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CAVE RANCH:
Jessica and Kristy stop and stare at the water across the road, undecided about crossing the flowing stream without knowing how deep it is.
Kristy grabs Jessica’s hand and looks up at her. “We can’t stay here, Jessica.”
“I know we have to go across, but I’m a little scared.”
“It can’t be that deep. I can see Derek’s motorcycle tracks in the dirt on the other side.”
“Okay, let’s go for it.”
Kristy hears music in her pocket. “I almost forgot.” She pulls the phone out, holds it out to Jessica, and nearly loses her fingers when Jessica snatches it from her hand.
“It’s my sister!” She turns on the phone. “Jamie, I’m in big trouble. Where are you?”
“Up on Baker. What’s wrong?”
“I was trying to get to the Cave ranch with Kristy, but the river overflowed and we’re trapped. I’m scared, Jamie.”
“Can you get to the ranch?”
“We were just about to try. What good would that do if the dam breaks?”
“Wesley and I managed to get it open, but the water we released is roaring down the mountain, and it will flood the ranch very soon.”
“It’s flooding already, and we’re trapped.”
“Where is Derek?”
“We saw fresh motorcycle tracks in the dirt on the other side of the water, so I think he’s already there.”
“Jessica, Wesley is calling Derek right now.”
“Okay. I’ll call you back when we get out of here.” She turns off her phone and slips it into her front jean pocket as she looks down at Kristy. “They’re going to call Derek to come and get us.”
Kristy looks back along the road. “The river water from the bridge is coming this way.”
Jessica turns around, and the road behind them is underwater. “We need to keep moving before the water gets too deep and we’re trapped. Are you ready?”
“Yes, but don’t let go of my hand. I’m not as tall as you.”
Jessica reaches down and puts her hand around Kristy’s. “I won’t let go. I promise.”
Kristy smiles bravely, and they step forward into the water.
The farther they walk, the deeper it becomes, and Jessica feels Kristy’s hand tighten on hers as they continue sloshing through the water. It’s knee deep for her, and already up to Kristy’s waist. “Are you okay?”
“How come the other side is getting farther away?”
Jessica looks up and the motorcycle tracks are gone. “You’re right.” She stops and looks behind them, and the road is completely underwater. “We need to move faster.”
“Jessica, it’s up to my waist. I can’t go any faster.”
“I know. It’s pushing harder against us, too. Ah, the trees! If we can make it to those fir trees, we can climb up out of the water. Let’s go.”
The water starts moving faster, driving against Kristy’s lower body. “Jessica, I’m slipping. I can barely touch the ground.”
Jessica pulls her close. “Grab my belt.” She feels the pull on her waist. “That’s it. We’re almost there.” She gains a few more feet, then she’s nearly pulled down into the water when Kristy’s full weight yanks on her belt.
“Jessica!” Kristy hollers and clings tightly to the belt when she loses her footing.
“Just hang on. We’re almost there.”
Jessica holds her arms forward for balance as she drags Kristy through the water. The stream continues to rise, and small branches and leaves pile up against her waist. “Just a few more feet, Kristy.”
Each agonizingly slow step is a battle to move forward. She keeps shoving the branches and leaves away from her waist as they create drag, trying to force her backward from the trees. She feels exhausted when she finally grabs a large branch. “We did it!”
Jessica pulls them closer to the trunk and twists around so Kristy can start climbing. When the weight is gone, she grabs a higher tree limb and pulls herself up until she can stand on it, then reaches down and pulls Kristy up to the next limb and stops. She gives Kristy a shaky smile. “Wow. Okay. That was intense. How are you doing?”
“I’m freezing.”
“Yeah, me too. We’ll be okay now. We just have to wait for Derek to come and get us.”
“Jessica? I’m glad you found me. I heard about the dam breaking and what will happen to the school.”
“We’re not any safer here, Kristy.”
“If my brother knows we’re here, he’ll come and get us. He won’t stop until he saves us.”
***
TRACK MEET:
Arnie is having difficulty getting people to leave the school grounds. Most of the visitors give him a hard time, saying he’s afraid of losing to Darrington. Even the locals think he’s being paranoid and refuse to leave. I should have taken Cave’s advice more seriously. I could have canceled the games before everyone arrived.
He’s pissed off at himself and frustrated with the spectators. He has an idea and calls the volunteer Fire Chief, Tyler Masterson. “Where are you right now?”
“I’m in the bleachers, waiting for the games to start, Sheriff.”
Arnie walks to the bottom of the bleachers and searches for Tyler among the dozens of faces sitting in rows across the benches. When he sees Tyler stand up, he turns off the phone and waves him down onto the field.
A few moments later, Tyler stops in front of the Sheriff. “What’s going on?”
“You need to activate the fire alarms.”
Tyler stares at Arnie for a moment. “Are you serious? The alarms will be like forfeiting the games. We can beat Darrington this year, Sheriff. We can’t let them win by default.”
“I know, but we have an emergency. There’s a chance the dam could break, and it will come straight down into this field. I’ve been trying to tell people to leave, but they won’t listen. If we set off the alarms, they’ll leave.”
“Who told you about the dam?”
“Larry Cobb, from up at the park.”
“That dam has been there for over a hundred years, Sheriff. Are you sure about this?”
“Patterson’s the one who told Larry about it, and I know what you’re thinking. He’s a crazy old hermit, but Robert Cave’s son, Alex, was here a few days ago, and he thinks it could happen, too. I would rather play it safe and get everyone out of the valley.”
“All right, but if it doesn’t happen, it could ruin your chances for re-election.”
“That’s the least of my worries right now. Just turn the alarms on so we can get these people out of here.” He sees the skepticism in Tyler’s eyes, but the man nods and walks toward the school buildings. I just hope this works.