“They took my truck,” he said. He looked at the water in the front; it was up to Avery’s waist. “I have to lean over and cut the ties. Hold on.”
He pulled his knife from his pocket and had to let go of thedoor in order to climb over the seat far enough to reach the steering wheel. As soon as he leaned forward, the truck slipped forward another foot and Avery screamed.
Then they stopped moving. The water was up to Avery’s chest. His heart thudded so hard he could barely hear the rain anymore. He reached out and sawed through the zip tie on her right hand, wedging the knife between her wrist and the steering wheel. It took a good ten seconds, but it broke.
As he shifted to get the left wrist, the truck tilted more to the right. He screamed when he almost dropped the knife. He squeezed his hand tight around it, nicking his palm.
He waited a second until the truck stopped moving, then cut through the second zip tie.
“Are you hurt?”
“No,” she said.
He didn’t know if he believed her, but they really didn’t have time to argue about it.
“I’m going to get out and hold open this door. You need to climb over the seat and come out this way.”
“Okay.” Her teeth were chattering and she was as pale as a ghost. Both of her wrists were still bleeding.
He grunted as he pushed open the door. They were lucky that the truck had tilted toward the passenger side because there was no more water pressure forcing it closed, but the door was heavy and he was still fighting gravity.
As soon as it was open, he once again put his body between the frame and door. “Now, Avery.”
Awkwardly, she climbed into the back. As she did, the truck fell completely on its side and Avery slipped down into the muddy water and Ryan heard a thud as she hit the other side. More water rushed in and now was also coming from the driver’s side as the truck sunk farther into the muck.
“Avery!” Ryan didn’t dare move from the opening because thedoor would slam shut and he wasn’t certain he’d be able to open it again. But if she didn’t surface, he would have to.
She broke through and gasped. She reached for the handle above the door and used it to pull herself up. He grabbed her biceps with one hand and held the door with his other hand and his body. He strained and pulled her up, and she used the handle for leverage.
As their weight shifted, so did the truck, threatening to completely roll over.
“Hurry!” Ryan yelled, not sure Avery could hear him.
She pulled herself up, grabbed the top of the door with her other hand, and came through the opening. She fell into the ditch with a splash and hit her head on the undercarriage of the truck.
“Avery, get up! Get out of the ditch! The truck could fall back.”
Blood streamed down the side of her face as she awkwardly climbed up the embankment.
Ryan pulled his body away from the frame and the door slammed shut with finality.
He walked along the side of the truck and jumped to the edge of the ditch, then crawled up the side to the street. He and Avery lay side by side.
She was crying.
“Are you hurt?”
“We could have died.” He hugged her, then they sat up. She sniffed, holding on to him. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“Nothing to be sorry about.”
“They could have killed you.”
“They didn’t. Are you okay to walk?”
“Yeah.”
He examined her face, wiped blood away from her scalp where she hit her head on the truck. There was a huge bruise on the side of her cheek and he touched it lightly. Relief rushed over him.He kissed her, then helped her up. “Can we get to your house through the fields?”
