Truehearts & The Escape From Pirate Moon by Jake Macklem (ebook audio reader TXT) 📕

flood.” He looked to the sky and then pointed at the mountain tops. “The sun heats the iron and it melts any ice that has formed at its poles, but the soil can’t absorb all the runoff. The water flows down to the lowest points on the moon.” He paused and looked at Ace. “Which are these plains. The haze is steam. The ice water runoff is mixing with the hot water from the lower lakes and rivers.” Cam looked around for someplace to pull the raft out of the water, but the mountains were still too far away. “Start stowing the gear and tie everything down, including yourself. This is gonna get bad.”

The duo worked together to take down the parachute they had set up for added shade. Five minutes later they had the raft secured and Ace leveled her gaze on the approaching steam. The roil of the wave came closer. “Start paddling!” Cam used his carved paddle and Ace used her spear, modified with a flat piece of bent metal as the fin. “The faster we’re going, the easier we’ll be swept up in the current.”

The oncoming rush of water sounded like thunder. Mugginess in the air came before the bouncing waves. The steam started to obscure their view of the mountains in the distance. As the cold water washed under them, the raft cooled in temperature. “You feel that?” Ace asked.

“Yep. The polymer will hold!” Cam shouted over the violent conflict of tides. “Keep paddling!” The raft started to spin and drift wildly across the roiling waves as it picked up more speed. The duo was tossed around the raft, fighting to row while maintaining their balance. The splashing water was sometimes cold, almost freezing, and other times it was warm, or body temperature. A cold tingle crept up his spine as fear attempted to take root. Taking a deep breath, Cam focused on one thing. I’m coming home, Gwen.

Cam’s thumping adrenaline made everything move in slow motion, each second dragging out into an impossible length of perceived time. Each dip into a wave, each expression of exertion on Ace’s face, lasted only a moment, but Cam had time to commit every detail to memory. I’m coming home, Gwen. The raft suddenly jerked and the right side lifted with the rising wave under it as the left side went down and water poured in. Lunging to the right, he slammed into the raft, desperately trying to push it through the top of the wave.

Ace’s eyes went wide as the gear shifted and slammed into her. She waved her arms, desperately trying to keep her balance, and fell from the raft. She held onto the spear with both hands. The thrashing grasp of the water, scalding and cold, wrenched her body in all directions at once and she vanished in the muck and debris.

Damn It! Cam watched as the rope uncoiled, went taut, and slid along the edge of the raft. He followed the line—it was wrapped around a center polymer support strut, looped a couple of times, and then continued to his waist. She tied us together? He grabbed the rope and was just able to prepare for the sharp snap and tugging of the line.

“Ahhggg!” he grimaced under the pull on his hips and burning in his forearms. “Come on, Red!” He realized that they were behind the front of the wave now. The worst was over and they were drifting more slowly. He scrambled to the raft’s edge and started retrieving the wet, slick rope, hand over hand. Scanning the waves, he could not see through the thick layer of steam and the constant spray of water. “Damn it, Red!”

Then he felt a jerk against the rope. That’s it, girl! Fight! Reaching as far out as he could, he wrapped the rope around his forearm twice and braced it with his other hand. “Help me, Gwen!” In his mind’s eye, Gwen’s caramel-colored eyes beamed at him. “We’re coming home, Gwen!” Cam felt his skin rip as he heaved, searing pain consumed his clenched fingers as the rope fought his grip.

Twelve meters off the raft, Ace burst the surface of the churning waves, gasping for air.

“Thanks, Gwen,” Cam muttered under his breath as he pulled the rope in while Ace swam to the raft.

Reaching the edge, she handed up the spear first, then took Cam’s hand and climbed up out of the water. Together they collapsed in the raft's bottom, breathing hard and heavy. “Thanks. Couldn’t figure out which way was up…” She rolled onto her back. “Gotta admit, that was the first cold I’ve felt since I got here. Refreshing.”

 She might not be right in the head. “I don’t expect the word refreshing in a near-death experience, Red. You almost drowned.”

Ace rolled her head to look at Cam. Her eyes were wild, a neurotic expression searched his face.

“Red, what is it?” Cam asked. She shook her head violently, refusing to speak. Cam spoke softly, “It’s ok Red, you’re safe. Everything is ok, now.”

Her eyes locked onto his and she blurted, “Once, I let a girl die in the water.” Her voice lowered, and she turned her eyes, unfocused, to the sky above her, “I didn’t mean to. I thought I could complete the…” she balked, “…what I needed to do and save her.” She stared at the sky as she continued, “When that cold water hit me, I was back there.” Her gaze focused, still distant, on a point in time she could never go back to. “I wondered what she thought when she saw me in the water, not coming to help her. Did she hate me? Did she even understand what was happening to her?” Her voice broke and tears started running down her temples to the edge of her ears. “I really thought I could save her, Shaw. I tried!” She started to sob.

“Hey Red,