of escape was gone. Whoever was above had cut off their route, for good.

“Told you.” Sean said, sitting at the entrance, a smirk on his face.

“There has to be another way out of here,” said Sandy, holding onto her daughter’s hand.

Katy was holding her cell phone up in the air and turning slowly. “I’m not getting any signal.”

Leslie shook her head. “We’re way down in this bowl of solid rock. I can’t imagine we’ll be able to get a signal.”

George waved at the dark tunnel. “This tube is part of a giant network. Certainly it comes out somewhere else.”

Marge nodded. “Jerry said that they had yet to explore all the tunnels.”

Leslie looked at the cliffs. Even if they could climb up, more than likely the bad guys were still up there, waiting to make sure they didn’t come out again.

But taking their chances deep within the tunnels was dangerous and possibly suicidal.

Christine’s voice was high and shaky. “If we do go into the tunnels, we need to move fast.”

Leslie nodded. “If we can’t find a way out in an hour, we turn around and take our chances out there.”

Sean stood and laughed. “Good luck with that.” He walked quickly back out to the light. He  had only gone ten feet when a shot hit him in the chest.

He went down and didn’t move.

It was obvious that they had no choice but to retreat into the tunnels.

Christine pulled out her headlamp from her backpack. Leslie followed suit and soon everyone had on their headlamps. Except Sandy. She sat down and shook her head.

“Mom.” Christine admonished her mother. “We have to get moving.”

“Christine, you go on without me. I just can’t do it. The idea that we might drown in the dark, it’s too much for me.”

Katy and Elisabeth started into the tunnel with George and Marge close behind. Leslie knelt down in front of Sandy. “Look, no matter what’s happening here, we should stick together.”

Christine put her hands on her hips. “Besides Mom, I can’t go without you.”

Sandy stood and Christine put her mom’s headlamp on her and pulled her forward.

Now that Leslie was satisfied that Sandy was coming, she moved up next to George. “So why are they after you?”

He answered, a bit out of breath from his fast walking, almost a jog, “It’s a long story. Maybe if we get out of here, I’ll share over a glass of wine.”

“You’re buying,” Leslie said. She then took the lead,  aware of the splashing of the thin layer of water under her feet. She stopped when she came to a fork. The tubes headed off in three different directions.

Christine stopped next to Leslie. “What do you think?”

Leslie glanced behind, the rest of the group was still a distance away. She pointed off to her right, a direction she knew was toward inland. “Run that way for five minutes then turn off your lamp and see if you see any sunlight. I’m going to check out straight ahead.”

Leslie sprinted straight ahead and didn’t stop until she felt it had been about five minutes. She stopped and turned off her light. The absolute darkness was almost suffocating, she breathed deep from the run but the air felt heavy.

She closed her eyes, letting them adjust to the dark. It felt lonely. She opened her eyes, blinked, then put her hands on her eyes to make sure they really were open. Absolute darkness.

She turned on her light and ran back, breathing a little easier when she saw the other’s lights up ahead.

They were stopped at the fork, Christine was already there. She shook her head as Leslie approached.

“There’s a collapse that way. There’s no way through it.”

Leslie nodded. Leslie pointed to the direction they hadn’t checked. “I think we should go toward the ocean.”

“Are we sure that’s where that goes?” Sandy asked.

The water along the floor was definitely flowing toward them from that direction, and it was getting deeper.

Leslie nodded. “Pretty sure, but if the ocean fills these tubes and the bowl, it’s got to come in from somewhere. Maybe this tube goes down to the beach, maybe that’s our way out.”

“Or maybe the ocean trickles in through tiny little cracks and we’re never going to get out of here. Maybe we should go back.” Elisabeth said, the stress breaking up her voice.

“Leslie,” Katy whispered, “I think someone’s coming.”

“Everyone, lights off.” Leslie whispered, not sure what Katy had heard, but worried who might be behind them.

With everyone quiet, they could hear loud male voices talking, yelling, and a bark of laughter.

Leslie whispered, “Everyone, grab hands. In a single file make your way toward the tunnel to the ocean. I’m going to see who these guys are. Move as quickly as you can.”

She thought she heard Elisabeth start to cry and she didn’t blame her. Leslie was glad the cave floor was smooth, less likely any of them would stumble at least.

Leslie could see a faint light up ahead. She moved forward until she could see the movement of a strong light around a corner of the tunnel. She stopped and listened. Please be friendly, she sent the thought out to the universe.

One of the loud male voices said, “So, what does Lance call himself now?”

“George.” Another answered.

And a third voice chimed in. “I heard that he iced Vito Accardo. How do you do a job like that and then decide to quit? He should’ve known that Vince would send us after him.”

Shit.

Leslie turned and ran, using the meager light to see until it wasn’t enough and then she ran with her hand touching the wall of the cave. She made the turn just as the men’s lights illuminated the space behind her.

Tears were in her eyes. She couldn’t mess this up, she couldn’t be seen or they’d know where the rest went. She ran as fast as she could until she bumped into someone ahead of her.

“Move faster!” She whispered.

Katy whispered, “I think I see a light up ahead.”

Leslie moved around the group, looking ahead, trying to see if there was something up there. Could she see a tiny bit of light?

She sprinted ahead. Katy was right. There was a pinprick of light.

Soon, everyone was away from the wall and running on their own, focused on the light. Leslie glanced back and didn’t their pursuers. With any luck they’d chosen the wrong branch.

She felt more tears when she looked up into the sky through a three foot opening above. The rest of the group joined her.

“How do we do this?” Katy asked.

Leslie pointed at George. “Help me up. I have rope in my gear. I’ll set it up and everyone can climb out.”

He nodded and bent down, offering his hands as a foot hold for her. She put her foot in his hand and used his shoulders to push herself up. Then grabbed the edge of the rock and pulled, her adrenaline doing a lot of the work for her.

She found herself on a rocky, empty beach. She tied a rope around a boulder and lowered the rope into the tunnel.

George helped Marge as she climbed and Leslie helped her up through the hole. It went smoothly for everyone until the last two. It was Elisabeth’s turn. As she was climbing, a shot reverberated through the tunnel. The men were coming.

“Come on!” Leslie yelled as Elisabeth hesitated. Leslie practically yanked her out of the hole.

“This way,” Katy said as Elisabeth came out. She was leading everyone to the other side of a rocky outcrop.

Leslie looked back down into the tunnel. George was still standing, unharmed. “Come on!” She yelled.

He nodded and jumped up on the rope, more gun shots ringing out. He pulled himself up and out. Leslie pulled the rope up.

George looked at the boulder. “Do you think we can move it?”

She nodded, “We can try.”

They got behind and pushed hard, both grunting as they could feel the bolder shift. Then the sound of the men below. Someone was trying to climb out. He screamed as the boulder fell, then the sound was cut off as the bolder covered the opening. They wouldn’t be getting out of there any time soon.

They turned and walked over the rise, glad to see their fellow travelers waiting and not far in the distance, a resort.

Love Leslie Kicklighter in her strong women story? Check out what happens when she finds her way into the jungle in Toy of the Gods.