“GABRIEL!”
The river answers with darkness.
My heart stops.
Clay hands Eli to Russ instantly and dives before anybody can stop him.
“CLAY!”
He vanishes beneath the surface too.
Panic claws straight through me.
The river churns violently around us.
Seconds pass.
Too many seconds.
Then suddenly—
Clay erupts from the water hauling Gabriel upward by the back of his tactical vest.
I almost collapse from relief.
Gabriel coughs violently while Clay drags him toward shore through the current.
Together, Russ and Miles help pull everybody onto the muddy riverbank one by one.
For several seconds, nobody speaks.
We just lie there gasping in the rain like survivors dragged back from the dead.
The town glows faintly in the distance beyond the storm. Smoke and buildings burning.
Sirens echo somewhere far away.
Above us, the river tunnel finally collapses completely with a deep thunderous roar beneath the streets.
Gone.
Buried forever.
Clay rolls onto his side beside me, chest heaving hard.
Rain pours down his face.
Blood mixes with river water along his arm.
His eyes find mine instantly.
Still checking.
Still making sure I’m alive first.
Always.
I crawl toward him without thinking.
