Safe
He concentrated on what was within reach. On what was ahead and above him. Every so often he thought he caught a glimpse of daylight, and Brix prayed it wasn’t his eyes playing tricks on him.
He had no idea how long he climbed. His movements had become automatic—advance upward a few inches, plant another cam, hook onto it, remove the old cam, advance upward a few more inches…
Every time he paused to rest and closed his eyes, he saw Samra’s stricken face as she fell to her death inside the pit. Stress and grief temporarily helped him close himself off from any emotional reaction. Doing so enabled him to keep going. It was the only way he could cope right now. Otherwise he knew he’d break down and be unable to finish the climb. But even then, he thought he heard her calling out to hi
