THE FLOOD…PART 4:
THE WETNESS ON HER FACE
Maximus dropped his hand, his eyes following Cort's pointing finger. "Oh,
gods," he moaned. It was worse than anything he'd conjured in his mind. All he
could see was her face and her arm, but it was her. Springing to his feet, he
dashed upstream along the bank toward her, stopping where the rock ledge had
broken loose. From straight above, he couldn't see her at all, so he went to the
side a little bit and he and Cort slipped and slid down the bank into the
stream, now mid-thigh on them.
She looked dead to him and as he waded toward her, his heart was turning to
lead. Her long blonde hair floated out toward him on the current, as did her
arm. Very little of her was exposed, only part of her face, her neck, her upper
shoulders and the one arm. A little
sogged piling of leaves and small bits of debris mounded against her right temple where the current had lodged them.
"J...Joimus," he groaned, lifting her head as much as he could so the
water didn't cover her eyes, brushing away the leaves. Almost hesitantly he sent
his other hand to her throat, his knees nearly giving way when he felt signs of
life there.
"She's alive?" Cort asked.
Mutely, he nodded. His gaze fastened on the large rock. Cort already had his
fingers curved under it, trying to lift it, not succeeding. It would take both
of them, if not more. Maximus knew he'd have to let go of her head, knew that
would mean letting it go back into the rising waters. They would have only
moments to get the rock off her before she drowned. His eyes locked with Cort's,
both of them silently understanding. Carefully he lowered her head, his jaw
clenching and a muffled little ‘ooo’ escaping his lips as he saw her eyes
disappear again beneath the red.
Moving beside Cort, he pushed against the rock, trying to lift it enough to flip
it over off her. His shoulders and arms screamed with the effort of it, his feet
slipping in the mud of the streambed and the awkward position he was in next to
Cort. His face turned red, neck muscles cording, teeth sinking into his lower
lip. He must do this thing. He must!
The rock budged a little, coming loose from its wedged place on the steep bank,
sliding an inch more down toward her face, horrifying him that it would continue
downward, crushing her. Maximus and Cort gathered themselves again, pushing
harder, and with an ugly, sucking sound the big rock rose up and started to
flip. Maximus gasped for a breath, pushed again, and the rock arced almost in
slow motion away from where it had lain. That left the sodden earth beneath it
free to slide again down the bank, taking Joimus with it, and before they could
fully let go of the rock and grab her, she'd gone with the dirt into the stream
and was being carried headfirst with the current. She was so limp she merely
floated along atop it like a piece of flotsam with the branches and other bits
of debris.
"NO!" Maximus bellowed, letting the rock fall. He turned, launching himself into
the water, half-swimming, half-falling, grasping desperately for her. She went
about 20 feet before snagging on a fallen trunk. Reaching her, he grabbed her up
into his arms, collapsing onto the base of the bank. Cort came up, standing
quietly as the General rocked back and forth, holding his wife in his arms, his
tears adding to the wetness on her face.
…continued
