Page 125 of Burning for You
Caro
My ears are still ringing from the gunfire. It was like being saluted while I was lowered into my grave. But I hear Levi calling me.
I twist my body in mid-air, determined not to let myself come down on my belly, wherever I end up.
My tattered shirt gets caught in the falling trees and shrubs scattered along the bank. While I’m glad I’m not in the water, I regret what has actually halted my tumbling. A broken branch has pierced my calf. With no pants to protect my leg, the spear-like wood goes straight through my flesh.
I scream in pain.
“Carolyn!” Levi desperately shouts, scrambling to get to me. “Hold on. I’ll get to you.”
Looking at where I’ve landed, I think the rope Rupert had used to suspend me somewhat worked in my favor. My earlier fall stuttered at first, thanks to the friction between the coarse strand and the branch. Even though in the end I tumbled quickly, I have no doubt it’s stopped me from landing brutally, or even fatally.
“Levi!” I say, looking up as I lean on the slope, perched precariously.
Meanwhile, Jesse comes out of nowhere.
“Jesse, hold me,” Levi says, indicating to his brother he’s going to climb down.
I jiggle my wrists. The ropes around them have loosened. I might just be able to push my body up a bit more if my hands are free, at least to make it easier for Levi to get to me.
But soon I regret my actions. The branches supporting my body are snapping, including the one piercing my calf. Gravity pulls me, together with the debris of wood and shrubs, and I go down like a landslide.
“Levi!” I shout. What’s taking him so long?
My feet are in the water, while my now-free hands are clinging to a root. I know it won’t sustain me long, but I hope Levi will reach me before the current gets me. But when I look up, he seems to be fighting with his brother.
“Boys!” I shout. For goodness’ sake!
Not far from where I am, Rupert’s eyes shoot me a hollow stare. I want to regret his demise—he was once my hero—but nothing in my body agrees, for a good reason. The dead man offers no resistance when the river unleashes its final lap to sweep his body away.
Meanwhile, up on dry land, Levi moves in anger, shouting at Jesse, “I won’t let you kill her like you killed our sister!”
Jesse pulls Levi away from view. At this time, the water is louder than any of them. I pray the brothers will see sense. Because the current beneath my feet is winning, and I know Levi alone won’t be able to save me. We both need Jesse now.
Levi’s face emerges between the trees, and it twists as if experiencing a nightmare. Then I faintly hear Jesse say, “Nobody’s gonna fucking drown today!”
But it’s too late. The unrelenting force of the river pulls me away from the shore. I haven’t even had a chance to say anything to Levi as I gulp more water than I can take.