FORTY-EIGHT

Pierce cinched a life jacket on Billy. “This should do it.”

Because of Billy’s size, it had been a struggle to adjust the straps. He held another life jacket in his arms, in case the first one didn’t provide enough buoyancy.

Theo, Gloria, and Pierce already wore theirs. The group had reached a long, low cavern with a river flowing strongly through the center.

Jordan had to raise his voice from his wheelchair. “I need to repeat this, in case you’ve forgotten already. The river runs through about a half mile of rock until it reaches Outside. Most of the way, there’s enough room to keep your head above water. In places, though, the water level reaches the ceiling of the rock. You’re going to have to hold your breath and trust that there’s only ten or twenty seconds until you have clearance again. When you reach open air, you’ll be Outside. People there always watch the river for refugees. You’ll be taken care of. I promise.”

Pierce laughed too. Billy thought laughter seemed out of place for Pierce anywhere, but particularly in an underground cavern. Particularly now.

“Hey,” Pierce said, “the man sending me down this river is the man I was sent to arrest. But I guess I won’t even remember that he saved my life.” Billy watched Pierce look at Jordan. “You’re still a wanted man. If you ever get Outside, I’ll have to hunt you. If I’m allowed to keep my job, that’s my duty. You know that.”

Then Pierce stepped away from them and fell backward into the river.

Billy helped lower Gloria into the river. Then Theo.

Jordan trained a flashlight on Gloria and Theo, showing them in life jackets as they bobbed down the subterranean river. Within seconds, the current took both of them into a passageway that had only about a foot of clearance above the surface.

“Your turn,” Jordan said to Billy.

“Okay,” Billy said. He pointed upstream, where it appeared that the river simply came from a wall at the far end of the cavern. “Where does this water start?”

“On that side, the passageway is completely underwater for about a hundred yards.”

Billy nodded as if it mattered. It turned out that it did.

Jordan cared a great deal about the river’s flow. They’d come in through a tunnel that bypassed the waterfall. But on the other side of the cavern, a hundred yards upstream, was where the giant subterranean waterfall fed this river.

Where Caitlyn would be making her escape.

Jordan had a sense of unease. He’d half expected she would already be here.

“You ready?” he asked Billy.

“Yes sir.”

Jordan turned the flashlight toward the river to guide Billy’s steps. That’s when he saw it.

A snake riding the current.

No, not a snake, but thick rope.

He played his flashlight on it. It took several seconds to realize that the rope was part of a long ladder, undulating with the water.

The rope ladder from the other side. Nearly instantly, Jordan realized the implications. If the rope ladder had fallen from one of the ledges, there was no way down.

Caitlyn! He needed to get to the other side, to the base of the waterfall.

He grabbed Billy’s life jacket just before Billy stepped into the water.

“Pick me up!” Jordan said. He trained his flashlight beam on an exit tunnel. “Run with me! There!”