Deadland's Harves(91)

He looked at me directly and gave a single firm nod, still holding Hali with his other arm. “Hurry.”

I ran for the ladder and waited for two scouts to climb down. Both were laden down with olive drag duffles. As soon as they were on the ground, I grabbed onto the ladder. “Just about everyone is down, and this is the last of the supplies we could get to,” one of them said with a hoarse voice. “The final team is wrapping up on deck now.”

I didn’t wait. The metal was warm under my palms, and I climbed as quickly as I could. As soon as I reached the rail, I pulled myself over and stood. There was fire shooting up through the deck everywhere. Smoke burned my lungs, and I coughed on the black air. The bow was engulfed in flames. Two charred bodies lay hunched over in the fire, and I prayed neither was Clutch.

Frantic, I searched for anyone alive on the chaotic deck. Then I saw them. My heart leapt and air shot from my lungs. Clutch was helping a man down the edge of the deck onto the lift. Right behind him, Tyler was carrying Maggie who was quacking on about something. Even in this hell, I couldn’t help but smile in relief at seeing Clutch and Tyler. Keeping a hand on the rail, I hustled to meet them, careful to avoid burning or smoking deck boards. I reached out and grabbed his arm, just to feel him and know he was real. “Is that everyone?”

Clutch, his face blackened, frowned in shock. “What are—”

“Is this everyone?” I asked again. “Can we leave now?”

“I think so,” Tyler said.

I noticed the unconscious man Clutch was dragging was Don. But his daughter wasn’t with him.

My stomach dropped. “Where’s Alana?”

Clutch and Tyler looked at each other.

“Shit,” Clutch said. “I didn’t see her.”

“Where’d you find Don?” I asked.

“The bridge,” Tyler said.

I patted Clutch’s chest. “Get to the ground. I’ll see you guys below!”

His eyes widened. “No! It’s too dangerous!” Clutch yelled.

I pursed my lips. Every nerve in my body was shouting to stay with Clutch, but I couldn’t leave a child behind to burn. My bottom lip trembled. “Get those two to safety,” I said and then burst away before I changed my mind. Clutch yelled after me, but I kept going.

“Alana!” I shouted and coughed. To my right, flames licked at the varnished wood and I flew up the outside stairs, taking the steps two at a time. When I saw no one outside the bridge, I jumped inside. “Alana!”

I could barely hear her whimpering above the noise of the fire, but I heard her. Jesus. Why did kids always have to hide? I bent over and found her hugging herself under the navigator’s station. “Come here. I’m bringing you to your daddy.”

She didn’t move, and I didn’t plan on taking the time to encourage her to come out on her own accord. I grabbed her arm and yanked her out. She cried, but I didn’t take time to console her. A crying kid was a hell of a lot better than a dead kid. I lifted her into my arms, and ran outside and down the steps. The heat was excruciating. Alana kicked and squirmed, and I nearly dropped her. Suddenly, Clutch was there, and he took the girl from me.

“You’re supposed to be on the boat!” I yelled, angry that he was still in danger.

He ignored me, and I followed him down the steps. It was hard to move fast when trying not to breathe. Alana continued to wiggle in Clutch’s arms, but he was able to keep a hold on her. By the time we’d reached the deck, fire lapped at the deck boards all around us.

“Catch!” Clutch called out to Tyler, and then tossed the girl.

She flew several feet through the air. Her scream stopped abruptly when Tyler caught her. She sobbed in between coughing fits. He put her down next to her father on the already full platform and she clung to him. Tyler looked up. “We’ll see you on the ground.”

Tyler worked the pulley system that Wes had built, and the platform lowered. I glanced over the edge to see the hull around the aluminum ladder smoking. I bent over and touched the ladder with a gloved hand. It hissed like a hot iron, and I yanked back. “It’s too hot.”

Clutch frowned and then squeezed the pulley’s ropes used for the platform. “We’ll rappel down the ropes once Tyler’s down.”

Heat seeped through the rubber soles of my boots. I nodded quickly. “Got it.”

The wood cracked beneath my feet. I grabbed for the rail, but was too late. The floor gave away, and I found myself falling into a furnace. My hands scrambled to grab onto anything. Clutch gripped my wrists, and pulled me up. The heat sizzled straight through my clothes, and I clenched my teeth against the oven temperatures.