Free Colony East by Scott Cramer Page B

were running—pumping arms and leaning forward. Waving the paddle in the air, Jordan ran to meet them. He saw it was Abby and Mel.
    Abby, wide-eyed and panicking, gasped, “Brad’s coming!”
    Jordan loped beside them, wondering if he might have to carry Abby. She stumbled and fell twice before they reached the raft. As he dragged the raft into the water, he didn’t see anyone coming down the driveway. He pointed to Stargazer . “That’s our way home.” When he was knee-deep, he instructed them to climb in. He pushed the raft until he was up to his waist. Then he jumped up, hugged the side, and rolled in.
    He handed an oar to Abby. Admitting she was too weak to row, she passed it to Mel. With the wind at their backs, they moved at a good pace toward Stargazer . Gusts sent dark shivers pulsing across the water as rain pooled at their feet.
    “Look!” Abby’s voice trembled. “It’s Brad. Can they get us?”
    Two boys and a girl limped across the muddy beach and stood at the water’s edge.
    Jordan gauged the receding shore and made some quick calculations. “We’re safe,” he told his sister, knowing that even if Brad was a strong swimmer he posed no threat to them.
    The wind carried a sound that nearly caused Jordan to let go of the paddle. He traded glances with Abby and Mel. The gargling throb of the motorcycle grew louder.
    “Mandy and Timmy,” Abby cried. “They changed their minds.”
    Jordan watched in stunned disbelief as Mandy rode to the end of the yacht club driveway and came to a stop before the docks. Timmy hopped off the back and took off his helmet. The gang members started for them, fanning out in a semi-circle.
    “Get on the bike,” Jordan said mostly to himself. “Go. We’ll wait for you.”
    “Mandy never backs down.” Abby’s voice had a tone of resignation.
    When Mandy took out her knife, each gang member produced a weapon. Timmy handed his backpack to Mandy, who raised her knife in one hand and held the backpack in the other. Jordan figured she’d use the pack to blunt an attack.
    Timmy balled his fists, looking ready to take on anyone.
    “Jordan, we have to go back,” Abby cried.
    “I’m taking you and Mel to the boat,” he told them. “The raft won’t hold everyone. I’ll go back for them.” He wondered how long Mandy could keep the gang at bay.
    He and Mel paddled for all they were worth until they were beside Stargazer . He maneuvered the raft to the stern where it would be easier for them to climb out. He held the rudder to steady the raft as Mel went first. From Stargazer , she helped Abby.
    “Put these in the cabin.” Jordan handed Abby the bag of pills. Then he shoved off.
    He wished that he had asked Mel for the paring knife. A puny weapon was better than his bare hands alone. It was too late to go back.
    Squinting in the windblast, he reached out and dug the oar blade deep. He sank the shaft until his hand touched the water and then, twisting his torso for power, pulled the blade until it splashed out of the water. He thought the oar could double as a weapon.
    Lowering his head, he stroked until his shoulders and upper back burned from fatigue. The raft, collecting rain, was riding lower in the water with the weight. It felt like he was paddling a sinking boat.
    He nearly cried out in defeat when he looked back and saw that he’d only gone twenty feet or so. Abby, waving her arms and shouting, appeared to be a mime. The wind ripped the words from her lips and blew them in the opposite direction.
    When he turned back toward shore, he saw Mandy swing her knife at Brad, who jumped back. The tall boy sneered. He seemed content to retreat and advance as part of a pack.
    Jordan bent forward at the waist to lower his profile in the headwind and took shallower strokes. When he saw he was making progress with this new paddling technique, he got a boost of strength from somewhere.
    Thinking he was in waist-deep water, he grabbed the raft’s towline and jumped out. He