Chapter Ten #2
I turned toward the waterfall and dove beneath the shallow water, which became deeper the farther I swam.
Behind me came the splash of bodies hitting water as the men followed.
I forced my arms to move, each stroke feeling like I was pulling through mud rather than water.
My jeans had become leaden weights, my shoes impossible anchors.
I briefly considered trying to kick them off but knew I couldn’t spare even those seconds.
Steam rose where burning debris fell into the water, creating an otherworldly mist that further obscured my vision.
Something grabbed my ankle. I screamed, inhaling water before I realized it was Oktober, now swimming beside me.
Without speaking, he wrapped one arm around my waist, using the other to propel us both forward.
The roar of the falls grew louder, blending with the infernal sound of the firestorm consuming the forest. Through the smoke and spray, I could finally see our destination. The thin curtain of water poured down the rock face, and behind it, the small depression we’d discovered during our picnic.
Pain reached the falls first, hauling himself up onto the slippery rock ledge that formed the base of our shelter. He reached down, strong hands grabbing mine and pulling me from Oktober’s grasp. I collapsed against the cool stone wall, gasping for breath.
Oktober and Inferno followed, with Noose bringing up the rear.
They formed a half-circle around me, their bodies creating a human shield between me and the outer edge of our sanctuary.
Behind the falls the air was slightly clearer, the constant spray of water knocking down some of the smoke and ash.
Through the shimmering curtain of water, I could see the shoreline become engulfed as I looked over my shoulder.
Trees that had stood for decades stood fully engulfed in flame before collapsing.
The heat penetrated even our watery refuge on the gusts of wind that seemed to be shooting straight at us.
Oktober’s solid body was mashed against mine, trapping me between the rock wall and him.
The waterfall hit his back, but we couldn’t squeeze in the small space any farther.
“You’re going to be fine,” he murmured, his lips close to my ear so I could hear him above the falls and the raging wind. “I’ve got you.”
“Fire’s making a run along both shorelines,” Inferno reported, voice tight. “Lake’s too narrow to stop it. It’ll jump across eventually.”
“How long?” Pain asked sharply.
“Depends on the wind. Not long.”
I felt Oktober’s arm tighten around me just before a burning branch crashed into the water just yards from our shelter, sending up a plume of steam and a shower of sparks that penetrated our watery curtain.
Noose hissed as an ember landed on his shoulder, quickly brushing it away before it could burn through his shirt.
“We can’t stay here indefinitely,” Pain said, voicing what we all knew but didn’t want to acknowledge. “Sooner or later, we’ll have to move.”
I leaned my head against Oktober’s shoulder, watching through the veil of water as my world burned.
The lake that had brought me peace, the forests that had sheltered me, the cabin where I’d found a new beginning, all of it consumed in a hungry tide of destruction that showed no signs of abating.
And we were trapped in its path, our sanctuary temporary at best.
The wind shifted again, sending a fresh wave of scorching air and a few embers through our watery sanctuary.
Pain and Inferno huddled at the edge of the falls, having moved after the last gusts shifted.
Their voices were low but tense as they assessed our dwindling options.
I caught fragments of their debate but honestly didn’t want to know.
Reminded me of a movie I saw once. The phrase “scariest environment imaginable” kept running through my head and my own internal laughter sounded a bit maniacal.
Inferno shook his head grimly. “We can’t wait this out.
” He spoke softly, like he muttered to himself.
“Fire this size, with winds like these, it creates its own weather system. There have been fires in this area big enough to form pyrocumulus clouds. When the cloud collapses, it will usually send embers miles ahead of the main front.”
“And what’s your suggestion?” Pain countered, his doctor’s composure fraying at the edges. “We can’t outrun it. Every path back to the road is cut off.”
“Creek bed,” Inferno said, pointing to where the waterfall’s runoff formed a narrow stream leading away from the lake. “Follows the valley floor. Might be our best chance.”
Oktober remained pressed against me, one arm wrapped firmly around my back and shoulders, practically engulfing me with himself. His muscles tensed and he constantly scanned beyond the falls for threats, his frame positioned to shield me from any danger that might penetrate our precarious shelter.
“K?tzchen,” he whispered, lips close to my ear. “Whatever we do next, stay close to me and don’t let go of my hand unless I tell you. Even if I’m not gripping your hand, you cling like your life depends on it. Hear me? We will not get separated again.”
I nodded, unable to find my voice. The reality of our situation settled over me like a physical weight. We were trapped, surrounded by an inferno that showed no signs of mercy, with options dwindling by the minute.
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask you to stay with me when your club left.
” I looked at Oktober, needing him to hear me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask to go with you. And most of all, I’m sorry I didn’t leave the second you pointed out how wrong everything was.
” I sobbed out the last, clutching his shirt as I looked up at him.
If we died here, I wanted his face to be the last thing I saw.
A deep, ominous groan that seemed to emanate from the earth itself introduced a new horror.
We all froze, searching to locate the source.
At the lake’s edge, perhaps thirty yards from our shelter, a massive pine stood sentinel.
Its trunk, thicker than a man’s body, swayed slightly as the ground beneath it shifted and cracked.
The roots, already partially exposed by erosion, began to lift and separate from the soil.
“It’s going,” Inferno said, voice tight with urgency. “We need to move! Now!”
No one argued this time. Oktober pulled me to my feet, his grip on my hand firm as we splashed from behind the falls into the shallow creek bed.
The water barely reached mid-calf, offering minimal protection from the ambient heat that pressed down on us like a physical force.
Inferno led the way, followed by Pain, with Oktober and me behind them and Noose bringing up the rear.
The creek bed was treacherous -- slick rocks hidden beneath the surface, fallen branches creating obstacles we had to navigate while hunched low to stay beneath the worst of the smoke. We moved as quickly as we dared.
Another groan, louder this time. I glanced back to see the massive pine lean farther, its upper branches swaying in a grotesque parody of a bow. Oktober looked back too, his face tightening as he gauged the distance.
“Move!” he shouted, tugging me forward with renewed urgency. “Noose! Move it!”
We scrambled faster, abandoning caution for speed.
My foot slipped on a moss-covered stone, throwing me off balance.
I clutched at Oktober’s hand, but my fingers, slick with water and sweat, couldn’t maintain their grip.
I fell hard, my knee cracking against a submerged rock, pain lancing up my thigh.
Water splashed around me as I struggled to regain my footing.
“Mia!” Oktober turned back for me, reaching out.
The world seemed to slow, events unfolding with terrible clarity.
A burning branch, dislodged by the wind, crashed down from overhead.
It struck Oktober across the shoulders, driving him to his knees in the shallow water, momentarily stunning him.
I finally got my feet under me just as the massive pine at the lake’s edge gave its final surrender to gravity.
I could hear the crack of smaller branches as they collided with obstacles, the inexorable trajectory of thousands of pounds of wood coming directly toward where I stood.
“Look out!” Pain’s voice seemed to come from very far away.
I tried to move, but my injured knee buckled. The shadow of the falling giant blotted out what remained of the sky above me. In that moment, I knew with absolute certainty that I was about to die in a very horrific way.
Then Noose was there, appearing as if from nowhere, his face set with grim determination. He slammed into me, shoving me away with every ounce of his considerable strength. I flew through the air, hitting the water several feet away with enough force to drive the breath from my lungs.
When I surfaced, gasping, the tree had completed its fall. The massive trunk lay across the creek bed where I had fallen mere seconds before. And beneath it --
“No!” Oktober’s agonized shout cut through the roar of flames.
Noose was pinned beneath the trunk, the weight crushing his back and hips.
His arms were outstretched toward me, his body having absorbed the full impact that should have been mine.
His wild eyes wide with pain but clearly searching for me.
And aware of exactly what he had done. His mouth moved, forming words I couldn’t hear over the cacophony of the fire.
Then, between one heartbeat and the next, the light behind his eyes simply…
vanished. His outstretched hand went slack against the creek bed stones.
A scream tore from my throat, raw and primal. I tried to move toward him, some irrational part of me believing I could help, could somehow undo what had just happened. Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, dragging me backward through the water.
“Mia, don’t look,” Oktober’s voice broke as he pulled me away. “Don’t look, K?tzchen.”
But I had already seen. The image burned into my consciousness with the permanence of a brand.
I thought I saw the absence of regret in his expression in his final moments.
But maybe that’s what I told myself. He had made a choice, deliberate and instantaneous.
Whether he’d intended to trade his life for mine I’ll never know.
But no matter what, I’d never forget what Noose had done for me.
Oktober pulled me against his chest, one hand cradling the back of my head, trying to shield me from the sight.
Over his shoulder, I could see Pain kneeling beside Noose’s body, fingers pressed against his neck in a futile check for a pulse he surely knew wasn’t there.
Inferno stood guard, his face a mask of grief and rage as he scanned the burning shoreline, determined not to let his brother’s sacrifice be in vain.
“He saved me,” I whispered against Oktober’s neck, my voice breaking. “Why would he do that for me?”
Oktober’s arms tightened around me, his body shaking with silent grief. “Because you’re family now,” he said simply, the words carrying the weight of an oath. “And we protect our own.”
The fire raged around us, undiminished. But in that moment, surrounded by death and devastation, I understood something fundamental about the men who had risked everything to come for me.
This wasn’t just a club or a brotherhood.
This was something deeper, something forged in trials and sacrifice.
And Noose had just written me into that covenant with his blood.
Oktober pulled back just enough to look at my face, his eyes fierce through unshed tears. “We need to keep moving,” he said, voice rough. “Or we lose everyone.”
I nodded, numb with shock but understanding the truth of his words. Behind us, Pain stood from Noose’s body, shrugging out of his vest and draping it over Noose’s head and upper body as best he could.
“Creek widens about a hundred yards down,” Inferno reported, taking point as we prepared to move forward. “Might give us enough of a firebreak to wait for help.” The fire advanced mercilessly, forcing us onward despite our grief.