I could climb it. I ran to the woods, hiding amongst the trees and hoping Mason wouldn’t see me.
They were likely monitoring the entranceways mostly and areas closer to the house. That should buy me some time.
The rain had let up for a few minutes, but then the sky opened up and the downpour commenced. I pulled the hood of Graham’s sweatshirt over my head even though it did little to protect me from the rain.
The rain made it hard to see, which was also an advantage for me. The cameras were less likely to see me, hopefully. But I also couldn’t see very far in front of me. I had to be careful where I stepped, but I also had to hurry. I wasn’t sure when Graham would be back or how much time I had.
Graham… I had trusted him. I thought I knew him. But clearly, I knew nothing about him. And now wasn’t the time to let my guard down.
The truth was the only person I could count on was myself. That much was clear.
I saw the fence ahead and stopped in my tracks. The fence was likely very tall, but I couldn’t really tell because it was mostly underwater.
“Shit,” I cursed to myself, freezing in my spot mere feet away from the rushing flood waters.
I remembered the moment on the bridge. How close I had come to being swept away. If it hadn’t been for Graham…
I could hardly breathe as I was overcome with panic. I’d had only a few panic attacks in my life, but this was certainly going to be a doozy.
Breathe, Emilia. Just breathe. You’re safe.
I was far enough away to be out of danger for now. But I knew flash floods were unpredictable. I had to get to higher ground.
The road leading to the house was on higher ground, though I wouldn’t be able to walk along it in case Graham drove by. I’d get close and try to stay amongst the trees. I could hurry through near the front gate and then rush toward the end of the road where Liv was waiting for me with a car.
I can do this, I told myself. One foot in front of the other.
I walked toward the road and got close enough that I could see it but far enough away to hide amongst the trees.
Just ahead, I saw the gate. It opened and I ducked behind a tree. A pickup truck drove down the road. It wasn’t Graham’s truck - it had to be Eli. He had gone out with Graham earlier. I was concentrating so hard, I nearly screamed when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, keeping it in the plastic baggie I had grabbed from the house earlier.
It was Graham.
Dammit. He was probably home. He might be looking for me.
I had to hurry.
I ran back into the woods. There had to be another way across.
Graham
I stood out in the pouring rain. My truck was parked at the gate, and as far as Mason could tell from watching the video surveillance, she hadn’t left through the gate. If she went anywhere, it would have been over the fence.
But where?
The easiest path would be through the woods; it was a straight shot from my window to the front. I took off in that direction.
“Emmy!” I yelled, hoping she could hear me through the rainfall. “Emmy, it’s not safe out here!”
The river was flooding along the property line, and torrents of water rushed right beside me. I wouldn’t doubt that the small bridge at the gate would be washed out before long. The weather was worsening, the flooding get bad, and Emmy was out here somewhere. Without a car, which meant she was on foot in the pouring rain with the water rising around us.
The water was violent as it crashed into the earth beside me. The dirt crumbled under my feet. One wrong move and I might fall into the rapids, swept away without a hope of saving myself. What if that happened to her, I thought to myself. My heart ached, but I told myself to push on. I was terrified I wouldn’t find her and what that might mean for her.
“Emmy!” I called out again.
I walked along the river, scanning for any sign of her. I called her name, and with each step, panic filled my veins. I'd done many search and rescue missions in my life. I’d saved and lost people throughout. I always managed to