“I can take off my tee-shirt and put on my sweatshirt, but that’s all I have to change,” answered Mike.
“Well, half changed is better than no change,” mused Helene as she held Lily.
While Mike took off his cotton tee shirt that weighs at least eight pounds from the water that saturated the fibers, he noticed that water came in through the bottom of the tent. “Oh no!” Mike shouted his feet in a puddle of water.
Lacey shot up as she held Lacey, her backside drenched. She said, “I think it’s flooding.”
“Quick, get Sophie up,” commanded Mike. He unzipped the tent to find that a wall of water waited on the other side. The water-resistant tent had kept out most of the water. He saw Demi and her tent made their way to the truck. Jack carried his kids and Chris carried Rufus. Demi attempted to grab whatever she could safely handle.
Mike put Sophie in his arms, carrying her as he found himself in thigh-high water. Lacey held Lily as she waded through the cold water. The flash flood seemed to come from nowhere. The park filled up as it laid on lower land than the surrounding hillsides. The way the park filled up with water, he didn’t suspect the cars would be drivable. They might even float and drift. Thankfully, the area where the trucks were parked was higher than the area they set up camp, so they could get in them.
Mike got Sophie, Lacey, and Lily in the truck. He sat in the driver’s seat and waited for his mother to join. He was certain she was right behind them. The tents floated away, along with anything they were not able to grab. Thankfully, they did have a stash of food that they didn’t unpack in the bed of their truck, but anything made from fabric was drenched.
Becoming worried, Mike sat, soaked in his clothes on the driver’s seat. “Where’s my mom?” Mike asked turning to look at Lacey. Sophie was asleep still, and basically in a catatonic state.
“Thought she was coming,” answered Lacey, appearing worried as well.
Mike squinted his eyes. In the distance, he saw his mother in the moonlight wading in the opposite direction. “Oh no!” Mike screamed.
“What is it?” Lacey asked, panic in her voice. She tried her best to soothe Lily who cried and screamed.
“It’s my mom. I’ll be right back,” shouted Mike as he opened the truck door and shut it behind him. The trucks were at a higher ground than camp, but they sat in knee-high water. Mike waded through the water noticing the increase in water level as he moved closer to his mother.
He was in waist-high water, making his way to his mom faster than she moved away from him. “Mom! Stop!” Mike shouted, calling out for his mother. She was trying to drown herself deliberately. Mike feared that he or she would be washed away, but he could not stop now. She was grief-stricken and although she appeared to be doing alright with the death of her husband, she was not.
“Mom! Stop!” Mike shouted once more, pleading for his mother to stop and to turn around. To have sense and want to live.
“Don’t follow me!” Helene shouted, using her arms to help her go further into the water, which was deepening and starting to move.
“Mom! I’m not leaving without you!” Mike shouted back, making headway on her as he could move faster than she could. The water had gotten deeper, so deep that they both had to swim.
“I don’t want to live without your dad,” yelled Helene.
Mike swam, using his arms to propel his body forward toward his mother. He closed in on her. Finally, he could reach her. With one movement, he curled his arm around her neck and pulled her closer to him. She struggled, trying to fight him off, but she could not overpower Mike’s grip.
Now, he had to get her back to the truck. Helene stopped resisting after a moment, and Mike swam on his back, his arm crooked around Helene’s neck. Mike used his other arm to propel their bodies toward the trucks. The current picked up speed and Mike fought through it. He grew tired from exerting his entire body, but he had no choice. He had to save his mother.
Several minutes passed by and the trucks grew larger as Mike made his way toward them. He didn’t let his mother go, he was not certain what she would do and didn’t want to risk her heading in the opposite direction. She cried sobs, but none of it was intelligible. She wailed with the pain of losing the love of her life. Mike knew she was not in her right mind and hoped this intent would pass.
Mike could anchor his feet into the soaked ground, using his legs to get him and his mom to the trucks. With every step, they got closer. Mike dragged his mother and carried her when the water was at his knees. Lacey opened the truck door from the inside and Mike placed his mother in the passenger seat.
As he moved around, to the other side of the truck, Chris rolled down the window and Demi shouted from the driver’s seat, “Great job!”
Mike’s eyes lit up as he thought Demi would admonish him for risking his life to get his mother. He didn’t care if she did, this was something he had to do. “Thanks,” he replied. “We’ll wait out the storm here?”
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll see if the trucks are drivable in the morning after it clears up,” answered Chris before rolling up the truck window.
Mike opened the driver-side door and sat on the seat, his skin stuck to his wet clothes as if they were one. His mother turned the other way in the fetal position, screaming and crying. Lacey calmed Lily down so she was asleep, and Sophie laid, staring off into space. This would be a long night.
Chapter Twelve
Demi Thicke
The clouds dissipated and the sun came up over the treetops of the park, the rays piercing Demi’s eyes. The park grounds, flooded, but the lot where the trucks were parked only had a few inches of water that remained. Demi knew not to start the vehicle right away. Training from her father. She exited the vehicle, moving to the hood of the truck. From the rain, the flooded ground where they once camped, and the three inches of water that remained in the parking lot where she stepped, the sun glimmered and glistened, making it difficult for her to see. She squinted her eyes until they adjusted to the brightness. The night of terror and fear had been swept away, along with much of the park. Picnic tables had washed away, some trees were uprooted, and devastation plagued what used to be a tranquil park.
No one else was up, at least no one moved from the spot in the car, so Demi took matters in her own hands to get them out of here and to David’s compound. Not certain how damaged the engine might have been, knowing debris and mud could have flooded into the engine, she made sure not to damage the vehicle further.
Opening the hood, she found the battery and disconnected it. She then surveyed the interior of the engine compartment, trying to see the watermark. The water definitely reached knee level, perhaps a little passed, but the engine compartment looked soaked inside.
Demi then cleared the dipstick to check the oil level. Water droplets. Water had seeped into the engine. She would need to change the oil, minimum for the vehicle to run properly. When the others woke up, Demi and Mike could find the main town and see if they could purchase a few quarts of oil. Demi could then change the oil of both vehicles, assuming the other truck was a similar condition.
Demi, familiar with Butte, Montana since she grew up near Whitefish, which was a seven-hour drive north had traveled through Butte. She remembered one particular trek that she made with Chris when she took him to meet David. Her intention was not to ever introduce Chris or anyone else to David, but Chris insisted. He said that he wanted to know her better.
Noticing movement in the other vehicle, Demi made her way over there. She knew Helene had a difficult time with John’s death, and last night she tried to kill herself. She hoped that intention had left, but who could ever really be sure. Mike was awake, along with Lacey and Helene. Sophie, still asleep laid in the back seat. Lacey tended to Lily.
“Morning, guys,” said Demi as she walked over to Mike’s truck. She tried to lighten the mood. With a slight wave.
“Morning, Dem,” answered Mike as he rolled down the window. He appeared to be struggling
as the unit probably had water inside of it, but he got the window down. Who knows if he’d be able to get it back up.
“Morning, Sis,” said Lacey from the back seat. Helene did not respond but stared at the still water that remained in the park. At least the rain was not falling and the water moving as it did last night.
“So, I haven’t tried the truck yet to see if it would start, but I did inspect the engine some,” started Demi.
“And?” Mike asked.
“Well, there were water droplets on the dipstick, so water is in the engine,” answered Demi.
Lacey interrupted from the backseat, “But, you can fix that, right?” she asked.
Demi answered, “I can. I just need—“
“New oil,” answered Lacey.
“Oh, you have skills too,” Mike said to Lacey as he eyed her from the rearview mirror. Demi caught on to this and didn’t approve, but she didn’t shut it down like she did last night.
“The same teacher,” answered Lacey from the back seat, calming Lily. Lacey turned to Sophie and said, “Sophie, wake up. Lily is hungry.” Lacey nudged Sophie who woke up. Appearing groggy and without saying a word, Sophie took Lily and lifted her shirt for Lily to feed. The sight was painful to watch as Sophie did not show any emotion toward Lily.
Mike turned back to Demi and said, “Hey, isn’t Susan from Butte, Montana?”
“Is she?” Demi asked, confused as she could not remember where Susan was from.
“Well, she’s your assistant,” said Mike with a condescending tone. He had a point.
Demi thought for a second of where Susan could have been from. She thought it might have been North Idaho, as she remembered Susan referring to her former fiancé as being from there. As she liked to put it, it is not Northern Idaho, but North Idaho.
Then, it finally clicked for Demi. “Oh, right. Her dad owns a car lot here,” she said finally connecting the dots. “Gees, I wonder whatever happened to her and Trevor when we left them,” added Demi.
“Oh, right. It seems like another lifetime ago when we left Trevor, who was injured from being struck in the head. We let Adam, the guard take care of him before Susan bolted back to join them. I hope she found them,” recounted Demi.
“Me too,” affirmed Mike. “Wonder if they made it up here,” he added.
“Doubtful,” muttered Demi, realizing how difficult a time they head getting this far. “But, we can share with Susan’s dad that we did see her alive a few days ago,” said Demi.
“Suppose we could,” said Mike with a starkness in his tone.
Mike, looking at the still water, turned to Demi and suggested, “Well, I think we should all travel together.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster if you and I went and we left Chris and Jack here to watch over Sophie, Lacey, and your mom?” Demi asked.
Mike argued, “No, Demi. We travel as one group.” He stuck his head out of the window, I’m not letting my mom out of my sight ever again,” he whispered.
Just then, Jack and his kids along with Chris came out of the truck to join Demi as she spoke to the other truck. “So what is our plan?” Jack asked.
Mike spoke up, “We are headed into town to see if we can get some oil.”
“And we are going to see if we can find a car lot that my assistant’s dad owns. It’s a long shot, but we are going to try and see if we can get a vehicle if I’m not able to fix these,” added Demi.
“Sounds like a solid plan,” said Chris, squinting from the brightness of the reflection of the sun on the surrounding water.
“Well, let’s all get something to eat and pack up our supplies,” added Jack. “I wouldn’t want to leave whatever we have left at the mercy of anyone who happens to be strolling by.”
“Right!” Demi affirmed. The group had a breakfast of energy bars and water before packing what they had left into their jacket pockets. Chris had a bag, that he filled some items with that he purchased from the general store in Pocatello, and they carried in their hands whatever else didn’t fit.
The group headed out of the park entrance and toward the main drag of town. Walking for a half a mile, they reached a general store. There they used the cash that Jack had on him to replenish some of the lost items. They purchased backpacks, a tent, several blankets, and more food and water.
Their supply was easier to carry with the backpacks. Before leaving the store, Demi asked the cashier, “Would you know where I can find some oil?”
“Motor oil?” the cashier asked.
“Yeah, for an engine,” clarified Demi.
“Not that I know of,” answered the cashier. “But you should check with Jones’ Car Lot around a half-mile toward the center of town. I’m sure they could sell you something there.”
Demi nodded and turned to exit the store, grateful that they replenished their supplies. Mike stopped her on her way out and whispered into her ear. “Jones’ Car Lot,” he said.
“Yeah, we probably can get some oil there,” responded Demi. “Sounds like a safe bet.”
“But will you be able to repair the trucks?” Mike asked, sounding as though he didn’t have faith in her abilities.
Demi wasn’t certain if she could repair them. Even if she changed the oil and she got the trucks to start, if water was still in the engine, it would only bring problems down the road. Then they could be stranded somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Mike did have a point. “So, what are you proposing?” Demi asked.
“Didn’t the name of the car dealership sound familiar to you?” Mike inquired. Demi thought about it and gave Mike a blank stare. Mike repeated what the cashier said, “Jones’ Car Lot. Like Susan Jones?” Mike added.
That clicked for Demi. “Oh, right. Susan Jones, Jones’ Car Lot. That’s Susan’s dad’s dealership,” said Demi, wishing she spent more time on getting to know the people who worked for her.
“Well, what are we waiting for,” suggested Demi. “Let’s head over there now.”
The group assembled outside, carrying their supplies. Demi announced, “We are headed to a car lot to see if we can either buy oil or a new vehicle.” Demi paused for a moment and then said, “I’ll lead the way.” She turned, feeling the new weight of her backpack on her back and started in the direction of where the cashier instructed her.
Around half a mile later, the group found the car lot. Old cars, new cars and every car in between parked on a medium-sized plot of land. Susan was never forthright about the size or type of business her dad ran out of Butte, Montana. However, clearly, this was a stereotypical used car lot. “I wonder if these have any water damage,” said Demi to Mike.
“We won’t know until we ask,” responded Mike as they group headed to the main office of the lot.
When Demi opened the door, to the portable building that nestled among the sea of cars, she noticed the drab carpeting, the light that came through the dirty windows, and a woman sitting at one of the desks that were off to the side. To Demi’s surprise, her eyes met with Susan’s. “Susan!” Demi shrieked, happy to see her assistant.
“Demi! Is that really you?” Susan responded. The two hadn’t seen each other since Susan went back to Adam and Trevor. Adam had carried Trevor over his shoulder through Caesar’s palace when they realized that moving him was too much of a struggle with the crowd. Adam hung back with Trevor and was going to move when the crowd thinned out.
Susan appeared to have felt guilty for leaving Trevor in that condition despite that Adam assured Mike and Demi that he would stay with him and make sure he was safe. Adam was a United States Marine, more than capable in Demi’s opinion. He could have probably provided Trevor with better care than she could.
“I was hoping this was your dad’s car lot,” said Demi, jokingly looking at Mike as she said it.
“I can’t believe you remembered,” answered Susan, her eyes lit up when Demi said that.
“I wanted to make sure you were all right,” mused Demi. One thing about Demi was she was a celebrity through and through
and knew how to turn on the charm. “We are on our way up to David’s compound,” added Demi.
“Oh, I thought you were not on good terms with your dad,” pried Susan.
“I’m not,” answered Demi. She looked to Lacey who stood next to Mike and said, “But Lacey is.”
Lacey practically leaped into Susan’s arms, giving her a hug. The two had never met before, but each one knew of each other since Susan handled all of Demi’s correspondence, sending Lacey birthday gifts over the years. “So glad to finally meet you,” said Lacey as she held Susan in her arms. Lacey, more like a golden retriever, than anything else was in Demi’s opinion, young, naive, and trusting. Everything she was not.
Demi introduced the remainder of the group to Susan. While she was doing so, Trevor and Adam came from the back office. “Trevor!” Demi shouted, relieved to see her manager was his brash and brazen old self.
“Demi!” Trevor shouted in his signature British accent. Noticing Mike, shouted, “Mike,” before embracing them.
Mike said, “Glad you made it out all right.”
“I had a horrible time there,” started Trevor. “Thanks to Adam, I made it here safe.”
Adam went over to Susan and put his arms around her shoulders and kissed her head. Demi said, “Oh? You guys are a thing?" The affection caught Demi off guard, but she suspected something was going on when Susan left Mike and Demi for Adam and Trevor when she didn't know where they were. However, she thought the thing might have been between Susan and Trevor, not Susan and Adam.
With a smile, Susan responded, “Yeah, shortly after we got out of Caesar’s Palace, we found a friend of my dad who was heading up here in vintage Range Rover. We got a ride with him and have been here ever since the disaster happened.”
Demi, impressed by Susan’s luck and ability to get her, Trevor, and Adam to safety replied, “Wow! That was lucky.”
“Totally,” affirmed Susan. “I never heard anything from the other band members. Blake, John, and Amy?”
Lights Out (Book 2): Power Trip Page 12
