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It was beginning to feel like the biblical account of Noah’s flood. Blake eyed the low-hanging clouds pouring down the greatest

amount of rain he’d ever seen. Wind lashed the rain across his face, and there wasn’t a dry spot anywhere on his body. Even

his feet were soaked from splashing through the cold rain. His teeth chattered as he rode the Gator, food pails loaded in

the back, from area to area to feed the animals.

At eight in the evening, only the hyenas still waited to be fed. The Gator’s headlamps barely punched through enough of the

darkness to drive out toward the far fence around the hyena encampment. The field was badly flooded with water only a few

inches from rushing into his cab. The front passenger tire slammed into a hole, and the vehicle tilted heavily to the right.

Blake spun the wheel and tried to recover, but the slimy mud and water had made the area incredibly treacherous. The Gator

ricocheted off a metal fence pole, and the next thing Blake knew, he was suspended upside down in the Gator’s seat belt. The

top of his hair dragged in the floodwaters below him.

His head spun, and his arm hurt when he tried to unbuckle the belt. He fumbled with the clasp and finally managed to loosen it. The fall to the water and ground below jarred him, and his teeth slammed together. He sucked in water and came up choking and spitting.

For a moment he didn’t know which way was up or down. He shook his head to clear it and grabbed a piece of the vehicle to

help him stand up out of the foot-deep water.

His phone had been on the passenger seat beside him, and he searched for it, but it was lost in the floodwaters and mud. He

retrieved a flashlight from the vehicle and turned it on. There was nothing he could do about the Gator, so he slogged through

the water, now nearly to his knees, toward the far exit. Some sixth sense made him turn, and the dim glow of eyes bounced

off the flashlight he aimed at them.

The hyenas are in here with me.

The inner fence separating them from the outer enclosure must have washed away in the flood. They circled toward him, and

he cut a glance to the right. Open field, so no help there. On the left was a large tree, and he just might make it.

He spoke in a friendly voice. “Hey, Clara. Want some food?” Backing away, he reached down into the water and found the pail

of food. He continued to walk as he tossed pieces of meat as far away as he could. At first the hyenas ran toward the food,

but the pieces of meat landed in the water and they turned their attention back to Blake.

He tried tossing pieces of meat so they landed on the partially submerged Gator, but the wind derailed his aim and most still

landed in the muck. The hyenas ran that way and managed to gobble up a bite or two, but with so many misses, they turned back

to approach him again.

He was nearly to the tree though. A few more feet and he’d try to clamber up. It had several low-lying branches, but the trick would be gaining the safety of the higher branches before one of the hyenas could latch onto his leg and drag him down.

In spite of the cold, sweat broke out on his forehead. He had so much to live for and didn’t want to end up dying out here

in this flooded field. Heaven awaited him, but his mom and brothers would never recover from losing him, and he didn’t want

to leave Paradise either. For their sakes, he had to live.

He touched the rough bark of the oak tree, then tucked the flashlight into the waist of his pants. He tossed the empty pail

away, and one of the hyenas went to nose around it, but she quickly left it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clara start

to make her final charge. He grabbed hold of the closest limb and swung his legs up out of the water and tried to get purchase

on the tree trunk with his wet shoes. One foot slipped back toward the dominant hyena’s laughing jaws, and he kicked out to

push her back.

She yelped and came at him again, but she slipped in the water. The slight hesitation was enough for him to clamber onto the

limb six feet above her head. She could leap that far, so he knew he should climb higher. Holding the tree trunk, he managed

to stand on the wet limb and reach up to the next one. He yanked on it and decided it would be sturdy enough to hold his weight.

His hands kept slipping off the wet bark, and it was useless to try to wipe the moisture away on his saturated clothing. Clara

was on her hind legs snapping at the limb a few inches below him. Through the wet leaves he spotted a platform above the tree

branches.

The platform for the zip line! It would give him a better spot to settle and wait for help. He’d be at the mercy of the storm, but at least he’d have a more secure perch. If the hyenas lost interest, he could climb down and escape.

He was already getting tired clinging to the tree limb, so it was now or never. He let go of the tree trunk, and balancing

on the limb, he leaped up and caught the edge of the platform with both hands. He got his legs swinging and managed to hook

one over the limb supporting the platform. Moments later he was well away from the hyenas’ hungry jaws and sitting on the

platform.

Please, God, send help.

***

Paradise checked the time again. Nine fifteen. Only fifteen minutes had passed since she’d last checked it. Blake hadn’t answered

any of the three messages she’d sent him in the past hour, and the notifications showed he hadn’t seen them. What did that

mean? That he was busy or that he was in trouble?

Could the storm have knocked out the cell coverage?

The gymnasium throbbed with life. People of all ages had claimed cots, and groups of teens had teamed up to play hoops on

one end, while younger children squatted over games more suitable for their ages. She spotted Mr. and Mrs. Adams from across

the room and had felt faint for a few minutes until she reminded herself that they had no power over her. But she made sure

to stay well away from them. She found Jenna watching the boys play dinosaurs with three other boys about the same age.

“Did you hear from Blake?” Paradise asked.

Jenna shook her head. “He hasn’t seen my messages either.”

“Nor mine. I’m going out there.” Saying the words cemented her decision. “I’ll keep you posted on what I find, but I can’t stay here not knowing if he’s all right.”

Moisture glimmered in Jenna’s blue eyes. “Thank you. I’ll pray for safety for both of you.”

Paradise accepted Jenna’s fervent hug and held her for a long moment. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“I see the worry in your eyes. I feel it too. Go find him.”

Jenna released her, and Paradise grabbed her yellow rain slicker and yanked on her muddy boots again. What could be happening

out there? In her heart she was sure something was wrong. If Blake could text them, he would have. He knew they would be worried,

and he never liked to cause his mother or Paradise concern.

She pulled up the hood on her rain jacket and ran through the deluge toward the truck. Conditions had worsened considerably

since they’d gotten to TGU. The water was up to her calves, and she was thankful for Blake’s four-wheel drive. The van would’ve

been stuck here.

She climbed behind the wheel and drove slowly past the partially submerged smaller cars and out onto the road. There would

be low spots between here and the park, and she could only pray the truck would make it through them.

The first bit of trouble was at the bottom of a hill. A barricade warned of high water, and a squad car, lights flashing,

sat blocking the road. She ran her window down and leaned her head out into the rain. “I have to get through to The Sanctuary.

I’ll risk it.”

An unfamiliar male officer studied her expression and nodded. “I advise against it, but it’s on you, miss.”

“I’ll take the chance, thank you.”

He moved his vehicle out of the way, and she inched down the hill and through the water that sloshed against the door of the truck. It seemed forever before she glimpsed the sign for The Sanctuary through the driving rain. She turned onto the gravel road, which was mostly mud with little purchase for the wheels. She lowered her speed even more and managed to stay on the road.

The entrance should be just ahead, but the dark, rainy night stole any sense of direction, and she was at the gate before

she spotted a truck idling at the entrance on the right shoulder. She braked beside it. What was Clark Reynolds doing here?

She ran the passenger window down, and Clark cranked down his. “Are you okay, Clark?” The wind blew drenching rain into her

face, and she wiped it out of her eyes and tried to use her hand to shield herself from more water.

Clark peered out of his window. “I came to help out, Miss Paradise. You helped me when I was in a tight spot, and I figure

one good deed deserves another. I wasn’t sure you all made it out, and I was sitting here trying to decide what to do.”

“Blake isn’t answering his phone, and I’m worried. He stayed behind to care for the animals, but he has no way to get out

since we had to take his truck. I’m so glad you’re here. I didn’t know what to do or if I could find him on my own.”

“Are the kids out? And Blake’s mom?”

“Yes, they’re at the TGU shelter. We all got out but Blake, who didn’t feel right about leaving the animals.”

“I’ll follow you to the house, and we’ll figure out how to find him.”

“Thank you, Clark. God sent you.” She knew it in her soul. He’d seen this problem before she’d ever met Clark and decided

to help him.

“I don’t know about that, but I’m here to help.”

He cranked his window back up, and she drove slowly toward the cluster of buildings. A light caught her attention, and she braked on the way to the parking lot. Was that a beacon out there? And if so, who had turned it on?

It was so dark she couldn’t see well, and the light flashed again and again. SOS in Morse code. Then she spotted the figure moving around in a tree flickering the light. Wait, were hyenas around the tree?

It had to be Blake trying to signal with a flashlight.

***

When Blake heard the first shot ring out, he thought it was thunder, but a bullet plowed into the platform, digging a rut

through the wet wood. It sounded like a .223 round. With the second shot he caught movement from atop the barn on the outside

of the enclosure. He peered through the dark rain but couldn’t make out the person’s identity. Either they were a terrible

shot or they didn’t want to hit him. Were they trying to knock him off the platform and into the jaws of the hyenas milling

around below?

His murder would appear to be a tragic accident. He shifted position on the platform so the metal support pole sheltered more

of his body. The shooter would need to change positions to hit him. Had waving the flashlight signaled his position? A little

earlier he’d decided to try an SOS signal in case Paradise had gone to the house. It was too far from here to see well, but

he’d thought he caught a flash of light along the drive and had tried to signal. Whether anyone had seen it was the question.

A bullet struck the metal pole, and he flinched. The rain continued to pound his head and saturate every inch of his body. He couldn’t stop shivering. He peered down through the leaves below and saw the hyenas had taken note of the shooter’s presence and moved toward the far fence. There was no way out, though, with them blocking the gate. If he dropped to the ground, they’d be on him in moments.

If only he’d been able to retrieve his phone. The longing didn’t fix a thing, and he would have to figure this out by himself.

He could go down into the shelter of the leaves and branches for a while, but he feared he wouldn’t be able to hang on with

his hands numb from the cold. And his perch down there would be thinner and slicker. It would be a precarious position.

Wait.

The inner prompting to stay on the platform was too strong to resist, and he clasped his wet arms around his shivering torso

and tried to ignore the desire to do something . He hadn’t been able to text Paradise or his mom, so they were undoubtedly worried. He thought it likely Paradise would try

to find him, but the roads might be flooded and impassable.

His watch glowed the time. Nearly midnight. All he could do was pray and wait.