With each step my feet squeaked. The water had soaked through my shoes, and my toes rubbed against hard plastene. I had barely walked a kilometer before my skin was raw. Another kilometer, and my toes were bloody. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to go on. Step, step, step. I counted each one. As I got closer to the dam, I saw a pile of clothes abandoned by the side of the river, but when I approached, I realized it was actually a dead body twisted in a gruesome way. I covered my eyes and moved quickly ahead. However, the dead bodies were everywhere. Their faces were bloated, and their limbs were discolored and swollen. It was hard to believe that water could kill so many people, but the proof was right there in front of me. Perhaps the people caught by the river could not believe it either until the water had swept them away.
I tried hard not to think about Will, but I couldn’t help looking at each body, praying that none was him. Ulysses had pushed us both from the truck, and Will had grabbed my hand. But the river separated us immediately, plunging us down into the watery depths from which I emerged alone. If Will was out there, he had surfaced somewhere else. I had to believe he was looking for me as I was looking for him. I refused to accept any other truth but that he had managed to survive somehow. It was my only hope, and it kept me moving. Each step might bring us closer.
Then I saw something that made my heart hammer in my chest: a familiar jacket and a long scarf. It was Ali, the pirate who had sat with us in the back of the truck. His mouth was open in an expression of surprise, as if he had tried to drink the water before it killed him. Nearby I recognized another pirate, and then another. Altogether there were six of them grouped closely, soaked and exposed, tattoos blending with purplish bruises and swollen skin. Their bulletproof clothing had not saved them from drowning. In fact, the weight had dragged them under. But I was relieved to discover Ulysses was not among them, nor could I see the dogs, Cheetah and Pooch. I averted my eyes and walked swiftly away.
It was growing dark. Nothing moved except the water. It appeared to be endless, still flowing out of the dam, running downstream toward who knew where. My teeth throbbed, and the skin on my hands was shriveled and yellowed. I sat on the wet ground. This time I couldn’t control the sobs. They consumed me, wracking my chest, crushing the air from my lungs. I was alone, truly alone. I was cold, hungry, and wet, and in a matter of hours, it would be too dark to see. Nothing but ruin surrounded me in every direction. There was no place for shelter, no safety. My brother was missing; Kai was gone; the pirates were dead; and all was lost. I cried until I could cry no more, and my head pounded in agony.
Then in the distance, I saw a light. It swept across the landscape, probing and inquisitive. It shot high into the sky, then swept low across the land. I stood and waved, summoning it to draw close. I didn’t care about the danger or who might be near. Nothing could be worse than staying out all night alone in the soaked and broken land. A light meant people, and people would mean food, water, dry clothes. I jumped up, trying to catch the beams with my hands. But the light danced and shimmied, never resting in any one place for long. Several times it arced above my head, then fell short just before my feet. It seemed to have a mind of its own, sniffing out the corners of the earth in search of something only it knew. Then for several minutes it disappeared entirely, and I thought I was doomed. But it reemerged in a different position—closer and more intense. I broke into a run, trying to capture it before it disappeared again.
I heard the men, then—loud voices shouting and the crackling of radios. I heard something else too that made me stop in my tracks: gunfire. Short staccato bursts. I had never heard gunfire before, but it was unmistakable. Each bullet was clear, crisp, and final. A string of them together sounded like balloons popping in a frenzied burst. I turned to run, but it was too late; the light caught me, and I was frozen in its glare.
Two gloved hands grabbed me and threw me roughly to the ground. I didn’t even try to fight; I just lay there, silently waiting for the end. Then the light was upon me, so bright I couldn’t even open my eyes. I heard a voice, but I couldn’t understand the words. Kee-ay-too, the voice said. Kee-ay-too?
It’s French, I thought. The men were Canadian. Had the truce between Minnesota and Canada been broken? Were the countries at war? The world was too large and complex to grasp. The intricate allegiances of governments and people seemed to flutter as unpredictability as that butterfly in the jet stream. I was just a girl trying to find my brother, my friend, and my way home.
Then in perfect English, the voice said, “Who are you?”
I opened my eyes, but I still could not see.
“Who are you?” the voice repeated again.
“Vera,” I said.
“How did you get here?”
“The pirates brought me.”
“Shut off the damned light,” said the voice.
The world was plunged back into night. Now I could see the man standing over me. He wore a green beret, a dark green shirt, and green camouflage pants. The men surrounding him were dressed similarly. I assumed they were wearing the uniform of the Canadian army, or maybe the Water Guard. Will would know if he were here. I fought back another round of tears.
“Who are you?” I asked.