Level Four. Part Six: ‘Rafa’ by Dave Rigby

I shield my eyes from the burning sun, as I watch a pair of vultures circling slowly. There’s sudden movement in the undergrowth. The boar has decided to make a bid for freedom. I’m quick with the shotgun, but not quick enough. The boar suddenly lurches off to the left, unharmed, the gunshot ringing in my ears. The sound is followed immediately by a prolonged scream, a human scream. I break the gun and run forwards, almost certain my shot went to the left of the scream. Around the other side of a large pine sits a man.

I’m much relieved to find him fully alive, if a little out of control. He tries and fails to get to his feet.

“What the hell are you doing firing that thing?” he shouts.”You could have killed me!”  

“I’m shooting in my forest. What are you doing here, off the trail? Didn’t you see the signs?”

He calms down a little and tells me what has happened. He’s lost the rest of his group, can’t walk and the pain in his knee is awful. I notice his swollen hand. No doubt one of our local bees has been busy. I need to get him to the Land Rover, but I can’t manage on my own. There’s another movement in the undergrowth, but it’s too slow to be the boar returning.        

“Clive! Clive!” It’s a woman’s voice. She’s crying as she emerges from the bushes, her clothing not entirely how it should be. “That gunshot! What the hell happened?”

“Jemma” is all Clive can manage to say. She sits down beside him and they embrace, awkwardly, both now crying. Slowly she seems to take in the whole scene, and turns on me. I hold up my hands and wait for her tirade to finish.

“So, do you want your boyfriend to be rescued or not?” I ask. “Perhaps you’d better check with him, before you refuse a ride home.”

“What do you mean a ride home? And he’s not my boyfriend, he’s my hus…..” She stops, mid-sentence, as another figure emerges from the undergrowth. The man looks sheepishly at the other two.  

“Seamus!” Clive shouts out. “Fantastic – you’ve come to rescue me as well!” The walkie-talkie on my belt crackles into life. 

It’s Rodrigo. “Rafa! Listen, I’ve just spoken to Tash. Her walking group - one of them’s injured. He needs a lift. Where are you?” 

I interrupt him. “You’re not going to believe this, but I’m with him and a couple of his walking friends right now. Rafa to the rescue eh!”

“Nice one mate. Bring ‘em in. I’ll get as near as I can in the Toyota and round up the rest of them. Tash says they scattered, didn’t follow her instructions. She told me where to start looking.”

My little group clearly hasn’t understood a word of the conversation. I tell them it’s their lucky day. I may be a barbarian hunter, but I’m also part of the local rescue team. Once I’ve strapped up Clive’s knee and given him the bee treatment, we make our way very slowly downhill to the vehicle. On the way down, we come across another walker, Charlie. He stares at the struggling Clive.

“Some of this lot shouldn’t be let out on a Level One walk, let alone a Level Four,” he calls out. I’m not sure I fully understand what he means, but I take an instant dislike to him. I let Rodrigo know about our new arrival.

When we finally complete the rocky-road journey to the hotel, they stumble out of the Land Rover, as if they’ve just been delivered from a warzone. Natasha’s sitting by the pool, looking as cool as a lettuce, like always. But, before I have chance to say a word, they turn on her.

“What on earth are you doing here Natasha? You should be up there searching for the others, instead of chillaxing. You abandoned us! We’ll have to report this.”

“Why don’t you ask her what she’s been doing here, Charlie”, I say, “instead of jumping to wild conclusions?” 

“When I find poor Clive injured, I need a vehicle for him.” Natasha’s voice is calm and confident. “When I go back to our meeting point - nobody there. So I need a sheepdog to find you all. I decide it is best to run back here to the hotel.”

“Why?” Charlie interrupts. “And how could you possibly run that far so quickly?”  

“It was three miles Charlie. One hour walk, as I told you. But I am a runner, I can do it much faster. Mobile phone useless all the time I run, but here in willage, I know there is rescue and walkie-talkie. Better than mobile. It is lucky Rafa has already found some of you. I tell Rodrigo where to search for the others and to take with him the - what do you call it in English, Rafa…..?”

“Megaphone.”

“Yes – megaphone. It can shout even louder than me. Rodrigo has found the others. They are on their way here now.”

Charlie stalks off towards the hotel entrance. Jemma, Clive and Seamus stare at the ground, heads bowed, all aggression gone. There’s a long awkward silence. I guess their holiday is over.

The End

(If you missed the beginning, go back to Part One, 20th July)