Firestorm (18 page)

“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 spikes 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.

Don climbed out
and stood there right in the middle of everyone as he tried to
untie the rope that we had around his chest. Meagan told him to
move to the side and then she untied the rope and threw it onto the
deck. To our surprise, he didn’t go anywhere but instead he asked
if he could help.

Before we went
any further, Brad and I took a few seconds to put our socks and
boots back on and then he quickly grabbed the back end of the
stretcher while Ali grabbed the front end. We all moved swiftly off
the dock and onto the grass. I took a deep breath and was so
relieved that we had made it home.

But then
suddenly there was a loud piercing sound that reminded me of the
colossal fire crackers on July 4
^th
. Shooting ambers
fired into the water from the other side and landed in the middle
of the river. Others shot straight up into the sky. I was amazed at
how we had just escaped the many calamities that seemed to follow
us, and I hoped and prayed that we would continue until we were
home free.

The guys picked
the stretcher up just as Grandpa began to cough and roll his eyes
around in their sockets. Meagan yelled for me to come and I
practically dove at him as they put the stretcher back onto the
ground. That’s when he began to vomit so Ali and Meagan quickly
rolled him towards me onto his side and I grabbed his shirt sleeve
to help hold him there.

We hadn’t eaten
for a full day and we were all hungry and tired, and the stench of
the vomit churned my stomach. We didn’t really have anything to
wipe his face with so I used my hand to wipe his face and then I
wiped my hand on the grass. We had to move fast because his leg
bled terribly with each heave.

We let him roll
onto his back again and Meagan took his hand as she stroked his
forehead.

“Wow, he’s so
hot. Can you guys carry him up the path to their back yard? Sarah
and I will run ahead to get Nana and a phone.”

Ali motioned
for us to go but when we took the first step, Don began to scream
hysterically.

“No, you can’t
go up there. They’re waiting for us there. It’s too dangerous.”

I held Don by
the arms and tried to stare at him in the eyes.

“It’s okay,
Don. We’re home now. Meagan and I are going to find a phone at the
house and call for help. It’ll be okay. Just stay with the
guys.”

“No, it won’t
be okay. They’re hiding in the trees over there and they’ll get you
as soon as you get inside the house. You can’t go in there. It’s
not safe. Pete, listen to me. I’m trying to help you.”

Meagan and I
looked at each other and then at the guys. We weren’t sure what to
do because Don had been right about almost everything else and we
didn’t know if this was a warning of some kind or just his fears
coming out. I was about to say something when Meagan pulled on my
arm.

“Come on. We
don’t have time for this. We need to find Nana and get to a
phone.”

Suddenly there
was a large crackle from the forest just to the right of us that
made all of us jump. Ali yelled to Meagan to get to the house.

“Never mind
that, we need a phone and the keys to your grandfather’s truck.
We’re going to have to meet the ambulance in their little town
because I don’t think they’re going to come out here so close to
the fire.”

Meagan and I
shot up the path as fast as we could towards the house, but as we
ran I kept my eyes on the forest beside us and I could see the
smoke in the distance. I could smell it and it was sending shivers
up and down my back.

Meagan got to
the porch before I did and we both shouted out for Nana but she
didn’t answer.

“Maybe someone
came and took her already, Sarah. I don’t see her anywhere, do
you?”

“No, but here
are the keys to the truck.”

And that’s when
I remembered that the truck wasn’t working.

“Meg, we forgot
that Grandpa was having problems with the truck. Remember? Now what
do we do?”

Meagan grabbed
the keys and yelled to the guys who were almost at the back
door.

“We forgot the
truck isn’t working. Grandpa said something about the battery. Do
you think you can get it going?”

They laid
Grandpa on the grass and then Ali grabbed the keys and huffed.

“What else?
Come on, Brad. Let’s take a look.”

While they ran
to the truck Don sat on the ground beside Grandpa and said he
didn’t want to go inside the house. So, Meagan and I left him there
while we ran back inside to find Nana. We checked every room and
closest and yelled for her but there was no answer.

“Sarah, she
must have gone. She’s obviously not going to stay here when the
forest is on fire.”

“But Meg, I’m
not so sure. I mean, Grandpa was injured out there and then we went
out there. She wouldn’t just up and leave when her family was lost
in a forest that’s on fire. That’s not like her. I don’t think she
would.”

“Well, she’s
not here. She’s not answering us.”

“I know. Maybe
she’s in the front yard or pacing on the roadway out front. Come
on, let’s check.”

We searched the
front yard and both directions of the road and she wasn’t there.
Then we split up and each ran along one side of the house to the
back doorstep and still she wasn’t there. A creepy feeling came
over me and sent goose bumps up my arms.

“Meg, you don’t
suppose she headed into the forest, do you?”

We both stood
and stared at each other for a second. My chest pounded and I’m
sure my face was as drained as hers.

“She wouldn’t
have. She was afraid of the forest, Sarah. Oh god, but then with us
all lost out there she may have overcome that fear and gone in. I
know she would never have left without us. Do you really think
that’s what she did?”

Don was still
sitting on the ground beside Grandpa and so Meagan and I ran over
to the guys who had the truck hood open, trying to get the truck
going. Ali was under the hood and Brad was inside the cab.

“Okay, Brad.
Try again.”

Brad turned the
key and all that came out was a coughing sound from the engine.
When he stopped turning the key, Ali jumped down and pointed to the
road.

“The driveway’s
on a downhill slope and so is the road. Maybe we can push this
thing and get it to catch that way.”

Brad jumped out
of the cab and tapped my arm.

“Can you steer
it while we push?”

“Yeah,
sure.”

Meagan ran to
the back of the truck with the guys and the three of them got in
position. At first the truck rolled slowly down the long gravel
driveway but then it picked up a bit of speed and I had to brake so
I could turn and that stopped the process.

“Sorry, but if
I didn’t hit the brakes we were going right into that tree.”

Ali wiped his
forehead as he ran to the side of the truck.

“No problem.
The road slopes so we’ll try it again there. And this time don’t
touch the brakes until it comes on, okay?”

“Okay.”

The truck began
to roll slowly and the engine coughed a few times and then it
suddenly came on.

“Yes, it’s
working.”

I applied the
gas and drove for a few hundred feet and then stopped it and backed
it up to where I’d left the others. Brad and Meagan jumped into the
back of the truck, and I moved over so that Ali could take over the
wheel and back the truck up all the way into the driveway. He put
the gear in park and we all jumped out.

“Okay, we’ll
leave this running but we have to work fast before it conks out
again. So, let’s get him in here and get him to the hospital.”

Meagan ran
beside Ali into the backyard.

“Look guys,
Nana is not in the house. We looked everywhere and we think she may
have gone into the trail to try and find us.”

Ali stopped and
his face went white as he clenched his jaw.

“That’s great,
just great. Look, this guy isn’t going to be able to just lay here
and wait while we search for your grandmother. Besides that, look
behind you. It’s not going to be that long until it gets here.”

The tension
around us just kept building.

“We searched
the house and the yard and she’s not there. Maybe she left a note
or something. Come on, Meg, let’s go check.”