Chapter 4

Lex began filling up the hole around a post; thankful this was the last one. As she had suspected, a portion of the fence had been knocked down when a tree near the now raging creek had toppled. After clearing away the tree with an axe (it was raining too hard to use a chainsaw) Lex had spent the past hour rebuilding this last section of fence. Now all she had to do was finish stringing the wire, and she could go back to the ranch house for a much-needed cup of coffee. As she attached the last strand of wire to the post, a bright flash of lightning illuminated the creek, followed far too closely by a huge clap of thunder. That's it! Waaay too close that time! As she picked up the remaining tools, another flash of light caught her eye. " What the…" narrowing her eyes under her increasingly soggy hat. " Who in the hell would be fool enough to come out on a day like today? " she frowned. " I know we're not expecting anyone." When the car got about halfway across the bridge, a huge tree that had made its way downstream crashed heavily into the structure. The old bridge began to split in half, and Lex watched in horror as the small car fell into the creek and was shoved downstream by the tree.

Cursing, Lex ran to the nearby jeep and tossed her hat and coat inside, trading them for a long length of rope. She ran toward the creek and saw that the car had already been pushed about twenty yards downstream. Without another thought, Lex tied one end of the rope around a nearby oak tree, and the other end around her waist. Taking a running start, the tall woman jumped feet first into the creek, letting the violent current take her to the half-submerged vehicle. The car was being held in place by the same tree that had knocked it into the raging creek, and Lex wasn't certain how long it would stay in one place. The nose of the automobile was already under water, but she made her way up onto the trunk anyway, oblivious to any danger. Squinting through the rain and the debris littering the car, Lex peered through the rear window and saw a young woman slumped over the steering wheel, apparently unconscious. Thankful that she still had her boots on, Lex viciously kicked in the rear window, which popped inward in one piece.

As Lex slowly crawled through the open window, another tree, albeit smaller, slammed into the car, tossing the would-be rescuer over the back seat and into the floorboard face first. Grimacing, she pulled herself up slowly, hoping that the car would stay in place for just a few more minutes. Not feeling any more movement from the outside, Lex moved forward towards the still figure in the front seat. She reached over the seat and gently shook the woman's shoulder. " Hey." No response. The car lurched sideways again. " HEY! " this time with more force. Still no response. Knowing that time was running out, Lex thought quickly. I know you shouldn't move accident victims, but I don't think there's much of a choice here. Putting a hand on each shoulder, she gently pulled the woman back from the steering wheel. Checking for injuries, the only problem she could see was a small lump and gash on the young woman's left temple, which was bleeding sluggishly. As Lex moved to unfasten the woman's seat belt, she noticed the water level was rising inside the car, and was already up to the young lady's knees. With the seat belt unbuckled, Lex gently placed her hands under the woman's arms and pulled her between the seats. Sitting her upright in the backseat, Lex then backed out feet first through the rear window.

Trying to keep her balance on the slippery trunk, Lex reached back into the car and pulled the still form through the open window, setting her onto the trunk just as the nose of the vehicle began to slip more deeply into the water. Lex tried once again to awaken the young woman, to no avail. She quickly pulled off one leather glove and checked the girls' pulse. Nice and strong, think she'll be okay. She replaced her glove and wiped the wet hair out of her eyes. Untying the rope from around her waist, Lex pulled the slight form up onto her own back, draping the loose arms around her neck. Tying the rope back around them both, Lex positioned the girl's head beside her own, and slowly dropped into the racing water. She used her gloved hands to pull them across the churning creek. They'd made it over halfway across before Lex felt her instincts rise sharply. Looking upstream, she saw a large object rumbling right towards them. With no time to think, Lex turned her body so that she was able to get between what appeared to be part of a barn and her unconscious cargo. Taking a direct hit to the chest, Lex nearly passed out from the pain. She managed somehow to hang onto the rope, only to feel frantic arms wrapping tightly around her neck. Loosening one hand from the rope that had become their lifeline, Lex gently tried to pry the convulsive limbs from her throat before she was choked to death. Apparently the young woman realized what she had almost done, and she quickly released her death grip on her savior.