Dangerous Trails (#140) - Chapter 1 (PG13)

[francis]

Here's my answer to the crossover challenge. After a long long sleep my muse woke up well rested and is eager to return to work. Let's hope she continues to do so until the story is ready.

Dangerous Trails
Disclaimer: I don’t own Moonlight nor Hawaii Five-0. I’m just playing with the characters.


Chapter 1
It was a nice Saturday for a hike. Finally having a free weekend Steve packed his bag and chose the Waimano trail through the Ewa Forest Reserve. At first it was an easy path but would get steeper in the end, running along a river through the rain forest. There was a nice view over the city at several intervals.
Steve hadn’t travelled for more than half an hour when the shrill sound of a helicopter disturbed his thoughts. He looked up and saw that the machine was swaying badly from one side to another, as if the pilot was either trying to scare the passengers or incapable while someone tried to get at the controls. With trepidation Steve observed how the helicopter sunk and crashed through the foliage. It couldn’t be more than 10 minutes away, so Steve did what he could do to help: he took out his cellphone, giving a short prayer of thanks that he still had coverage, and called for a Medevac. Then he hurried along the trail to get to the site of the crash.

When he approached the downed vehicle he doubted that anybody could have survived the crash without serious injuries. The nose of the machine dove into the thick brush, the windows were all shattered and the metal frame was distorted almost beyond recognition. Steve rushed towards the door and found it open. He entered and checked for survivors. A woman sat in the back, pierced by a part of the frame and obviously very dead. The pilot and the copilot sat silent, both without a pulse, with their heads at odd angles. Their neck was broken, the copilot’s head was smashed into the window as he didn’t wear a helmet nor a seatbelt.

Steve heard a noise outside and saw a black clad figure kneeling on the other side of the helicopter where the ground was more even. He snagged the first aid kit from under the seat and hurried over.
A man was tending to an unconscious woman on the ground. Her leg was bleeding profusely. The man had put his jacket under her head and ripped her jeans apart trying to stop the pulsating blood stream from her calves with his bare hands. He was pleading with her to not leave him. He didn’t even acknowledge Steve until he touched his shoulder.

“Hey, I’m Steve, I called for help already. What can I do for her?”

“She’s bleeding so much, an artery must have been hit. I can’t stop it.”

“What’s her name?”

“Beth. I’m Mick. We need to stop the bleeding.”

Steve started to work on the leg by pressing a fresh bandage against the wound and securing it with another. As he saw that Mick was at the end of his rope and very distressed he talked incessantly, asking questions without hope that Mick would answer.
“That was quite the crash, I’m glad that there are survivors. The Medevac will be here any minute. Don’t worry, they will take good care of her. Are you hurt, too? You’re bleeding down your neck. Doesn’t look too bad, though. They will check you out, too. I’m leading a police task force, by the way, we will need to investigate the crash. I’ll have questions as soon as you two are sorted out. Are you living here in Hawaii? You don’t look local.”

Mick only nodded and told him: “We’re here on our honeymoon. I wished we never had gotten into that helicopter. I can’t live without her in my life. She’s bleeding still. Her heart will not be able to take this. I don’t know why the helicopter went down.”

Then he said nothing more. They heard another helicopter approach and hover over them to assess the best place to land. There wasn’t much room so they landed square on the trail.
In no time they had examined Beth, attached an IV line and a pressure cuff, a collar and a breathing tube, and taken her to the helicopter. While Mick waited for them to get her ready, holding himself back visibly from getting in the way, Steve watched him thoroughly. The distressed man was about his height, a bit heavier maybe, with a thick mass of dark curls and a five-o-clock shadow. His clothes, soaked in blood all around, consisted of dark jeans, a white shirt and a dark jacket. He clearly was clothed more for a festive dinner than for a helicopter ride. So was Beth. She was wearing casual jeans, but also a silk blouse and jewelry, and high heels. While watching, Steve thought he saw changes in Mick’s face. His scrapes and the gash on his neck looked more dried out, not bleeding anymore, and almost as if they already healed a few days or so. Steve wondered if he mistook some older wounds for fresh ones because that clearly couldn’t be. Mick had blood on the back of his shirt, too, where it couldn’t be from tending to Beth. In his chest area there was a circular blood-stained hole in the shirt.

Steve’s curiosity was piqued. While Mick entered the Medevac just before the medic jumped in and closed the door, Steve stayed behind to coordinate the CSU and call his team to investigate the crash.

xxxxxxxx

[jen]

Francis

This is fabulous!!!

Mick and Beth are both very fortunate that Steve was hiking that trail at that moment. I can see some of the different directions this can go into! What about those two other figures in the helicopter. Steve thinks they are dead, but if they are vampires, they are probably gong to be up and around before long!

Mick may have some explaining to do at a time when he has a lot of other things on his mind!

It also strikes me how very similar this is to when Josh died. Somehow, I think Mick would make different choice this time around (or I'd hope so).

The unpredictable element (or the main one at this point) is how long Steve will continue to be 'in the dark' and how he will react once the light comes on.

Thank you!

Jenna

[allegrita]

Oooooooh.... I'm so intrigued! What is going on?! Who shot Mick, and who are the guys in that helicopter?!?? And when is somebody gonna see Steve and Mick together and ask if they're cousins?

Vamptastic beginning to a wonderfully mysterious and exciting adventure, francis! I see your muse is back, and full of energy.

[Fleur de Lisa]

How lucky Beth is to have both Mick and Steve tending to her. Mick obviously couldn't have turned her while Steve was there, then I got to thinking how Mick could turn both Beth and Steve and how that would enable McG to kick Wo Fat's a$$ permanently!! Then, Beth would have 2 tall, dark and handsome vamps. I blame you francis, for putting these thoughts into my head!

And maybe reading FSoG is contributing to my twisted thoughts as well

[francis]

jen, thank you! Yes, it was good luck that Steve was hiking there, Mick was in no shape to put his medic training to use as he was in panic she would die on him or he would have to turn her. Now will Steve use his detective skills and find something out? Let’s hope the others aren’t vampires.

allegrita, I’m not sure Mick was shot. There are other means to incapacitate a vampire that involve a hole in a shirt. And maybe someone will soon realize they look quite similar.

Fleur, yes, once Steve was there the chance to turn her got annihilated. Two hot dark and handsome vamps – then you would need Beth to be a vampire because no way could she survive that as a human.

[MickLifeCrisis]

Great start! Jenna is right - this could go so many different ways. I can't wait to see where you take it! Very curious about the people still in the helicopter.

[Lucy]

OH....manno....oh...man.....Mick is up against a different kind of guy. STEVE is too sharp to not wonder about all he sees.... Spine-tingling start you have given us!

[Fleur de Lisa]

Two hot dark and handsome vamps – then you would need Beth to be a vampire because no way could she survive that as a human.

You had to go and put that thought in my head, didn't you?

[darkstarrising]

Ah, the muse is indeed back, francis Steve is curious about the wounds, and Mick is too preoccupied with Beth to notice the Good Samaritan's curiosity. Poor Beth! Not a way to start a honeymoon...looking forward to more!

[AussieJo]

Oh my dear francis! the old days are back!
I'm all settled in my comfy chair, looking forward to the ride.

[cassysj]

Oh francis, I'm so excited. I'm very curious about the guys in the helicopter. Fingers crossed for Beth's recovery or that Mick gets some alone time for turning.

[Marigold]

I'm glad your muse is back in business, Francis!


It's so nice that Mick and Beth are on their honeymoon. I really hope they don't end up like those other couples who honeymooned in Hawaii. I only remember part of the storyline, but didn't Steve shoot that killer, causing him to fall off a cliff? Maybe he survived!!! Or maybe there are vampires involved in this situation.


All I know is that Steve will be curious if things don't add up...


Thank you! I'm looking forward to reading chapter two!

[BlueEyedMonster]

Good start Francis Steve & Mick in the same story Glad your muse returned so we can all enjoy your talent.

[nutmegger911]

Ooh! All the action-packed adrenaline of H50 heightening the angst of Mick over Beth. Oh yeah, this is gonna be good.

Good start, Francis.

[francis]

Thank you, nutmegger911, BlueEyedMonster, Marigold, cassysj, AussieJo, dsr, Fleur de Lisa, Lucy and MickLifeCrisis, for your reading and your comment.