Run into Trouble

to feel the heat from the flames. Harrison lay face down with his arms and legs spread out at grotesque angles. He had been hit by a large chunk of concrete. There was no way he could still be alive. But Danny was lying on his back and moving. Drake dropped to the ground beside him. His eyes were open. They looked at Drake with fear and confusion. He was in shock.
    Blood gushed from a wound in his leg. Melody was already pulling her first aid kit out of her pouch. She extracted a gauze pad, placed it directly on the wound, and pressed. Stop the bleeding. That was the first rule of helping wounded soldiers.
    Drake looked at the burning mansions. They were ovens. Nobody could go in there, and nobody could have survived inside them. In the distance he already heard sirens. The local fire company was on the ball. The firemen would keep the fires from spreading to other houses. The paramedics would take care of Danny and get him to a hospital. It was too late for Harrison and anyone who had been inside the houses. Drake didn’t see any other casualties on the beach. Tuesday was a workday and not a beach day. Luckily.
    He had to get to someone higher in the hierarchy than the local authorities and tell them what he had seen. An older couple had come out of a house several doors from the conflagration. The man and wife watched in horror. Drake would use their phone to call Blade in Washington. In a few words he told Melody what he was going to do. She nodded and gave a terse response, indicating that she would take care of Danny until help arrived.
    Drake rose and became aware of the other runners clustered around them. Phil and Brian had tried to assist Harrison and were shaking their heads in horror.
    Drake said, “Danny’s going to be all right.”
    As he headed for the house and a phone, he hoped he had spoken the truth.
    ***
    “Harrison’s body is being returned to his parents in Riverside. I’ve talked to them and expressed our condolences. I know how badly you all feel. We’ll take tomorrow off in his memory and hold our own memorial service.”
    “So you’re not going to cancel the run?” The question came from Aki.
    Casey looked surprised. “We definitely want to continue the run. I visited Danny in the hospital. He wants us to continue as a tribute to Harrison. I think it’s important that we continue.”
    “How is Danny doing?”
    “A couple of days in the hospital and Danny’s leg will be fine. He lost some blood, but Melody’s quick action prevented him from losing more. He’ll be running again in a few weeks.”
    Casey smiled at Melody who was sitting beside Drake in a conference room of the motel. All the remaining runners were there, as well as Fred, Peaches, and Grace. Casey had magically appeared at the motel that afternoon, saying that he had been in the L.A. area on business.
    Winthrop raised his hand, and Casey recognized him.
    “Isn’t there some…danger to us? Couldn’t there be another…attack or whatever it was?”
    Nobody seemed to know what had happened. Drake hadn’t told anybody except Melody and Blade what he had seen. Apparently the others hadn’t seen the shells in flight and possibly a boat like a submarine. He didn’t plan to say anything until he had spoken to the military personnel who were converging on the spot. Coast Guard helicopters were already making flyovers of the Malibu area. He also suspected that naval vessels were cruising up from San Diego.
    Casey spoke, carefully choosing his words. “I don’t think there’s any danger. If I did, I wouldn’t allow the run to continue. Although we don’t know what happened, we can be sure that the authorities are looking into it. As an incentive for the remaining nine teams to continue, Giganticorp will pay you a per diem of a thousand dollars a team, payable when you complete the race.”
    Drake and Melody were already receiving the per diem. Now all the teams would get it. Casey really wanted the race to continue. He talked about logistics. Today’s run would not count. They would start again the day after tomorrow from the point where today’s run would have ended if it had been completed.
    A motel clerk came into the room and got Casey’s attention. He said that a visitor was in the lobby for Mr. Drake. Drake rose and signaled Casey that he had to leave. It was probably somebody from the military. He strode down the corridor and into the lobby, expecting to see a man in a military uniform. Who he saw was