transformed into that of Saint Dane. His blue-white eyes flashed. The bloodred veins in his bald head flared.
“Then you’ll just have to die!” he hissed.
Dodger screamed.
The car crashed through a wooden barrier at the end of the pier and sailed into the air. Saint Dane melted into black smoke and blew out the window. Courtney and Dodger were alone as the cab sailed down and hit the water with a bone-jarring shudder.
(CONTINUED)
Cars didn’t come equipped with seat belts in 1937.
When the cab hit the water, Courtney and Dodger were thrown forward. They hit the glass partition separating the seats and bounced back like rag dolls being tumbled in a clothes dryer. Courtney hit her head, hard. She was knocked senseless.
“Courtney!” Dodger yelled. “Courtney, you all right?”
D. J. MacHale
The Pilgrims of Rayne
Courtney didn’t hear him. She was barely conscious.
“We’re going down!” Dodger yelled.
The car floated on its belly for only a few seconds. The nose tipped down quickly. That’s where the weight was. The engine acted like an anchor, pulling the vehicle under. Water poured in the open front windows. The heavier the front became, the steeper the angle became. Soon the car was floating near vertical, with the tail up in the air.
“Courtney!” Dodger yelled. He shook her. Courtney was totally disoriented.
“What happened?” she asked dreamily.
“We’re gonna drown!” Dodger screamed.
The back of the front seat was now the floor. Courtney and Dodger sat on the glass partition as water rose up around them.
“Where’s Saint Dane?” Courtney asked.
“Gone!” Dodger shouted. “He turned into smoke and flew out the window! I swear!”
“I believe you,” Courtney said, dazed.
The water was up to their waists and bubbling higher. In seconds the car would be submerged and on its way to the bottom.
“Move!” Dodger ordered Courtney.
He pushed her out of the way and slid toward one of the back doors. He pushed up off his bottom with his hands and kicked at the window, desperate to smash it out. The higher the water got, the tougher it was to get enough leverage to put force into his kicks.
“Help me!” he shouted at Courtney.
Courtney rolled over. Her head went underwater. She sputtered, coughed, and sat back up. The cold shock cleared her head. “What’s going on?” she shouted.
“We’re sinking,” Dodger shouted. “We’ve got to kick out the window or we’re done.”
He gave another kick, and another, but it was tough getting power because of the rising water. Courtney scrambled next to Dodger, put her arms down and started to kick the window on her own. The window didn’t budge.
“Together!” Dodger commanded.
They sat next to each other, up on their arms, their bellies pointed to the sky. The water was nearly at their shoulders.
“Ready?” Dodger called out. “One, two, three, kick!”
They both kicked the window with their heels, but not at the exact same time.
“Again!” Dodger ordered. “One, two, three, kick!”
They both pounded the window again, hitting it together this time. It didn’t budge.
“We can’t get enough force!” Dodger yelled. “Don’t stop!” Courtney ordered.
She shifted position, moving her hands so she was closer to the window, when something slipped, making her lose balance.
“Whoa!” Courtney exclaimed as her face slid under the water.
Dodger quickly pulled her back up. “What happened?” he asked.
“Something moved down there,” Courtney exclaimed. “I had my weight on my hands and it made something slide.”
Dodger looked down into the water, then ducked below the surface. A second later he came up, sputtering.
“The glass partition!” he exclaimed. “It’s not locked anymore. I can slide it open!”
As he spoke, Dodger pushed with his feet to slide open the glass partition that separated the backseat from the front seat. The water was now tickling their chins.
Courtney gasped, “Is the opening big enough to go through?”
“I think.”
“If we can get down there, maybe the front doors are unlocked.”
“What if they’re not?” Dodger asked.
“Dumb question.”
“Yeah, dumb question,” Dodger echoed.
The water was rising faster. Soon their heads would be bobbing against the rear window.
“It’s good the doors are underwater,” Courtney added hopefully. “It means the water pressure is equal, and the doors should open.”
“If they’re unlocked.”
“Yeah, if they’re unlocked.”
They looked at each other. Neither budged. Courtney saw the fear in Dodger’s eyes. “If we’re going, we gotta go now,” she said. “The car is sinking like a brick.”
“I’ll go,” Dodger said. “Give me time to get the door open.”
“Dodger?”
“Yeah?”
“I trust you now.”
Dodger smiled. “I guess I better not mess up.” He took a deep breath and ducked below the surface. Courtney watched as he went straight down through the opening in the partition, feet first. He pushed himself all the way down until his head was below the glass, then turned toward the front passenger door. He reached for the handle, twisted it, and pushed against the door. It didn’t move. He put his foot against the steering wheel and leaned into the door. It wouldn’t budge.
“Come back up!” Courtney shouted down through the water.
He didn’t. He pushed away from the passenger door and went to the driver’s door. He grasped the handle with one hand and the steering wheel with the other.
Courtney took a breath to say something, and got a mouthful of water. Her head bumped the glass of the rear window. She was underwater. The car was nearly full and beginning its final plummet to the bottom. She had no choice but to follow Dodger down into the front seat. She found the opening in the partition with her feet, hooked her toes under the glass, bent her knees, and pulled herself down. She grabbed the opening with her hands and pulled herself down the rest of the way. The water was dark and green… and getting darker. They were headed for the bottom. Still, she could see the blur of Dodger. With her back to the passenger door, she watched the small bellhop make one last attempt to save them. He twisted the door handle and put his shoulder against the door. Courtney leaned into Dodger, adding whatever force she had. She anchored her feet against the passenger door for leverage and pushed.
The door moved. Dodger forced it open just enough that he could slide out of the car into open water. Quickly he turned back for Courtney. She was already after him. She pushed off the passenger door and swam, head first, out of the driver’s door. They were free, but not safe. Neither knew how deep they had been pulled by the car. Courtney gave a quick glance down to see the blurry yellow cab sinking quickly beneath them. She stared at the ghostly image, mesmerized as it slid into the murky green depths. The idea that they might have been in that car
