Cut and Run 2 - Sticks and Stones

had packed up several bags and lashed them to a couple of ATVs while Ty and Zane got the prisoners situated on the other two. Strapped down like cargo, they wouldn’t be giving anyone any trouble, and Zane had yanked off the duct tape, figuring the engines would cover any badmouthing that might send Ty overboard. The group reviewed the maps Ty found in one of the satchels, and after Earl said he had a general idea of where they were, with the help of a beaten-up old compass, they’d set off a little after dawn with hopes of making it to something resembling civilization before dusk.
    But at high noon, they hit a snag.
    Zane stood several feet away from the raging floodwaters the storms had created, arms crossed, wondering why he was surprised. It wasn’t like anything had really gone right yet on this nice little hike.
    What had probably been a three-foot-deep babbling brook in the narrow ravine was now a rushing river full of debris, including broken tree branches as big around as his bicep. When it surged up toward him, it was probably rising about five to six feet out of the ravine. There was no way the ATVs would be able to ford it.
    “I’m beginning to hate this vacation,” Ty muttered to Zane as they stood and watched the water rage past.
    Zane stifled a groan and rubbed his eyes. “How about after this we agree not to say the word ‘vacation’ again, okay? Actually, no, we agree to not even think the word ‘vacation’ again.”
    Ty glanced sideways at him. “We’ll use code,” he agreed. “Call it time off. Time off from hell.”
    “Hell would be more relaxing than this,” Zane muttered as he glared at the water. “And I could get a tan.”
    “Well,” Earl said with a heavy sigh as he came to stand beside them and look out at the water. “ATV ain’t gonna cross that. Everybody in shape to hoof it?” he asked as he looked over at them. The sound of the rushing water forced him to shout.
    “Yes, sir,” Ty and Deuce both answered at the same time, their voices tired and defeated. Zane shrugged, feeling their pain. It wasn’t like they had a choice.
    “What do we do with them?” Deuce asked as he turned and gestured at the two prisoners.
    “Toss them in, see how deep the water is,” Ty suggested without looking away from the river.
    “You really think we’re going to be able to wade through that?” Earflaps asked, voice a little thin.
    “I hope you can swim,” Zane called back to them.
    “We can’t untie them and let them get across,” Ty was saying distractedly. “We risk them escaping. I say we leave them.”
    “We can’t let them get loose and go back to what they were doing,” Zane agreed evenly.
    “Neither of you is stable,” Deuce muttered as he turned to watch the water rush by again. He and Ty stood shoulder to shoulder, squabbling quietly.
    Zane turned slightly away from them. “We’re going to have to take one each with us to cross,” he said to Earl.
    Earl nodded grimly. “We can’t leave ’em,” he said to Zane in a low voice. “But I’d be with Ty on this one otherwise,” he confided. “Let ’em rot.”
    Shaking his head, Zane walked over to Ty and Deuce. “Guys,” he said, “let’s get going, huh? Bitching about it won’t make it easier.” Ty nodded and gave Deuce’s cheek a pat before turning to head for the nearest ATV. Zane followed along after him.
    “Kinda wish we’d kept some of that rope free,” Ty said to him as soon as Zane came up to him. He looked back at the river, his eyes searching for the easiest place to cross. There wasn’t one.
    “Winch on the ATV?” Zane suggested.
    Ty was already pulling out the blue synthetic rope from the Gorilla winch mounted on the front of the vehicle, wrapping it around his hand and elbow. “If we move it closer to the water, it might reach,” he agreed. When it hit the end, he looked up and said, “’Bout fifty feet, thereabouts.” He looked across the water. It wasn’t actually a big river. It was just a creek overfull from the downpours and roiling along at too fast a clip to make it safe to cross. “It might make it,” he wagered again as he looked down at the rope. He sounded nervous, though, as he weighed his chances of making it across.
    “I could take it,” Zane suggested, though he didn’t really expect Ty to let go of that rope.
    Ty looked at him and nodded. “I know you could,” he said seriously.
    The corner of Zane’s mouth curled. That was a compliment.