Chapter Thirty-Nine
I rolled to a stop at the bottom of the cliffside, the air knocked from my lungs when I landed painfully on a bed of river rocks.
I stared at the sky as my breath returned to my body.
Slowly, I got to my feet near the river’s edge and placed my hands on my knees.
My heart thudded against my ribs as I caught my breath. I should go back.
I turned, looking up at the steep eroded riverbank, doubting I could climb to the top even if I tried. And what good would I be against the cougar on my own?
I swallowed, staring down at the fast-flowing water, as it struck me that Courtney could already be dead. I didn’t hear anything after her first scream. I closed my eyes, and my mind filled with an image of the cougar tackling Courtney to the ground and gnawing on her neck.
I stood tall, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Beth!”
Maybe if she and I went back together, we could stand a chance of scaring off the wild beast. Hopefully, before it was too late to save Courtney. I moved unsteadily along the riverbank, scanning the rocky shore for my best friend.
“Beth,” I called again.
Where was she? I spun 360 degrees, but there was no sign of her. I continued along the river downstream when a branch snapped in the woods to my left.
I startled, my hand hovering over the pocketknife in my shorts. Had the cougar finished with Courtney and tracked me to the shore?
“Beth?”
No response. My pulse quickened as I hurried along the rocky shore, casting a wary glance over my shoulder in the direction of the noise. I moved faster, praying the cougar wouldn’t emerge from the tree line and attack.
I called Beth’s name again as I followed the river around a bend, downstream from where Courtney fell in.
“Beth.” My voice echoed through the woods.
We should never have separated. What if I lost Beth too?
I went a little farther and climbed to the top of a slippery moss-covered boulder, similar to the one Emma hurt her knee trying to climb. I made it to the top and stood, able to see around the next bend in the river. There was no sign of Beth.
I called her name again anyway. Had she already gotten back to Gigi and Emma?
I climbed down, deciding to retrace my steps upstream.
Hopefully, I would run into Beth. If not, I would go back to where I’d left Courtney alone.
I berated myself for not going back to warn her. What kind of person does that?
Courtney’s words resounded in my head. Your mask is off, Palmer. What if she was right?
I started into a jog. My feet rolled on top of the round rocks, but I kept my pace, pushing myself forward.
I had to at least try to help Courtney, however I could.
I steeled myself for the state she’d be in—or her body would be in—when I found her.
Without slowing my jog, I withdrew the knife from my pocket, wishing she’d gifted us bear spray instead.
A splash drew my attention to the river. I spotted Beth being carried downstream. She was gulping for air, her arms flailing above her head before she was pulled under.
“Beth!” I put the knife back in my pocket and waded into the frigid water, my feet slipping on the rocks at the bottom.
Straight in front of me, Beth’s head surfaced. She sucked in an audible breath before disappearing beneath the current a second time.
I rushed toward her, falling into the water, the shock of cold taking my breath away. I swam, fighting against the current and the drag of my clothes to get to Beth.
She surfaced again, downstream of me. I recognized the sheer panic on her face as she coughed, water sputtering out of her mouth.
“Hang on,” I yelled, allowing the current to carry me toward her.
Unlike Courtney, Beth had never been a good swimmer. She had no buoyancy and wore water wings to the pool until we were twelve. Beth’s head sank beneath the water as she was dragged beneath a fallen log.
“Beth.” I kicked my legs to pick up speed and wrapped my arms around the log when I reached it.
A current pulled my legs forward under the fast-moving water beneath the log, and I struggled to keep hold of its trunk.
“Ugh!” I strained to see over the top. When I managed to pull myself up far enough to see the river beyond it, there was no sign of Beth.
Then I felt something tug at my thigh. A hand. I reached below and grabbed Beth’s wrist, trying to pull her toward me. But she moved only an inch before my tug met hard resistance.
To my left, a mangled mess of broken branches hung from the log into the water. Beth must be caught on one beneath the surface. I reached down, closed my hand around her forearm, and pulled with all my strength.
“Ahh!” My grip slipped down Beth’s arm, bringing her no closer to the surface.
I let go of her and reached for the pocketknife in my shorts. I gripped the log with my armpit and used both hands to open the blade. I sucked in a deep breath as I let go of the log, allowing the current to pull me under.