I know the area he mentioned, which is not too far.
“On route,” I tell him, flicking the emergency lights on and telling the sheriff to reach me by radio from now on.
As much as I’d like to punch the guy in the face, I know I’ll be seeing him sooner than later.
Keep it professional, Ben. Just keep it together until you have Stacey safe. You got this.
“I’ll be there as soon as I’m able, Ben. I’ve already called for a rescue response, but you’ll be the first responder. Do what you can—”
I hang up the phone, only thinking of Stacey now, and agonizing again over the quickest way to reach her.
Sealed roads are more likely to be free of debris, but they’re also slower.
If I cut through the park, I run the risk of coming across rockslides or fallen trees, the main offenders when it comes to blocked roads in the park after a big storm.
I can’t seem to get where I want quick enough, but keeping an eye on the time as well as the road as I travel at high speed, I can see I’m making good time.
I just hope it’s enough.
Killing the emergency lights as I get closer, I light up everything else with white light so I can see better.
The rain has returned and has started to fall, but it isn’t long before I see the ford, and the shape of a white car, teetering in the middle of a raging torrent.
It seems to be stuck on or has been hit by a floating tree, dwarfing the vehicle. Making it look like it’ll be swept away at any moment.
The roar of the water is loud enough to make shouting out useless, but I holler to the car, to Stacey. Telling her I’m coming for her.
The dark, brackish foaming water is past the door handles already, and it isn’t until I hear Stacey’s screams that I realize there’s not a second to lose.
It’s risky, stupid even. And it goes against all my training. I hook the longest rope I have to the front of my truck, hitching the other end to a harness I slip into.
Calculating quickly the amount of rope I’ll need, the apparent depth of the water, and the rate it’s running, I sprint upstream to a point I deem good enough.
I wade into the torrent, feeling for any debris under the water I can use to pull myself along.
There are some branches here and there from a submerged tree, but it’s barely enough to get me halfway out across the ford before I feel the ground under me disappear, my whole body sucked underwater and dragged in a direction I only hope is close enough to her car.
I manage to resurface, and choking a little on a lungful of water, I can see the car, maybe only a foot away, but I’m gonna pass it unless I can reach it.
I search in vain for a branch or something to hook onto before I bob past it, I tug on my rope with all my strength and kick against anything my feet can reach, the current easing me closer to the car.
I can see Stacey’s face, her dad’s too. The water is up to their chests now.
Not a second to lose.
I manage to reach the rear bumper, gripping any part of the car I can until I reach the driver’s door. It’s unlocked, but it won’t open
Stacey’s face is white with horror, but she’s blinking like she can’t believe what she’s seeing.
I can’t believe how cold the water is and growl angrily once I struggle to find my rescue tools on my belt.
“I’m coming baby, just don’t move,” I instruct her, amazed that even now, Greg won’t even lift his head to look at me.
I know he’s conscious, I can see the side of his face. But pride is a terrible thing, and I know him well enough to know this isn’t how he wanted any of this to end.
The ultimate insult for him is to have me come rescue them both after what happened back at the ranch.
Using a small pry bar, I manage to force the door, which threatens to push me back out into the current once the water gets behind it, but I grip the interior even though I can’t feel my hands.
“Ben! Oh, Ben,” Stacey cries out, the look in her eyes enough to make me focus on what I’ve been trained to do.
“Undo your seatbelts,” command them both. “And hang onto whatever you can, for now, lift yourselves up above the water until I can free you both. It’s gonna be okay,” I tell them both, already feeling my teeth chatter from the freezing water.
“Just get her out, Ben,” Greg finally shouts. “I’m done, Ben. My foot’s smashed up under the gas pedal, I can’t even feel my legs anymore…”