Arena Two tst-2

by Morgan Rice

  “ Hold that end,” I say. “I’ll hold this end. Loop by loop, straighten it out as much as you can.”

  “ What are you doing?” Logan screams, looking back.

  “ I have an idea,” I say. I look straight ahead, and see the river narrowing. It’s perfect. From one shore to the next is barely a hundred yards. I looked down at the huge ball of line, and guesstimate it must be at least twice that.

  “ If I can tie the line shore to shore before they reach us, we can snag them in it. Like a tripwire. It’s risky, but I think it just might work.”

  “ It’s not like we have any options,” he says. “Let’s do it.”

  Finally, I feel like he’s stopped arguing and is on my team.

  “ I need you to turn the boat, all the way over to one shore,” I yell as I finish unraveling.

  I scour the horizon, examining the shorelines, looking for something to secure the line to. I see a rusted metal post, dug into the shoreline where a pier used to be.

  “ There!” I scream to Logan. “That metal post!”

  Logan makes a hard turn, doing as I ask, rushing right for the metal post. At least now, finally, he trusts my judgment.

  I hurry to the front of the boat as Logan pulls up deftly beside the post. I grab one end of the line, reach over, and wrap it around the metal post, several times, forming a tight knot. I yank on it hard, testing it. It’s secure.

  “ Now the other side!” I yell.

  Logan hits the throttle, and we race straight across, to the other side of the river. As we do, I push Bree out of the way of the quickly unraveling line; I don’t want her to get hurt.

  I grab the very end of the line as it unravels like crazy, not wanting it to go overboard. We reach the other shore, and luckily, the line is long enough and there’s plenty of room to spare.

  As Logan pulls up, I grab the end of the line and jump out onto the sand, searching frantically for something to secure it to. I spot a tree, close to the water’s edge. I hurry to it and loop the line around, pulling tight. I turn and see it rise up, out of the water. Perfect. Then I loosen it, so that the line drops down, and is resting on the surface of the water. I don’t want the slaverunners to see it.

  I jump back into the boat, keeping the line slack. There’s is probably about fifty yards to spare on it.

  I check over my shoulder and see the slaverunners are closing in fast. They’re probably only a quarter-mile off. I hope they don’t realize what I’m doing. It looks like they’re just far enough away not to.

  “ Drive forward!” I yell to Logan. “But slowly, and not too far. Only about fifty yards. Then kill the engine. Let the boat stop, right out in the open.”

  “ Kill it?” Logan asks.

  “ Trust me,” I say.

  He listens. He moves us forward slowly, out back into the middle of the Hudson. As he goes, the remainder of the line continues to unravel on the boat. When it’s near done, I scream out, “STOP!”

  Logan kills it, and there is an eerie silence. We all sit there, bobbing, turning and looking at the oncoming slaverunners. They are only a few hundred yards away.

  “ Take off your pants!” I yell at Ben.

  He looks at me, confused.

  “ Now! Hurry!”

  He quickly slides his leather pants off his jeans, the ones I gave him the other night, then hands them to me. I wrap them tightly around my hands, using them as a glove, so that the line won’t tear off my skin.

  Finally, Logan realizes what I’m doing. He hurries over, takes off his own jacket, wraps it around his hands, too, and together, the two of us hold the slack line, waiting.

  I tremble as we watch the horizon. They are getting closer and closer, racing for us at full speed. I see them raise their guns. I hope they don’t realize something is up.

  “ Ben, hold up your hands, as if you’re surrendering!”

  Ben steps forward and holds his hands high above his head. It works. The slaverunners lower their guns, conferring with each other.

  But they don’t cut back speed. They still come racing right for us. They don’t see the line, sitting slack in the water. They have no idea.

  As they get closer and closer to my line, I am sweating. I hold the slack line, trembling, Logan beside me. Waiting. They are twenty yards away from where the line sits in the water.

  Please don’t figure it out. Please don’t stop. Please.

  They are ten yards off. Five.

  We only get one shot at this, and it needs to work perfectly. The line needs to raise to just the right height.

  “ NOW!” I scream to Logan.

  At the same time, we both hoist the line.

  The zip line jumps up, rising up out of the water and into the air, about eight feet. It is the perfect height.

  The line rises right to the chest level of the slaverunners standing in the boat. It makes impact, cutting right into them, and as it does, I feel a tremendous tug on the force of the line. We hold it with all we have as it cuts right through them.

  All five of them go flying off the boat, right into the water.

  The boat continues speeding forward on its own without them for another fifty yards before it spins out-of-control and smashes right into a large outcropping of rock. With a horrific crash, it smashes into pieces, then bursts into flames.

  Meanwhile, all the slaverunners bob in the freezing water, flailing.

  I can’t believe it. It worked. It actually worked.

  Logan and I look at each other, amazed. We slowly drop the line.

  Logan hurries back to the wheel, hits the throttle, and we’re off.

  I hear the screams of the slaverunners behind us, flailing in the water, crying for help, as we take off. A part of me feels bad. But I have learned my lesson-one too many times.

  As we go, the sun rises, and for the first time in a while, I begin to relax again. There are no more boats behind us. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I’m beginning to think that we can really make it.

  S I X

  We continue up the Hudson, never slowing as morning morphs into late afternoon. Logan guns it hard, the roar of the engine ever-present, determined to get as far away from the slaverunners, from Manhattan, as possible. The entire morning I am on edge, looking and listening for any signs of anything.

  But after more time passes, I begin to relax. Logan finally slows us just a bit, to cruising mode, and the engine quiets. I look over and see Rose, now fast asleep in Bree’s arms. Bree leans back herself, eyes closed, Penelope in her lap. Ben sits slumped over, head in his hands. And Logan just stares, eyes fixed on the water, expressionless as always. The entire energy on our boat is more relaxed.

  Logan slows the boat even more, and I wonder why, when I look out at the water and see huge chunks of ice. They become larger and more frequent as we go. Logan is slowing to avoid them, and he swerves us left and right constantly, weaving in and out. All of this ice concerns me, especially as I feel a bitter wind cut into my bones, feel it grow colder with every minute. The sky, bright just hours ago, is now thick and grey. In fact, a fog is even beginning to settle on the water. I feel a storm coming.

  Suddenly, flakes of snow began to fall from the sky. They are large, soft flakes, and they feel reassuring as they land on my cheek, as if something is still pure in the world, still working as it should. They make me think of childhood, of happier times, when I loved the snow. When it meant no school, playing with my friends. Now, though, it just means being colder, wetter. Now, it is just an inconvenience.

  Within minutes, the snow becomes blinding, whipping into our faces, whiting out the sky. It becomes hard to even see.

  Logan slows even more, and I wonder if we are out of gas. I hurry over and stand beside him and glance at the gauge: less than an eighth of a tank, but not redlining yet. I don’t understand why he’s slowing, until I look up ahead and see it for myself: there, before us, sits an island in the middle of the Hudson. It’s not huge but it’s not tiny either
: maybe a half mile long and half as wide. It’s long and narrow, ringed by a sandy shore, and covered in thick trees, many of which are pine, covered in snow. I see Logan staring and I know what he’s thinking. He turns and looks at me.

  “ We’re nearly out of gas,” he says. “And riding in this storm is asking for trouble. The ice is getting thicker and the river is hardening. We continue like this, we might sink her. And it will be dark soon. We can push it, or we can park on this island, wait it out here until the river thaws and the storm passes.” He studies the skies. “If we push it, we might find ourselves out of gas and with no shelter. We know what happened last time we parked on the shoreline. Being on an island might be safer.”

  “ I agree,” I say. “It’s safer.”

  He sighs.

  “ Not that I want to park,” he continues. “I don’t. We need to keep moving. We need to put as much distance between us and them as we can. We need to head north, and find fuel. But we have to ride out this storm. And I think an island is a safer place to do it. Maybe we stay a few hours. Maybe even overnight. Let it pass, then keep going. Who knows: maybe we’ll even find something on it, maybe some hunting, or something to salvage.”

  “ For once, I think we agree,” I say, and can’t help smiling.

  Logan tries to suppress a smile, but I see it.

  “ Let’s circle it,” I say. “Make sure there’s nothing hostile and find the best spot to dock.”

  “ Agreed,” he says.

  Logan turns the boat, taking us around the perimeter of the island. It has a shallow shore, maybe ten feet deep, waves lapping lightly against it. Bordering the sand are thick trees, providing a nice shelter in every direction. As we come around the other side, I watch the trees closely, looking for any signs of movement. I see none. But then again, this island is deceptively big, and the trees are thick: there could be anything in there. I doubt, though, that there are any people. I don’t see any evidence of it: no boats, no footprints. Maybe there could be animals in there. Maybe deer, or fox, or something else. My mouth waters at the thought.

  We circle around the other side, nearly finishing our loop, when I spot a perfect place to dock the boat: an outcropping of rock juts out into the water, along which we could tie the boat and have it protected from the elements on two sides. Even better, the rock continues onto the land, morphing into a small mountain, inside of which is a large opening for a cave. It couldn’t be more perfect: we can take shelter in that cave to wait out the wind and the storm-all while keeping an eye on our boat.

  I reach out and point at it.

  “ I’m on it,” Logan says. “One step ahead of you.”

  He cuts the engine as we get closer and we drift for the rock, out boat turned sideways. I grab the rope, head to the bow and jump off as we reach the shore. I land up to my ankles in the icy water, and it stings as it cuts through my leather boots. But I’m happy to be back on land, and I waste no time in grabbing the boat and yanking it up on the sand. Logan jumps out and helps, and together, we manage to yank it up a good five feet onto the sand. I tie the rope securely around the anchor hole in the front of the boat, then hand it to Logan, who finds a notch in the rock around which to wrap it. He tries it several times: it’s secure. Our boat’s not going anywhere.

  The lack of movement finally snaps Ben out of it, and he lifts up his head and looks around for the first time. He looks at me, bleary-eyed.

  “ Where are we?” he asks.

  “ Our new home,” Logan says.

  “ Until the storm passes,” I add.

  For a moment I wonder if Ben is going to argue, to voice a different opinion, maybe be mad at us for deciding without him. But he just gets up meekly out of the boat. His spirit is broken, and he barely seems to know where he is.

  I jump back in the boat, hurry over to Bree and Rose. They are fast asleep and I gently wake Bree. As her eyes open, she immediately looks not at me, but at Rose, fear and worry etched into her face.

  I examine Rose myself, and am equally afraid. She does not look good. She’s paler than I’ve seen her, and while I know she’s asleep, I can’t help feeling that her face looks like that of a dying person. I look down at her arm, at her bandage, and already see large blotches of red forming on either side of the bite. It is infected-and spreading fast.

  I swallow hard, my mouth dry, knowing this is not good. I feel so helpless. I wish there was something I could do, somewhere I could take her. But there’s nothing. Champagne and sleeping pills are, pathetically, all I have to offer her.

  I reach down and pick Rose up in my arms. Penelope refuses to leave her lap, so I hold the two of them, carry them like a baby. Rose is limp and asleep. Thank God for that. I hope she’s not feeling any pain right now.

  Bree gets up and walks beside me. I hand Rose to Logan, then jump down and grab Bree, carrying her off the boat. The snow falls harder all around us. I watch Logan carry Rose into the cave and take Bree’s hand and follow.

  “ Grab the other sacks, will you?” I say to Ben. I don’t want him to be completely useless, if nothing else than for his own sake.

  Ben does as he’s told, reaching into the boat and grabbing the packs of food and supplies. I turn with Bree and walk across the soft sand, towards the cave.

  “ Will Rose be okay?” Bree asks. “Where are we?”

  “ We’re on a small island,” I say. “We’re going to stay here until the storm passes.”

  “ Until Rose gets better?” she asks.

  I swallow hard, not knowing how to answer. I wish I knew myself.

  “ I’m going to do everything I can for her,” I say. “I promise.”

  We reach the mouth of the cave and I am relieved to see it will be the perfect shelter for us. About 15 feet high and 30 feet deep, with a 10 foot ceiling, it is not so deep where I can’t see where it ends. I can see there are no animals-or people-hiding inside. And as I walk in, it already feels several degrees warmer in here-maybe because of the shelter from the wind. I look down and see the dirt floors are dry, too, the snow stopping a few feet from the entrance.

  I feel we can build a fire here. We are protected from the wind, and protected from the eyes of anyone who might be watching. It’s the perfect place for us all to rest and recover and get our bearings.

  Logan places Rose down gently on the earthen floor; he takes off his jacket and delicately rests it beneath her head. Watching him, it surprises me. I had no idea he could be so gentle.

  Penelope stands on Rose’s chest, on all fours, shaking. She curls up in a ball, lying down and pressing her chin on Rose’s chest, looking up at her with sad eyes, refusing to leave her side.

  “ The infection is bad,” Logan says softly as he hurries over to me. “She needs medicine.”

  “ I know,” I say. “What do you propose we do?”

  He shakes his head grimly. “I don’t know,” he finally answers.

  Ben enters with all the bags of food and supplies, and sets them down inside the cave. Logan turns away from him with a look of disgust, still pissed at him for falling asleep on guard.

  At least here, in this cave, we will be safer. There won’t be as much of a need to stand guard. There is practically no way anyone could ambush us here without approaching by boat. And that would make noise. The way I see it, if this island is truly deserted, then we have no worries. I turn to Logan.

  “ Before we settle in,” I say, “we need to know that there’s no one else on the island, waiting to surprise us. We should also scavenge this place, before the storm gets worse, to see if there are any remnants, any supplies we can find, maybe even some kind of medicine. Maybe there are even some animals here we could hunt-maybe we can find dinner.”

  “ Good idea,” he says. “But you shouldn’t go alone.” He turns and looks at Ben. “I’d go with you, but I can’t. I need to stand guard. I’m not about to leave all of our stuff-and our boat-under Ben’s watch.”

  He says it loud enough for Ben to here, but Ben, sti
ll out of it, doesn’t react.

  “ You go,” Logan adds, “and take Ben with you.”

  I turn to Ben, expecting him to argue, or be upset. But to my surprise, he doesn’t. He looks like a broken man. He lowers his head.

  “ I’m sorry,” he says softly. “I’m really sorry I fell asleep.”

  I can hear in his voice that he means it. He is so burdened by guilt-guilt for his brother, and now, for what’s happened to Rose. It’s painful to even look at him, and I’d rather go myself. But Logan’s right: I should have company. And having him watch my back is better, I suppose, than nothing.

  I turn to Logan.

  “ This place is not that big. We’ll be back within the hour.”

  “ If you’re not, I can’t go looking for you,” he says, “without endangering the others.”

  “ Don’t come looking for me,” I say. “If I’m not back, you know I’m dead. And in that case, take the girls and the boat and move on.”

  Logan nods back at me solemnly, and I can see respect in his eyes.

  “ You’ll be back,” he says.

  Ben and I trudge across the barren island, the bow and arrow slung over my shoulder. I’ve never shot a bow and arrow before, and I’ll probably be terrible at it, but I figure if I run across any kind of animal, I’ll figure it out. Having it makes me not feel so bad for stopping for Rupert, if for no other reason than to have this weapon.

  As we walk in silence, the snow pouring down all around us, the world is incredibly still. I hear only the sound of the snow crunching beneath our feet, and the distant lapping of the waves. The late afternoon sky is a solid gray. We’ve only been gone for ten minutes, and in that time, the fresh snow has reached my ankles.

  I am on guard as we go, one hand on the knife on my belt. We’ve crossed half the length of the island, and still no sign of anything. This island is like a miniature forest, covered in thick trees, no signs of any structures or any people, or even of any recent activity. I’m feeling increasingly safe, increasingly at ease.

  In the distance I spot the far tip of the island, and continue to work my way towards it, weaving in and out of clumps of trees. Once we reach it I’ll be much relieved, knowing for sure that there’s no one else here and that we can rest easy tonight. Yet at the same time, if I don’t find any supplies, anything I can salvage, I’ll be disappointed, knowing I’m returning empty-handed to Rose, who is laying there dying.