Inside the cavernous room, the boy stood on top of a stool, trying to balance himself above the rising waters.
“William!” he yelled. “What’s happening?”
“Hold on Ryan!” William called out, waiting for Jane to hold the door open so it wouldn’t lock behind him. As he began to move through the waters to reach the boy and carry him out, a crashing came from down the hallway. A roar of water followed the thudding sound of falling concrete.
He heard Jane cry out as a torrent of water crashed into her, sending her careening through the opening and forcing the door to press against the inside wall.
“Jane!” William scrambled towards her, battling the increasingly strong current plowing through. After being nearly knocked over, he had to steady himself to keep from plunging beneath. When she didn’t surface, he rushed into the current.
What have I done—?
The water began to change.
He thought at first it was just the fierce current that was altering the color of the water, going from the brownish muck to a whitish silver. But he quickly realized it was the water itself separating, allowing for the woman to emerge.
“My God,” William whispered.
Dr. Jane Spencer rose from the water that now split around her, like an island rising in the midst of a river. While she was soaked through, not a drop of the water now touched her.
It was obvious that she was enraged.
The water continued to rush in, but parted before her. William could see straight to the floor of the room beneath her; it appeared as dry as a sidewalk in summer.
She gave him a quick look of such intense anger that he almost stepped back. “Now,” she said.
William did not hesitate, rushing over to Ryan, who was gaping, his hands on top of his head. He lifted the boy off the table, finding that the divide in the water around Jane had splintered off and was reaching towards them. When the split got close enough, William practically threw Ryan between the parting waters and then jumped into the clearing as well.
They rushed to catch up to Jane, who was now out in the hallway, the water almost up to her neck but cascading around her.
“Holy Moses,” Ryan whispered, looking back and forth at the water rushing around them.
The water parted for them to approach the door to the stairwell and William flashed the badge. Jane led them through and up the first flight of stairs, finally reaching a point where the water was beneath them but rising every moment.
“Jane—” William said, reaching for her as they climbed.
“This is not me. This is not me. I want it out of me. I want it out.”
He took her hand. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You’ll freeze if we don’t get out of here now.”
She snatched her hand away, hurrying up the stairs and away from him.
In the nearby parking deck, the security team for Congressman Flip Smith waited to die.
The two men, fiercely devoted to the politician, did not like the fact that he had entered the building with the smart-ass tech billionaire before they could sweep it, but Flip insisted it was a safe government facility.
They also didn’t approve when he directed them to discreetly wait for him in what appeared to be an empty and practically abandoned old parking garage across the street. “I’ll call you when I’m ready,” he’d said.
So they’d come here, parking on the second level. Their position gave them a view of the protests. They’d watched with some amusement when a hell of a storm had blown in, scattering the crazies like leaves. Not long after, the wind and rain had picked up to such an alarming degree, they saw street signs starting to blow off their poles. Even their car had rocked a little, and they were thankful for the concrete around them.
The rain had started to come down with such force they could barely make out the people and soldiers rushing from the building and heading into a warehouse across the street, which obviously doubled as private parking. Seeing that, they’d opened the car doors to go and find the congressman, only to be practically blown off the deck. When they saw the top of a funnel hovering over the Potomac on the other side of the building, survival instinct kicked in.
They ran to the stairwell inside the parking deck, covering their heads and crouching down, reverting instantly to the children they once were, practicing tornado drills in their elementary school hallway. Waiting for the entire ancient garage to collapse around them, they shouted the Hail Mary to each other.
Minutes later, the storm began to diminish. The walls stopped shaking, the winds ceased howling. Their necks sore, the two men dared to venture out.
The parking deck was covered in shattered glass and leaves. The men ran to their car, finding it intact but covered with a fine coating of dirt. They jumped in, speeding towards the first ramp, and almost drove right into the congressman and a group of people running up.
At the sight of the beleaguered Flip Smith soaked from the knees down, the men jumped out of the car, leaving it running. Beside him was the billionaire, carrying a little black girl. A stunner of a woman, soaked more than any of them, walked alongside a tall redheaded man who looked familiar. A kid followed, shivering.
“Congressman! Are you alright?”
“No,” he responded. “I am not. But I am not hurt.”
“That storm came out of nowhere! Flip, we tried to get to you!”
“We’re getting the car. Got to get these people warmed up,” Quincy said, motioning for the others to follow.
“What happened out here?” Flip asked. “What did you see?”
“It came out of nowhere! In the middle of the day! We were afraid that whole building was going to collapse on top of you, but I guess the funnel turned. You should have seen it! You know I check the weather all the time, sir, and I promise you there was no warning at all about a storm.”
They’d never seen the Congressman look so old. “There’s a lot I don’t understand—”
The revving of an engine came from behind them, following by the squealing of tires. They turned to see the Town Car heading down the ramp.
Quincy slammed on the brakes beside them, rolling down the window. “This is kind of a crap move, Flip, but we’re kicking you off the ride. I think you’re ready to get off.”
“Sir, get out of the car—”
“No, John, let them go,” Flip said, holding out his arm. “He’s right. I don’t want to have anything more to do with this.”
Quincy quickly glanced back at the people in the car. “Probably a good call,” he said, driving out into the brightening daylight.
EIGHTEEN
It was fitting that it was the four of them again.
Kate vividly remembered sitting, then standing, then pacing in her parents’ kitchen fifteen years ago as her mother recounted her time at the University of Illinois, the work she had done into missing people, and why, on that very night, she had gone to meet secretly with the professor who was suspected in William’s disappearance. Kate had gotten so angry realizing what her mother had done that Roxy had chastised her harsh reaction, and she and Stella had bitterly argued outside. When her mother had driven off into the night, Kate felt the first pang of doubt that she didn’t truly know her at all.
Fifteen years later, it was she who had to explain. Yet this time, they were trapped in some room, in yet another warehouse that hid government offices inside.
Her mother’s eyes were so filled with sadness that Kate had to avoid looking at her. Stella was furious, and Roxy wore an expression that was a blend of empathy and disapproval.
When Kate had finished explaining everything she knew, there was a familiar silence, the same, heavy, uncomfortable quiet that followed when Lynn had told her own story all those years ago.