“Ollie!” someone screamed—might have been me. It was still so dark we couldn’t see much—a few feet ahead at most. Kate couldn’t bend down to crawl, so I did, and she held my hand as we slowly moved toward what I knew was the edge of the cliff—which was also where the crying was coming from.
As we neared the edge, we came to a large part of the tree house. It seemed to be wrapped around another tree that had fallen and was hanging precariously—miraculously—over the edge of the cliff. The crying was coming from below. Ollie was somewhere down there.
“What’s the tree caught on?” I asked Kate.
“No idea,” Kate grunted. “But it can’t be much.”
“Ollie,” I called out. “Mommy’s coming.” Then I heard the cry for help again. It was quiet, but clear. Jenna. Waves of joy and disappointment converged on my heart simultaneously. It wasn’t Ryan. “Jenna. Where are you?”
“I’m trapped.” Her voice was clear but pain-filled. “The house has been slipping. I’m afraid to move. It’s pinned me against the rocks.”
“Is Ollie with you?” I realized immediately how insensitive that probably came across.
“Yes.” Jenna didn’t hesitate. “I have him. He’s okay.”
Thank God! I was suddenly aware Kate had left my side. I turned frantically to try to find her. “Kate, where are you?”
“Kate’s with you?”
“Yes. She’s here somewhere.”
“Thank God. Please tell her I love her.”
“You can tell her yourself in a minute, Jenna.”
And then I heard Kate behind me. “Tara,” she groaned. “I need to try to get to the bunker under Blake’s house. There was a bunch of rope there. If it’s still there, I can tie it around the tree and try to lower it to Jenna.”
“Do you want me to go?” I asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “It hurts less to walk than it does to talk, so you stay here and keep Jenna company, okay?”
“Got it.” I nodded.
And then Kate was gone again.
Kate stumbled and staggered toward where Blake and Kaci’s house had stood an hour or so earlier. It was still incredibly dark, and the torrential rain was mixed with tiny shards of ice again. It tore at her skin and pounded at her aching shredded body. Kate knew she’d lost the baby. She knew she was bleeding and possibly even dying herself, but she had to try to get that rope. She had to save Jenna and Ollie.
The path leading down to the door of the bunker under the Brady house had washed away, meaning there was only one way in—through the floor of Blake’s office. Kate found where his office used to be and discovered the covering to the bunker had been swept away. The bunker was full of water.
Kate dropped to her knees and stared at the water, knowing it was some fourteen feet deep—to the bottom of the bunker. She shook her head, and finally the tears started to fall. She shuddered and sobbed as the small pieces of ice and sheets of rain continued to pelt her. She shook her head again, begged God for a smidge of good luck, and then took a deep breath. “Do it for Jenna,” she told herself. Another deep breath and she lowered herself into the manhole. The water in the bunker—though strangely warm—still shocked her, stinging like lemon juice as it filled the cuts covering her body. She tried to blot out the agony and remember where she’d seen Danny put the coils of rope. She’d be blind down there, and there was no guarantee she’d even find her way back to the manhole, but she knew she had to try. She closed her eyes, took one last gulp of air, and dove deep.
Immediately she struck something sharp with her head, almost causing her to black out, but she gritted her teeth and reached her arms out in front of her, pushing down toward the racks lining the walls. She felt around frantically for the rope, but she couldn’t find it. She could feel panic filling her chest, but Kate did her best to blot it out and kept reaching.
Finally her hands grasped a long piece of rope, and it pulled free. She grabbed it and pulled it toward the surface, but it hooked on something. She tugged at the rope with all her strength, but it was stuck. Frantically, she realized she’d run out of air and needed more desperately. She glanced toward the surface and saw nothing but darkness.
And then there was light. It was faint, but Kate kicked toward it. She exhaled and rose with the bubbles, surging up through the opening of the manhole. She took a huge breath of air, rain, and ice crystals and shook her head, glancing up toward the light that was now in her face. Kate squinted and blinked repeatedly, wiping the hair out of her eyes as the light moved slightly. A person was standing behind it.
“I thought this might help.” I held the light down to her.
“I don’t know about that. But it definitely saved my life.”
“Did you find the rope? Shit, ouch.” A particularly large chunk of ice struck my head. “How the hell is it hailing?”
“I don’t know,” Kate replied through gritted teeth. “It was earlier too. Grandpa Dan said there’s sometimes hail in the outer edges of hurricanes. Maybe it’s almost over.”
“If only.” Grandpa Dan. He was gone too. I shook my head sadly. “Did you find any rope?”
“Yes, but it’s stuck.” Kate nodded. “I don’t think I can get it.”
“Can we get it together?” I took off my tattered tank and stripped to my bikini.
“Maybe.” Kate shrugged, shivering uncontrollably, but moving aside enough so I could slip into the manhole opening beside her.
“Holy…my…ow. Damn!” I cried out as the saltwater burned through my wounds.
“I know.” Kate continued to shake as my body pressed up against hers. “It’s awful.”
“And warm.” That was weird too. “Kate, are you sure you can do this?”
She dismissed my question. “Will the flashlight work underwater? Where did you even find it?”
“It was in my back pocket. Ryan must have put it there before he…” I shook my head. Don’t think about that! “It should work. It looks like one of Danny’s. Are you okay to do this?”
Kate stared into my eyes. “Are you?”
I couldn’t imagine her physical pain. “No,” I answered honestly, wincing as another ice chunk struck my head. I sighed. “Shall we?” I put the flashlight in my mouth and bit down on it.
Kate nodded and squeezed my hand. “Let’s do it.”
We dove together, and the light thankfully stayed on. With it we were easily able to find the rope and—though it took a couple more dives—we were finally able to pull enough of it to the surface.
As we climbed out of the hole and were able to gain better leverage, we managed to pull a piece of rope nearly two hundred feet long out of the bunker. It was going to have to be enough.
We stood together under a large piece of plywood—a former piece of one of the houses—staring out into the rain. The hail seemed to be gone. Thank God! The rope was heaped in a wet pile at our feet. Although it stung more to do so, I wrapped my arms tightly around Kate. “You’re my hero,” I whispered in her ear. “You are absolutely amazing.”
Kate wiped away tears, still shivering, and squeezed me back. “I don’t know about that,” she whispered in reply, straining to see through the darkness. “I wouldn’t be here without you.” The hail may have disappeared, but the rain was coming down even harder. Still, we couldn’t afford to wait any longer. “We’re not done yet.” She pulled herself free from my embrace. “Let’s go get your son.”
FIFTY-THREE – Big Barely (Hayley)