"Hello? Hello? Eric?" Hailey pressed the phone closer to her ear.
She frantically checked the signal bars.
Nothing.
"Hello? Eric?" Hailey called into the dead connection, her voice rising with panic.
But there was only silence.
She stared at the blank screen, at the "call failed" message that had appeared.
Whatever he had been about to say was lost forever.
"Damn mountains," Hailey muttered, fighting back tears.
"Hailey!"
Henry Gray's voice cut through her devastation.
She quickly wiped her eyes and shoved the phone into her pocket. She turned to face the rigging specialist jogging toward her.
"We're all set up," Henry said, his face flushed from exertion. "Ivy wants to go over the safety checks."
"Right," Hailey said, forcing herself to focus. "Let's do this."
"You okay?" Henry asked, noticing her red eyes.
"Just the cold air," Hailey lied. "Makes my eyes water."
"Yeah, it's brutal up here," Henry agreed sympathetically.
Hailey followed him toward the motorcycle.
As they walked, she could hear Scott's voice behind them, still arguing with the director in a mixture of English and broken Thai.
"Is it always this tense?" Hailey asked Henry quietly.
"This is actually pretty calm," Henry said with a dry smile. "Wait till we're actually shooting."
The motorcycle waited for her like a black predator, its sleek frame shining despite the overcast sky.
Thick steel cables marked the boundaries of the run. Bright orange cones indicated where she needed to hit her marks.
"Beautiful bike," Hailey said, running her hand along the frame.
"Custom built for the stunt," Henry said proudly. "Should handle like a dream."
But as Henry began explaining the safety setup, Hailey found herself only half-listening.
Her mind was still replaying Eric's voice, still trying to piece together what he had been about to say.
"Because I—" what?
"The harness goes like this," Henry was saying, holding up specialized gear.
It looked more suitable for mountain climbing than stunt work.
"This looks... intense," Hailey said, examining the harness.
"Better safe than sorry," Henry replied. "Especially at this height."
"How high are we exactly?" Hailey asked.
"Don't ask questions you don't want answered," Henry said, only half-joking.
Hailey let him strap her in, her body moving through the familiar motions of preparation.
But her mind remained trapped in that moment when Eric's voice had vanished.
The safety cable attached between her shoulder blades felt reassuring.The safety gear was her lifeline, literally and figuratively.
"How does it feel?" Henry asked, testing the tension on the cables.
"Good," Hailey lied. "Secure."
She moved her arms and torso, checking her range of motion.
The harness gave her freedom to move while riding, which was essential for keeping control of the motorcycle.
"Not too tight?" Henry pressed.
"It's perfect," Hailey assured him.
Scott appeared beside them, his argument with the director apparently resolved, though his face still showed signs of stress.
"The light is perfect right now," Scott said, pointing toward the sun breaking through clouds.
"We need to move fast before the weather changes," he added urgently.
Ivy joined them for her final inspection.
Her hands moved with practiced efficiency as she checked every connection point.
"Everything looks good," Ivy announced. "Wind is manageable, visibility is clear."
"You ready for this?" she asked, meeting Hailey's eyes.
Hailey pulled on her helmet. The familiar weight settled around her head like armor.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied.
Through the communication system, she could hear the crew running final checks.
"Camera one, ready," a voice said.
"Camera two, ready," another confirmed.
"Safety team, all clear," Henry's voice came through.
"Sound is rolling," the sound engineer announced.
Hailey swung her leg over the motorcycle and started the engine.
The machine roared to life beneath her, its power thrumming through her body like a heartbeat.
"That's a beautiful sound," Scott said appreciatively.
The bike's unique rumble echoed off the mountain walls, a growl that seemed to challenge the natural silence of the peaks.
From her starting position, she could see the entire setup laid out before her. The curved path that would take her close to the cliff's edge, the safety barrier marking the point of no return.
And beyond that, the vast emptiness of the valley below.
"Remember your marks," Ivy's voice came through the helmet comm.
"Got it," Hailey confirmed.
Scott raised his hand, signaling they were about to begin.
"This is for picture," Scott announced. "Quiet on the set."
The mountain held its breath. Even the wind seemed to pause, leaving only the soft rumble of the motorcycle and Hailey's heartbeat.
"Action!" Scott shouted.
Hailey released the clutch and surged forward.
The bike responded instantly to her commands, the acceleration smooth and controlled.
The safety cable paid out behind her, monitored by Henry and his team as she followed the predetermined route.
"Looking good," Henry's voice encouraged in her ear. "Speed is perfect."
The S-curves approached quickly, demanding precision and control as she leaned into each turn.
For a moment, everything felt perfect — the bike was handling beautifully, the cameras were capturing every movement.
She could feel the familiar rush of a successful stunt coming together.
"Beautiful form," Ivy's voice praised. "Keep it steady."
But then she felt it.
A slight vibration in the handlebars that didn't belong there.
A barely noticeable shift in the bike's handling.
"Something's wrong," Hailey said into the comm.
"What is it?" Henry asked immediately, his voice sharp with concern.
"The handlebars," Hailey said. "There's a vibration."
She glanced at the safety barrier ahead, calculating distance and speed.
There was still room to complete the controlled slide safely.
But the vibration was getting stronger.
And now she could hear it – a metallic grinding.
"Safety cable showing unusual tension," Henry's voice came through. "Hailey, report your status."
"Something's not right," Hailey said, her voice tense. "The bike's handling is off."
Before Henry could respond, she felt the sickening moment of absolute freedom.
The safety cable had snapped.
"Cable failure! Cable failure!" Henry's voice exploded through the communication system.
The motorcycle, no longer guided by its steel lifeline, reacted to a tiny steering input.
An input she hadn't meant to make.
Instead of following the planned route, the bike veered toward the unprotected cliff edge.
"Hailey, abort! Abort!" Scott's voice screamed through the comm.
Hailey fought for control, but momentum and gravity had already made their choice.
The rear wheel hit loose gravel near the cliff's edge, and she felt it slide out from under her with terrifying speed.
"No!" Hailey shouted.
Time seemed to stretch and compress as she separated from the motorcycle, both of them plummeting through the air toward the edge of the world.
The last thing she heard through the comm was Scott screaming.
"Check on her! Somebody check on her!"
And then she was falling.
The mountain air rushed past her face at a terrifying speed.
Beyond that, the dark forest canopy spread out like a green sea. A sea that would either catch her or swallow her whole.
As she fell, one final thought pierced through her terror with painful clarity:
She would never know what Eric had been trying to tell her.