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SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
The ringing of the bells gets everyone’s attention, but nobody stands from the bleachers. Arnie cannot believe no one seems to be worried. “Are you people stupid or something?” he yells. “That’s the fire alarm, damn it! Get out of here!”
A few of the men stand, look back at the school buildings, then turn back to look at Arnie. “I don’t see any smoke, Sheriff,” one of the men shouts down.
“What’s the matter, Sheriff?” one of the fans from Darrington shouts. “Afraid of losing this year?”
Arnie places his hands on his hips and stares at the ground. “Damn!” he swears in frustration. They just won’t listen to him.
***
CAVE RANCH:
Derek paces in front of the porch, frustrated he cannot find Kristy. He climbs onto the motorcycle and puts on his helmet.
Robert is sitting in the porch swing, feeling the same as Derek. “Where are you going?”
“I can’t stand just sitting around. I’m going back to the water and see if it’s gone down any.”
Robert knows it’s a waste of time, but it will give the boy something to do. The engine roars, and he watches Derek drive away. He pushes himself in the porch swing for something to do, and waits for a call from Arnie with information about Kristy.
He hears a strange sound and looks around, but cannot locate its origin. He stands from the porch swing and follows the sound through the screen door, and the muffled beeping is coming from inside Derek’s backpack. He opens the zipper, sees the strange-looking phone, then reaches in and grabs it. He studies the key pad and sees one green button and one red, and figures green is good and presses it. “Hello?”
Wesley doesn’t recognize the voice. “I’m trying to reach Derek Cave.”
“This is his grandfather, Robert.”
“Robert, my name is Wesley Patterson. Your granddaughter and Jessica Parker are trapped between the highway and your ranch, and they’re in big trouble. We opened the dam and you’re going to be flooded soon.”
“You did what? Are you crazy?”
“I don’t have time to explain, but you need to get on your horses and go get them. When this water hits, they’ll be drowned, so you had better hurry.”
“I’m on my way to the barn right now.”
“Good luck.”
Robert presses the red button and sets the satellite phone on the table, then runs out to the porch and down to the barn.
***
When Derek reaches the water, it’s higher than before. “Shit!”
He guns the engine, slips the clutch, spins the rear tire in the dirt to turn around, then drives back toward the house.
When he pulls onto the driveway, he notices Robert running across to the barn, and drives over beside him. “What’s going on?”
“Kristy and that Parker girl are trapped between here and the bridge, and we have to hurry. Some idiot named Patterson opened the dam, and the water is headed our way.”
Derek shuts off the engine and climbs off the motorcycle. “Tell me what to do.”
“Just watch and do what I do with another horse, and you’ll be fine.”
***
BAKER PARK:
Wesley and Jamie walk into the ranger station and stand at the counter as Larry comes out of his office. “Any word from the Valley?” Wesley asks.
“The Sheriff just called. Nobody believes him, and they won’t leave the track meet. When you opened the dam, it flooded the road on the other side of the main bridge. No one can get down the mountain now.”
Wesley feels helpless as he looks at the concern in Jamie’s eyes. He had no choice in releasing the water.
Jamie leans back against the counter and stares at the floor. “What we need is a helicopter.” She hears Wesley grunt, and when she looks up, he’s grinning. “What?”
“Time to call in a favor.”
He turns on his phone and finds the number for the Discovery, presses redial, and a moment later, a woman answers.
“Tanner Company. This is the Discovery. How can I help you?”
“I’m a friend of Alex Cave, and I need some help.”
“Hold on, please.”
A man’s voice comes from the speaker. “This is Carl Gregory. Who am I speaking to?”
“I’m Wesley Patterson, Mister Gregory. I’m a volcanologist working with Alex Cave.”
“I remember Alex mentioning you. What can I do for you?”
Wesley explains what’s going on. “Alex’s nephew and niece are in trouble, and we could use a helicopter ride.”
“I’m a friend of Alex, too, and I’ve got a helicopter at my disposal. Where can I meet you?”
“That’s great. The Mount Baker State Park Ranger Station has a big enough parking lot for you to land. Hang on and I’ll get you the GPS location.” Larry looks at him, shrugs, then Frank hands a piece of paper over the counter and he reads the numbers to Carl. “I really appreciate this.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting.” He turns off the phone and looks at Jamie. “The helicopter is on the way.”
***
CAVE RANCH:
Derek’s feet feel like ice, and his jeans are soaked halfway up his legs as the horses slosh through the five-foot-deep rushing water. He and Robert follow a line of fir trees along the submerged road, and their speed is limited to the footing of the horses. He turns to look at Robert riding on his right side. “They could be anywhere.”
Robert does not reply and stares straight ahead. He keeps thinking he could have done something earlier, like keeping Kristy home this morning. He had plenty of warning, but he did not know they would open the dam. Damn it! I should have realized that would be the only option to keep the dam from being destroyed.
Derek sees a flash of bright yellow in one of the trees and points. “There they are!”
***
Jessica and Kristy cling to the branches, watching snags of vegetation and small trees sweep past beneath their feet. Kristy looks over at Jessica standing on another thick tree limb next to hers. “I, can’t, stop, shivering,” she says through chattering teeth.
Jessica realizes her jeans are wet, but her jacket and shirt are still dry. She carefully shuffles along the tree limb and steps around the trunk to stand behind Kristy, then wraps her arms around Kristy’s shoulders to pull her back tight against her body. “Derek should get here soon. We just have to be patient for a little while longer.”
“Derek. Likes you. Jessica.”
Jessica feels Kristy shivering and looks down at the top of her head, then Kristy suddenly turns her head toward the ranch.
“Do you hear that, Jessica? I can’t see around the trunk, but it sounded like a horse snorting.”
Jessica leans around the tree. “It’s Derek and your grandfather! They’re almost here!”
“Kristy! Jessica! Just hang on,” they hear Derek holler.
Kristy sees the face of a horse and smiles up at Jessica. “I told you he’d rescue us.”
Derek waits until his saddle is close to Kristy’s feet, pulls back on the rains, then slides back on the saddle as he holds his hand out to her. “You look cold. Get on in front of me and I’ll warm you up.”
Kristy leaps off the tree limb onto the saddle and feels Derek’s warm arm wrap around her waist. “I knew you’d find us,” she tells him as he moves the horse out of the way.
Robert looks up at Jessica. “We’ve never really met. I’m Robert. Jump down behind me.”
“I’ve never been on a horse before. Won’t he move away? I saw that in a movie.”
Robert grins. “No, he won’t move. Go ahead and jump.”
Jessica steps off the limb, grabbing Robert’s shoulders for balance and nearly throwing him off the horse as she flops down behind the saddle. “Wow. That was intense. Sorry about that.”
Robert turns his horse back toward the ranch and rides up beside Derek, then smiles and reaches over to put his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “Good job, son.”
Derek looks over and smiles, but it quickly slips away. “We’re not safe yet, Robert. Wesley said even with the dam open, it may not be able to hold back the water if that logjam tears loose. I think we should head up to his place. It’s up past the park and away from the water.”
“That’s too far for the horses. We’d never make it out of the flooded areas. Our best option is to get back to the house and barn. Please, just trust me that we’ll be safe there.”
Derek knows it’s the only option and gives him a nod, then stares ahead as they make their way back to the ranch.