Miracle Man (16 page)

"Look out!" Marcus
yelled suddenly, and a second later Lahra saw what he meant. She slammed her
foot down on the brake, searing pain shooting through her knee, the wheels of
the car locking up before sliding to a complete stop. The road ahead had
disappeared under water.

"I can't stop,"
she said to herself as much as to Marcus. "We'll just have to drive
through it."

"Use the posts on the
side of the road as guides," Marcus suggested, but before he got the words
out Lahra was travelling forward again. They entered the almost wheel-deep
water and navigated the hidden, twisting road for several hundred metres before
the white line became visible again. Just ahead was Mountain Bridge, and not
far beyond that, Wally's home.

Again Lahra cast a glance
down the Doyle River as she crossed the bridge. Her earlier feeling that
something was wrong had been right. Why couldn't she have listened to it? Why
did she continue driving towards Marcus’s when she knew something wasn't right?
If she had followed her intuition perhaps she'd have been closer to Wally.
Perhaps she could have got to him quicker.

The road continued to dip in
and out of water, until they arrived at the highway. Instead of turning towards
Valley Bridge and the town, she went the other way. The access road that led to
Wally's wasn't far off.

As soon as she turned off
the highway, Lahra knew they were in trouble. The gradient slipped away in
front of them, and in a matter of metres they met the flood. Now they had well
and truly left the foothills behind them. From here on there were just the wide
flat plains of the Charlotte Valley. The beam of her headlights illuminated no
road, no posts, no clue that a road lay ahead. There was only muddy water,
flowing ominously wherever she looked.

"We can't get through
that," Marcus said resignedly. "There must be another way."

"No there's not. We
have to keep going. The road here is straight, and Wally's place isn't
far." Then Lahra stopped and peered through the wet night ahead.
"What's that? I can't make it out. Is it a light?"

Marcus followed her gaze
into the distance. "You're right, it is. Looks like a window, or a porch
light."

"That's Wally's house.
I'll use it as a bearing. Keep your eyes open." Lahra released the clutch
slowly and the car headed into the swirling water. The steering wheel wanted to
turn out of her hands such was the force of the flow, and she had to pull it
firmly into positon lest they were swept off the road completely. Her attention
didn't wander for a second from the light which grew painstakingly closer. She
knew if she thought about the water too much, whatever nerve she had would wash
away with it. And then Wally wouldn't have a chance.

At last the cottage came
into view, but it was immediately apparent that nothing less than a power boat
could bridge the distance between the access road and the house. The building
was in a depression, and violent water that must have been a metre deep had
enveloped the area. Lahra stopped the car at the top of the driveway and
surveyed the scene, her heart sinking.

"It’s so deep,"
she said with fear trying to catch the words in her throat. "There's no
way we can get to the house."

"Yes there is,"
Marcus said, barely audible over the rain that pummelled the roof of the car.
"I can swim." Lahra looked at him and could see the seriousness in
his eyes.

"Marcus, don't be
crazy! You'll be swept away in a second!"

"You have a winch don't
you?"

"Yes, but-"

"I'll use it as a
safety line. If I get into difficulty, pull me back in. How long is it?"

"Thirty metres."

"Hmm. Might not be
enough. Do you have any rope back there?" Marcus leaned over the back,
already searching.

"I have a snatch-um
strap."

"A what?"

"A snatch-um strap.
It's basic recovery gear, like a heavy duty tow rope." Lahra leaned over the
back alongside Marcus. She stretched to the very back of the storage
compartment. Marcus’s arm reached out to support her.

"Got it," she
exclaimed, returning to the front. Marcus took it, and started unwinding.

"You'll have to operate
the winch. If it looks like I'm in trouble, reel me in. If I wave to you for
any reason, reel me in." He began tying one end of the strap around his
waist. "But whatever you do, don't rewind while I'm inside the house. I'll
unhook myself once I'm in so I can have a proper search. Lahra, what's
wrong?"

Lahra's face had frozen,
staring out into the raging water. "I... I don't know if I can go out
there. The water..."

"Lahra, you have to!
There's no other way. You don't have to go out where it's deep. Just hang on to
the bull bar and stay right by the car. The water won't affect you up
here."

Lahra was silent. All she
could think about was how dark and cold it must be beneath the water's muddy
surface.

"Lahra!" Marcus
yelled, grabbing her by the arms. "Wally is in there and he needs our
help. We don't have time to waste. Just stay close to the car and you'll be
fine."

She suddenly thought of
Wally's plea on the phone. Of the crash and the silence that had ensued. Yes,
she must go out. She must step into the water and operate the winch.

"Okay, let's go,"
she said, and reached for the door handle.

The rain soaked her almost
immediately. Her feet disappeared into the water, the chill wetness almost
reaching her knee. Every artery in her body seemed to throb with adrenaline.
She clung to the wheel arch and finally the bull bar, bracing herself against
it with all her strength. Marcus was already attaching the winch cable to the
snatch-um strap.

"Are there any
obstacles or dangerous objects in the way that I ought to know about?" he
called over the storm.

"No. It's completely
clear to the front door."

"Okay. Here goes."

Lahra looked at Marcus
almost pleadingly. For a brief second she forgot her fear. She forgot the
urgency of the situation. The only thing she felt was protectiveness for
Marcus. Rain danced around him in the beam of the headlights like energy
sparks. For the first time that night she saw the deep colour of his green-gold
eyes, as they looked back into hers with reassurance. It was only a second and
no words were spoken, but a whole conversation took place.

Marcus turned to the house
and walked down into the water as Lahra operated the winch motor to give him
slack. The water rose quickly as he advanced, its power becoming more evident
with each step. Lahra had to remind herself to keep breathing. Even the sting
of the rain on her face and the icy water on her feet weren't enough to disrupt
her attention from Marcus.

A gasp suddenly escaped her
as Marcus relented to the force of the water, unable to keep his footing. He
drifted for a couple of breathless seconds, but then recovered and began to
swim in the direction of the house. His broad back and long arms battled
against the flow. As Lahra watched she was sure that his attempt was futile.
When she had seen him in the river he had matched the current, but here he
seemed to be losing as the water turned him back inch by inch. Her hand waited
on the motor switch, ready for his signal.

But then he started to move
forward. The inches he had lost were retrieved as his stroke found its rhythm
and his kick found its power. He was winning. The relief Lahra felt barely made
an impact on her overall tension, but to see the gap between Marcus and the
house closing by the second was the first real sign of hope she had to cling to.

Her distance vision was
blurred, made worse by the rain, but she knew the moment Marcus’s hand came in
contact with the wall of the house. He grabbed at the window sill and pulled
himself to his feet. Without stopping for breath he moved along the wall to the
front door, and pushed it open. A moment later and he had disappeared inside.

The winch cable had
virtually come to its end. She shut the motor off and returned her eyes to the
door, ready for the first sign of movement.

Her hand tightened on the safety
of the bull bar with every passing second. The cold water had numbed her legs,
and the rain had penetrated her clothes to the skin. The only sound was that of
water. Of the rain. Of the flood. Of the nightmares that swirled in her
subconscious. Time passed at half speed as she waited for Marcus to appear at
the door. When her thoughts turned to Wally's wellbeing, it passed slower
still.

What was taking so long? The
cottage wasn't a very big place. Surely Marcus had found him by now. Surely he
should be appearing at the door, giving his signal to reel them in. Unless...

But Lahra refused to think
about unless. That would be more than she could take. She told herself to be
patient and ready to act the moment they appeared.

And then Lahra's torture
came to an end. It was Marcus in the doorway, his arms securely around the
motionless Wally. He let go long enough to wave to Lahra, and she flicked the
switch to begin the rewind.

The two men were tugged into
the current, and immediately whisked to the side. Marcus battled to keep both
their heads above water and keep some sort of contact with the earth as they
were pulled forward. Lahra willed the winch to wind faster as she watched them
slide further and further adrift.

At last the winch dragged
them to shallower water, and Marcus found his footing. "Shut off the
winch," he yelled, struggling to lift Wally's sudden weight clear of the
water. He strode up the last couple of metres to the access road, his face
contorted with exhaustion. Without stopping he moved straight to the passenger
door and manoeuvred Wally into the reclined seat.

"Is he alright?"
Lahra called above the rain.

"He's alive,"
Marcus panted. "But I don't think he's alright. We have to get to a doctor
fast. Jump in the back and make sure he's comfortable and I'll drive."

Lahra didn't question him.
She made her way to the door and climbed into the back, thankful to be out of
the numbingly cold water. Wally lay there, blood trickling from a gash in his
forehead. She wiped the hair from his face and felt his temperature. He was
freezing. As Marcus climbed into the driver's seat, she reached into the back
once more and pulled out a travel rug and first aid kit. She threw the rug over
her stricken friend, then found some gauze and disinfectant and set about
cleaning his wound.

"He was in the
bedroom," Marcus said as he carefully reversed the car and turned it back
towards the highway. "He must have fallen and hit his head on the bedhead.
Luckily he slumped on top of the bed and not under it. He'd have drowned for
sure."

"I can't believe this
is happening," Lahra thought aloud. "It never floods like this in
Riverbank."

"Well, it does
now," Marcus observed dryly, carefully heading through the water back
towards the highway.

Lahra fell silent, feeling
totally helpless. She wanted to do something right now to help Wally, but there
was nothing she could do. Just as she had waited at home for news on the
Miracle Cinema, all she could do now was wait until they got Wally to the
Riverbank Hospital.

The car finally lurched up
onto the highway, and Marcus pointed it in the direction of the town. "I
think the rain has eased a little," he said, turning the wiper blade speed
down. Lahra didn't take any notice. The rain that had been saviour for the
cinema, might now have turned destroyer for her best friend. Wally was right.
People were much more important than buildings. If she had had the choice,
there never would have been any rain, and the Miracle would have perished in an
instant.

"Hold on," Marcus
said abruptly, and Lahra looked up to see what she supposed was Valley Bridge.
The narrow road was no longer visible, for the Doyle River had enveloped it. If
it weren't for the rails either side, Lahra would never have known that a
bridge was there at all. The foot or so of water they were now in was flowing
nowhere near as fiercely as that across the bridge. Lahra braced herself. It
was impossible to tell what might happen once they drove into it. But in about
three seconds she was going to find out.

"I sure hope no one’s
coming the other way," Marcus remarked as the four wheel drive entered the
torrent. Lahra looked up at him in the rear view mirror. He was smiling.

"If there is, just
drive over the top of him," Lahra suggested. There was a smile on her face
too. The Jeep negotiated the bridge with surprising confidence, and in no time
the river was behind them. The road ahead was awash with floodwater, but even
so the smile on Lahra's face took some time to dissipate. She had no idea what
it was doing there, but it certainly felt good.

*

The quiet, comfortable
surrounds of the Riverbank Hospital were welcome relief from the mayhem
outside. People stranded on top of their cars. Rescue vehicles helping families
from their ruined homes. Torment and heartbreak etched on the faces of people
in the submerged streets. All of these images had followed them here through
the town. For now, this was the only escape they had.