“I say let’s look at the hole in the ground. Not that I’m complaining, but it’s easy to go stir-crazy sitting in a hotel room all day.”
“Then gold mine it is.”
The drive back to the main road seemed longer, if anything, and by the time they made it to the asphalt they were both over the thrill of rural off-roading.
The pavement degraded after they turned off the coastal road until soon it was loose gravel over potholes and ruts deep enough to break an axle. Acres of trees of a palm oil plantation lined the way, one of the island’s principal industries. As they climbed into the mountains, Sam checked his rearview mirror several times.
“Looks like we’re not the only ones out for a drive,” he said.
“I wonder if that’s the one we heard back by Rubo’s? That’s the first car we’ve seen today outside of town, and this is a pretty rural area.”
“In a way, it’s reassuring. At least if we break down, we won’t be walking twenty miles for help.”
“Why do you have to jinx us by thinking negative thoughts like that?”
“Sorry. Just the way my mind works.”
They passed a lagoon with a small traditional village and then a small company town of abandoned Quonset huts.
“Ghost town, isn’t it?” Remi said.
“Makes sense if the mine’s shut down. Not like there are dozens of ways to make a living out here.”
They continued south and, when they came over the crest of a hill, saw an expanse below them that looked like a giant hand had scraped the jungle from the mountaintop, leaving only bare earth. A security gate blocked the road in front of them, but the buildings behind it were empty, their glass shattered, and the gate broken.
“Are you sure about this, Sam?” Remi asked.
“Looks like we’re not the first to want to poke around.”
“Right, but it’s private property.”
“Well, maybe, but since the mine’s closed, I’m not sure that matters. Besides, it’s not like we cut chains or jumped the fence. And we’re not here to steal anything.”
“Save it for the cops.”
“I don’t think they have any outside of town.”
“And that’s a good thing?”
Sam coaxed the Nissan forward and farther up the mountain road until they were above the main processing plant. He stopped by the massive conveyor system that had once hauled ore to the crushers and eyed the line of abandoned ore trucks.
“Not a soul around. A little eerie, isn’t it?” he said, his voice low. “You want to get out or keep going?”
“Keep going.”
The road twisted along the ridge, and when they rounded a curve, they came face to face with the open pits, where the land had been methodically excavated and hauled to the plant for processing. The road ended at the southernmost, largest pit, and this time when Sam stopped, Remi agreed to look around. They got out of the vehicle and the heat immediately assaulted them.
Remi turned to Sam. “It’s like they cut off the top of the mountain. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s… it just seems so destructive.”
A hot wind gusted across the mountain, carrying with it a low moan from the plant as it blew through the towers. Eventually, Sam led Remi back to the truck. They buckled up and Remi shook her head. “I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but it wasn’t that.”
Sam twisted the wheel and they backtracked down the grade. When they passed the security gate, they accelerated, kicking up dust as they rolled down the mountain. Remi closed her eyes, enjoying the cool air blowing from the vents, and then Sam’s voice jogged her out of her thoughts.
“We’ve got company.”
She sat up, eyes wide. “And?”
“And either they want to race or they want to pass.”
Remi glanced in the passenger-side mirror as they bounced along. “Well, slow down so they can get by. We’re in no hurry.”
Sam rolled his window down and motioned for the truck to pass as he slowed down. They both heard the roar of the vehicle’s big engine before they felt the jarring blow as the truck’s front bumper struck the rear quarter panel. Sam floored the gas and downshifted, fighting to stay on the narrow road, the tires slipping and sliding before regaining their grip.
“Hang on,” he yelled as he eyed the rearview mirror, cursing silently at the coating of mud that obscured all but a hazy outline of the truck. He returned his attention to the road in front of him and glanced at the speedometer, trying to gauge how much more speed he could squeeze out of the Xterra without flipping it on one of the hairpin curves.
The truck accelerated, keeping pace, and as it tried to pull alongside, Sam twisted the SUV’s steering wheel, blocking the move. They approached a winding stretch of road and he gunned the gas, hoping their smaller vehicle’s agility would enable him to gain some valuable distance from the madman in the truck. The Xterra slalomed around the turns, Sam’s knuckles tightened on the wheel as he piloted the SUV to within inches of its limits.
Remi craned her neck to better see their pursuers, but her side mirror, like the rear window, was coated in mud from the earlier slog down the river road. Sam swerved again as they hit a straightaway, trying to keep the truck behind him as its larger engine kicked in and it pulled closer.
Sam tapped the brakes and downshifted as he neared a tight turn, and then things happened fast. The big pickup truck rammed the rear bumper of the Nissan hard enough to snap their necks back against the headrests, and the Xterra fishtailed out of control as Sam battled with the steering wheel. Remi wedged her feet up against the dashboard as the truck rammed them again, and then the Nissan was flipping, tumbling down the steep gorge toward the river far below.
CHAPTER 13
Steam hissed from beneath the ruined hood as Sam fought to free himself from the seat belt. The SUV had come to rest on its side. River water rushed around it and through the shattered windows. Remi sputtered as she groped for the seat belt’s release, but Sam got to it first and she fell against him as the water level rose, soaking them both.
“You okay?” he asked as he pushed deflated air bags aside.
She nodded. “A few bumps and bruises.”
Sam tested his limbs and then gazed around the submerged cabin. “How do you want to do this?”
“Out my window.”
“Okay.”
Remi hoisted herself toward her door and then up through the gap where her passenger window had been as the cabin filled. Sam followed her to where she was clinging to the side of the Nissan, and then a fountain of spray exploded from the river’s surface, followed almost instantly by the sharp crack of a gun from the road above. They released their hold on the SUV and slid into the river as another shot punched a hole in its roof, and then they were carried downstream in the brown current, the river only six feet deep but swollen from the rains.
Sam yelled at Remi, whose head bobbed above the surface. “First bend, climb out at the far shore and take cover.”
“Got it.”
He could barely hear her above the rush of the water.
Their speed increased as they approached a narrower section that churned with white froth. Rapids. Rocks beneath the surface, most likely sharp. He began pulling for the shore as the water deepened and found that he could beat the current. Remi followed his lead, and Sam helped Remi onto the bank near the rapids, gasping for breath.
Sam listened for more shots as he peered up at where the road followed the ridge, now several hundred yards away. If the shooter had a pistol, they were so far out of range they had no worries. If a rifle with a scope, they were still in trouble.
“I thought there were no guns on the island,” Remi whispered.
“Apparently, gun laws only work with law-abiding citizens. We can assume whoever was shooting at us doesn’t fit that description.”