by Dave Bowman
“And there are more coming every second,” Charlotte said. She spun around to see crowds of people rushing toward the concrete bridge from every direction.
“Everyone’s freaking out,” Annie said. “They’re starting to realize that we’re all trapped here.”
“Well, there’s no other way to get home. And now we’re just wasting time,” Charlotte said. “Let’s go get our place in line.”
Annie didn’t budge, but her eyes quickly moved to the west side of the bridge, on the same side of the river where they stood. They had met the guard on the east side, and now she scanned the opposite end, adjacent to the river.
Charlotte sighed. “We’re probably going to be here all night.”
Charlotte began walking in the direction of the bridge entrance, but Annie grabbed her arm.
“Not if I can help it,” Annie said as she pulled her friend in the opposite direction.
“What?” Charlotte asked, frowning. “If those guards catch us down there by the river again, we’ll be in big trouble.”
“We’re going down over there,” Annie said. “The area to the right of the bridge entrance.”
She led her friend down the street several yards. They stopped and surveyed the area below.
“Look, there aren’t as many guards on this side,” Annie said in a lowered voice. “Whoever these guards are, they’re short-staffed.”
The two women took cover behind a traffic light pole where they could study the movement of the officials below.
“You see how that guard on the left is walking back and forth between those two signs?” Annie asked. “The first sign is the Hiking Trail sign, and the second is the No Parking sign.”
Charlotte nodded silently.
“And you see the guard on the right? He’s guarding the area between the second sign and that food truck,” Annie said.
Charlotte’s eyes tracked the area Annie was describing. Sure enough, the officials seemed to be guarding designated areas. The first guard was pacing back and forth through his assigned area.
“We just have to wait till the first guard is at the second sign, the No Parking sign,” Annie whispered. “Then we’ll sneak down past the first sign, while his back is turned and he’s several yards away.”
Annie paused and watched as the guard below turned once he got to the sign.
“After we make it past the signs, we’ll be covered by the trees and bushes down there,” she whispered. “We’ll just have to cross the embankment. Then we’ll be at the river.”
“But you’re forgetting something,” Charlotte said. “I can’t swim.”
“But you’re forgetting the inner tube rental place on the shore of the river,” Annie said. “They’ve probably got tubes all over the place down there. You can use one as a flotation device and doggy paddle to get across. And if we can find a tube with a flat bottom, we can put our bags in it so our stuff doesn’t get wet.”
Charlotte bit her lip. “I don’t know. The river is really wide here.”
Annie glanced up at the bridge. “But that crowd is out of control. They’ll eat us alive up there. Best-case scenario, it takes us a few hours to get across. It’ll be dark by then. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel safe walking around here after dark now. I just want us to get home and get off the streets. Before things get worse.”
The thought of walking several miles through the dark city with all the violence going on gave Annie a sick feeling in her stomach. She feared they would never make it home alive if they tried that.
“What if there are guards down at the water’s edge?” Charlotte asked in a tiny voice.
Annie swallowed. That was the riskiest part of the plan. There could be guards at the river’s bank. Or they could run into guards on the other side of the river.
She imagined pulling themselves out of the water after crossing the river and looking up to see rifles aimed at them.
That is, if they were able to cross the river at all.
“Let’s just hope there aren’t any,” Annie said, trying her best to sound confident. “From what we’ve seen so far, no one was expecting this EMP. They don’t have enough manpower out here. Maybe we can use that to our advantage.”
Charlotte looked nervously around. “I hope you’re right.”
Annie felt the panic tightening around her throat again.
If this doesn’t work, what then?
But they had to try something. Crossing the river and taking their chances with the guards seemed like a better option than being crushed alive in the crowds on the bridge.
“So do you want to try it?” Annie asked.
Charlotte’s eyebrows knit together as she cringed. “Okay. This is a crazy idea. But I’m in.”
“Okay, so wait for my signal,” Annie said under her breath. “When the guard is out of the way, we’ll move down as quickly and silently as possible.”
Charlotte nodded, tightening her grip on her purse and the plastic bag of food she held.
Please let this work. Please let us get across.
Annie felt the air hitch in her lungs. She opened her mouth slightly as she inhaled. It felt like she couldn’t get enough oxygen all of a sudden.
She licked her lips, watching the first guard move slowly away from the Hiking Trail sign with his rifle in his hands.
With his tightly laced combat boots, he meandered along the sidewalk, his face turning from side to side as his gaze swept the area.
He kicked at a rock as he crossed the halfway point of his area. Annie’s pulse picked up in intensity.
Just a few more seconds . . .
She had to pick just the right moment. The moment when he was almost at the second sign, but still a few paces before it. They needed about ten seconds, she estimated, to make it across the sidewalk he was pacing back and forth on and into the cover of the bushes below.
If they went too soon, he would be too close and hear them. If they went too late, he would make it to the second sign and turn around just as they were crossing the sidewalk.
A second off – too early or too late – would be their doom.
She had to choose wisely. There was no margin of error.
He took another leisurely step forward toward the No Parking sign.
“Now!” Annie whispered.
She and Charlotte broke out of the cover of the traffic signal pole. Annie’s soft-sole shoes were silent, but Charlotte’s heels made light clicking sounds as she ran. Annie cringed.
He’s going to hear us.
Suddenly, Charlotte stopped. Annie watched in terror as Charlotte bent down.
No!
“What are you doing?” Annie whispered as quietly as possible.
Her eyes flitted to the guard on the sidewalk below. His back was turned to them as he continued toward the second sign.
Charlotte didn’t answer, but she reached down quickly to her feet. Moving as efficiently as she could, she removed her heels. She sprang back up with her shoes in her hands.
Without pause, Charlotte took off running toward the sidewalk with just a quick glance at Annie.
Without the noise from Charlotte’s shoes, they could cover ground faster. But still, it had cost them a couple of seconds. Annie worried it would be disastrous. But it was too late to turn back now.
They moved swiftly down the slope toward the sidewalk below. The sick feeling fell away as Annie ran. She was fueled by an invisible force. All she could do was keep going forward.
They made it to the sidewalk. They kept running.
Almost there.
Annie had decided she wasn’t going to look over at the guard. She couldn’t bear to risk seeing him catch them as they ran.
But at the last second, just as they stepped off the sidewalk, Annie looked over toward the guard.
He was just reaching the No Parking sign. He took one last stride and was just about to turn around.
We’re a second too late!
It was all about to be o
ver. He’d spot them just before they ducked behind cover of the bushes.
Without thinking, Annie grabbed Charlotte’s arm and pulled her, propelling her forward. The two of them entered the small thicket.
The jagged twigs and branches of the cedar trees slowed them down a bit, but Annie kept her grip on Charlotte’s arm as they made their way down the slope past several trees.
We’ve got to stop here.
Annie came to a halt, pulling her friend to a standstill as well. Charlotte turned toward her with a puzzled look on her face.
Annie’s green eyes went wide. She silently brought a finger to her lips.
Shhh.
Annie knew the guard had reached the second sign and had turned around.
By then, he was making his way back to the first sign. His path on the sidewalk would come very close to where they now hid.
If they moved, he would hear them.
And all would be lost.
They would have to wait for him to make his way past them once again before they moved.
They were both out of breath from the exertion. They were breathing too loudly, Annie knew it.
She willed her own breathing to slow down and quiet. She held her friend’s gaze, silently trying to communicate that she do the same.
A moment later, they heard the sound of the guard’s boots on the sidewalk. He was approaching.
Don’t move an inch.
Annie wished she could communicate telepathically with her friend. Luckily, Charlotte got the idea, and the two women waited silently.
He was so close now.
Annie didn’t dare turn her head, but she could see his silhouette out of the corner of her eye.
They had found a decent hiding spot, but they weren’t totally camouflaged. If the guard were to look closely, he would have seen them.
The slightest noise would draw his attention, and they would be seen. Annie held her breath as he passed. He kept walking.
He didn’t see us.
They waited until he was almost at the first sign. Confident that he was far enough away to not hear their movement, Annie nodded at Charlotte.
The two women set off once more, quickly, through the woods.
The cedar branches slapped against Annie as she moved. They scratched her skin. She hardly noticed.
Her mind was focused on one thing.
Getting to the river bank.
With every step, she expected to hear the voice of a guard. With each tree they passed, she feared running headfirst into a rifle pointed in their direction.
Finally, they heard the sound of rushing water. The sound grew louder with each step they took.
They were almost there.
They crawled under low-hanging branches of cedar trees that reached toward the water. When they stood up, they both grinned in victory.
They had made it.
But as they stood at the edge of the river, their smiles disappeared.
The water roared past them. It was dark, deep, and fast.
It had been years since Annie had gone kayaking or tubing on this section of the river. She didn’t remember it looking this ominous before.
“I guess I forgot how big this river was,” Charlotte said, fear creeping into her voice.
Annie nodded in agreement. “It looks a lot bigger when you’re standing at the edge.”
Annie watched the river rush by, swollen and angry.
“I guess the water level rose from all that rain we’ve had lately,” she muttered.
But even more troubling than the river’s size was the fact that there were no flotation devices anywhere to be seen.
The small business that Annie had rented rubber inner tubes from years ago was nowhere in sight.
Once again, the two women were trapped.
Behind them, crazed mobs prevented them from crossing the bridge. Mysterious armed guards complicated the matter.
And before them, the raging Colorado River roared past, indifferent to their urgent need to get to South Austin.
How would they ever make it across this water?
Getting home was beginning to seem like an impossible dream to Annie.
And as she stared at the dark water rushing past, she had to wonder if they would survive at all.
7
“Put your hands in the air where I can see them!”
Jack’s hands flew up over his head.
He was face-to-face with a police officer.
Or rather, the police officer’s gun.
“Officer,” Jack began, “this isn’t what it looks like. I was just –”
“Trying to steal a vehicle?” The cop interrupted him.
Jack laced his hands behind his head and met the officer’s eyes.
This doesn’t look good.
The officer narrowed his eyes at Jack. “I won’t have you ruin my city again,” he said loudly. “Not like the last power outage. You can’t go stealing everything in sight. Not if I have my way.”
Jack had messed up. Now how would he ever make it home to his wife?
He had failed her.
“Turn around,” the cop ordered. “Keep those hands on your head. Face the building.”
Jack did as he said. The best thing to do now was to simply cooperate.
“The station’s going to be full of you dirtbags,” the cop said as he readied his handcuffs. “You thugs just love times like this when you can take advantage of law-abiding citizens.”
Jack didn’t tell him that he had always been law abiding. This was the first time he had ever considered stealing anything.
He just had to get home to his wife.
Now, he’d be stuck inside a jail cell. Probably even closer to downtown than he already was.
Things were looking grim.
A deafening sound interrupted them.
Gunshots.
And this time, the shots were nearby.
Jack’s mind immediately jumped to the worst: Brent and Naomi were in danger.
The loud noise made the cop fumble with the handcuffs and drop them. He grunted as he bent over to pick them up.
Both he and Jack looked up to see a man holding a television set running down the cross street half a block away.
In close pursuit was another man. This second guy stopped in the middle of the intersection and lifted his pistol to take aim. He once again fired at the thief, missing.
“Stop!” yelled the police officer as he lifted his own gun in the direction of the shooter. “Hold your fire! LAPD!”
But the civilian shooter ran after the television thief, disappearing out of Jack’s view.
The police officer took off after him, shouting orders as he ran. He seemed to completely forget about Jack.
Must be my lucky day.
Jack edged around to the front of the house, looking for Naomi and Brent.
Naomi ducked around the house she was nearest to. Across the street, Brent emerged from the cover of a large tree he had ducked behind when he heard the gunshots.
Jack waved his arms silently to draw their attention.
“This way,” he mouthed. He motioned for them to follow him.
A single gunshot rang through the neighborhood as Naomi and Brent approached, but they didn’t slow down.
The three of them ran quickly down the street. At their first chance, they turned down a side street away from the confrontation.
“Jack!” Brent asked breathlessly as he struggled to keep up. “Did you almost get arrested?”
“Yeah, it was a close one,” Jack said.
“This is exactly why I didn’t think the whole car theft idea was that great,” Brent said.
“Let’s just get out of here before the cop catches up to us,” Jack said, picking up his speed. “And let me know if you come up with any better ideas for how to get us home.”
When they were a safe distance away, they finally slowed down to catch their breath.
The sun was high. It was the hottest part of th
e day. Jack wiped a line of sweat from his brow.
“Not to beat a dead horse,” Brent began, “but I really think we should give up on this crazy idea to steal a car. Did you see that guy shooting the other one over a TV set? If people are willing to kill over electronics, what do you think they’ll do if they catch us stealing their classic car?”
Jack squinted in the sun. “You’re right, Brent. I think that horse is dead.”
Naomi laughed. Brent gave her a hurt look, and she stopped.
“Is anyone else thirsty?” Brent asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah,” Naomi agreed. “And starting to get hungry. Skipping lunch and sprinting a mile will do that to me.”
Jack kept quiet. He figured it could be a long time until they were able to find food or water. He preferred not to think about his dry mouth.
A welcome breeze blew down the quiet street. The palm tree leaves rustled overhead.
The tropical Southern California landscaping looked foreign in comparison to the oaks, cedars, and elms of Central Texas. It reminded Jack of just how far from home he was.
He looked down at his shoes. Black leather work shoes that pinched his toes. Brent’s weren’t much different from his own. Naomi wore boots with low heels.
Naomi would be able to make it a few more miles to her home, if all went well.
But he and Brent weren’t prepared for a cross-country trek.
“So what do you two have waiting for you back in Texas?” Naomi asked, breaking the silence.
“My mom,” Brent said. “She lives in Austin. My brother’s in Houston. Plus all my friends are back there. They’re gonna freak when they hear what happened out here.”
“I’m pretty sure the same thing is happening in Texas,” Jack said. “And maybe all over the country.”
“Oh, yeah,” Brent said, kicking a rock down the sidewalk. “It’s hard to imagine this is happening back home too, I guess.”
“How about you, Jack? Who’s waiting for you back home?”
“My wife,” Jack said. “Annie. My brother and his family live in Texas, too.”
“No kids?” Naomi asked.
Jack shook his head.
“Do you live with family, Naomi? Roommates?” Brent asked.
“It’s just me and my mom,” Naomi said.
Brent cleared his throat. He ran a hand through his sandy-colored hair. “No, uh . . . boyfriend?”