Lightning flashed across the black horizon, illuminating the sky with several strobing pulses. Day had turned to night under the charcoal clouds, washing the color from the sodden town. Lex took us out of Newton. The bug’s tires sloshed through the growing puddles as the wind pummeled the side of the vehicle. With her built so low to the ground, she didn’t do well with severe flooding. Lex’s white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel suggested he struggled to keep us on the road.
I checked the rolling data on the storm screens and read that the wind gusts were reaching eighty-six miles per hour.
An earth-shattering crack of thunder boomed, and Vern cheered. “Let me out. The gods are calling.”
Elliott chuckled. “You’re an idiot.”
We weren’t far outside of town, but Lex shouted, “Should I pull over? I don’t want to flood the engine. Do you see these roads?”
“Not yet. We want to be in the thick of it.” I gave him directions, making excuses that an open country road would look better on film.
The wipers worked overtime, but clearing the torrents of rain and seeing where we were going was impossible. Lex kept our speed under the limit and sat forward, squinting out the windshield. The ditches were fast filling, and the dirt roads outside of town were not soaking up the rain fast enough, leaving massive puddles, slicks of mud, and washed-out areas behind.
Lex persisted. The bug was designed to handle the wind, but caution was still required. Getting stuck was a real possibility, especially with our minimal ground clearance.
Another flash of lightning forked from the thick cloud cover, branching to the earth in multiple directions. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. I counted three Mississippis beforeBOOM.My teeth rattled. My bones sang. My blood surged.
Elliott and Vern went nuts, whooping and barking like dogs. Howling like coyotes.
“Three more miles,” I said to Lex from over his shoulder. “I want to be at its heart, and we’re three Mississippis away.”
“How scientifically accurate.”
“Shut up and drive.”
My phone buzzed, and I checked the update from Charles. We were on track for interception.
“Head down this next road.” I pointed, and Lex slowed to make the turn.
Not a half mile down, he hit the brakes unexpectedly, sending us crashing into one another in the back.
“What the hell?” Noah said when his camera knocked against the window. “This gear is expensive.”
“Why are you stopping?” I squinted at the sky.
“The road’s washed out. Look.” Lex motioned to the windshield. “I can’t drive through that, or I’ll kill the engine.”
“Shit.”
The road dipped into a downgrade and continued like that for as far as I could see. The entire section was a pond. The ditches on either side were gone. Overflowed. If Olivia was on this road, she would be much farther down and had clearly not gone this way.
Before I could order Lex to turn around, Vern shouted, “Here’s perfect. This would be a great place to film, especially with the flooding.”
Thundering rain pelted the roof, another flash of lightning, an instant crack of thunder. The incessant noise made talking impossible without shouting.
Elliott handed out cameras. “Grab a GoPro or a headcam and let’s party, folks.”
I couldn’t keep protesting, or people would ask questions. Maybe I could wade through the flood and see if Olivia was on the other side. If I spotted a vehicle in the distance, the washout made a good excuse to check on her. Safety first, right?
I opted for a headcam so I would be hands-free. Rain splatter on the lens would be an issue, so I tugged the hood of my rain jacket up and used the brim to shield the camera as much as I could. It was warm for a coat, but I’d be soaked in seconds without it. Not that a measly rain jacket would provide much protection, but in the far back reaches of my brain, my mother’s admonishing voice asked if I wanted to catch my death.
That nagging voice might never go away, and the fact that I willingly cooperated with it, even when she was over three hundred miles away, made me wonder if I shouldn’t consider therapy.
The guys spread out, their faces turned to the angry sky as lightning forked, and thunder boomed across the field. My jacket whipped and snapped in the gusting wind, and despite my hood, I had to hold a hand up to shield my face from the torrential downpour. Cold raindrops pelted the tender skin on my face, soaking my pants and shoes in an instant.
The world was alive, and I fucking loved it.
My blood sang.
