Page 82 of Trusted Instinct

Creed grinned at the absurdity.

“We build a stretcher for her and put the wheel on one end.”

“Holding it together with magic and spit?”

“Magic andduct tape.”

“I’m following you,” Creed said.

“Then through the magic of suspended credulity, we somehow get Brandy up that sheer, slickery mess that’s going on with the river banks.”

“Yes, I can see it,” Creed said. “Once we’re up there, we just wheelbarrow her a mile to get to some medical attention.”

“Easy.”

“And the mom?”

Auralia frowned at the woman in an Iniquus beanie and a black trash bag suit. “I don’t see a way to save the mom.”

“We need to prep our bodies for a big burst of energy.” Creed pulled out three protein bars for each of them. He then brought out his water bottle, dumping in electrolyte packets.

They ate and drank and watched the air quality above their heads deteriorate with smoke and soot.

“Now what?” Auralia asked.

“Now we rest and wait for Javier to give us our marching orders.” Using a lid to keep their butts dry, Creed and Auralia curled into each other’s arms.

And for a blissful moment in time, there was peace amidst the chaos.

***

“Here we go,” Javier said over the speaker. “It’s a plan. It’s dangerous. And I will advise you that the likelihood of successfully getting everyone across is less than fifty-fifty.”

“Compared to the risk of staying here?” Auralia asked.

“Staying has a significantly lower chance of a positive outcome. Almost nil. Your route has been cut off by the fire, and the equipment and efforts to protect the people stuck in their cars.”

Jeezis. The sheer panic of being trapped and seeing the fire out your window. The heat. The thickening air. It had to be a hellscape.

“So we chance it.” Auralia sat tall. “We do our best. Tell us what to do.”

“I’ve put various scenarios through the computer. This is the one that gives you the best numeric probability. But you’re on the ground. I’m going to walk you through the action list, and you tell me when it can’t be done.”

“Go,” Creed said.

“I’m suggesting a variation on a Tyrolean traverse.”

Creed had come to the same conclusion. “Auralia, that’s the fancy term for crossing over something like a gorge or a river. You run a line across, then use a pulley and harness.”

Auralia looked at Sheelah and shook her head.

“Modified in your case. Creed you’ll use boulders on either side as your anchor points. We start with a setup. You’re burning daylight, so you’ll have to move fast. Empty the bins. Place them end to end and zip tie the handles of the bins together. Use the duct tape to secure the lids, then attach them together by running the tape around both horizontally and vertically, as the tape can easily rip. This is your stretcher.”

“It’s not long enough.”

“The computer measured, and they should be able to fit torso through thigh. From there, you’ll have to bind their feet and put them in a loop.”

“Bind them, that seems—”