Dark Destiny

Chapter 13 - Down the River

CHAPTER 13—DOWN THE RIVER

As the giant boulders roll down the mountainside, and bounce into the water, Isaac and Joshua row furiously, frantically trying to steer away from the heavy rockslide, which even now threatens to sink their vulnerable raft. Even as they steer away from a huge boulder, which barely misses their raft, gallons of water splash against the raft and the passengers, spraying them with the icy water, causing them to flinch as the water strikes exposed areas of their skin.

In the raft behind them, Jeremiah and Sammy shift their raft to the left, even as a hail of boulders slam into the water in front of, and directly beside, them. Small rocks and pebbles ricochet against the side of the vinyl rafts, some hitting Sammy on the arm. However, he ignores the pain and focuses on keeping them away from the worst of the deluge of rocks and stones, which continue to make their way down the mountainside.

Althea, her eyes wide with terror, ducks, a stone the size of her fist barely missing her head. She leans down, picking up a backpack from the raft and lifting it up, deflecting a hail of small stones that are raining down on her. They hit the raft with great force, causing her to curl up her body closer, making herself a smaller target, as the rocks bounce off the backpack, some landing in the raft, others bouncing off the sides of the raft as they make their way into the turbulent water.

"Jeremiah!" she yells out in a frantic tone, even though her words are largely drowned out by the rumbling of rocks against the mountains, and the near-constant splashing sounds of the rocks and boulders hitting the water. "Get us out of here!"

As the water splashes onto her, Althea turns her hand away from the incoming water, and sinks her chin into her parka. Despite her efforts, her hair gets soaked, and she starts to shiver involuntarily.

The raft rocks up and down in the suddenly turbulent water, as Jeremiah and Sammy do their best to ignore the pounding their arms and legs are getting from the smaller rocks and stones that are raining down on them. The raft is also getting a gray dusting from small powder and rocks, but the water splashing into the raft keeps it from accumulating.

"Over there!" Jeremiah calls out over the sound of the torrent of rocks still making their way down the mountainside. As Sammy tilts his head slightly, turning over towards him, Jeremiah points towards a spot on the opposite shore, twenty yards from their current location—a spot away from the falling rocks, where the shoreline dips inward, and the waters rise, moving onto the sandy shore.

Sammy looks at the area, quickly understanding Jeremiah's intention, and nodding in assent, he shifts his movements to that side, continuing to row purposefully, helping to pull the raft in that direction.

As the raft starts to pull hard away towards that shoreline, Althea's eyes widen, and she leans forward, grabbing her knapsack and using it to partially deflect a large boulder that was headed towards the back of Jeremiah's unprotected head. Deprived of its intended target, the boulder bounces off the side of the raft and splashes into the water, adding more water to the side of the already-drenched raft.

"You're welcome," Althea sarcastically jokes. But, Jeremiah makes no response, leaving her to wonder if he was even aware of the falling boulder, so intent is he on getting them out of their immediate danger. She's too thankful for his dedication, and his efforts to get them out of immediate danger, to make any more note of the situation...at least now. She'll have the opportunity to rib Jeremiah about it later. She's thrown backward suddenly, even as the raft makes a hard, sharp turn in the opposite direction, leaving her to catch herself with her right forearm, which hits the side of the raft.