“And you’re gonna stay behind and work on the RV?”
“Yes.”
“The hell with the RV, Lane,” I said. “Let’s go.”
“Jana, everything we have. Any means of survival is in that RV.”
“And Ares is coming.” I pointed up. “This has to be it. The start. Leave it.”
“Then what?” Lane asked. “Everything you said is true. The world is wiped out and what do we have to survive? What if this resort isn’t an option?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“We’re wasting time arguing when I could fix this.” He leaned into me and kissed me. “Get to safety. If I can’t get it, I’ll run for it or take cover in the woods. I’ll be fine.”
He spun around and raced to the back of the RV.
He was right, there wasn’t time. After growling in frustration, I ran to the horse with Reese and Carlie. “You guys need to go.” I told them, reaching up and grabbing each of their hands. “Across the bridge and over the crest is a stone building. A town is another five miles. Go. I love you guys.”
“Aunt Jana …” Carlie wept.
“I’ll be there. I will. I can’t leave Uncle Lane.”
Carlie nodded.
I looked at Reese. “You got this. You’re the champ, my little man. Take the lead.” I backed up. “Go!”
Reese gave a snap of the reins and the horse took off.
“Go!” I waved my hand to the others
Martin stopped before me. “What are you doing?”
“Get them to safety. We’ll be there. I can’t leave him, Martin. I can’t.”
“Don’t waste time,” he said.
I shook my head. “I won’t. I promise. He’ll free it. I know it. Where’s your radio?”
“Inside my coat.”
“Let me know when you’re safe.”
Martin didn’t say anymore, he stared at me for a few seconds, nodded, snapped the reins and trotted off. He picked up speed to be in a leading position with Reese.
Hurrying back to the RV, I opened the door and grabbed my radio, clutching it protectively inside my jacket
I stood there frozen, my other hand over my mouth, holding my breath the entire time they crossed that bridge.
The wind rustling the hood of my jacket was so loud, and with each gust I watched the horses fight the elements, swaying in their stride across the wide open area of that bridge.
It seemed like it took forever for them to cross even with them moving at a good speed.
Waiting and watching, I didn’t move, I didn’t stop looking until I saw them disappear over the crest.
Static.
“We're over the ridge,” Martin said.
I wheezed out, mouthing the words, ‘thank you.’
“There’s no rescue I can see. Maybe they’re ahead. We’re aiming for that building you talked about.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “Keep me posted.”
I backed up, slipping the radio into my coat. I went from watching the road to looking at the cloud.
“They made it across,” I said to Lane.
He did a surprised double take. “Jana, what the hell are you doing here?”
“I wasn’t leaving you.”
“I needed you to be safe!” Lane yelled.
“And you need someone with eyes on the sky. I wasn’t … leaving you. So, drop it and fix the damn hitch.”
“Give me fifteen minutes.”
Judging by the sky I wasn’t sure we had fifteen minutes, then again, if it was Ares, it was building and maybe we did have more time. “Fifteen minutes and you’ll have it fixed?”
“No, fifteen minutes then we make a run for it.”
Agreeing, I walked toward the front of the RV. Using my thumb, I swiped the moisture from the face of my watch to get the time. The wind was mainly coming from the south and that was where I focused, even though my eyes kept drifting to the bridge and then beyond. Thinking of my family, my new friends, hoping with everything I had they did make it to safety. I felt in my soul they did. I envisioned Reese leading the way, pointing to the building ahead.
Eight minutes. Eight minutes had passed.
It was cold, my body shivered out of control, that cloud seemed to droop lower, and time was flying by.
Four minutes.
“Jana.”
How I heard Martin’s radio call through all the noise, I’ll never know. Clumsily, I grabbed for it. “I’m here. He’s still working. We’re leaving soon.”
“Good. We’re in the welcome center. It’s not as …”
Martin’s transmission broke up.
I called him a few times, but nothing.
They were safe in shelter. That was what mattered most.
I put the radio in the inside pocket of my jacket.
The rain was no longer just cold it was freezing, quickly forming ice on whatever surface it landed on.
Not only would we have to battle the wind, but a slick road as well.
It never hit the one minute mark when I heard it.
The haunting, echoing screech, the fast snapping and cracking of trees. It was almost like a monster’s growl, King Kong making his way through a forest.
It came from my left and from behind. Slowly, I turned and looked.
When I saw it, I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
That huge ominous cloud, reached down and with all of its force, sucked up the contents of the river, creating a huge water funnel as wide as the gorge and nearly as high as the mountain.
“Oh, God. Oh, God.” In my haste to get Lane, my feet slipped and for a second, I lost footing. Holding on to the RV, I ran to Lane.
He must have heard it. He was making his way to me. Lane reached for me, then he too finally turned and saw it.
“We have to go. We have to go now,” he said.
For a split second, his eyes widened in horror, then he grabbed my arm, held on to me as we ran on the slippery surface away from the RV.
We were running. We needed some place safe, somewhere to hide.
But on the open highway with the colossal water funnel threatening to make landfall, was there really anywhere safe at all?
TWENTY – HOPELESS
Because of
