Donovan silently urged Ian to drive faster. He could feel his patience begin to chaff and dwindle. Lauren could be in trouble. It was as if a small voice inside of him was screaming at them to hurry.
“Oh, shit.” Ian slowed quickly and maneuvered the Toyota around a large branch that had fallen across the road. “The wind is getting a bit dodgy up here on the hill.”
Donovan could see they were gaining elevation as they drove west. It was growing even darker to the southeast. The bulging gray clouds looked close enough to touch as rain hurtled out of the sky with a vengeance. Since they’d left the airport, Donovan hadn’t seen a single sign of life: houses and businesses were boarded up; there’d been no other traffic on the road. Donovan rubbed his temples. That he was searching the island for Lauren seemed somehow abstract, and yet at the same time, his pulse raced with both anticipation and fear.
They came around a sharp turn, Ian slowing the Landcruiser as the tires skidded and slipped on the soaked pavement. He straightened the Toyota and continued up the hill.
“Ian! Go back!” Donovan twisted in his seat. He wasn’t sure what he’d seen, but something had registered.
“What was it?” Ian brought the Toyota to a stop. He shifted into reverse, switched on the emergency flashers and carefully began to back up.
“Right here. Stop the car. See those two trees? They’re broken in the wrong direction against the storm.”
Donovan jumped out into the stinging rain. He ran as fast as he could to the edge of the pavement. Seconds later, he could see the rear end of a white sedan at the bottom of the culvert. It was lying on its roof, the metal along the side dented and scraped. Without hesitation, he jumped down the muddy ravine. He slid, arms outstretched, trying to keep his balance on the slick ground. His momentum quickly carried him down to the wrecked Mercedes. Donovan was unable to stop his forward motion. He twisted and went down hard as he slammed into the fender. Oblivious to the pain, he pulled himself up on his knees and staggered forward to get to the passenger compartment. As he neared the front door he saw a hand—it was the slender shape of a woman’s. There was also a bracelet—a handmade, braided gold original. Donovan had bought the bracelet for Lauren in London. Terrified, Donovan grabbed her wrist as he sank to mid-calf in a watery quagmire. He pulled the limp arm, but found he couldn’t move her out of the car. A frantic inspection told him that she was wedged in by the wreckage. Terror welled up in his throat as he caught a glimpse of auburn hair floating in the muddy water.
“Oh God. Lauren, hang on!” Donovan couldn’t erase the image of his own mother’s hand as she slipped beneath the water for the last time. He’d been frozen, unable to help her—the same paralysis threatened to seize him at the sight of Lauren.
“Donovan! Catch!” Ian yelled from the top of the hill. He threw down a wire cable from the Toyota’s bumper mounted winch.
His trance broken by Ian’s words, Donovan released Lauren’s lifeless hand and was on his feet. The cable had tangled and only come halfway down the slope. Donovan scrambled up the treacherous hillside. Driven by the fear that he could already be too late, he dove for the heavy hook. His hand closed around the cold metal and he slid back down toward the car. Working as fast as he could, he urged himself to go even faster. Donovan looped the cable around the rear axle and secured the hook. His hand came away covered with a thick, reddish liquid. For an instant he feared it was blood, then recognized it as brake fluid.
“Pull!” Donovan screamed and gave Ian a thumbs up as he staggered away from the Mercedes. He tried to position himself to get to Lauren in a hurry when the car was clear of the water. The slack in the cable vanished. Donovan could hear metal begin to bend as pressure was put on the axle. He took heavy gulps of air. “Please hurry,” he whispered to himself. Donovan felt like every one of his nerve endings was on fire as the Mercedes started to budge. His muscles were taught, ready to spring into action. With agonizing slowness, the Mercedes began to inch up the hill.
“Faster!” Donovan yelled, but he knew Ian was doing the best he could. As the car moved another foot, Donovan charged to the passenger side door. He reached in and found Lauren’s hand. He pressed his fingers into her wrist searching for a pulse…He found none. He held her tight as the powerful winch began to overpower the suction holding the car. Water began to pour from the seams as the winch pulled the vehicle to higher ground. Donovan held Lauren’s lifeless hand until he could finally begin to see her face; first her chin, then her blue lips, finally her nose and closed eyes.
“Stop!” Donovan yelled. Without hesitation, Donovan reached in and slid his fingers into her mouth. It felt free of debris. Crouched awkwardly on his knees, Donovan leaned in and put his mouth over hers and began forcing air into her lungs. With his powerful right hand, he pushed on her breastbone, urging her heart to beat. Her face was slack and gray. Donovan wasn’t religious, but he was cognizant of a barrage of prayers going skyward…pleading for God to let her live. Tears burned his eyes as he blew his life-giving air into her mouth. From his left he saw Ian’s hands reach in and grasp her wrist, checking for a pulse.
“Nothing yet,” he said, gravely. “Keep going man! Don’t stop.”
Donovan focused on each breath. He willed her to open her eyes. He desperately wished there was a way to inject his life force into her. He held her head in his hands and fixed his gaze on her closed eyes.
“Lauren!” he shouted, not sure if he was more angry or afraid. “Stay with me Lauren. Don’t give up!” Donovan forced more air into her lungs. It was nothing at first, but he thought he felt her mouth quiver. He took a fresh breath and again put his mouth to hers, pushing his oxygen deep into her lungs.
Lauren twisted her head and gagged. Brown water spewed out of her mouth and nose. She turned away and coughed, her breath coming in raspy gulps.
Donovan felt his eyes fill with tears. He tried to support her head with his hands but she turned away. He didn’t think he’d ever been so happy to see her green eyes as when she finally opened them.
“Lauren. Can you hear me? Are you hurt?” Donovan could see her try to focus on him. He watched as Lauren seemed to fight through the fog that clouded her brain.
“Donovan?”
“I’m here.” A tidal wave of relief swept over Donovan. There was blood on her face from a small cut. He thought of any one of a hundred things that might have precluded him from getting to her in time. The reality of how close it’d been sent an uneasy chill to the pit of his stomach.
“I think I’m still stuck,” she said, weakly.
“We’ll take care of that in a minute,” Ian announced, standing.
“How many others were with you in the car?” Donovan pressed. Besides Lauren, the Mercedes contained only one person…still pinned behind the steering wheel was the driver, obviously dead. Donovan felt a stab of remorse; he knew it was Ian’s friend.
“There were three of us all together.” Lauren turned to Peter, still strapped into the car next to her. She bit her lip and turned back to Donovan. “Victor. I think he survived. I saw his feet before…”
“I think he’s over there,” Ian said, quietly. He touched Donovan on the shoulder and pointed to a body lying a dozen feet away. From the angle of the head, it was clear the man had suffered a broken neck.
“Let’s get you out of there.” Donovan gently squeezed her shoulder. He stood up and looked around for something to pry with.
“Why don’t you unhook the cable,” Ian managed to say, his face filled with remorse at the sight of the carnage. “We can use the winch to get her free.”
Donovan took his eyes from Lauren and looked at the seat, studying how it was wedged in relation to the surrounding metal.
“It’s worth a try,” Donovan replied. “But please, let up on the slack slowly, we don’t want the damn thing to slide back down into the water.”
“I understand.” Ian began the arduous climb up the rain washed hill. He turned and waved when he was in position.
Using hand signals, Donovan carefully instructed Ian to let up on the tension of the winch. He was relieved the Mercedes remained stationary. Quickly, Donovan unhooked the cable from the axle. He was about to move away when something caught his eye. Washed clean by the rain, he could see the brake line—and the sharp cut in the shiny black material. He frowned as he processed the implications.
“You still doing okay?” He asked, leaning down and searching for the best place to secure the hook.
“I think so,” Lauren answered, her voice stronger. “I don’t think I’m hurt. Just get me out of here.”
Donovan pulled on the hook to test if he had it secured. “Here we go.” Donovan watched as Ian pulled the slack out of the cable. With a loud popping noise the seat broke loose. Donovan quickly slid Lauren from the damaged car and fell backward. Relieved that she was free, he held Lauren protectively in his arms.
“Let’s move it, folks!” Ian yelled and waved from the top of the hill. “I think this bloody storm’s getting worse. Unhook the cable.”
“We have to get you to the hospital.” Donovan jumped to his feet. “Can you get up?”
“I’m fine. Nothing seems to be broken, just bumps and bruises.” Lauren tested her limbs and touched the cut over her eye. It was still bleeding.
“Let’s go. We need to hurry.” Donovan stood and held his hand out toward her.
“Oh my God!” Lauren covered her mouth at the sight of Victor’s body. Lauren’s eyes shot to his feet and saw the tan deck shoes. It hadn’t been Victor who was outside the car after all. She turned to say something to Donovan, but hesitated.
“He went quick.” Donovan still had his hand outstretched.
“Wait. I have to find my computer.” Lauren pulled her eyes from the gruesome sight of Victor’s corpse.
“We don’t have time.” Donovan said, his words punctuated by the sound of thunder as it echoed in the distance.
“It’s right here,” Lauren pointed. “All of my work is stored inside.”
Donovan waited impatiently as she knelt down and snatched the bag. With a splash, her smashed laptop spilled out of a rip in the canvas and dropped to the ground. Donovan could see her computer was destroyed, a jumble of wires and circuit boards exposed to the elements.
“Oh no.” Lauren hung her head and collected the pieces.
“We’ve got to go.” Donovan took her by the arm and with strong measured strides negotiated the steep incline up to the road. He was breathing heavily as they reached the Toyota. Ian was still reeling in the cable to the winch. On the hilltop, the wind ripped at their soaked clothes. A steady roar came from the wildly swaying trees.
Lauren took a measured look at the sky. “The storm is coming much faster than we thought.”
“How bad is it going to get?”
“I hope I’m wrong, but this one could be one of the worst ever.”
Donovan saw the matter-of-fact expression on Lauren’s face, the rain running off her furrowed brow as she looked skyward. He felt the chilling effect of her words. She was rarely wrong when it came to her work. Donovan thought of Michael and the others back at the airport.
“Why are you in Bermuda?” Lauren lowered her head and looked at him. “There’s supposed to be an Air Force jet to fly us out.”
“They couldn’t make it. Michael and I got the call this morning, so we flew over to pick you up. As far as I know he’s still waiting for us.” Donovan hoped this stroke of luck wasn’t lost on Lauren. The Air Force wouldn’t have come looking for her.
“Michael and the airplane are still on the island?”
“I’m not sure.” Donovan shrugged. He knew he’d been out of radio contact for quite a while. “Michael may have been forced to leave by now.”
“Climb in,” Donovan said, opening the rear door for her. “We need to get out of here as fast as we can.”
Lauren nodded. She strapped in and set what was left of her destroyed computer on the seat next to her.
Donovan could see Ian struggling with the winch. He looked past the Toyota and could see the cable stretched taut; it had caught on something while Ian was pulling it up.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s almost loose,” Ian replied. “I’ll have it up in a jiffy.”
Donovan heard the whine of the winch above the storm. The cable buffeted against the strain.
“Ian no!” Donovan shouted into the teeth of the wind.
With a sound like a rifle shot, the hook broke free…a giant steel bullwhip arcing through the air toward the Toyota. Donovan threw himself to the ground just as the cable sliced through the fender above his head. He rolled over and covered himself as it coiled and fell on top of him. Above the wail of the hurricane, Donovan heard Ian scream in agony.
Donovan threw off the cable and jumped to his feet. Ian lay writhing on the ground, both hands covering his bloody left shin.
Ian looked up at Donovan, then at his leg. “How bloody stupid!” He grimaced at the pain.
“Oh no!” Lauren had heard the cable rip into the car and had jumped out into the storm. She knelt down beside Ian, his splintered shin bone visible as the rain washed away the blood.
“We’ve got to get you to the hospital.” Donovan turned his eyes from Ian’s broken leg, the white bone a sharp contrast as it jutted from the dark skin. Any hope of making it back to Michael and the da Vinci had just been lost. But Ian came first. Without him Donovan knew he would have never found Lauren.
“Let’s get him in the back of the car.” Lauren jumped to her feet. “I’ll get the door.”
“Hang on. I’ve got a better idea.” Donovan hurried to the front seat and grabbed the portable radio. He keyed the microphone and went back to where Lauren was waiting with Ian.
“Michael, this is Donovan. You still there?”
“Just barely. Where are you? I’ve been trying to call.”
“It’s been a little crazy. We found Lauren and she’s okay, but we need an ambulance. Call the tower, see if they can use a land line to get someone out here.”
“Give me your exact location?”
Donovan was buoyed by the fact that, as usual, Michael never missed a beat, though it came as a mild surprise that he was still on the ground.
“Hang on a second.” Donovan turned to Ian.
“We’re on Harrington Sound Road. About a quarter mile west of Shark Hole,” Ian managed between clenched teeth. “They’ll know where I’m talking about.”
Donovan relayed the information.
“Good plan.” Ian tried to smile. “Now just leave me here and you two try to make your plane.”
“Nonsense,” Lauren said immediately. “We’re going to wait until someone arrives. Do you want us to try to get you into the car and out of the rain?”
“I appreciate the thought. But I think I’d rather only get up once.” Ian kept his hands gripped tightly around his leg. As if giving in to the pain, he rested his head on the wet asphalt.
Donovan could see Ian’s breathing was shallow and rapid. He was going into shock. He caught the worried look on Lauren’s face. No doubt she’d reached the same conclusion.
“Donovan, this is Michael.”
“Are they sending someone?” Donovan replied, quickly.
“I’m told there’s an emergency vehicle only a couple of minutes away. You should have company real quick. Now tell me what happened, and are you headed back here anytime soon?”
Donovan could tell from the strain in Michael’s voice that it was time to fly the da Vinci out of Bermuda.
“We’re both fine; it’s Ian who’s hurt. Lauren and I are going to stay here until someone shows up, then we’re on our way. My guess is we’re only about fifteen minutes from the airport. If you can wait, that’s great. If not, come back and get us when you can. But don’t risk the airplane.”
“I understand,” Michael replied. “We’ll try to sit tight, but I’d suggest you keep the sightseeing to a minimum.”
“Yeah, we’ll do that. I’ll keep you posted. Donovan out.” He went back and tucked the radio back inside the Toyota. He felt a knot begin to form in his stomach. He’d just lost the man who was going to get them back across the causeway. The simple fifteen-minute drive loomed large as Donovan pictured the crashing waves. Just as he was closing the door, a police car rounded the corner, its blue flashing lights ablaze. Relieved they’d responded so fast, Donovan looked at his watch and noted the time. He slammed the door and met the officer as he was getting out of the car.
“We have a man down.” Donovan pointed at Ian. “Plus, there’s a wrecked car down the hill. The driver, Peter I think is his name, plus an American scientist were killed.”
“What on earth happened up here?” The policeman knelt down and looked at Ian.
Ian looked up, and with a flash of recognition addressed the policeman by name. “Davie, I’ll explain everything later. These people are with the United States government. They have a jet waiting at the airport. Let them go before this bloody storm gets any worse.”
The officer eyed the rain-drenched group cautiously.
“For Christ’s sake,” Ian urged. “It’s who I’ve been working with for the past two days. Top notch folks, they’re scientists.”
“Wait one moment. Don’t anyone leave.” The officer jumped up and went back to his police car.
“I’m going to reel in the rest of this cable.” Donovan quickly figured out the winch. “Lauren, can you help me make sure it doesn’t get tangled up again?” Donovan knew at some point, Michael was going to have to leave. He just hoped that he and Lauren were on board when he did. With Lauren’s help, he quickly secured the cable, then crouched down next to Ian.
“You hanging in there?”
Ian nodded. “You’ll be out of here in a minute. Davie’s a good man. He’ll find out in short order how important the doctor is—that she needs to get off the island as soon as possible.”
“Before we go, I want to thank you for everything.” Donovan gripped Ian’s shoulder and made a mental note to see to it that every one of Ian’s medical expenses were covered by Eco-Watch.
Zero Separation Page 33