He was gone.
Seth was gone.
Laura had watched him as he moved away. He’d looked like he was going to make a wide circle around the camp, trying to get to those boxes by staying as far away as possible. Laura could not see him anymore. She kept looking at that grouping of boxes, forcing herself to breathe in and out as she waited to see Seth there. Exploring them, as he put it. But so far, she only saw those men with large guns who were waiting to kill them.
No. Getting caught by those men would be the end. Done.
Laura gripped the handle of the knife tightly, squeezing it almost like a pressure ball. She still had the rifle right next to her. Loaded. Ready. But using it would alert every man in this camp that she was here. If she was discovered by one man, she had a fighting chance of protecting herself and her daughter with the knife without bringing the rest of the men running.
The thought of what she was planning made her sick. It was almost too much. She had come to the mountain to be alone. To find peace and safety. And now she was contemplating how she could use a knife to hurt someone.
No. Not to hurt someone. To protect someone. To protect her Abby.
Laura moved Abby off her lap. She had quietly explained to the little girl that they were waiting for Seth and then they were going to run as fast as they could to the raft. Abby had been in boats before, but she had never been white-water rafting. She’d never even seen someone do it.
Laura had explained about holding on. About lying down on the floor of the raft. About staying right by her mommy so she could be safe. Abby had repeated the instructions back to Laura. Hopefully it would be enough.
Laura took her eyes off those boxes to scan the area again. It was the same. Too many men and too many guns. She looked behind her, and her fear ratcheted up another notch. The smoke was definitely closer. The fire the men had set behind them was working exactly as planned. It would eventually force them into the camp.
Laura wondered where Mahoney was. It seemed that the men had plans to get to safety by driving over the top of the mountains in the Jeeps. Or maybe rafting down the mountain. Laura still couldn’t believe that there were rafts here. She supposed she ought to be grateful that they were the well-prepared type.
But would they be prepared with the things Seth needed? He was going around in a wide circle to reach those boxes. But there was no way they could make it to the rafts or the Jeeps without being spotted. And given how close the fire was, Laura hadn’t even suggested trying to sneak past the men and keep on moving.
This entire plan hinged on some kind of distraction. Away from the river. That was their only hope of reaching a raft and getting down the river in it.
Laura looked back to the boxes and gasped. Seth was there. He had a second knife out and was prying the lid off one. There were three men about fifty feet away. They were not facing Seth, and they were engaged in loud conversation. They were laughing. Happy. Laura felt sour disgust on her tongue as she watched the men who were waiting to kill them laugh and be merry.
She looked back to Seth and held her breath as he lifted the lid. He was moving slowly, and Laura prayed that he was able to be quiet as he dealt with the contents of the box. Laura saw him look inside. She couldn’t read his expression.
Seth reached inside the box and began pulling things out, but Laura did not know what they were. Did he have what he needed or was he going to try to make do? Laura understood why she and Abby stayed where they were. It was easier for Seth to move around and not be detected. Laura and Abby were currently in the best location to make a dash for those rafts. Even so, Laura found herself wishing she was with Seth right now. Good or bad, she wanted to face the contents of those boxes together.
Seth filled his bag with the mysterious objects and then faded into nothing again. One minute he was in front of her and the next he was gone. Please, God, be with him. Help him. Make this work.
Laura quickly went through the pack and took out things she thought they could live without. It was heavy and would slow down their run to the rafts. She kept some food. Some basic first-aid supplies. Taking Abby’s duck from her, she explained that Duckie was going to ride in the bag. It seemed silly, but odds were good that the cabin had been consumed by the fire. That duck might be the only thing her sweet girl had left, and she deserved to take her only friend with her.
Laura set the pack down, straps up and ready to go. She moved to her knees and told Abby to get ready to run. If Seth came to them already running, they would be ready to join him.
Laura kept her eyes on the area Seth had disappeared into when he left her and Abby. She assumed he would come back from the same direction. She hoped he would approach them slowly and steadily, the same way he had left. She hoped he would return and tell her everything was going to be okay. That the distraction would happen soon. She hoped he would pick up Abby, and she could shoulder the pack. Laura hoped they could hold hands and wait. And then run. Together. As one. As planned.
Hopes were nice. They had seen Laura through many dark times. But these hopes all died as the earth literally moved. Something big had just blown up. The men all jumped up. There was yelling. Questions. Smoke rose from the part of the forest where Seth had disappeared with the contents of that box. The men ran toward it then. All of them. The camp was empty and there was a clear path to those rafts.
But where was Seth? Was he hurt? Was he unable to make a delayed explosion and so he sacrificed himself for them?
Was she supposed to run to those rafts without him? No, Lord. Please. If she ran now and he was hurt or coming, then he would be left behind. If she did not run now and those men came back, then she and Abby would be caught. Those men had to know they were in the area. That explosion was clearly not an accident.
What am I supposed to do, God? Help me. I don’t know what to do!
Laura was looking between the rafts and the place where Seth should be coming from. She stood up. Picked up Abby. Indecision ripped her soul into pieces.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
And then she finally saw Seth. He was running, full steam, toward her. “Go! Go! Run, Laura!”
And she did. She started running, ignoring the shakiness in her legs from those moments where she thought Seth wasn’t coming. Seth caught up to her and took Abby out of her arms without breaking stride.
They reached the rafts. Seth set Abby down and grabbed one. Placed it on the river bank and then put Abby inside. They were getting ready to push it in the water. To push and jump and hold on, when Laura heard the first gunshot.
Aimed at them.
She turned and saw several large, angry men running their way. And they were shooting as they came.
* * *
Seth didn’t know if he was irritated his explosion didn’t wait until he was back to Laura before going off or proud that he had managed to make it go boom at all. That crate had not been full of the ordinances of Seth’s dreams. He’d had to take apart several smaller weapons and use their parts to make an explosive device. He’d also had to rig up some kind of fuse to get any delay at all.
He’d done his best, but he’d known, he had just known, that it would not be good enough. That was okay. When he was running back to Laura, when he heard the explosion happen much earlier than it should have, he had known that she would probably leave without him. And, with that knife, she would probably take away the option of him using another raft to follow.
And that was okay. He was running, using his legs for all they were worth, feeling the pain from the old injury jolt in his knees as he pushed even harder, and he was okay. Laura and Abby would make it to safety. They would go down that river and away from these guys and past the fire. They could ride until they reached help. And Seth would know that he had done a good and honorable job.
Dying was not a new concept. Dying in an unexpected and painful way wasn’t new, either. Seth had come to terms with the choices he made in his life.
He had lost that peace for a while, back home. How ironic that it was the safety of home and the love of his family that had taken away his blasé acceptance of what was to come. And he had run. But he had fixed that as much as possible. Laura would help him make amends and his family would have some kind of closure.
So Seth had run and run and run. Even though it was pointless. Even though he was too late and he had missed his chance. But Laura would have hers. He ran, rounding that corner, fully prepared to see two destroyed rafts and one missing raft. And he was ready to thank God for that, to thank Him that Laura and her sweet girl would make it. To give thanks and then to fight until he couldn’t fight anymore.
He’d almost fallen over when he took that corner and saw Laura and Abby. Standing there. They were just standing there looking at him. Why were they just standing there when the explosion had gone off minutes ago? He’d yelled, as loud as he could. There was no point in trying to be covert. Not if Laura and Abby never made it to the rafts.
They’d pushed the raft into the water, skipping the step where they disabled the other rafts. There just wasn’t time.
Then the bullets came. One hit a rock that sat halfway in the water. The rock burst into little pieces, tiny shards of warning that their time was well and truly up. They needed to get in that raft and get speeding down the river or they would not be going anywhere.
Those men would catch Laura and Abby and they would kill them. That could not happen.
No.
Abby was on her stomach in the raft, her little body as close to the floor as it could be. She was holding on to some of the inner ties. Good girl. Laura must have told her what to do and she was doing it perfectly. Such a smart and good girl.
It took three shoves to get the raft in the water, and the shots behind them didn’t stop. Seth did not know how none of them hit the raft or him and Laura. No, that wasn’t true. He did know. He always knew who protected him in this world.
Laura and Seth jumped in the raft before the current could carry it away and Seth was thankful yet again for Laura’s outdoor skills. She knew exactly what to do and Seth did not have to worry about her in that respect. They each picked up the oars that were lying next to Abby and began to paddle. The current was powerful, so if they could get the raft floating they would be okay.
They should be okay.
They would have a fighting chance at least.
And a fighting chance was all they needed to make it.
“Stay as low as possible.” He had to yell to be heard over the noise of the water all around them. He could see the men running toward them, guns still pulled. The closer they got, the better their chances of actually hitting their target.
“I didn’t think you were coming.” Seth jerked his gaze away from the men and looked at Laura. Her voice was pure anguish. Absolute pain. She was…she was…crying.
Seth gripped the oar harder and used every bit of strength the adrenaline rush had given him to paddle, willing the raft to move faster. They needed to be away from these men. They needed to be down this river. To be safe, so Seth could hug Laura and reassure her and do whatever he needed to do to make that look leave her face. To make that tone go away. It was unacceptable that she was feeling this way. Unacceptable, and Seth needed to fix it.
They both jerked down at the sound of a gunshot that was much, much closer than the others had been. Too close.
He looked and saw a Jeep speeding along, tracking them on land while their raft tried to run away downriver. The Jeep was going very fast and the ground was bumpy, so the man standing up in the back and trying to kill them wasn’t able to aim accurately.
Another shot. Seth flinched again.
He might not be able to get a clear shot off, but he was sure getting close enough. Seth pulled his own gun and returned fire. His shot didn’t land, but the Jeep did swerve a bit, so that was good. Something. Better than nothing.
Seth turned and saw Laura struggling with the oar. He immediately put his gun back in its holster and resumed working with his oar. The current provided momentum. They were going plenty fast, and though Seth wanted to get away he didn’t really want to go any faster. This raft already felt like an out-of-control amusement park ride.
No, they weren’t using the oars for speed. They were using them to navigate around the obstacles in the water. Rocks, tree branches, rocks, rocks and rocks. They were high up in the Rocky Mountains and this part of the country was aptly named.
Abby was wet, very wet. Seth could see her shivering. All the water that sloshed into the raft as they pushed against rocks with their oars and encountered the churning liquid landed on the floor of the raft. Where Abby was. But she was still holding on. Laura was sitting with one leg over the child, helping to hold her in place.
Seth worried about Abby drowning, but she was on her side. Her face was clear of the water on the floor. And down there was safer than the alternative.
He flinched as another shot came from the Jeep. And then another.
This needed to stop. One of those shots was going to land. Seth knew it. Statistics said it would land eventually and the shooter was not giving up. Seth looked down the river, almost hoping to see the active fire. They needed to get to that part, where the Jeep could no longer follow.
Seth saw smoke, but no flames. The river was windy at this part, so it could be around the next bend. It could be close. Please, God, let it be close.
“Seth!” Laura’s scream was just as anguished as her last statement. He looked to where she was pointing. At a raft. Following them down the river. It had four men in it and they were close enough that Seth could see the murderous expressions on their faces.
And the guns in their hands.