Ben, Noah, and Hero were lucky. No branches landed on top of them.
But what about Jack and Scout? Ben opened his eyes and looked out into the storm. A wall of water beat down right outside their small, covered space. Ben peered through it and saw massive trees leaning left and right like they were blades of grass. Leaves and dirt flew by sideways.
Ben could only hope that Jack and Scout had been able to find a safe place to hide from the worst of the storm.
Finally, just when Ben’s ears had started to ring from the din of the storm, the lashing wind and rain began to die down.
It seemed like the worst of it had passed—at least for now.
Ben and Noah crawled out from under their shelter and slowly stood up. Hero squeezed out between them.
The boys took in the forest around them. Ben almost couldn’t believe his eyes: The thickly wooded forest looked like it had been turned upside down. The ground was carpeted with wet leaves and broken branches. But the trees were still standing.
“We must have been on the outer edge of the storm,” Noah said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“We got lucky.” Ben tugged at a giant leaf that had adhered itself to the side of his head. It came off his face with a slurping sound. “But it seemed like it was moving that way,” Ben said, pointing back the way they came. “That has to mean . . .” He couldn’t force himself to say the rest out loud.
“It’s about to hit town,” Noah finished for him. The boys were quiet for a moment, considering what that could mean. Ben pictured the streets of his quiet neighborhood flooded with water, houses with the roofs torn off—in his mind it was a darkened, empty wasteland. And what about his dad? Ben could hardly bear to think about where he was at that moment. Was he helping someone else find shelter—and had he gotten caught in the worst of it?
He wanted desperately to get back to town. He wanted to find his dad and make sure he was okay. He wanted to see if their house was still standing. But he couldn’t do any of those things while Jack and Scout were still lost in the forest. He needed to finish what he had started. They were close to Scout, which meant they were close to Jack.
They couldn’t stop now.
Hero seemed just as upset as Ben felt. He was staring through the rain at a spot deeper in the woods. He whimpered and paced back and forth, then stopped and stared again. Ben had never seen his dog this agitated. Hero barked a few times, then waited.
It made Ben shudder to picture Scout—who wasn’t even fully grown yet, who was still just a sweet young dog—out in these woods getting batted around by this powerful wind and rain. Could he possibly have survived?
Hero barked again. There was silence for a second.
In the distance, they heard a sharp, quick bark. It was faint but clear.
“That’s Scout!” Ben shouted.
Hero raced toward the sound of Scout’s voice. Ben and Noah followed close behind. Scout’s bark was growing louder, and Ben expected the puppy to run to them any second. He had to be so close—but where was he?
Hero froze. His ears shot up, and he stared at something a few feet ahead. Ben fished his flashlight out of the pocket of his slicker and pointed it about ten feet ahead of him: There was Scout, in the center of a clearing, jumping up and down excitedly and barking. Suddenly it was clear why he hadn’t run to them. Scout was trapped on a tiny island, surrounded by rushing water.
And Jack was nowhere to be seen.
Hero barked at Scout. Scout responded with a few short, frantic yelps.
“Scout!” Ben called out across the water. “Come here, boy! Swim to us.”
Ben knew Scout was a good swimmer. He and Jack had taken the dogs to the river a few times, and the pup was a natural. He’d jumped right in with Hero and spent hours on end paddling around in wide circles, lifting his snout just above the water line to breathe.
But Scout wouldn’t go in the water this time. Ben watched, puzzled, as Scout took a few steps toward the small lake before him, lowered his nose, put one paw in the water, then immediately pulled back.
Hero started to wade into the water on their side. But Ben stopped him. “Hero, stay,” Ben commanded him.
Something didn’t feel right.
“What is it?” Noah asked.
“I don’t know.” Ben shook his head. “But there must be a reason Scout won’t go in. Maybe it’s too deep . . .” He trailed off, studying the land and water in front of them. He walked a few yards in each direction. The island wasn’t big—it was twenty feet wide at most.
“How did Scout get there in the first place?” Noah asked.
“I think the water rose around him,” Ben said. “That wasn’t an island before this storm hit.”
“And if Scout’s here,” Noah said, “where’s Jack?”
“Good question.”
Hero ran back and forth along the edge of the water, looking for a way to get across.
“We’re going to get him, Hero. Just let me think.” Ben turned to look for a long tree branch, or something else they could use to make a small bridge.
Hero barked, but his tone had changed. His yelps grew more urgent and turned into a growl. He bared his teeth, his ears moving back on his head.
“What is it?” Ben asked, alarmed.
He waved his flashlight across the surface of the water, trying to see what Hero saw. At first there was nothing—until two gleaming red spots popped up in the darkness, then disappeared, almost as if they were never there.
Ben knew what those spots were. Growing up in Mississippi, he’d been trained from an early age to look out for them whenever he was near water at night. There were swamps and rivers everywhere in these woods. And those red eyes were unmistakable.
It was an alligator.
“Oh, man,” Noah groaned.
“Hero—stay!” Ben commanded more firmly than ever before. Hero froze. Ben’s heart pounded in his chest. The water rippled just under the surface. The alligator’s greenish black skin blended in with the color of the water.
Ben could just make out the hard bumps on its back and tail. It was a big one, at least nine feet long. As he watched, the alligator raised its lumpy, mottled head back out of the water and opened its gaping jaw, revealing a long row of sharp teeth. Ben shuddered.
He had no doubt the giant reptile would snap up Hero or Scout if they tried to cross.
“Hero, come!” Ben said. Hero trotted over to his side, his eyes still on the underwater creature. Scout whimpered sadly on the other side. He dashed back and forth, crying for help.
“Scout, sit!” Ben commanded. Scout sat but kept barking. His whole body shook, and he rocked anxiously back and forth from one paw to the other.
“That thing must have been in one of the swamps nearby,” Noah said. “And the flooding pushed it here. What are we going to do?” He spoke softly, as if he was afraid the alligator could understand him.
“I’m not sure,” Ben replied. He squinted at the far side of the island, behind Scout. “I guess we could go around to the other side and try to cross there. We’ll just have to hope there aren’t more alligators. And that we can get to Scout before this guy”—he gestured at the alligator—“gets a whiff of us.”
Noah nodded. “Let’s go.” He started off to the left. Ben trudged after him, his boots making a deep sucking sound with each step through the muddy terrain.
“Come on, Hero,” Ben said. He heard Hero’s collar jingling behind him. “Good boy,” Ben said. Hero kept close to his side. Ben heard his dog’s breath in the quiet night.
They made their way along the water, but kept a safe distance from it. Alligators were quick, and Ben didn’t want to be within snapping range. Every few feet, he looked back to see if the alligator had followed them. It hadn’t. Scout ran along with them on his island, keeping pace with them.
Suddenly, Ben felt Hero brush against his leg. There was a rush of air as Hero took off like a shot, heading straight into the water.
“No!” Be
n and Noah both cried. But Hero couldn’t be stopped. He took one long leap and landed lightly in the water, about halfway across the creek. Ben was terrified. He looked back at the alligator. It had disappeared.
The water was deep. Hero swam hard, holding his nose and mouth high and kicking fast with all four legs.
“Hero!” Ben yelled. “Hurry! Go!”
“Faster, Hero!” Noah cried.
Ben saw ripples in the water close to Hero.
“Go, go, go!” Ben shouted. He almost couldn’t bear to watch. Ben was about to turn away when Hero put one front paw, then the other, on land. He pulled himself out of the water and onto Scout’s island just as the alligator raised its head above the surface right behind him. Hero snatched up Scout by the scruff of his neck and, holding the puppy in his jaw, ran as far away from the giant reptile as possible.
The alligator lowered itself into the water.
Ben let out a choked cry that was part relief, part fear. Hero was amazing—he’d made it to Scout. But now he—and Scout—had to get back. He looked up to see Hero staring intently at him. Hero put Scout down gently, as far from the alligator as he could. Ben held Hero’s gaze, trying to understand what his dog wanted to tell him.
Then Hero did something Ben wasn’t expecting: He dashed back toward the alligator in the water.
“Hero, no!” Ben yelled.
9
HERO STOPPED, BUT ALMOST AS THE words were out of Ben’s mouth, he realized what the dog was doing: Hero was going to distract the alligator so Scout could get to safety.
That gave Ben an idea.
“Hold this,” Ben said to Noah, handing over his soaking wet backpack.
Ben took a few steps toward the water and nodded at Hero. “Go!” he commanded his dog.
Hero ran toward the water’s edge, barking aggressively. Just as the alligator raised its head out of the lake, Ben got a running start and jumped into the surprisingly cold water. The water was higher than his waist, and the bottom was silty and slippery under his feet. Branches, tree bark, and other debris crowded the surface and knocked into Ben. He stumbled and waded across as fast as he could—pulled back by the drag of his heavy rain gear.
Ben focused on reaching Scout. He tuned out everything else, just like he did when he was trying to catch a hard line drive from home plate.
He heard Hero barking off to his left. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a quick flash of movement. The alligator’s front half was on land. His giant jaw stretched open, revealing his sharp, angled teeth again. Hero snarled and barked ferociously. All the fur on his back stood on end. He splayed out his front legs and lowered his neck and head into a fighting stance—nothing was going to stop Hero from saving Scout.
Ben’s stomach flipped as the alligator snapped his jaw shut with a loud clack. Hero barked and ran a few feet away, then zigzagged back across the beach. He moved toward the creature, then pulled away. The alligator’s head swiveled side to side, confused. Hero was toying with the massive reptile, buying Ben time.
Ben plunged through the cold water. He felt the ground slope upward and fell to his knees as he reached dry land. Scout leaped toward him. Ben held out his arms, and Scout jumped into them. The puppy was big now—Ben could barely wrap his arms around him. Scout’s body trembled with fear. He buried his head in Ben’s neck. Ben felt the dog’s hot breath in his hair.
“It’s okay, Scout. I got you.”
Ben held Scout tightly and cast a quick glance toward Hero and the alligator. The alligator scooted farther forward onto land, its tiny legs scuttling across the ground. Hero held his ground. His top lip curled up, and he bared his teeth.
Ben needed to hurry. He turned and stepped back into the rushing water. It felt even colder than before.
“You got this,” Noah yelled encouragingly.
The water filled the pockets of his slicker and weighed him down. Ben had to pause each time he put a foot down to make sure he had good traction—all while gripping Scout tightly and keeping one eye on the alligator and Hero.
Suddenly, the alligator shot toward Hero and snapped its jaw. Hero jumped out of the way just in time.
Ben knew Hero wouldn’t stop playing this horrible but brave game with the alligator until he and Scout were safe.
Ben slipped on a rock but caught his balance before he fell. He squeezed Scout so tightly he could feel the puppy’s ribs between his hands—he wasn’t going to risk letting go.
Rain was dripping down Ben’s face, blocking his vision, but he didn’t wipe it away for fear he’d lose his balance. “I can’t see,” Ben yelled out to Noah.
“You’re halfway across,” Noah called out. “Keep going straight ahead.”
Ben moved toward Noah’s blurry shape, following the sound of his voice as much as anything else.
“Good,” Noah said. “Like five more feet. You got it.”
Finally, Ben felt the ground even out under him and the water receding. He released a sigh of relief.
“You can let Scout go,” Noah said.
Ben loosened his hold on the puppy, who jumped out of his arms. Noah bent down and scooped up Scout. Ben dragged himself up onto land, catching his breath and wiping the water out of his eyes.
“Nice work,” Noah said to Ben. Scout wriggled in Noah’s grasp and let out a happy bark.
At the sound of Scout’s voice, Hero’s head shot up. He took off along the mud at top speed, accelerating from a standstill to lightning fast. The alligator followed, chasing him across the island.
But on land, at least, Hero was faster. In the blink of an eye, he was twenty feet away from the alligator, hurling himself into the water. His front paws popped up through the surface as he paddled furiously toward Ben.
Hero was more than halfway across the river when the alligator slithered back into the water, where it could move a lot faster than a dog could swim. The alligator disappeared under the surface. Ben couldn’t see it, but he knew it was heading straight for Hero.
Ben knelt down on the bank. “Faster, Hero! Come on, boy! Swim faster!”
Hero’s nose was just above the water, his mouth closed, as he pumped his legs and pushed forward.
“Let’s go, Hero!” Noah yelled as Scout barked in his arms.
“Come on!” Ben screamed. “Let’s go, let’s go!”
Just as Hero put his front paws on the ground near Ben, Ben saw the alligator skimming the surface of the water right behind him. Hero vaulted himself onto land, and the alligator opened its massive jaw, snapping it shut on air. Hero shook off the water, sending a spray of moisture in every direction.
Hero, Ben, Noah, and Scout jumped backward.
“Let’s get out of here!” Noah yelled. Still holding Scout tightly, Noah took off into the woods, the way they had come.
Ben snatched up his backpack from the ground. “Hero, come!” They ran after Noah. As they stepped back into the thick tree line from the clearing, Ben turned to look over his shoulder. The alligator had followed them up onto land. Now it eyed them coolly for a second, then waddled back into the water, disappeared beneath the surface, and swam away.
The boys stopped to catch their breath. Noah high-fived Ben.
“That was close,” Ben said, feeling queasy. He dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around Hero’s neck, and held him tight. They were both soaking wet. “That’s my boy.”
Scout sauntered over and positioned himself right under Hero’s chest. Ben scooped him up in the hug. Hero sniffed at the top of Scout’s head and stuck his nose under Scout’s chin. Scout slid out of Ben’s grasp and dropped onto his stomach in the wet dirt. He rolled onto his side. The terrified and shaking puppy began to relax. Scout felt safe again with Hero there to protect him.
Ben fumbled around in his backpack for some dry clothes, glad that he’d thrown an extra pair of pants and a shirt in there at the last second. His hands were so cold he could barely feel anything, but he changed quickly, then shook out his rain gear and put it back on.
Drier and a little bit warmer, Ben exhaled. Scout and Hero were safe. But his joy at beating the alligator and saving the puppy faded quickly as an urgent question surfaced in his mind.
Where was Jack?
10
THE RAIN WAS HOLDING AT A steady downpour, and the wind was still strong.
“Scout,” Ben said, “where’s Jack?”
Hero’s and Scout’s ears pricked up at the sound of Jack’s name. Ben tugged Jack’s sweatshirt from his backpack. He held it under Hero’s, then Scout’s, noses. They took turns inhaling and exhaling it.
Hero moved away from Ben and sniffed at the ground. He stepped carefully around the area, his nose investigating the underbrush and scattered storm debris. Hero’s ears rose, first rotating forward, then swiveling backward. His fur rippled as his muscles tensed and flexed, ready to spring into action.
“Let’s go, Hero,” Ben said, picking up his backpack. But Hero didn’t move. He was looking at Scout—waiting for him.
Scout was sniffing hard at the ground too. He followed a scent, stepping lightly across the wet ground. Suddenly his head popped up, and he stared off into the distance, his floppy ears rising. Then Scout shot off farther into the woods, and for a frightening second, Ben thought he had bolted in fear. But Hero didn’t seem concerned, so Ben took a cue from his dog. Hero stayed put, watching the spot where Scout had disappeared, waiting.
Scout suddenly reappeared between two trees. He barked twice, turned around, and took a few steps. He looked over his shoulder and barked again, as if telling them to hurry up. Hero trotted toward Scout and stopped. The dogs were waiting for Ben and Noah.
“Ben, we need to hurry,” Noah said, his voice strained. “We need to get back before people realize we’re missing.”
His friend was right. They’d been gone for hours, and they had to be at least two miles into the woods by now.
But they were so close to finding Jack—which is why they had risked coming out here in the first place. There was no stopping now. Ben knew it, and Noah did too. With a resigned sigh, Noah started walking.
Hurricane Rescue Page 4