CHAPTER THREE - SINKING DEEP

What was supposed to be a peaceful experience was turning out to be a chaotic experience when Ysabelle was told she was going to be in charge of a group of actors coming over to the border to shoot a movie.

"Are we to babysit them? Sir" she asked her superior in the most respectful tone possible.

The Major General was understanding of her plight. He did not look angry at her question. " What are we to do? They got a letter and all protocols have been followed to give them permission to film. But we are going to issue them warnings as regards where they can go and where not. However, I will leave all that to you. All of my officers are occupied with specific duties at this point, and you were sent to us unexpectedly. Therefore, you are in charge of the acting team. "

There was nothing left to say. She gave her salute and went out. She screamed into the air at the mere thought of it. Her brothers got her good this time. She was being reduced to being a baby sitter.

Ysabelle snapped out of her anger when she spotted the filming bus and several cars driving into the jungle  without any escort. She swore under her breath. Babysitting adults was sure going to be one hell of a job. She would get her hands full with this one.

She ran after them in anger, her boots hitting the ground as she ran. Two male soldiers jumped out of her way as she came up on them suddenly.

They picked themselves up, about to erupt with anger at her, but paused as they read the puff of smoke that followed the shooting van. The two of them immediately followed her, shouting and screaming.

Ysabelle got annoyed just thinking about the trouble they would cause going off with no one guiding them. She ran into the storage unit and grabbed a power bike. Putting it into ignition This was not the idea of a vacation she had planned.

"I will grind them into fine dust when I get a hold of them all." She muttered as she sped off. The two soldiers followed suit, each starting a bike of their own, and together they all raced down the lane the bus took.

Since the other two knew the terrain well, Ysabelle allowed them to take the lead while she stayed behind them.

They soon came upon the team at an abandoned practise site for new recruits. Ysabelle spotted a broken sign that read "Danger Ahead" on the ground. The wind must have broken it off. Ysabelle signed, her relief at seeing them cut short. She bounced off her bike and sprinted towards the team.

She could read the fear on their faces. Several of their crew all stepped back into the building. Ysabelle allowed her eyes to roam through them all. She guessed the ones that were shiny and beautiful were the actors. They looked like porcelain dolls that might break if given a small shove. She stared hard at one. Her nose looked fake. Ysabelle wondered what it would look like if a punch was swung at it. Definitely not a pretty sight.

She walked into their midst and asked, "Who’s the leader here?"

The crewmembers stepped back more. Ysabelle allowed her anger to calm down. She needed to get them out of the place, not push them further into traps and whatever was lurking in there. The place was prohibited for a reason.

A burly man stepped forward. The glasses in front of his eyes shook a bit as he folded his hands in front of him. "I am the producer of the movie." Ysabelle turned her head to look at him, her gaze chilling. 

The producer added hurriedly." We got a licence to shoot. We have approval, we did not just come in here. "

"I know you got approval. But you are not supposed to be here. This place is prohibited. " Ysabelle explained, pointing at the broken sign on the floor. What she said got their attention this time around. She watched as the crew began organising themselves, packing the equipment they had begun arranging.

"We had no idea. We got a detailed map of the barracks, and we even saw the prohibited areas. We saw no sign of this place. That was why we drove in, "the producer explained."

"Well, it is. So please pack up and leave. " She replied harshly. She knew her voice was hard, but she had no tolerance for any insolence at this point. Judging by the shiny outfits of the actors, they must be all important people. If anyone of them got injured or killed at the border, she might face the panel or worse still, be turned out of service for failing at her duty. And she knew their type well enough, with the media fully supporting them. She would be the one at the loosing end.

"We are sorry that we offended you. It’s just that we could not wait any longer for the guide we were promised."

"I am not a guide. I am a Captain, Captain Ysabelle Gum," she snapped, cutting him off. They were being so slow with packing up.

The man apologised instantly, "Forgive, me Captain. We waited for a long time, and we were running behind on our shooting schedule. You see, we are not supposed to be here any later than three months. And we are behind that schedule by two weeks. We could not wait for a third. "

"So, it's my fault now. Is that what you are saying? I got here late, so you went off on your own in a foreign territory full of traps and dangerous weapons. In case you haven’t noticed, this is a border camp. The next country can become an enemy overnight, so our guard is never let down here. There are bomb traps all around. " To emphasis her point, she grabbed the man and walked forward a bit, back the way the bus had come. Hidden behind a rock were the mounts. She picked up a rock and threw it at the bomb. The bomb blew up in angry bits. Ysabelle forced the producer down as the spark blew stones and sand in different directions.

The man shook free of her hold and ran back to the bus. The actors entered their cars. But none dared do the reverse. They didn’t want to step on a bomb. The two soldiers that followed her began watching carefully, guiding them on how to move out of the tight space they had driven into. Though she kept the fact that, there were no other bomb trap in close proximity. She needed them out and fast.

Ysabelle groaned in anger as she heard a loud shout. She raised her hand to quieten the crew. The soldiers got her command and told the actors to stop their engines. They obeyed promptly. The terrible sound came up again, harder this time and more frantic.

The producers jumped out of their cars and ran towards the cars and bus. Ysabelle stuck closer.

"Is everyone complete? I hope no one wandered off. " She asked in despair. This group of humans were really going to be the end of her. She needed to know what she was running into, so she didn’t run into any bears.

The producer ran to her, "I think we have one person missing. Jordan Bell is not here. Oh goodness, I am ruined. " He said the last part more to himself than to her. They all came down and looked up at her.

They heard the scream once again. Ysabelle followed the direction of the shouting. Bringing out her gun She cocked it and aimed it forward.

"Step where only I step," she heard one of the soldiers say to the crew as they followed after them. She wondered if it was wise to bring the whole bunch, but she would worry about that later. She first had to find the human that had wandered off.

They moved deeper into the forest, crunching dead leaves under their feet. She checked each place as she went by. The ground was getting softer and softer, and the water seemed to steep out as they walked. Her boots take time to come up. She stopped suddenly, as she saw the sight in front of her. Quick sand That explains the soft ground.

"Watch where you step. Everyone stays still. No movement," she shouted.

And right there in the middle of the sand was a well-dressed man, though now covered with mud, the mud mixed equally with his fair skin.

"Over there." One of the soldiers shouted. Ysabelle felt cold sweat run down her back as she gazed at the horror happening before her eyes.

"Jordan!" she heard one of the female actors shout. Ysabelle narrowed her eyes at the obvious display of affection. She signalled to one of the soldiers.

"Get them out of here and bring help." He nodded immediately and began leading them out. The girls gave him no trouble and began heading out screaming as they followed the soldier.

The producers and two other men rushed forward, " We can help. The men can help. Let only the girls return to the camp. " The producer she had been communicating with said hurriedly, to Ysabelle’s further irritation at the whole filming set.

"Are you undermining my words? Or do you want me to throw you all in there? A girl can’t help pulling him out. I am so sorry for being in front of you. "She bowed to them sarcastically. A life was at stake because of their carelessness. "Get out of my way now, immediately," she shouted.

The other soldier ran to her.  "I think we should let them stay. We need something to pull him out, and I don’t think we can wait for the others to arrive. He is fast sinking in and he is not even sensible. He is still moving. " The man half cried.

"Hey!" the officer screamed. "Stop moving."

The actor continued to move, not listening to him. Such a goat, Ysabelle thought, her mind racing with ideas of how to approach the sand.Jordan Bell was going to have trouble staying put. Her brain would have to work faster to get him out.

"I said, stop moving. The more you move, the more you sink in, "he shouted again. She turned her attention to the officer.

"Stop shouting. He won't answer you. I know the likes of him. " Ysabelle beat the soldier on the shoulder.

The actor let out a frantic scream as he went a degree in, only his shoulders and hands above the sand.Ysabelle groaned. She could not even detect his face from the rumble of mud.

"We need to form a chain and pull him out. He won't stop wriggling. I will go in first. We form a chain to go in, and then we pull him out. Arrange the chain. "

"You can't do that. It's dangerous. Let’s wait for the rescue team; they will save him even though he might have drunk a bit of mud by then. His stubborn head deserves it," the soldier said with venom.

"You are angry? I am too. This was supposed to be a vacation for me too. Don’t worry, I have no thought of dying here. Let's do this. "

By now, Ysabelle noted that the actor was staying perfectly still, not moving an inch. But it was too late. He was fast going under. He had disturbed the sand too much for it to leave him alone. His weight would drag him down soon enough. Ysabelle took off her jacket and weapons, trying to make herself lighter, but she knew that was a lie; she was a curvy female under all of her uniform. She had enough weight to sink in just like the foolhardy man she wanted to rescue.

The men arranged themselves, the soldier in front, holding her other hand as she entered, and the victim raised his hands, eager to be rescued.Her hands connected with his gently, her hard hands connecting with soft ones. She was not supposed to be curious, but she wondered how the rest of him would feel. And he smelled nice too, despite the stench of the mud. She shook herself mentally as she tried to lock hands properly with him. This was not the time to think about nice smelling men, a life was at stake.

The soldier that had her already had two feet in the mud. She was deep in it.

She took his hands fully. "Don’t let go of my hand." She commanded him. He gave no indication that he heard her. Perhaps the mud has blocked his hearing.

She screamed at the others, "Pull!"

Pulling was not proving to be easy as the men gave all of their strength. She would have gladly pushed them all out with her strength, but she knew none of the men would volunteer to go in and she could not ask the other soldier to do it when she was the captain. She guessed the soldier was a junior lieutenant.

The quicksand was angry and vicious as it only released the actor inch by inch. She took a step out cautiously as well, the move strained by how clogged they were now in the mud.

And that was where it all happened, where it all went wrong. Ysabelle watched as the sand opened up, creating a large sinkhole nearby.

"Pull" — The sand became mobile as the sinkhole appeared. It slowly began filling the hole and, in the process, dragging the actor along.

Ysabelle pulled with all her might, dragging him closer to her. She linked his hands to the soldier, while she held his as they began pulling them out faster. The soldier also stepped out, and the actor was almost out when a giant lump of sand swept them suddenly. The soldier reacted just as swiftly, pulling Jordan out completely. Her hands slipped out of Jordan’s muddy hold.

Ysabelle screamed, afraid for the first time since she got into the mud. She yelled as her body hit the sand hard. She dragged her upper body up immediately and tried to connect with the actor, but it was too late. He had been pulled out and the sand moved her gradually into the sinkhole. Quick thinking, she tried to hold on to anything she could find, but there was none. She could only allow herself to be pulled along. Hot tears rained down her cheeks as the rescue truck arrived.

They sent her up immediately. The soldiers ran to her and threw her a rope in a hurry. She held on to the rope for dear life, rolling it around her arms. She was pulled out just as soon as her legs dangled over the edge of the hole. She closed her mouth and shut her eyes as they dragged her not too gently, some of the mud getting on her face and body as she was pulled out finally.

The soldiers ran to her and began cleaning her face. She shoved them away and made straight for the actor who had been placed on a stretcher and was being cleaned up. His face shone perfectly now. He was a handsome fool. He smiled at her as she came closer, stretching his hands to hug her.

Ysabelle stretched hers too and gave him a sharp slap. She landed another one just as hurriedly.

"Next time, when I tell you, do not ever let go. Obey it with all your strength. " She screamed into his face and began walking back towards the camp, not minding her appearance.