was simply a raft, constructed from logs of wood and tied together with rope. It looked shaky and precarious. I felt nervous at the idea of riding on that, especially since the river was rough in this torrential weather. But at least this time, even if I fell in, my hands would not be tied and I would be able to swim.
The siblings tugged on the raft, placing it over the water, before the three of us climbed onto it. Orlando reached for a tall stick that had lain beside the raft on the bank. Dipping half of it into the water, he pushed us away from the edge and toward the center of the river. The current soon picked us up and began washing us away.
“So,” I said tensely, my voice echoing as we passed beneath the bridge, “is the IBSI’s base behind us?”
“Yes,” Maura replied. “Close behind us.”
“This river would lead us to Lake Michigan,” Orlando informed me, “if a barrier had not been erected. As I said, it’s impossible to pass through it by waterway, so once we get nearer, we’re going to have to head back to the bank and travel the rest of the way on foot… somehow. But this is the safest place to be for now. We’re away from the Bloodless, and it will be harder for gangs to give us trouble. Assuming we don’t bump into them on the river itself.”
After reaching the other end of the bridge and gliding out into the open, I really wished that bridge had been wider. This river, although less so than the roofs of the buildings, was still uncomfortably exposed to the sky. We were moving along swiftly but still, it would not be very difficult for hunters to spot us.
It seemed that Orlando was sharing my thoughts as we both glanced up at a chopper circling a cluster of skyscrapers in the distance. For now, it was apparently preoccupied and there weren’t any other aircrafts around that we could spot. We had to hope that we could slip by inconspicuously, and the hunters in the chopper would remain distracted by whatever it was they were doing—or watching—over there.
* * *
I was actually surprised by the steadiness of the raft, how it supported all of our weight. But that was the best thing I could say about it. It was wet—horribly wet. The river water washed over the logs, drenching my feet and making me feel even colder. At least we’d packed waterproof overalls, which saved us from getting completely soaked to the bone by the rain pounding down over our heads.
The journey was also slower than I would’ve liked it to be. We got stuck occasionally, and other times the current was too strong and we had to pause by the edge for a while before continuing.
I could not say how many miles we had traveled, but we’d made a fair bit of headway down the river by the time a second helicopter came into view—flying closer to us than the other we’d spotted. It was hovering over the buildings, several miles away, but it looked like we were in danger of it turning toward us.
“I think it’s time to get back to the bank,” I said, eyeing it.
Neither of the siblings were happy about the idea, but Orlando, using the long stick, navigated us to the river’s edge. I clambered onto the bank with Maura and then the two of us helped Orlando drag the raft out of the water.
Trees lined this part of the river. We found a trunk to lean the raft against before making our way to a bus shelter on the road. We sat down beneath the covering on a plastic bench. Orlando reached into his backpack and pulled out the map which he’d kept in one of the waterproof containers. He spread it out. “Hm.” He studied it for a couple of minutes before folding it up again and replacing it. “Right. I think I know the best route to take, though I hate these parts. The closer we are to the shore, the more likely we are to run into trouble.”
We left the bus stop. Thunder broke out overhead, and I caught a flash of lightning. It had been raining nonstop ever since we’d left Maura and Orlando’s loft, but this was
The siblings tugged on the raft, placing it over the water, before the three of us climbed onto it. Orlando reached for a tall stick that had lain beside the raft on the bank. Dipping half of it into the water, he pushed us away from the edge and toward the center of the river. The current soon picked us up and began washing us away.
“So,” I said tensely, my voice echoing as we passed beneath the bridge, “is the IBSI’s base behind us?”
“Yes,” Maura replied. “Close behind us.”
“This river would lead us to Lake Michigan,” Orlando informed me, “if a barrier had not been erected. As I said, it’s impossible to pass through it by waterway, so once we get nearer, we’re going to have to head back to the bank and travel the rest of the way on foot… somehow. But this is the safest place to be for now. We’re away from the Bloodless, and it will be harder for gangs to give us trouble. Assuming we don’t bump into them on the river itself.”
After reaching the other end of the bridge and gliding out into the open, I really wished that bridge had been wider. This river, although less so than the roofs of the buildings, was still uncomfortably exposed to the sky. We were moving along swiftly but still, it would not be very difficult for hunters to spot us.
It seemed that Orlando was sharing my thoughts as we both glanced up at a chopper circling a cluster of skyscrapers in the distance. For now, it was apparently preoccupied and there weren’t any other aircrafts around that we could spot. We had to hope that we could slip by inconspicuously, and the hunters in the chopper would remain distracted by whatever it was they were doing—or watching—over there.
* * *
I was actually surprised by the steadiness of the raft, how it supported all of our weight. But that was the best thing I could say about it. It was wet—horribly wet. The river water washed over the logs, drenching my feet and making me feel even colder. At least we’d packed waterproof overalls, which saved us from getting completely soaked to the bone by the rain pounding down over our heads.
The journey was also slower than I would’ve liked it to be. We got stuck occasionally, and other times the current was too strong and we had to pause by the edge for a while before continuing.
I could not say how many miles we had traveled, but we’d made a fair bit of headway down the river by the time a second helicopter came into view—flying closer to us than the other we’d spotted. It was hovering over the buildings, several miles away, but it looked like we were in danger of it turning toward us.
“I think it’s time to get back to the bank,” I said, eyeing it.
Neither of the siblings were happy about the idea, but Orlando, using the long stick, navigated us to the river’s edge. I clambered onto the bank with Maura and then the two of us helped Orlando drag the raft out of the water.
Trees lined this part of the river. We found a trunk to lean the raft against before making our way to a bus shelter on the road. We sat down beneath the covering on a plastic bench. Orlando reached into his backpack and pulled out the map which he’d kept in one of the waterproof containers. He spread it out. “Hm.” He studied it for a couple of minutes before folding it up again and replacing it. “Right. I think I know the best route to take, though I hate these parts. The closer we are to the shore, the more likely we are to run into trouble.”
We left the bus stop. Thunder broke out overhead, and I caught a flash of lightning. It had been raining nonstop ever since we’d left Maura and Orlando’s loft, but this was
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