“Girls! Get out! Get out of the house! Can you hear me?” He was watching for any sign of his girls at the window to get their attention. “Girls can you hear me!”
“Terry I don’t think they can hear you.” Greg informed him shaking his head.
“I have to get them out.” Terry looked around for a way to get to his family.
“How are we going to get over there. The water is there, its surrounding everything! There’s no way…wait we can go up the mountain, follow the road until we find a place to cross.” Greg suggested to him.
“Well let’s go! The girls have no idea what is going on. They do not realized the danger they are in.” Terry started up the hill, but stopped at the sight of the vehicles floating around in circles then going on down the creek. All that water just swept them away, not to mention the trailer that was at the edge of the bank. The old truck had smashed into the power pole knocking out the electricity, and the trailer had smacked into the drive bridge obliterating it, like it was nothing. The trailer traveled on down the creek for a mile before breaking apart.
“We have to hurry!” Terry yelled. He was so transfixed by the sight of everything floating off that the water had almost covered up the basement doors. Those doors are six feet high. “I should have been paying attention, it’s just I couldn’t believe the water is that high. I have to get my family out of that house.”
Terry and Greg went fifty yards up Cotton Branch road to try and find a way across that rushing stream, which wasn’t so small anymore. It now looked like a creek. He was looking for a shorter distance, to the other side of the mountain, across it.
They looked, but there was no way to jump it without landing in the water, and risk being washed down the mountain. The way they were standing on the hillside, and the way the stream was made, plus rushing water. It was impossible.
“We could tie a rope.” Greg told Terry. “I’ll tie one end around me, and the other end you can tie around yourself.”
“I think that would work, are you sure you can hold my weight?” Terry asked as him and Greg went back down the hillside. They went to where they could yell at Mr. Jennings.
“Yes, I believe I can.” Greg answered him as they got near Mr. and Mrs. Jennings.
“I need a rope!” Terry had shouted at him.
Mr. Jennings eased his way to the back of his shed. He happened to have an extra rope hanging there on a hook. He had another one inside the shed, but you couldn’t go through the front of the shed for the water. It would have been the better rope, the one he grabbed wasn’t as thick as the one in the shed.
Mr. Jennings tossed the rope to him. Terry caught it and headed back up the hill with Greg. They tied the rope around themselves, and Greg tried to hold Terry the best he could. Terry had tried to jump over, and fell down into the creek.
The water had started pushing him down the creek and over the mountain. Terry was coughing and spluttering, trying to stop his decent down the mountain.
“There is water coming down the yard, and its surrounded all the vehicles. It’s going into the basement.”
“Nina, you know dad’s basement fills up with a little water when it rains. That is why he has the sump pump in the basement.” Miranda reminded me as if I forgot.
“No, this is water stretching from one bank to another. You can’t see the yard any more!”
“What do you mean?” Joyce jumped up and came to the window along with Mae. Miranda had a little trouble getting off the bed, but knowing I told her not to get up she came over to window anyway. “No, way!” Miranda ran into the living room as fast as a pregnant lady could, still holding her stomach. “Oh, gosh! Oh gosh!” She ran back into the bedroom crying, “The pools gone, everything is covered in water. We have to get out!”
“And do what Miranda? Dad told us to stay put. The water is to swift, it will sweep us away. Besides we’re surrounded by water on all sides.” I put my hands on my hips pacing trying to calm myself down. Allie and Paige were sitting on the bed looking back and forth at us, trying to figure out what was wrong. Mae sat down to hold Paige so she would not worry. I sat on the bed beside her and put Allie in my lap.
“We can’t stay here,” Joyce said.
“The water is not that high, we should be safe in here. Dad’s house is sturdy, the water can’t get us here.” I don’t know who I was trying to reassure them or me. I looked out the window. “The water…It’s only three blocks high.”
“If we don’t get out we could die here!” Miranda collapsed on the floor, laying her head down against it crying.
Paige came over and hugged her. “Mommy, are you okay.”
Miranda hugged her, but didn’t answer, she didn’t want to lie to her. I understood how Miranda felt. We all were worried, and scared. I was afraid of trying to go through the water. It wasn’t for myself that I was afraid, but for my daughter. I turned to look at Allie in Mae’s lap. I couldn’t let us just sit here and wait to drown, but I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to hold onto Allie once we were in the water.
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