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moaned
softly. I stood to one side biting my lip while I watched. I was
scared and grossed out. You’re amazing,
Travis! Just amazing! I’m sorry I can’t help you much.
    Travis looked up and smiled to let me know
it was all right. He began groping around the point of the break,
touching the leg itself and concentrating. As sickening as it was,
I watched every move he made.
    “Jon, pull his leg,” said Travis. “I’ll show
you. Kelly, you have to hold his shoulders so he won’t move.”
    “You going to set the bone?” asked Jon.
    “Yeah. When I touch it I can feel how things
need to go.” Travis spoke like it was no big deal.
    I wasn’t so sure. “You can’t set a break
without X-rays.”
    “I can. Hold him tight. Pull, Jon. Straight
away from his body.”
    I exchanged a disturbed glance with Jon and
dug in my heels against a rough edge in the stone. I gripped Chris
by the shoulders and held him fast. At the other end Jon had the
ankle.
    “He might yell,” said Travis. “I would.”
Travis closed his eyes and repeatedly traced his fingertips over
the broken area of Chris’ leg. Then he instructed Jon on how to
pull, turn, or twist the lower leg. “Ready? Pull.”
    Jon tugged, gently at first, but soon he was
straining. Chris moaned loudly several times, but remained
unconscious. I scrunched up my face. It was gross, but I couldn’t
look away. All at once the leg was straight again.
    “It’s set. Now the splint.”
    I helped wrap some of the clothes snugly
around Chris’ leg. I even tore off the tape needed to keep it all
in place. Travis lined up two pieces of the broken pack frame with
the injured leg and wrapped more tape around it.
    While he worked I entered Chris’ mind again
and caught flashes of his returning thoughts. He seemed okay. Chris
would wake up soon.
    I got the camcorder from Jon’s pack and
recorded the rest of the first aid treatment on Chris. It took
nearly a half hour to get the splint done right. When we were
finished, Travis tested it. The leg was secure. Jon carefully
lowered the leg back to the rock floor.
    “That looks great,” I said, studying the
repair work. I took some more video shots of the splinted leg. “How
could you do that?”
    “I dunno.” Travis shrugged. “I just
could.”
    “I’ll never make fun of the Cub Scouts
again,” said Jon.
    “Listen, guys,” I said. “We’ve either got to
find Dr. Parrish and Mr. Edwards, or go get help ourselves. And
we’d better save the lights before they burn out. Just use one at a
time. The spare batteries won’t last forever. Jon, you should go
for help.”
    “I can’t find my way out of this place. Do
you know the way, Trav?”
    “I think so,” said Travis. “We can follow
the little arrows.”
    “You and Kelly go; it’ll be safer that way.
I’ll stay with Chris. You can take both flashlights, too, since
we’ve got that red light down there. What’s causing that?”
    “It looks like some kind of big rock is
glowing,” I said. “The cave we’re in now is humongous!”
    “I want to see.” Jon crept to the edge of
the rock shelf.
    “Be careful!” said Travis nervously. “We’re
on top of a ledge. If it breaks we’re dead!”
    I watched, holding my breath. “Have you guys
ever heard of aftershocks?”
    Travis shook his head. “What’s that?”
    “It’s like extra tremors that come after an
earthquake. If we have a few of those, it could really shake this
place up.”
    Travis gulped. “We gotta get out of
here.”
    Suddenly, Jon turned back, looking almost
terrified. He pointed down, struggling to find the words. He kept
his voice low.
    “We’re not alone.”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    6
    THE SALESMAN
     
     
    KELLY
     
    Travis and I crawled
beside Jon as he pointed at the cavern floor. At first I didn’t
understand why Jon’s voice sounded so shaky. Something had him
rattled, but what? Then I noticed the floor was moving. Only it
wasn’t the floor. In the audience area in front of