Drew stopped the truck before crossing. A shudder went through Laurel. The river swept across the bridge, swirling around the railings and over the roadway.
Will jumped out of the back, joining Drew, Adam, and another man. The four studied the bridge for several moments, talked, then returned to the trucks. Adam stopped beside Laurel. “Everything's going to be all right,” he assured her. “Don't be afraid.”
“I'm not,” Laurel lied.
He patted her arm and ran back to his truck.
Will climbed in and returned to his place behind the cab. “There's no more than a foot of water on the bridge, maybe less. We can still drive across.”
Laurel's stomach somersaulted. “It looks bad. Are you sure we can make it?”
“Yep. God will see us through.” He looked at her. “We don't have a choice, sugar.”
The engine sputtered to life, and the truck moved forward. “Find something to hang on to,” Will called. “It could get rough.” He braced his legs and pressed his hands on the roof of the cab.
Bruce wedged himself more tightly into the corner, pulling his children in closer. Both boys moved from the hubs to the truck bed and hung onto the frame. Pulling her legs close to her chest, Laurel pressed her back into the corner. Working hard to keep her breathing slow and even, she tried to quiet her shaking. God, please carry us across safely.
The truck ground through mud, sliding as it dipped down an incline leading to the bridge. The rising waters had created a small ditch, and the back tires became wedged. Drew gunned the engine. The tires spun. He stopped, and Laurel could see he was praying. He put the truck in reverse, backed up, rocked forward, backed up again, then rocked forward with enough momentum so the tires bumped free. They started across.
Water swirled under the truck nearly reaching the hubs. For a moment the pickup lifted and floated, slamming them against the bridge wall. Laurel's stomach pitched, and her shaking increased. She choked back a scream. Somehow the tires found the wood slats of the bridge, and they inched forward. Laurel wiped wet hair from her eyes and craned her neck so she could see where they were heading. They were nearly halfway across.
The swirling brown torrent carried an enormous log toward the bridge. It barreled straight at them. “Daddy!” one of the children screamed, burying her face against her father's chest and clinging to his neck.
“It's all right, honey. It's all right,” he said, but his voice shook, belying his words.
Laurel stared at the log. It rammed the sidebeam, and the bridge shuddered. She waited for the collapse, but the structure held. They kept moving.
“Hurry!” Luke yelled. “It's going to come apart!”
Still hugging her knees, Laurel buried her face in her arms. She didn't want to see.
The truck turned and climbed slightly. They bumped over another small channel where water had eaten away the soil. Finally the tires found solid ground. They stopped.
Laurel stood, hugged her father and Luke, and then turned to watch the truck that followed. She pressed her hand against her mouth. “They aren't going to make it! They won't make it!”
The truck had stopped in the center of the bridge. Surging water lifted it and turned it sideways. The bridge quaked; its girders fell away. Like ocean surf, muddy water washed over the structure, pushing it sideways. “No!” Laurel screamed as it buckled. She looked at her father. “Daddy!” she yelled, the little girl within wanting to believe he could do something.
Will grabbed two lengths of rope and jumped out of the truck. He tossed them to Luke and Jason. “Tie these off! Make sure they're good and tight.” While the boys secured the ropes to the truck's bumper, Will looped one around his waist, knotted it, and ran toward the river. Drew grabbed the other line, tied it to his belt, and followed.
The bridge tipped onto its side in the wash, and two little ones fell into the surge. The driver and a man from inside the cab climbed free and swam for shore. Another man and a woman leaped out of the truck, swimming after the children. The woman flailed. Unable to fight the current, she was carried away. The man grabbed one child and fought for shore. Will swam for the second youngster. Before the swirling flood could carry him away, he grabbed hold of the back of the child's shirt. Luke and Laurel hauled on the rope.
“Hang on. We'll pull you in!” Luke yelled.
Bruce joined Jason on the other line.
Drew headed for the man with the boy.
With the child clinging to his back, the stranger grabbed a downed tree stretching out over the river. The surging waters nearly stripped them away, but the man hung on.
Drew fought his way to them, then shouted something. The roar of the river and blustering storm carried away his voice. Arms around his father's neck, the boy hung on. The man grabbed the rope just above Drew. As soon as Bruce and Jason were sure he had a good hold, they pulled on the line. Jessie handed her cat to the pregnant woman and joined them.
Laurel and Luke continued to drag Will and the child toward shore. The car tumbled into the water and bobbed down river. Laurel watched, horrified, as another child was pitched out of the back. Adam dived in after him.
“God! No! Please help them!”
“Pull, Laurel!” Luke called. “Harder!”
Laurel did as she was told, still watching the raging waters carry away the truck. Adam and the child disappeared in the turbulent tide. Laurel's tears flowed. The rope burned her hands, and she dug her feet into the mud. There was nothing she could do except work to save her father and the child with him.
“Can you drive?” Bruce yelled at Jason.
“Yeah.”
“All right then. I'll hang on here, and you drive them out,” he shouted over the roar of river and wind.
Jason let go of the rope and ran for the truck. Bruce dug his feet into the mud and groaned as he struggled to hang on to the two men and one child. “Hurry! They won't last long in this cold water!”
Jason revved the engine, grinding the gears as he searched for first. He finally found it, and the car edged forward, then slid backward in the slime. Jessie and the other woman pressed their backs against the tailgate. Jason tried again, finally climbing away from the river.
Will and the child, Drew, the man, and boy were dragged from the river. Like muddied carcasses they lay in the rain and mud, not moving.
Laurel ran to her father and kneeled beside him. “Daddy?” There was no reply. “Daddy!”
Will opened his eyes. Looking at the youngster in his arms, he loosened his hold. It was a little girl. Her clothes were nearly ripped off her body. She whimpered softly.
Jessie picked her up. “Now. Now. Everything is all right.” She sat down and rocked the child, holding her close.
“Are you all right, Daddy?” Luke asked.
