“Why would they live so close to the water? They have to know that’s dangerous, especially with normal spring runoff.”
“I don't know, Megan. You couldn't have known they would be there when you came up with this very good plan. We can't save everyone,” he told her in a quiet voice.
“I know that,” she snapped. “But, I promised them we would always be here to help them. Now you want me to destroy them to save us? Chase, it feels wrong. I don't think I can do it.”
Megan wished Wyatt were here. He would know what to do. He would tell her it was okay. They would come up with another plan.
She peered through the binoculars, studying the small hut.
“Megan,” Chase said, interrupting her thoughts. “It's 2:58. We have to blow this dam on time to ensure your plan works. If we don't Wyatt and Evan could be hit with the flood and they could drown. You have to get right with this. This has to happen.”
She dropped the binoculars and looked at him. “I hate this. I hate this so much.”
“We need to get out of here,” he told her.
Megan suddenly got an idea.
She started screaming, jumping up and down, and waving her arms. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, hoping to get Emma's attention.
“Run! Run!” she shouted over and over.
When she looked through the binoculars again, Emma was squatting next to the stream, filling up a container with water.
Her heart ached as she realized what was about to happen. Even though she had protested and thought about not blowing the dam, she knew she would do it. She had to. It was the only way to save her family and possibly the future of the area.
“Let's go,” she said quietly. Her shoulders slumped forward.
Chase didn't waste a second and quickly started back towards the south dam.
“Here,” Chase said, handing her the remote detonator. “It's time.”
Megan took the detonator. Emma and Caitlin playing in the lodge flashed through her mind. Tears welled and flowed down her cheeks as she pressed the button. The sound of the explosion was completely muted. She was lost in a sea of regret and pain.
She barely heard another explosion in the distance. Megan knew it wasn't an echo. Wyatt had blown his dam at the exact same moment. They had pulled off the impossible, but at what cost?
“I hope they survive,” she managed to squeak out past the massive lump in her throat.
“I'm sorry, Megan. I know how hard that was. They have a chance. We can only hope they get to higher ground or can hold onto a tree. Harry is resilient. I think he will find a way.”
Megan knew the words were meant to soothe, but it made it that much harder. She had likely killed all three. They had survived being held captive only to be killed by the very people who rescued them.
“Move, Megan. We have to get back to the lodge!”
Megan blinked away the tears and followed Chase who was jogging towards the south dam. They had to get on the other side of the dam before it gave way. If they didn't, they wouldn't be able to get across the rushing waters.
25
“Are you ready?” Wyatt yelled to Albert who was placing the blast cap into the putty substance.
“Yep, let me crawl out of here,” he said scrambling up.
“Let's get out of here!” Wyatt said, extending a hand to Albert to help him the last few feet. The blasts had to be synchronized for the plan to work.
They took off at a jog and picked up the pace as he pushed the button before dropping the detonator to the ground. They had to get away before the dam gave way. There was still a chance the rush of water could overfill the bank too fast. The water would not only flow to the west, but to the south, in the direction of the lodge.
The explosion made his ears ring. They were a little closer than he would have liked, but they were out of time.
They raced towards the south dam. Wyatt prayed Megan and Chase were close. He hated being separated from her, but knew she wouldn't trust anyone else to do this. It was her determination that brought this plan about. It was only right she would play a major role in making it happen.
Before they reached the large dam, a cracking sound filled the air. It sounded like a bunch of trees snapping in two. The sound sent chills down Wyatt's spine. It was a sound he hoped he would never hear or at the very least, not hear it until his family was tucked safely away.
“The dam?” Albert asked yelling in shock.
Wyatt couldn't talk. The south dam wasn't supposed to go yet. It was too soon! Megan couldn't possibly be across yet. He was already riding high on adrenaline, but the sound gave him a fresh boost.
“We gotta move! The dam caved too soon. The water is going to be pushed through the larger opening, straight down to the lodge and power station!” he pushed his body harder than he knew possible.
The two men ran as fast as they could through the thick trees and brush. It was treacherous. Wyatt did his best to stay upright while avoiding getting smacked in the face with limbs as he pushed through the treed area. He imagined what the south dam must look like. There was no way the two smaller dams could have depleted the lake enough to prevent a massive flood from flowing down the hillside directly towards the lodge.
The dike wasn't finished. It couldn't hold up to that much water. All their hard work would be destroyed along with everything they had worked so hard to build.
“We need to get to the lodge!” Albert shouted. “They have to evacuate.”
Wyatt considered trying to save the lodge, but it wasn't possible. They didn't have the tools or manpower to save the area. It was all going to be washed away.
“Let's go! We'll know what we’re dealing with when we get eyes on that dam!” Wyatt shouted.
He hoped the lake was draining with the explosions at the east and west dams, but if they were holding strong like the south dam, things could get ugly fast. Wyatt thought he could hear water rushing, but didn't know if it was his imagination or the real deal.
Wyatt was out of breath by the time they reached the clearing by the dam. He spotted Evan and Brenda. Both were staring down at the dam. The looks on their faces told him everything he needed to know.
“Did it break?” Wyatt shouted. He kept running towards them not waiting to hear the answer.
Evan was still in shock. He nodded his head.
“Evan, we need to get to the lodge. We have to get Tara and Amy to safety,” Wyatt said when they got within a few feet of them. He was hoping the mention of Tara and Amy would snap him out of the daze he had been in since Garrett's tragic death.
Evan looked at Wyatt for several long seconds.
“Tara and Amy. We have to get to the lodge,” he said with no inflection in his voice.
Wyatt had seen soldiers on the field have similar responses after going into shock. It could last for five minutes or five days. He was hoping for the first. They couldn't afford to have Evan completely shut down.
“Yes, Evan,” Brenda said. She grabbed his hand. “Let's get Amy and Tara to safety. Okay?”
She started pulling him down the hill, slowly at first and then picking up the pace.
“Come on, Evan!” Albert said without the same patience or finesse Wyatt and Brenda had been using. “Snap out of it. You can freak out later. Now is the time to get your butt in gear.”
Wyatt was going to chastise Albert for being insensitive, but his scolding seemed to work. Evan started to move faster. Within seconds, they were racing down the hill again. He could hear the water running parallel to their own path down the mountain. It was picking up speed and the width of the river was widening. It wouldn't be long before the entire south dam gave way and the minor flooding would turn into something far more serious.
26
Albert felt a twinge of guilt at having been so callous with Evan, but he was panicking. He was terrified they weren't going to get back to the lodge in time. Would the ladies know to run? They would have no idea the mountainside was going
to come tumbling into their backyard. He had seen mudslides before. They were violent and fast.
A cracking tree from above spurred him forward.
“Move!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
His knee was killing him and he could hardly draw a breath, but he wasn't going to stop until he reached the lodge.
The other three were ahead of him and he was falling behind with each step. It didn't matter. The faster one of them got there, the more warning the ladies would get. He glanced at the dike on his left as he ran down the hill.
Would it hold? He hadn't closely inspected the wall, but it certainly didn't look all that solid. Megan's idea seemed to have merit, but it was about to be put to the test.
Wyatt was shouting. Albert watched as Tara came around the side of the lodge. They had just broken through the thick trees. Albert could see the goats and kids playing.
“Run! Run!” he shouted, hoping they would understand the danger they were in.
He couldn't hear Tara, but he saw the look on her face before she sprang into action. Willow and Rosie came out of the house, the fear on their faces evident.
Wyatt reached the group first.
“Get up to the orchard! Now!” he screamed.
The kids didn't ask questions. Ryland patted Misty on the backside to get her attention before he started running. Misty was familiar with the game and began running behind him. Mason followed suit, chasing Frankie up the hill. Amy and Caitlin both tried to catch a chicken, but the birds ran.
“You don't have time for that!” Albert shouted. “Get up the hill, now!”
The little girls quickly scrambled up the path that led to the orchard positioned behind the lodge on a hill.
Tara helped Willow, while Rosie waited.
“What are you doing?” Albert yelled when he saw her standing at the bottom of the trail.
“Waiting for you, you grumpy old man,” she said with a faint smile.
“Get up there. I'll be right behind you,” he wheezed.
“A few seconds isn't going to make a difference,” she told him, falling into step beside him.
He couldn't run another step. His knee was threatening to give way with every step forward. His lungs felt as if they were in a vise. He wanted to argue with her, but he simply couldn't. He didn't have enough air in his lungs to speak.
When he finally reached the top, he collapsed. His legs would no longer hold him. He crawled to the edge of the hill to get a bird's eye view of the lodge and the mountainside that was sure to come tumbling down.
“Can you smell that?” Rosie said quietly sitting next to him.
“It smells putrid. Like years of undergrowth just got overturned,” he replied.
They heard another loud crack.
“What was that?” Willow asked.
Wyatt looked at Albert, “A tree? The remaining part of the dam? I don't know.”
Albert could tell Wyatt was worried about Megan.
“Where's my mom?” Caitlin asked.
Albert waited for Wyatt to respond, when he didn't say anything, he figured he better.
“She had a longer way to run,” he explained as nonchalantly as possible. “We sent her and Chase to the farthest point since they are both in such great shape. We know how fast your mom can run,” he winked. “How many times has she had to chase those goats?”
He smiled, hoping to keep the girl calm, but she had been through too much. Seen too much. Caitlin was wise beyond her years and couldn't be so easily placated.
“Look!” Caitlin pointed towards the hillside.
Albert didn't have to look. He could hear it. The last crack had been the remaining section of the dam. He could hear trees toppling and what sounded like boulders crashing against each other. A series of snaps and crackling noises could be heard. It sounded like a freight train coming down the mountainside.
“Oh no!” Willow said, staring in horror. “It’s going to destroy everything in its path!”
Albert watched as the torrent of muddy water laden with trees, rocks and other debris moved down the mountain. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion. His stomach dropped. There was so much mud and water. Even if the dike could divert the water from the lodge, how long could it possibly hold up? The power of the water driving the debris into the wall would be a monumental force. He didn't think a cement wall could hold up against that.
Rosie moved to stand next to Wyatt putting her hand on his arm. There had been no sign of Megan and Chase. If they had been caught in that torrent, there was no way they could have survived. If the water didn't drown them, the trees and rocks would beat them to a bloody pulp.
He dropped his head and tried to imagine how they could cope with another huge loss. They still hadn't told the group about Garrett.
Albert looked behind him. Evan was sitting on the ground, his hands over his face. Tara was sitting next to him with her arms wrapped tightly around him while Amy hugged them both.
Albert cringed when Willow suddenly spoke up.
“You said Chase and Megan blew the dam?”
Brenda answered. “Yes.”
Willow looked at Brenda and then turned to look at Evan. He was covered in blood. Brenda had blood on her shirt and hands from trying to save Garrett.
Rosie looked at Wyatt before scanning the group.
“What happened?” she asked. “Are you hurt? Are any of you hurt?”
They had all been in such a hurry to get to the lodge; none of them had bothered to clean up. Normally, they wouldn't want the kids to see them in such a state, but they hadn't had the time.
Albert managed to stand, but had to keep the pressure off his bum knee. He didn't want anyone thinking he was seriously injured that would stir up a lot of drama he didn't want to deal with.
“Evan has a minor wound. Brenda fixed him up. The rest of us are fine,” he said.
Willow looked him in the eye. “Garrett?”
Caitlin was listening with rapt interest. Frankie and Ryland turned to face him as well.
He waited for Wyatt or anyone else to say something. He couldn't possibly tell them.
Albert exhaled a long breath. “He didn't make it.”
The words sounded like a croak. His chest had grown tight thinking about the young kid who had been so brutally murdered. Garrett hadn't even had the chance to fight back. He had been savagely shot with no warning at all.
Willow gasped, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.
Rosie shook her head, “Oh no. Oh my. Oh geez,” she said, at a loss for words. Albert watched as she blinked several times. He was doing the same. None of them wanted to cry in front of the kids or truth be told, in front of one another.
When everyone realized what had happened, they turned to look at Evan. Albert could feel the man's pain as he looked back at everyone. He was wearing Garrett's blood.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered. “I tried. I really tried.”
Rosie rushed to him and dropped to her knees in front of him, “I know you did, dear. I’m so glad you’re here with us. It will be okay. We will get through this.”
He nodded and buried his face again. Tara had tears streaming down her face. She continued to rub Evan's back and whisper words of comfort in his ear.
Albert turned his attention to Wyatt. The man looked as if he was prepared to jump off the hillside. The anxiety was coming off him in waves. Albert managed to limp over to him.
“She'll be okay, man. She’s with Chase and he is not going to let anything happen to her,” he assured him, placing a hand on his back. “It's going to be okay,” he repeated.
Wyatt shook his head. “Look at it. If she was on the wrong side of that, she’s definitely not going to be okay.”
“Don't think like that man. Give her some credit. Give Chase some too. They would know better than to be on the wrong side of that dam. They probably had to hole up on high ground. Once this clears out a bit, she will come walking in like no big deal.”
&n
bsp; Wyatt didn't look convinced. “I hope so.”
Rosie came to stand by them again.
“Well, would you look at that,” she said with a smile. “That dike you guys built is doing its job. The lodge is still in one piece and the water has been diverted.”
Albert couldn't help himself. “But how long will it hold up? It’s taking a beating. If the rush of water doesn't subside soon, it will erode the wall.”
Rosie narrowed her eyes at him. “Try and be positive, Albert. Not everything has to be the end of the world.”
“I'm sorry. You're right. Let's hope for the best.”
He knew she wasn't truly angry with him. It was Rosie's way. She always remained upbeat, even when tragedy reared its ugly head. She didn't give up, roll over and cry. She always stood tall and fought back. She was the backbone of this little group. He couldn't imagine how any of them would have ever gotten this far without her.
It was then he realized every one of them played a vital role in this world surviving on their own. Each time they lost someone, they lost something valuable. Garrett had become a superb hunter with the bow. It was almost a guarantee he would return with food for the table when he went out. Now, they were going to have to rely on Megan and Wyatt's hunting skills.
Albert jerked back when he realized what would happen to the group if Megan didn't make it back. He was convinced they would fall apart. She had better get her butt back here, he thought to himself. He wasn't ready to live without her.
He turned to look at the devastation before him. He wasn't one to wear rose-colored glasses or sugar coat anything. This was bad. It would take a miracle for the lodge to survive and an even bigger miracle for Chase and Megan to come walking through the door safe and sound.
27
“Go, Megan!” Chase shouted from behind her.
They had taken off running at breakneck speed and hadn't slowed down. Megan fought back the vomit threatening to spew from her mouth, the bile burning the back of her throat. Her breathing was way too fast and hard, but she couldn't get control of it. All she could see was little Emma's face.
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 76
