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Jane laughed. “Is this James Bond’s car or something?”
“No, no; listen, just hear me out.” Rick lifted his head and zoomed out on the map on the center console. “Back when we were outside Louisville, did either of you take a look down the river toward the city?”
Dr. Evans and Jane looked at each other, shrugged, shook their heads and replied in unison. “Not really.”
Rick began tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as the threads of a plan began to slowly weave themselves into a tapestry in his mind. “The Ohio River sees—or saw, at least—a lot of barge traffic. Goods going up and down the river. I remember looking down the river toward the city and seeing a bunch of barges and tugboats down there.”
“What’s that got to do with us?”
Rick put the car into reverse, glancing nervously at the fading sun. “We need to find a barge or a big boat or something on the river. If we do, we can bring it to shore, load the car on board, get the barge across and we’re home free.” Rick stepped on the accelerator, pressing the three of them into their seats as the car jumped forward.
Jane looked out the back window. “Not to disparage your plan or anything, but shouldn’t we be going back towards Louisville if you want to get a boat?”
Rick shook his head. “Nope. We keep pressing forward and head north. If we’re lucky we’ll find an intact bridge. If not, then hopefully we’ll find a barge adrift or run aground or something.”
“I don’t particularly like the sound of this plan, Rick.” Dr. Evans clung to the handholds inside the car as it sped along.
Rick shrugged. “It’s the same plan, more or less. The bridge would be best, but if not… well, we have a backup plan.”
***
Another hour and a half’s worth of driving brought with it the discovery of two more bridges across the river—one for road traffic and one for trains—that had been completely destroyed. No boats or barges or watercraft of any kind had been spotted and the trio’s morale, while temporarily boosted by Rick’s new plan, was steadily dropping. The sky was a mixture of dark red, orange and purple with the sun sitting low over the horizon when Jane shouted, startling Dr. Evans and nearly causing Rick to swerve off the road. “There!” She pointed out to the right at the river and Rick slowed down.
“What? What is it?”
“You wanted a boat; there’s a boat!”
Rick turned the nose of the car towards the water as he stopped, the white headlights casting a wide beam across the river. The water was muddy and filled with various parts of trees, likely a result of the earthquakes that were stirring up sediment and causing trees to fall in. Out on the other side of the river, past the debris and barely illuminated by the headlights, was the vague outline of a long, flat rectangular object. The object was large and looked like it was stuck on the eastern bank. Rick stared at it for a long moment before nodding slowly, a smile spreading across his face. “Yes. Yes, it is.”
A pair of binoculars and some careful studying of the shadow-shrouded barge revealed that it was tied up to a small dock on the opposite bank, held in place by a single line that had somehow not broken or become dislodged. The pièce de résistance, though, was what was attached to the far end of the barge, gently rocking in the current of the river. A tugboat—a “pusher” boat—was still attached by cables and lines, and it had been tied off on a large tree that was a couple dozen feet up away from the edge of the river. Together the barge and the pusher kept each other from drifting away from shore while also providing two points of contact with land, reinforcing each other’s tie-offs and helping to keep the precarious pair relatively stable.
Whoever had been piloting the pusher had done an admirable job in securing both the barge and the pusher despite there being very little to work with. What had caused the pilots to want to abandon the craft was anyone’s guess, but Rick knew that unless he, Jane and Dr. Evans were to get lucky enough to find an intact bridge hours or perhaps days further up the river, the best shot they had at crossing in any reasonable amount of time was to use the barge and pusher.
Rick took a deep breath and unzipped his jacket, the rapidly cooling night air piercing through his shirt and prickling his skin. “Which one of you is the best swimmer?”
Jane’s eyes widened and she took a step back towards the car, shaking her head and raising her hands. “No way.”
“Doctor?” Rick looked at Dr. Evans.
“Ugh.” Dr. Evans groaned and nodded slowly. “I did swim competitively for a few years when I was in college.”
“Hey, that’s awesome! I haven’t dipped a toe in anything deeper than a puddle in years so if I go under you can just carry me on your back.” Rick grinned as he pulled his boots off.
“Couldn’t you just make a raft or something?” Jane watched as the two men disrobed down to their underwear. “Swimming in this weather at night across all of that sounds like a death wish.”
Rick grinned. “Not if we plan ahead.”
Chapter 9
Blacksburg, VA
“Okay. Just breathe. Just breathe.” Dianne closed her eyes and put her head back, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves and her racing heartbeat. For some reason that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, she was having more trouble coping with the two men chasing after her than she had when she had walked into the metaphorical lion’s den to rescue Tina. She had been nervous then, but for some reason her narrow escape from the two men chasing her in Blacksburg had her even more on edge than before.
Should I just go home? The thought passed through Dianne’s mind once again and she didn’t immediately dismiss it. Despite her fortitude and will to press on she was forced to admit that she was starting to get scared by the prospect of facing the two men—and whoever else might be with them—again. Heading home without the medication Jason needed was a daunting option, and while she might be able to make up an excuse that would stand up to scrutiny for why she turned tail and ran, Dianne knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t continue pressing on.
“Okay.” Dianne took another deep breath, talking to herself again. “Hold it together. You just have to get to the LTAC and get the medication. Besides, it’s only two of them and you lost them. They don’t know where you’re going.” Dianne opened her eyes and looked at herself in the rearview mirror. “There’s only two of them. Of course… there’s only one of you.” She furrowed her brow as she realized that was the likely reason for what she was feeling. Being away from home with no one to assist her was a new experience and was the likely source for her increased levels of worry.
“Buck up, buttercup.” Dianne squared her shoulders and started moving again, weaving the truck farther into the city. She knew that the two men would likely continue to try and track her down, but she had a job to do. The sooner she finished doing it the sooner she could get back home, get Jason fixed up and then start planning on how to eliminate the threat to her and her family once and for all.
