crunched. The truck wobbled, but Bryan kept it on the road.
The second hit was harder. The Suburban seemed to be attached to the passenger side of the truck as it pushed them closer to the edge of the road.
Sarah looked through her window at the leering, maniacal face of Acne Scars, as their truck was pushed off the road toward the rocky incline below.
FOUR
Their truck flew off the road at a high speed, sailed through the air and landed in the river at the bottom of the rocky incline. Sarah gasped for air as the truck settled and water rose up around it. She felt as if every muscle in her body had been stretched, and her thoughts seemed to move in slow motion.
Sarah turned toward Bryan whose head was tilted at an unnatural angle. Panicked, she fumbled with her seat belt and reached over to shake him. “Bryan!” She wrapped her hand around his muscular upper arm. “Bryan, please.”
He stirred, shaking his head and moaning in pain. She let out a breath. He was alive.
Bryan glanced from side to side as though trying to fathom what had happened. She reached across his stomach and unbuckled his seat belt.
The current propelled the car downriver. The metal frame creaked as the water pushed against it.
“We need to get out of here, right?”
He looked at her, blinking several times. “Yeah...yeah.” His eyes were void of comprehension.
“Or would it be better to drift with the current?” The truck picked up speed and turned sideways.
He looked around. “No.” His gaze became more focused. “The water gets deeper, more rapids.”
“I think we are closer to the bank on my side.” She glanced out the back window. Acne Scars’s Suburban must have pushed with so much force that it too had sailed off the road and landed upside-down on the rocky shore.
She rolled down her window. Water seeped into the cab of the truck.
“Hurry,” said Bryan. “Swim as hard as you can to shore. The current is pretty strong. I’ll be right behind you.”
She pushed herself through the window into the cold river. Rushing, swirling water suctioned around her. The cold of it shocked her into stillness for a moment as the force of the current pulled her under. She swallowed water and panic surged. She fought against it, struggling to the surface. She pierced the water with her hand, keeping her eyes on the bank which seemed to be slipping farther away.
She caught a quick glimpse of Bryan as he drifted downriver. He was pretty banged up from his fight, and he’d lost consciousness in the wreck. Was he in any condition to make a swim like this? His head went under as an awful sense of dread filled her.
I can’t lose him.
She crashed into a submerged log. She was able to catch her breath by grabbing on to one of the larger branches that stuck out of the water. Holding her position, she desperately scanned the water for a glimpse of Bryan, breathing a sigh of relief when his head bobbed to the surface as he stroked toward the shore, his movement steady and strong.
She pulled herself along the top of the log and then pushed off, aiming for the shore. Up ahead she could see the rapids—foaming, intense waves cresting and swirling. Terror spread through her. No way did she have the strength to swim through those. She needed to get to land. She jabbed her arm through the water, though her muscles had grown weak from the struggle. Her legs felt heavy.
Rivers, just like oceans, had an undertow. The closer she got to the rapids the bigger the risk of being pulled under and drowned.
The shore grew nearer inch by inch. The water calmed as she struggled toward an eddy. This time, when she put her feet down, she touched bottom. Thank You, God. Sarah dragged herself to the shore and crumpled onto a sandbar.
She heard footsteps and turned her head sideways. Bryan had gotten ashore farther upriver. He ran toward her, looking over his shoulder and then increasing his pace. The look of fear on his face fueled her panic. Sarah sat up.
He reached down and grabbed her arm. “We’ve got company. Come on.”
Acne Scars must have gotten out of the SUV. Sarah had barely caught her breath when Bryan lifted her to her feet and pulled her toward the thick brush. Both of them were soaking wet. Their shoes squished as they ran. Her wet clothes, which weighed an extra five pounds, slapped against her body. She was grateful for the warmth of the sun. They’d dry off quick enough.
Bryan led her through the thickness of the forest. The canopy reduced the light by half, and the temperature dropped ten degrees.
“Where...are...we...going?” Sarah spoke as she ran, taking a breath after each word.
“Back to the store. We can call for help from there. The sheriff will have to meet us and escort us back to town.”
The forest thinned. They came to the steep incline that led back up to the road. Only prairie grass grew on this side of the hill. Bryan scanned the area above them. “This is the only way to get to the road. We’ll be exposed as we go.”
Sarah took in a breath to push down the rising fear. “If it’s the only way.”
“Stay behind me.” Bryan made the steep trek with ease, continually glancing side to side and up above.
Sarah scrambled to keep up with him. She could see the road not more than twenty yards above them. How much farther to the store after that?
Bryan stopped suddenly, his eyes growing wide. He turned and pulled her to the ground, placing a protective arm across her back. A zinging sound followed by an explosive echo shattered the silence of the forest.
Panic made her voice shake. “He has a rifle. Where did he get a rifle?”
“He probably had it with him in that car.” From the ground where they lay, he turned to face her, reached out a hand and smoothed her wet hair back from her face. “It’s going to be okay.”
The tenderness of his voice was a soothing balm to her anxious, fear-filled thoughts.
“We’ll get to that store,” he assured her. “Stay low. The high grass will provide some cover.”
They crawled the remaining distance to the road taking an indirect path. Still lying on his belly, Bryan lifted his head and peered over the asphalt then back down the hill.
He tugged on her wet shirt. “Follow the road but use the slope of the bank for cover. We should be safe.”
Sarah took in a breath to calm her nerves. Her heart still hadn’t stopped racing.
Why was this happening? What kind of trouble had Crew gotten himself into? This had to be something more serious than an unpaid debt.
Bryan must have picked up on her fear. He grabbed her hand and pressed it between his. “We’re almost there.”
She nodded. They ran, crouched over until the store came into view. At that point, Bryan straightened, grabbed her hand and sprinted the remaining distance.
