Firestorm

by Ronnie Dauber

  “Hey, Ali, I think we can do this. Look at it. It’s narrow, a bit rocky but it’s fairly consistent, goes right down to the water and it looks like there may be an area where we can rest. If we can get down there it’ll be a lot easier getting him into the water. What do you think?”

  The smell of smoke was becoming more predominant by the second and I was anxious to take the chance down the narrow slope. Meagan agreed that it was our only choice and Ali nodded with her.

  “Sounds good but we have to really huff it. That smoke is coming in fast down there, too. Look at it crossing the water towards us.”

  Megan moved in beside Brad as he pointed towards the path and tapped his arm.

  “We’re all good swimmers and we’ve been through worse – and the water might not even be that deep down there. Even Don is a champion swimmer, so I think we have to do it.”

  Ali pointed to his backpack and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  “Okay, and we’re gonna need that extra rope so we can tie him onto this thing because if he moves around when we’re going down that path, we could all fall.”

  Meagan yanked the rope from one of the backpacks and she and Ali quickly tied it around Grandpa so he was secured onto the stretcher. When she lifted his arm, Grandpa told her that he felt sick, and so she rubbed his face gently and told him that we would be home in a few minutes. Ali tied the last knot and then looked up at us.

  “Okay, are we ready? Let’s go.”

  I looked at him and then at Grandpa and that’s when my eyes caught Don pointing anxiously to the path. He was willing to get down there and I was glad of that because the last thing we needed was a fight to get him to move.

  “Okay, I’ll walk with Don and follow you guys, okay?”

  Ali nodded as he and Brad lifted the stretcher. Meagan and I each tossed a backpack over our shoulders and then we all edged slowly towards the grassy slope that ran between a rocky formation and the river that was about fifty feet down. Brad looked back at Meagan and I and his words gave both of us a bit of hope.

  “I couldn’t see it that clearly, but it looks like a little cove down there that just might be protected from the fire for a while, so if we can get down there, then maybe one of us could just swim back to the house from there to get help while the rest stay here with him.”

  Don and I followed the guys with Meagan just ahead of us, but he was eager to get going and so he forced us both into high gear, and seconds later we brushed by everyone as I held onto the rope. I was yelling at Don to slow down and wait for the guys to lead but Ali shouted out for us to just go. And he was right because the important thing at this point was that Don was cooperating, so we headed down the narrow path.

  It was a very uneven and rugged path, only about four to five feet wide and covered in dry grass and small rocks, intermingled with hidden potholes. Somehow Don was able to practically run down the slope but I was running awkwardly behind him taking every step as if it were my last. One slip and I’d be in the river below, not that I was afraid of the water because I wasn’t. What bothered me was that this was a very rocky area and I had no idea if there were rocks just underneath it or not, and I didn’t want to fall into it to find out.

  Don stopped and turned to me halfway down the slope as he spoke anxiously.

  “Come on, Pete. Hurry up. The boat’s down here.”

  “I’m coming. I’m coming.”

  I turned back to see the others and Meagan was a few feet behind me but the guys were far behind her. They were good at trekking and at mountain climbing so I knew that if anyone could get Grandpa down this path it would be them. But it was a real challenge that didn’t allow for one slip up. And I had my own challenge ahead of me.

  “Okay, we’re coming, Don. Slow down. I just wish there really was a boat down there.”

  “There is a boat, Pete. I know it.”

  Don practically pulled me down the slope and although he slipped and fell several times, it never slowed him down. I felt as if I was taking my dog for a walk as Don pulled on the rope and yelled for us to hurry up.

  Meagan kept the pace right behind me and I turned back as often as I could just to make sure that they were all still following and that they were okay. The overwhelming smoke that followed us was enough incentive to keep us moving in spite of the challenges.

  But what we originally thought was a dead end plateau turned out to be a big rock that we were able to skirt around and so we continued moving quickly down along the water’s edge. Don held onto the rock with his right hand that was wrapped in bandages as he started to shuffle along the narrow passage. I had to hold him back so we could wait for the others.

  “Don, wait. We need to wait for the others. We’ll get lost if we don’t, so hang on a second.”

  “But, Pete, the boat’s down here. We can get to it from here.”

  “I know, I know, but we have to wait for the others or we’ll lose them. Let’s just stop and wait for them, okay?”

  I had to yell a couple of times before Don actually stopped moving. I could tell he was panicking as he stood and pointed to the inferno that was about half a mile or so away on the other side of the lake.

  “It’s coming here, Pete. We have to hurry.”

  “I know it is, Don, but we have to wait for the others. Just stand still for a minute until the others catch up, okay?”

  I held onto the rope tightly as I stood on the edge of the narrow path. I looked back at the guys and my heart raced with fear as I wondered how they would carry Grandpa along it without falling into the water below. But they seemed to handle the trek relatively easy and that should have given me a spark of hope, but a sudden gust of smoke sent me almost into a panic.

  Meagan soon joined me and ran over to the big rock to look down the path.

  “It’s almost the same as the one we just came along, so if the guys are okay with it, maybe we should all just get down there and wait there instead of up here.”

  The smell of burning trees was so heavy all around us now that it was scaring me and my dream was becoming more real by the second. A few seconds later the guys joined us on the small, rocky plateau and rested Grandpa on the ground. Brad immediately ran to the path that Meagan was looking down.

  “Hey, Ali, we can do this. It’s only a few yards long and it looks like it takes us right down to the water. I’m going to check it out.”

  Within seconds Brad had disappeared behind the huge boulder and I stood beside Meagan as we watched and waited for him to return. And sure enough, a few seconds later Brad was back and motioned for us to follow him.

  “It’s almost like that other path only shorter. The thing is it turns a bit around that rock but it takes us right down to the water and everything around is rock so we should be safe resting there for a few minutes while someone goes for help.”

  The guys lifted the stretcher again and Ali turned towards me for a second.

  “Sounds good to me. You okay with Don?”

  I held the rope tightly and to keep Don from running on down the slope.

  “Yeah, he’s fine. It’s me I’m worried about.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  Don was anxiously pulling on the rope and kept telling us to hurry up so we could get on the boat.

  “The boat’s down here, Pete. Come on. Let’s get it ready for the others and then we can take everyone to the rescue ship.”

  “Yeah, okay Don. Just don’t pull so much. I don’t want to slip.”

  I followed closely behind Don and I was surprised how well he moved for an old man. He stepped quickly and carefree along the path and didn’t seem to have any fear of it being narrow or of the danger of the river below.

  We got to the huge rock within seconds and we were able to get around it easily enough, but I was worried about the guys bringing Grandpa around it. Meagan grunted as she squirmed back around the rock to look at them.

  “Well, I think we’re going to have to help them somehow, although it’
s not going to be easy because there’s not much room to move.”

  I looked back down the path and the guys were only seconds away.

  “What if I grab the side closest to this big rock and help pull it so that Brad can focus on the other side and keep his balance. What do you think?”

  Meagan opened her eyes wide as she huffed.

  “Could work. But you’re going to need to scrunch around this rock and you can’t let go no matter what. Here, give me the rope and I’ll hold onto Don. Are you sure you can do this?”

  “Yeah, I just have to get in the right spot, that’s all. Okay, I think I can grab it from here.”

  As the guys slowly approached, Meagan told them what I was going to do and Brad said that was a good idea but to not touch anything until he said to. Meagan and I watched and my heart raced as I worried about not grabbing the stretcher properly or in time.

  They took slow, methodical steps and as Brad turned on the bend he told us to get ready to grab the one side. I waited with my hand out for the right second and then when he said “Now” I grasped the corner of the stretcher and held it tight as I backed up. Brad came around and stepped carefully onto the plateau and then quickly turned and took hold of both front branches as he moved backwards. When Ali got to the turn, Brad told Meagan and I to take the front of the stretcher and moved close to the rock and grabbed the one corner to help Ali get around the rock. Meagan and I moved backwards and both guys stepped onto the plateau.

  We immediately set Grandpa down and both of the guys collapsed onto the ground to catch their breath. Brad opened his eyes a few seconds later and smirked as he looked around.

  “Any other time this just might be the place to hide from the world. Almost cozy here.”

  I hadn’t really thought about it until he said that, and it was a cozy little hide-away. The clear water was only a few feet down and the platform was surrounded in huge rocks. I’m sure that normally the view across the water was peaceful and pretty but today, it was anything but that. I was anxious to move on and I forced myself to my feet.

  “I’m going to swim ahead for help. You guys should be safe here for a little while because it’s almost totally surrounded in rocks.”

  Brad put his hand up and took a deep breath.

  “Wait, wait, wait just a second, Sarah. I’ll go with you. Just give me a second, okay?”

  Don began to dance around in excitement.

  “The boat is just down there. Are you going to bring it to us? It’s so close. Oh, I’m so glad we’re going to get out of here now.”

  Meagan rolled her eyes as she grunted.

  “Oh, you and that boat. Just stay calm, okay? Sarah is going to check it out.”

  Don turned and squinted at Meagan with a confused look on his face.

  “I mean, Pete is going to check it out with James, okay, Don? Now just sit here and wait with us, okay?”

  Brad and Ali both looked worn and tired and I know that carrying Grandpa along that dangerous path was playing on both of their nerves. They needed the few seconds break to regain their strength, although it seemed as if we were waiting through an eternity of time.

  Brad looked up through his dark eyebrows and his face broke into a wide grin.

  “Are you ready to go swimming, Sarah?”

  “Sorry, Brad. This whole thing just scares me and I guess I’m just anxious to get out of here and get Grandpa to the hospital.”

  “Me, too. So let’s see who gets their boots off first.”

  We both unlaced our boots and yanked them off. I tucked my socks into my boots and put them beside Meagan, and she reached out and tapped my hand as she forced a smile and asked me if I was okay with this for real.

  “I’m fine, don’t worry. We’ll be back real soon. And we can’t be far from the dock anyway which means we’re close to the house and we can call for help. Are you going to be okay, here, though?”

  “Yeah, just go.”

  I motioned for Don to go sit beside Meagan while we were gone but he his face was flushed as he moved around excitedly.

  “I can’t sit. I want to get on the boat. You’re getting the boat now, Pete?”

  “Yeah, we’re getting the boat now so you just please sit down and wait with Meagan, okay?”

  Brad and I edged our way down to the water and he was just about to step into it when he turned to me and grabbed my arm.

  “Do you see that?”

  I looked where Brad was pointing and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I almost fell over from shock.

  Chapter 16

  Déjà vu

  I could feel the adrenalin rush as the excitement shot through me. Brad grabbed my arm and his face lit up with a huge grin.

  “This guy is something else, Sarah. He’s been telling us all along about a boat and I thought he was just nuts. But here it is for real, a boat!”

  I stared at Brad for a second as the reality of what he was saying flooded my veins with hope. There in the water about five feet off to the side was a small aluminum paddle boat that was tied to the branch of a fallen tree on the water’s edge. Finally, we were getting a break.

  “Brad, I can’t believe this, either. I mean, there really is a boat. This is like a miracle.”

  Brad didn’t waste a second and he instantly turned back to the others.

  “Ali! Ali, come here!”

  He looked back at me and told me to go back to the others and get them ready while he brought the boat closer. I ran back up the slope and could barely feel the stinging of the tiny stones on my bare feet as I hustled back towards them. I met Ali and Meagan at the top.

  “There’s a boat there. I can’t believe it. There’s a boat there. We can carry Grandpa in it to the dock.”

  Ali’s face grew expressionless as he looked back at Don.

  “Just like he said.”

  “Yeah, Ali, but we have to hurry. Brad is pulling it closer and he wants us to get ready to get Grandpa on board.”

  Don was jumping up and down and shouting with excitement.

  “I knew the boat was there. Pete, we’re safe now. We’re going to get out of here.”

  “You were right, Don. You were right and I’m sorry I doubted you.”

  Meanwhile, Brad pulled the boat close to the edge and Ali took the rope and held on to it while Brad jumped off. Ali turned and yelled for me to come to them.

  “Here, Sarah, hold on to this while get your grandfather.”

  The guys ran up the short slope and they each took an end of the stretcher and carried Grandpa down to the boat. They rested him on the ground so that Brad could step into the boat first and then lean over and lift his end of the stretcher. I held onto the short rope as tightly as I could to keep the boat steady and then Ali stepped down inside it with the other end of the stretcher. They set Grandpa down in the middle of the boat and then Brad stepped out and back onto the grass.

  “It’s small and it won’t carry all of us, but it will take some. So, Ali, why don’t you and Meg go with Don in the boat, and Sarah and I will swim behind you? We’re ready for it anyway. Our boots are already off.”

  Meagan became very hesitant and was about to say something but I knew we didn’t have any time to waste.

  “Meg, it’s okay. We’ll be right here with you holding onto the boat so we’re okay. But we have to hurry. Look at the smoke.”

  Ali grabbed the backpacks and then flung them into the boat as Don pulled Meagan in to the front of it beside him. She turned to me and raised her eyebrows as she spoke.

  “I’ve got your boots up here, okay?”

  Don gave me the thumbs-up and then giggled like a child.

  “I told you. I told you the boat was here, Pete. Now we just have to get to the big ship before they drop more bombs on us.”

  That’s when my skin really began to crawl. Don had been right in almost every prediction so far and if he was warning us about more bombs, what he was actually saying is that the fire would soon be upon us. His words sent s
pikes of fear running up and down my spine and all I could do was swallow and stare at Grandpa.

  Brad broke my trance as he nudged me and asked if I was okay.

  “Uh, yeah, sure. I’m fine.”

  I threw the rope inside the boat and Brad pushed it off and towards the open water. I stepped into the water which was comfortably warm but deeper than I thought, and I held onto one side of the boat while Brad held the other. We helped to manoeuvre the boat into the open water and then we both moved to the back end and held on so that Ali could use the paddles.

  I held onto the rim of the boat so hard that my knuckles turned white, and when I looked behind me I gasped. The entire forest was saturated with smoke, and flames shot up from both sides of the water. It was no longer just on the other side of the water, but it was all around us. It had been closer to us than we had ever suspected and I was more thankful than ever that we found this boat. I’m not sure if we would have survived in that little cove for very long because of the density of the smoke that seemed to roll in the second we left it.

  Brad and I held onto the boat and swam behind it as Ali paddled across the center of the river so we could stay clear of shallow water with rocks. The venture was a challenge at times because he kept splashing the water in our faces but at the same time, it was a means to an end and we were aiming for the end.

  The river wound around to the right and after about ten minutes Meagan screamed out that she could see Grandpa’s dock. A few seconds later I could see it, too, and it was clear of smoke and fire. I felt so giddy inside that I just wanted to cry for joy.

  “We beat it. So, when we get there we’ll get to the house, get to one of cell phones and call for an ambulance for Grandpa. Oh, Meg, I can’t believe we made it.”

  “And not too soon, either. Grandpa’s temp has spiked just in the last few minutes.”

  Several minutes later we were at the dock and Meagan jumped out first with the rope in her hand to tie the boat. Brad and I pushed the boat so that it was right beside the dock, and then I pulled myself out of the water and onto the dock so that I could hold the boat from moving around while Brad and Ali lifted Grandpa out.