Chapter 3: The Mountain’s Mercy

My fingers curled around the locket. Under her greedy gaze, I bent and whispered to Scout. He was better at swimming than I’d ever be—training had seen to that. I’d hoped to save his strength, but now there was no choice. “Go, boy. Find the kid.”

Scout wagged his tail and slipped into the current, cutting through the river with the determination only a search dog knows. My heart soared and ached, pride and fear tangled together.

I was stuck with no boat, so I sprinted for the neighboring mountain where a zipline crossed the gorge. The trail was a mudslide, rocks like ice under my boots. I clawed my way up, remembering summer drills—easy when it was sunny, deadly tonight.

The rain was relentless, thunder rolling overhead, clothes plastered to my skin. Lightning flickered behind the black pines, and every step felt like wading through a river of mud and broken branches.

The ferry woman, sensing she was losing her payday, yelled after me, “Last chance—take the boat or get lost!” She swung her oar, not quite aiming, more to scare him off. I caught her wrist, my voice low: “Touch him and you’ll answer to the sheriff.”

She yanked free, muttering curses, but she backed off. Scout was halfway across, and I bolted, lungs burning, toward the mountain.

The downpour turned biblical, thunder shaking the ground. My shoes filled with water, but I didn’t slow. At the summit, I glimpsed the zipline—my only hope, slick with rain.

The captain’s voice came through: “Scout found the kid, but we can’t get him out. We need you, Derek!”

I shouted back, “Give me ten—I’m coming, no matter what.”

I checked the carabiners, heart in my throat, when suddenly the ferry woman appeared behind me. “You think you can use that zipline for free?”

Before I could react, she slashed the cable. The snap echoed like a gunshot, fog swallowing her silhouette. My last shortcut was gone. I sprinted into the mist, desperate for any path up the mountain. Somewhere ahead, a child’s life ticked down with every second I lost.