Chapter Eleven
Soaked and dripping water everywhere, Cane had to admit the dunking in the river had been worth the effort.
By the time they’d managed to get Hooligan into the boat, both him and Tom were drenched, but the kid’s delight warmed them.
The joyful dog had sprinted toward where he heard the kids in the cabin, leapt on them without a care for their clothes, and so much for Palmer’s bedding.
Cane wondered if the muddy paw prints that now decorated it could ever be removed, then decided he’d buy the guy a new mattress because this happy occasion had been priceless.
No sooner had he gotten somewhat dried off with the towel Tom passed over, they pulled toward the dark house on the bluff.
Quickly, he set up the spotlight and swung it all around.
Then they called out, praying they’d hear some sounds from the taller of the two buildings where they figured the family might have taken shelter.
“Is that a barn?”
“Yeah. Joe has a small animal farm, even keeps a couple of ponies for the kids. It’s on higher ground. Bet they took shelter there.”
Cane flashed the strong beam into where they saw the windows in the loft and waited to hear some response. Again, they called out and at the same time, Raven sounded the horn.
Tom shook his head. “They must have gotten out. Maybe he got a warning in time. Joe’s a real techie guy, always on his cellphone.”
Mike took over to free Raven, while she went to the back of the boat and whistled so loud that Cane had a hard time believing the noise came from such a small woman. Even Hooligan tuned in and began howling with her.
That seemed to do the trick. They suddenly noticed a light turned on and then people at the window frantically waving.
Raven went back to steering the boat and brought the craft close to where two people gathered.
Tom stepped forward. “Hey, Joe. You folks okay in there. We’ve come to give you a ride to town. ”
“Bless you. My little girl, Bess, is sick, needs a doctor as soon as possible. She almost drowned. I just grabbed her out of the water at the last second before she got washed away. The wife’s still at the house with my son.
She never got to us. I’m just praying her and the boy got high enough so they didn’t get sucked in.
Jesus. I can’t believe this flood happened so quickly.
I’ve never seen the water rise this fast.”
Tom reached for the small bundle being passed over and Cane took her so Tom could then help Joe come onboard.
Cane opened the man’s thick sweater wrapped around the partially naked girl and saw a small-boned child of maybe ten years old; her face bruised with cuts and her closed eyes appearing dark in a pale face.
She seemed unconscious, and he opened his own wet outer gear and scooped her closer to his body warmth. Trembling like a man in shock, protectively he leaned over her wishing with everything he had that he could instill his own strength into the fragile body.
Meanwhile, Tom obviously tried to soothe his friend. “Know what you mean, Joe. We’ve pretty much lost everything. But right now, we’re just thankful that we’re alive. Look, let’s go check on the others and then get the hell out of here.”
Raven overhearing their discussion steered the boat so she could bring it in as close to the house as they dared. Again, she whistled and the noise attracted the woman they all prayed they’d find alive.
When the upstairs’ window opened and Joan’s head popped out, the sighs of relief were heard from everyone.
She screamed, and they heard the terror she’d been living with merging with the sound of her relief.
“Oh my God, you came. You’re alive. We’re okay too.
Jack is here with me. We’re upstairs. Thank the good Lord the water only reached halfway up the walls, so the top floor didn’t get flooded. ”
Once they had her safely onboard, she saw the shape of her daughter Bess and broke down completely. Taking her from Cane’s arms, she held her child to her body and wailed her fury and fear. “How the hell did we get caught like this? What in all that’s holy has just happened to us?”
Joe tried to soothe her, but the woman was beyond incensed.
“No. Don’t try giving me your bullshit, Joe.
Our world is in a huge mess, and no one is doing anything about fixing it.
” She glared at him; tears mixed with the driving rain forming rivulets on her face.
Disgust ringing in her tone, she ranted, “Just get us to the hospital. Bess needs help.”
Raven heard Joan’s words and felt genuine sympathy.
She knew Tom and Joe from high school, and both men were hard-working, kind individuals who struggled every day to bring up their families in a way they felt good about.
Fighting to keep their kids out of the drug-infested, soulless cities, they taught them about the land, and the kindness of good people.
Let them experience a small portion of the childhood freedom they themselves had known.
She’d heard it all before and agreed with most.
But their safe world had just been attacked, and by the power of the one thing they had no defenses for…
Mother Nature herself. Would they ever be able to return to that way of life now?
The politics of their situation would take over their futures for a long time to come and it broke her heart.
She’d seen disasters like this before, and no one came out ahead.