Rogue Angel - Footprints Part 55

"I'm not much of a swimmer," Jenny said. "All these years I've been meaning to take lessons, but I guess I just never got around to it."

Annja held on to her. "You're about to change all that. Try to hold your breath for as long as you can. Joey and I will help you navigate through. Just keep your eyes open so you can see what we're doing, okay?"

"Okay." Jenny looked at her. "Annja, I'm really sorry for the things I said to you. I didn't mean any of it. I was just really upset at myself."

"Forget it," Annja said. "Let's just concentrate on getting out of here alive. Then we can take care of our dear pal David."

"It's coming," Joey said, shouting now above the deafening roar.

Annja could see bits of water splas.h.i.+ng the interior of the cavern and then a huge wall of white foamy water rushed right at them.

"Get into the pocket over there!" She pointed at a small depression in the rocks. It would s.h.i.+eld them from the initial onslaught and save them from being pummeled against the rocks.

Joey got in first and then Jenny and Annja rounded themselves into the depression. A large outcropping of rock momentarily s.h.i.+elded them from the water. Annja hoped it wouldn't break off and slice their heads off.

The water tore into the cavern. "Hold on!"

And then it was upon them. Annja felt the blast of cold water hit her and struggled to take a deep breath as the cavern filled from ground to ceiling with water in seconds. Anyone not lucky enough to survive the initial blast would have drowned almost instantly.

The pressure of the water was.h.i.+ng over them subsided and the entire cavern was underwater. She glanced at Jenny who looked absolutely terrified.

Joey disengaged from them and swam off under the water, looking for a way out. He waved Annja over to where he saw light filtering in through the frigid water. Annja motioned for Jenny to stay put and then swam to Joey.

He pointed and, in the distance, Annja could see an opening. Bright sunlight cut through the water like some kind of brilliant column. But it was several hundred yards away. Could they make it? Could Jenny?

She looked back and saw Jenny staring at her. Annja knew if the lack of air didn't kill them first, then the freezing water would.

She worked her way back to Jenny and pointed the direction they would be swimming. Jenny nodded and Annja locked her hands in Jenny's. Here we go, she thought.

Joey was already halfway toward the opening, using his strong legs to power himself through the water. Annja had to pump twice as hard and Jenny's output was only minimal, no doubt from the fear and cold temperature.

Joey took a quick glance back, nodded and then swam through the opening up into the light.

Annja followed in his wake, pulling Jenny until they both were into the opening, as well.

A strong current immediately grabbed them and pulled them through. Annja could barely hold on to Jenny's hands, but Jenny's grip stayed tight. Far ahead, she could see Joey spinning through the maelstrom and then up toward the surface and even brighter light.

Were they out of the cave?

There was a roar in her ears and Jenny started jerking around. She's losing it, Annja thought. We have to surface now!

And then they broke through to the open air. Annja gasped, sucking in air and water at the same time. Next to her, Jenny did the same and then started hacking uncontrollably as she swallowed too much water.

"Hold on!" Annja heard Joey shout. They were in the rapids, and rocks rose out of the water like static dorsal fins of sedimentary sharks waiting to cut them to ribbons.

The river slung them around the rocks and then beyond. The water was deep and cold. But at least they could breathe.

"Annja! Hold on to me!" Jenny's voice sounded terrified, and Annja clung to her friend harder than ever before.

The river swelled, cresting and then tossing them into an even faster-moving current. Then Annja heard a sound she knew well. They were being swept toward a waterfall.

"We're going over," she shouted. Jenny clung on to her tightly. There was nothing to do but wait until they were suddenly falling through the air under the water and then splas.h.i.+ng down into a deep pool. They were sucked underneath and torn apart from one another.

Annja searched the depths and then felt herself floating upward, finally breaking free of the water again. She gasped.

"Annja!"

She turned in the water. The roar was subsiding and she saw Jenny sputtering in the smaller waves. Annja swam over and grabbed her, then dragged her over to the beach. Joey lay on the wet sand, coughing and hacking up the water he'd swallowed.

Jenny collapsed on the sand and vomited a clear stream of water. Annja coughed some out of her lungs and then turned over, letting the sun warm her.

"I'm freezing," Jenny said, her teeth chattering.

Annja looked at Joey. "We need a fire and quick. We'll die from hypothermia if we don't get out of these wet clothes."

Joey nodded and shook some of the water off himself. "I'll get the wood. Give me a second."

Annja helped Jenny up. "You need to get out of your clothes."

Jenny looked at her. "What about Joey?"

"What about him? He needs to get warm, too."

"But he'll see us naked."

Annja took a deep breath. "We can't care about that now. If we don't get warm, we'll die. All of us."

"Fine. But I'm only stripping down to my underwear," Jenny said.

Annja nodded. "That's fine."

Joey came back with a bundle of wood. Annja could tell from the way he was walking that the cold had affected him badly. "I just...need a minute to get it going," he said through chattering teeth.

"You sure you can do it?" Annja asked.

He nodded. "Like one of the tests...my grandfather set up for me in the winter...trying to stay warm..." He used one of his shoelaces and set up a bow drill. He stroked it furiously, and within thirty seconds he had a small coal that he tipped into the bundle. It started to smoke and he grinned. "Fire."

Annja helped him build the fire into a raging blast of heat. "Get your clothes off, pal, you've got to get warm."

He nodded and yanked off his wet jeans followed by his s.h.i.+rt. He didn't seem the least bit fazed by the sight of Annja and Jenny standing there in their underwear.

After a few minutes, Annja could feel the heat returning to her bones. She and Jenny started draping their clothes nearby. "They have to get dry before we can put them back on or we've just wasted our time," Annja said. Fortunately, Joey had found enough wood that the fire soon had their clothes steaming and drying in the sunlight.

Jenny looked a bit worse for wear. It was the second time in as many days that she'd been exposed to the threat of hypothermia. And nearly drowning in the freezing water hadn't helped boost her morale, either.

As they stood warming themselves by the fire, she turned to Annja. "Is this what your life is usually like?"

Annja nodded. "More or less."