The helicopter hovered low, in the middle of the river, its bright light slicing through the thick smoke. A big door opened and someone leaped out, splashing down into the water. Seconds later Josh heard a voice, shouting through the darkness.

“JOSH! HOLLY!”

“LUCAS!!!” Holly called.

Lucas waded toward them. He wrapped his arms around both of them, hugging them close.

“Come on,” he said. “We don’t have much time.”

“Holly hurt her leg,” Josh said quickly.

“What about you?” he asked Josh.

“His shoulder’s burned. Bad,” Holly said.

“But I can make it,” Josh said, surprising himself.

The helicopter had moved closer to them at the edge of the river, still hovering, the sound of the rotor blades beating like a giant heart. A stretcher was lowered down, attached to a cable.

Lucas strapped Holly into the stretcher and waved to Josh to wait.

“I’m going to take her up and be right back down for you!” he shouted into Josh’s ear. “Hang tight!” And up Lucas and Holly went.

Josh understood — Holly was badly hurt. But the feeling of being left behind hurt more than his burns. And it seemed like hours before Lucas came back down for him.

Lucas quickly hooked Josh into what looked like a big vest.

“This is a screamer suit!” Lucas shouted into his ear. “You’ll be nice and secure for the ride.”

And seconds later he and Lucas were rising toward the Huey.

Josh looked around. The flames on this side of the river were getting even bigger, shooting high into the sky. Josh imagined those flames reaching all the way to the moon, setting it on fire.

The hot wind gusted harder, making Josh and Lucas swing wildly. More trees were exploding.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

And then a vicious gust seemed to grab hold of the Huey, twisting it sideways. The helicopter lurched, and Josh squeezed his eyes shut.

Please, he thought. Please don’t let this helicopter crash on top of us.

The old helicopter held steady in the air. And finally they were at the open door. There was a firefighter waiting for them. He plucked Josh out first, then helped Lucas climb inside. The door slammed.

Within seconds, Josh was strapped into a seat next to Holly in her stretcher. Holly’s face was tense with pain. Her eyes were squeezed shut and tears rolled down her cheeks. Josh’s burns throbbed. But he could tell Holly’s pain was much worse.

Eleanor looked at them from the pilot’s seat, her face steely.

“Hold tight!” she bellowed. “I’m getting us out of here!”

The Huey moved forward for a few seconds, its nose dipping down as it gained speed. Then it shot up so fast, Josh’s stomach flipped. He thought of all the times he’d wished he could fly in a helicopter. But not in a million years could he have imagined a ride like this. Next to him, Holly opened her eyes and turned toward the window.

“Look,” she whispered.

The smoke around them had parted. And what Josh saw made his eyes fill up with tears. Flames shot up on both sides of the river. The burning trees twisted in the wind, branches waving wildly, like they were begging for help. Josh wished they could rescue all of them, carry them away.

Soon there would be almost nothing left down there, Josh knew. Just skeleton trees, bent and broken and still. Burned to ash.

He leaned closer to Holly and grabbed her hand.

The Huey rose higher where the smoke was thicker, and then there was nothing more to see.

Josh closed his eyes, suddenly more tired than he’d ever been. His body felt numb.

All he could feel was Holly’s hand in his, holding him tight.