Georgia Seven Four, the Hunt for Mike Chancelor

By Sharon Harris

Lacey Chancelor has been looking for her husband, Mike, who has been missing for two years. He has been haunting her, begging to be brought home. When she goes out on a Search and Rescue call, she finds more than injured survivors.Now, one of the survivors may just be able to save her heart and her sanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365607004

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Georgia Seven Four, the Hunt for Mike Chancelor

GEORGIA-SEVEN-FOUR: THE HUNT FOR MIKE CHANCELOR

Chapter 1: Cessna Down

Lacey Chancelor looked out the cabin door and stood listening. The cold wind whirled under her collar and she pulled her sweater up tighter. She heard this sound before and it wasn't good. The little Cessna sputtered as it tried to climb over the mountain. Frozen fuel lines would be her guess. She put her hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun on the snow and watched as the plane went down.

She turned on her heels and in three steps was at the CB radio. Sierra-Two-Niner, this is Georgia-Seven-Four. Do you read? The radio crackled. There wasn't much signal up here. Sierra-Two-Niner, Are you there, Jim?

Finally a staticky voice came back. Georgia-Seven-Four, this is Sierra-Two-Niner. How's it going up there, Lacey?

She yelled into the mic, Jim, I got a downed plane! Looks like a Cessna and it looks like it went down in Big Bear.

The voice on the other end answered. Ten four, we read you ten by ten, Lacey. Cessna down in Big Bear. We're on it!

She signed off and replaced the mic, then walked back to the door. Clouds were getting thick, there was another snow coming.

**

Matt braced for impact. His father, Allen tried valiantly to keep the plane upright and stop the straight down spiral. Allen was sweating in the coolness as he fought the stick for control. The plane coughed a couple of times and died as it starved for fuel.

Hold on! Allen yelled to his son.

They say your life flashes before your eyes, but Matt didn't have time to reminisce. From the time the plane died until the crash was mere seconds. Matt heard a scream, but he didn't know if it came from him or his dad. As the plane fell, it crashed through pines, shattering them in its wake. The noise was deafening. He heard glass shatter as limbs crashed through the windshield. A blast of freezing air rushed in, robbing Matt of his breath.

After an eternity, that was really just moments, the plane came to rest, nestled in a majestic pine. One wing was wedged between trees; the other was thirty feet below them, sticking in the snow like a tombstone.

Matt's body hurt all over. He had been strapped in the seat, but the seat had broken loose and was at the back of the cockpit. He was lying on his back still strapped in. Dad? he called, but there was no answer. Daddy? he yelled louder and heard a faint moan answer him. He tried to unbuckle and realized that his right arm didn't work. It hurt like hell.

When he turned his head, a large tree limb brushed his cheek, the bark scraping his face. He reached over with his left hand to shove the branch away and suddenly felt like a sledge hammer pounded his chest when he realized the tree limb had skewered him, pinning him to the seat. Dad, help me! he cried. He craned his neck, but could barely see his father. Allen was covered in green boughs, glass, snow and blood. DADDY, WHAT DO I DO? Daddy! He was almost hysterical now.

***

Lacey grabbed her emergency pack, which she kept stocked with powdered soup, protein bars, bottled water, flares and medical supplies. She pulled her parka up closer around her and wrapped her scarf over her face to where there were just two blue eyes showing. Just before leaving the house, she threw a large log on the fire. As she stepped out into the snow, she donned her sunglasses.

She crunched through the ankle deep snow to the barn. The horses whinnied and shook their heads. It was too early to be disturbed. She spoke softly to the high-spirited dapple gelding. Come on, Dandy. We got work to do. She ran her gloved hand over his sleek hide, then tossed the blanket on his back. He stubbornly stomped his foot and shook his head. I know it's too early and cold, but we got folks up here that need us.

She hefted the saddle on his back and he whinnied in protest. After tightening the cinch, she pulled the mare out of her stall. She was a strawberry roan Lacey affectionately called Berry. Berry was a good sturdy horse who would do anything asked of her or would die trying. Luckily Lacey had never had to push her that hard.

Once she had Berry saddled, Lacey mounted Dandy. He was the stronger one and could pull Berry through a snowdrift if need be. As she rode out, her thoughts briefly turned to her husband. Mike had been hunting in Big Bear and never came back. No trace of him had been found. That was two winters ago. Sometimes she expected him to walk through the door. Lacey knew he had probably either been killed by a bear or had fallen into the swollen, icy river and drowned. She thought of moving off the mountain, but couldn't bring herself to leave him. She felt connected to him through the mountain.

Lacey turned towards the valley and as the horses trudged through the icy snow, the sun was high above her. Only about five hours of daylight left, then the temperatures would plummet. If that storm reached them before she did, any survivors of the crash would freeze to death.

Allen moaned a little as consciousness slowly came to him. He saw the gaping hole where his son's seat had been ripped loose and panic set in. Matt? he called frantically.

Matt weakly answered his father.

Matt, are you ok? Allen tried to turn to look at him, but couldn't move. He was crammed in by the tree branches and the dash which had been shoved into his lap.

Dad, help me! Matt cried.

Hold on, Buddy! It's gonna be OK! his dad yelled, trying to reassure him; but Allen was scared to death. He couldn't move and snow was coming in through the broken windshield. He could feel the temperature falling. He was stuck, unable to look at his son, let alone help him. He didn't even know how badly he, himself was injured. His body was numb. Allen was afraid his back might be broken. He could hear Matt's ragged breathing and tried calling to him again, but was met only with eerie silence.

Allen was an accomplished pilot, having flown combat planes in Desert Storm. He had crash landed more than once and was fortunate enough to walk away. He had taught Matt to fly and they had been flying together for the last twelve years, since Matt was ten. He didn't think he would be walking away this time. He couldn't even feel his legs. This time, he was afraid they would both die.

It took almost four hours for Lacey to reach the valley. It wasn't hard to find