“Guys, can we take a break?” Drew pleaded. He was dragging his foot.
Before the rest of the group could even slow down, Ben dropped his backpack and plopped down on the side of the trail. He fell back into the flowers and grass, arms and legs spread out. Drew joined him. Jo’s stomach growled and her feet ached. She was happy for the break, but knew that it would bring more confrontation with Galen. And here he came.
“What’s goin’ on?” He demanded to know.
“We just need a short rest,” Lary answered him.
Galen gazed to the west of them, at the sun’s apricot color.
“We’ve got no time for this. We’ve got to keep moving.”
“Do we even know where we are?” Red asked.
Mike pulled out his crumpled map. “All I can tell from this is that the river’s over there.” He pointed to his right. “And as long as we parallel it, we’re headed the right way.”
Red walked over and ripped the map from his hand. Mike’s head jerked up. He stared at her, stunned. “We already know that.” Red tore up the map and threw the pieces on the ground. She dropped her backpack and stood with her hands on her hips. “I say we get to the river and follow it back. We don’t know where the hell this trail is gonna end up.”
“That would be a much harder walk,” Mike said.
“For some.” Red swept the group with her eyes.
“We’re not doing that,” Galen stated.
“You’re not in charge, Galen,” Red snapped. “I say we go to the river.”
“No.”
Red’s eyes hurled defiance at him. “We should at least check it out.”
Jo cringed at another confrontation. Her chest tightened.
Everyone stood still. No said a word.
Red looked at Mike. “Be right back.” She dashed away over the open field heading toward the trees guarding the river.
“I’ll get her,” Mike said. He slipped his backpack off and jogged after her. “Red, wait!”
Lary sighed. “This could get ugly. I’d better help him.” He let his pack fall to the ground, gave Dove a quick smile and took off.
Mike and Lary galloped after Red through the knee-high grass and a sea of low-flying insects. Ben, April and Drew rested on the ground. Dove was watching Lary run, twisting a fingernail, her face tense. It appeared she might take off any second.
Here with the infirmed, Jo thought. “I’m going too,” she announced, as her backpack slid from her shoulders. She sprinted away, into the orange glow of evening.
“Jo!” Galen yelled.
She took great pleasure in ignoring him. He kept calling her. She grinned with satisfaction and broke into a hard run, flying through the grasses, leaping over limbs and brush. The cool evening air filled her lungs. She enjoyed feeling a little brave and a little ornery.
She was closing in on Mike and Lary. The sound of flowing water reached her ears and grew louder with every stride. She ignored her apprehension. The guys entered the trees and she followed them into the purple shadows. They emerged together by the bank of the river.
“Jo!” Mike seemed surprised to see her…and pleased. Lary rubbed her shoulder and smiled. Red sneered and rolled her eyes.
The river was loud and flowed ferociously. There was no quiet pool here, just furious liquid, crashing over rocks and fallen limbs.
They surveyed the land beside the river. It was overgrown with brush and trees.
“We might as well stay up on the trail,” Mike shouted.
“It’s decent on the other side,” Red said, pointing across the river.
“If we could just get across,” Mike commented. “Let’s look around.” He headed upstream, thrashing through the brush.
“Girls, check that way.” Lary motioned with his hand.
Jo didn’t bother waiting for Red. Flattered to be included and to have an assignment, she trekked downstream through the grasses, forcing her way through the shrubs, though they scraped across her bare legs. She came to a tree that had fallen in the direction of the water. She smashed her way through the brush and examined it for a possible bridge. It was about a foot above the water, but it only went half way across. She pursed her lips in disappointment and backed away from it.
“Red!” Mike and Lary were both yelling, echoing each other’s shouts. Their words were hysterical and urgent.
Jo scrambled through the brush and ran back. Lary was climbing through dense foliage to get to the edge of the river. Mike was already stepping into the water. She raised her eyes. Her jaw dropped. Red was standing almost in the middle of the raging current, balancing herself on the slimy bottom rocks, bracing against the savage push of the river. The water was above her knees and pushing hard against her slender legs. Her eyes were big and there was fear on her face.
“Red, don’t move!” Mike shouted as he fought to keep his balance.
Jo’s heart pounded watching him struggle to stay on his feet. Please, God, don’t let him fall.
“Red!” Mike shouted.
Jo’s eyes darted to where Red had been standing. She wasn’t there. “Red!” She yelled and searched the whitecaps.
Red’s rust-colored head popped out of the water, her arms flailing. She screamed for help, latching onto a moss-covered rock, but her hands were slipping in the overpowering deluge.
Jo dashed back to the fallen tree, mowing through the shrubs. She jumped out on the tree trunk and scurried to the end of it on her hands and knees. Where the tree hung over the middle of the river, she flopped onto her belly, wrapped her left arm around the rough bark of the trunk, hung slightly over the side of it, and reached her right arm down to the water.
“Red, grab my hand!”
The cinnamon head flowed straight to her and a cold, wet hand clutched onto hers. Red’s eyes bulged with fright. Water rushed into her face and she struggled to breathe, twisting her head back and forth and gagging. All her bravado was washed away. She clung to Jo’s hand while the water brutally beat against her. The guys were yelling. They would be here any second.
Jo held onto the tree with all her might, but the current fought for Red’s body. Twigs poked her and their broken-off nubs dug into her flesh. The arm she had coiled around the tree quivered; a pain shot across her shoulder. Come on guys! Her eyes squeezed shut. Bark scraped the soft flesh under her arm as the relentless pull of the water and Red’s added weight pried her from the tree. Her eyes sprang open. The blackish-blue current rushed at her face.
Jo crashed into the water, plunging under icy darkness. Fighting her way to the surface, she tried to snatch a breath of air. Water rushed into her mouth. She coughed and gasped. The swirling blackness sucked her down into a cold, wet grave.
A hand latched onto her arm and pulled her upwards. Her face broke the surface and she voraciously gulped air into her lungs. Her heart flooded with relief. She was afraid to open her eyes and clung to her rescuer, her fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt, her other hand pressed to the muscles of his back. His arms embraced her tightly. She was shaking hard, clutching him as if she would never let go. It didn’t matter if it was Mike or Lary. He was solid and warm and safe.
She rested her head on his shoulder and pressed into his warmth. Grass tickled her ankles. In the security of his embrace, her trembling abated. Each breath was less shaky. Her hand relaxed its death-grip on his shirt. Slowly, she lifted her head and opened her eyes. Her hair left a wet imprint on a grey T-shirt. She raised her eyes. A face framed in black hair came into focus. Galen was on his knees, sitting back on his heels, cradling her in his arms.
“Are you Ok?” He asked, breathing almost as hard as she was. His eyes were dark like smoke, his expression etched with worry.
Jo stared at his face. Something familiar flashed in her mind. She tried to speak, but her throat was tight. “Yeah,” she finally pushed the word out. But she wasn’t Ok, and he seemed to understand that. For a few more minutes, he held her, and she rested her head against his shoulder and thanked God she wa
sn’t in that water.
“Can you stand up?” He asked, after a few minutes.
She cleared her throat. “I think so.”
He stood up, still holding her, and set her on her feet. Her legs were wobbly, like noodles, her heart pounded. She didn’t mind that he kept an arm around her waist. She leaned against him.
Her gaze crept to the swift water and a twinge of terror cut through her gut. She looked up from the water, quickly, towards a rustling noise.
Down river from where she and Galen were standing, Mike and Lary were jogging back towards them. When she saw their faces, her gut twisted again.
“No sign?” Galen yelled to them.
“No,” Lary answered back.
The two slowed to a walk as they reached Jo and Galen.
“Jo, are you all right?” Mike asked. He was drenched and rubbing his left wrist. That didn’t stop him from reaching out with his other hand and pulling Jo to him. Galen’s arm fell away from her.
“Jo.” That’s all he said as he held her. She closed her eyes, as her cheek pressed against his chest, and breathed in his scent: sweat, river, and a lingering spicy smell from this morning’s deodorant.
Lary gave her a short, brotherly hug. “Jo, jeez Louise, we thought we lost you too. If it hadn’t been for Galen—”
“Where’s Red?” Jo’s voice shook as she glanced from face to face.
“We…we couldn’t reach her,” Mike mumbled. Pain and sadness twisted together in his expression.
“Mike tried to get to her, but he fell. I think he broke his wrist,” Lary explained. “We’re lucky we didn’t lose him too.”
Jo cringed.
Lary’s boots and jeans were wet. Jo surmised he must have gone in to rescue Mike. She folded her arms for warmth and shivered looking downstream. Insects hovered over the grasses, their bodies glistening in the orange rays of sun. The violent waters of the river flowed on as if nothing had happened.
“We ran down river, but there’s no tellin’ how far…” Mike’s voice dropped off. He seemed distraught and scared, emotions Jo had never seen on his face before.
She laid her hand on his arm and looked in his worried eyes. “She’ll get out. She knows what to do.” Jo smiled with cold, quivering lips. He nodded. She carefully touched his wrist. “Does it hurt?”
Mike’s lips curled up halfheartedly. “Only when I breathe.”
Jo smiled gently. “Let’s get back to the others. Dove will fix it up. And then we’ll get back to the cabin and get help—let the authorities know about Red.”
“I think I should go on ahead,” Mike said. “I can move faster on my own.”
Galen huffed. “No way.”
“I’m not afraid of the dark, Galen.” Mike flashed angry eyes at him.
“You will be.” Galen’s voice was cold and threatening. He eyes sparked.
Mike took a breath, but Jo cut him off. “Guys—please, we’re wasting time arguing. Let’s just get back to the others.” She gripped Mike’s good arm. “It is going to be dark, Mike. If you run into trouble, we would never know where to look for you.”
“I agree with Jo,” Lary said. “We should stay together. If there is something dangerous out here, you shouldn’t be by yourself.”
“Well, then, you and me, we’ll go,” Mike argued, looking hopefully at Lary.
“Mike,” Lary placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders, “the best thing we can do for Red right now is get back to the cabin and get some help—all of us. We don’t need to create another problem.”
Mike grimaced and rubbed his wrist. “I guess it wasn’t the greatest idea not to bring our phones on this trip.” His expression was awash with guilt.
“Hey, man,” Lary patted his back, “we all agreed to that.”
Mike sighed in resignation. “Let’s get going. Maybe we’ll run into someone on the trail.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Galen mumbled.
But Jo heard him. She peered at him coldly. He caught her, but she didn’t care. She fell in beside Mike and Lary as they walked.
With their swift strides, it wasn’t long until she was panting hard and falling behind them.
“Are you all right, Jo?” Mike asked, looking back at her. “You want us to slow down?”
“Don’t worry about me.” She huffed and puffed. Her lungs hurt, but the pace was keeping her warm in her chilled, wet clothes.
Galen walked beside her and said in a low voice meant only for her to hear, “You’re welcome.”
Irritated that he would want accolades at a time like this, she refused to look at him, but muttered, “Thanks.”
“That was a crazy thing you did.” His tone was not one of admiration. It was harsh. He was admonishing her, like a parent would a disobedient child. She ignored him.
Cold water trickled down the back of her legs. It dripped off her hair onto her arms and ran down her back like slow, icy fingernails. The evening breeze drove into her wet shirt. What she wouldn’t give for dry clothes—and some hot food. She could still feel Red’s grip, like a vice, around her hand, and the pull of the river yanking her. A painful lump expanded in her throat. She fixed her gaze on the ground. No! She told herself. I’m not going to cry. But a warm teardrop escaped and mingled with the cold water dripping off her forehead onto her face. Her throat was blocked by the lump. She gulped in a breath of air and shuddered.
“You Ok?” Galen asked her. His voice was low and soft.
Jo couldn’t speak. If she tried to talk, she’d burst out crying. She could feel his eyes fastened to her. She broke into a jog to catch up with Mike and Lary.
Chapter 18