"Time for me to stand watch?" Chet nodded, and whispered back. "I heard something out in the woods, hand me a light." Biff was moving in an instant to throw on a shirt and shoes and handed Chet a flashlight as he joined him outside the camp. "Want to wake Joe?" Biff asked in a low tone as he stooped to tie his shoelaces. Chet shook his head and looked towards the one occupied tent. "No, he's only had a couple hours of sleep. We can handle this I think. If we need him, we can get him then." Biff shrugged and tagged along as Chet stepped into the trees, careful of his footing.

The first sign that they had of the intruder was the slightly careless flash of light that shone briefly among the trees. With even more caution, the two boys crept forward, straining their eyes to make out the dim form that they had caught a glimpse of. Chet poised the light in his hand, aiming it at the slight figure that seemed to be attempting to cut off part of a tree. When they drew within ten feet of their target, Biff stepped on a twig; it cracked and the figure whirled and aimed its light at the noise.

At the same time, Chet stepped forward and beamed his light on. He stopped short, mouth open. A woman stood in the glare of his light. Biff had thrown himself behind a tree when he'd stepped on the twig, and he peered out at the sight in astonishment as well. Chet was just beginning to recover himself to ask if the they could be of any assistance, when the stranger abruptly turned off her light and dashed off into the forest. The boys stared after the departing stranger for a moment before setting off after.

A few moments sufficed to prove to the boys the futility of their pursuit, and the headed back to the camp. Once back, Biff continued to watch, and Chet lay down for some more sleep, both puzzling over the meaning of the midnight visit.

* * * *

Frank looked at the luminous dial of his watch, he'd been asleep for about three hours. Yesterday they'd gone over the small room they been imprisoned in. It was empty of anything that could be used to break out, although there was a small cot in the corner. Finally Frank had called a halt and advised resting and saving the batteries in their lights. "We might need them later."

Now he rose to his feet and stretched; sleeping on the floor had a stiffening effect on the body. He and TJ had let Rebekah use the cot, seeing as she was the only lady there (and the fact that they were dubious that it would hold either one of them comfortably), and had opted for the floor. Briefly Frank reflected on the irony of the situation; after all, he and Joe had been in this situation many times, before shuffling carefully over to the door.

As he ran his hands over the surface of the door, he heard the other two begin to stir. Rebekah moaned from the corner. "My legs are sore!" TJ didn't say anything, but it sounded like he was trying to push something heavy. Frank continued to explore the door's structure, his hand found a loose nail, and he tried to pull it out. Having no success, he pulled his pocketknife and pried at the head with one of the blades. Rebekah continued shifting in the background. TJ finally sighed and turned on his flashlight. He showed her some stretches to help. "Want to stretch, Frank?"

Frank shook his head, his brow furrowed in concentration, as he finally managed to extract the nail. "Alright!" As he pulled away, a small piece of wood fell down, revealing a long narrow slit in the door. At his cry, the other two rushed over, and they examined the piece of wood that had fallen off with the aid of TJ's light. Frank turned it over in hands. "Seems to have been designed to swivel at one time, which would explain the loose nail. Wonder who thought of it?"

He stood and peered through the door. "Nobody around. Let's see if we can get the door off." He opened the phillips screwdriver blade on his knife and set to work on the hinges, with TJ holding the flashlight, as it was still early, and not much light could filter through the slit in the door. After a few minutes TJ took a turn, then Rebekah insisted on taking a turn. On the second relay, Frank managed to twist the head off of the last stubborn screw. Standing cautiously, he tried to pull the door inward.

It didn't budge.

* * * *

Around two other fires that night a figure had been sitting. Each of the campers took turns sitting up to watch in case the three missing returned. Nothing happened. The morning dawned clear, although the clouds overhanging the horizon held the hint of an overcast day. The previous evening, Mike had suggested that the others, who were returning to their camps, come back to the cliff in the morning so they could coordinate what to do. "Of course, if they return to one of the campsites, we'll only have to make sure everybody gets to their right party again."

Joe hadn't agreed with that statement, but he'd been too tired to argue with anyone. Now he, Chet and Biff were carrying their equipment up the trail they'd run up the previous day. They'd split Frank's gear up, but still had to take a couple of breathers before reaching the top. Donna greeted them with a smile when they appeared. "Hey guys!"

They lugged their gear to a convenient space and dropped it before they took time to respond. "Did they come back?" Donna's smile disappeared, replaced by a worried look. "No, not here." Chet decided to change the subject. He looked over at the fire, where Mike was preparing what looked like pancakes. "Need some help Mike?" Mike looked up and waved, then turned back to flipping the cake in the pan he held. Chet ambled over and sat on the log opposite. "Anything I can do?"

Joe appeared over his shoulder. "What he means Mike, is 'how can I get more food without appearing to beg.' It's one of his favorite past times." Mike grinned and glanced at the two. "Don't worry Chet, I'm sure you can join us for breakfast. Maybe Joe and Biff will want some?" Chet shot Joe a pitying look. "Yes, although you might not notice it, Joe's appetite almost rivals my own."

Mike laughed, and the sound carried around the clearing. "Don't worry fellows, we'll have enough to have you join us."

* * * *

Frank stared at the door in mounting frustration. The door still refused to move either way. Backing up, he launched himself forward, kicking the door hard. He heard a cracking noise as part of the wood seemed to give way beneath his foot, but it still stood firmly closed. Again and again he tried. Finally, he sat down on the floor, exhausted. "Must be nailed shut or something of that nature."

TJ walked over to the door and peered closer at the boards that made it. Placing his hands through the slit in the door, he braced his feet and began to pull. One board strained inward. It refused to break, however, and he had to stop to catch his breath. After he reset his hands, he pulled up his feet to brace himself against the door in an almost horizontal position. Again, he pulled.

Frank watched in amazement as the other boy strained against the door. The board was now bent quite far, and he snatched up the small flashlight from the floor and hurried over to help. At that moment, the board chose to break, sending TJ to the floor in an ungraceful heap. Rebekah stood up and rushed over to the fallen boy and helped him to sit up. "You all right?"

Grimacing, TJ felt his arms and legs, and nodded towards the door. "I'll be fine, see if your assumption's correct Frank." Frank nodded and hurried over to the door, blocking the light that had been able to flood the room through the larger opening. Peering downward, Frank could see the heavy bar that ran through holders on the door and walls. Reaching his arm through, he gripped the bar and strained to move it to the side. It moved about an inch, and he let go to get a better grip. Straining and concentrating hard, Frank managed to move the bar through the first holder on the door. Then the end dropped enough to bind, making things more difficult.

Standing on tiptoe, Frank pushed until he could no longer get a grip on the bar. Stepping backwards, he wiped the sweat from his face, and pulled against the door. This time a crack appeared between the door and the frame on the side with the hinges. Sliding his fingers into the crack, Frank pulled, opening the space even more. "Quick, the board!" Rebekah slipped the broken piece between the door and the frame, allowing Frank to let go of the door.

Frank turned to TJ. "Can you give me a hand with this? If we work together, we might be able to pull it out wide enough for Rebekah to slip through." TJ nodded and Frank turned to the girl. "If we can get it open, slip through. You'll have to let us know when you're outside so we can let off on the door. Then you can unbar the door and we'll be out of here." She nodded and took a stance to the side, near to the door.