Free Countdown by Natalie Standiford Page B

climbing to her feet and hurrying the rest of the way over the gorge.
    They’d all made it safely across the bridge. They ran along a jungle path, only to find themselves at another zip line, this one running over a rushing river.
    â€œI remember the map! This line should lead to the zip line center,” Dan cried.
    â€œGood.” The zip line center would be crowded with tourists and patrolled by armed park guards. If they could get to the center, they might be safe from Pierce’s men, at least for a little while. “Let’s go,” Amy said.
    Jake lifted Atticus into a harness and sent him soaring like a bird over the rushing water. Jake followed to make sure he’d be okay on the other side. They zoomed across the river and disappeared into the trees on their way to the zip line center. Amy glanced back. No sign of the men who’d been chasing them yet. But they were sure to appear any moment. She pushed Dan in front of her. “Go. Now!”
    Dan jumped into the harness and slid across the double wire that connected the platform to the other side of the river. At that moment a new thug appeared on the far shore — another one of Pierce’s men, coming at them from the other side. The thugs had called for reinforcements. Jake and Atticus had zipped by right before he got there. He spoke into a two-way radio, nodding as if he’d just been told where to go and what to do. Brandishing a machete, he climbed up to a platform in a tree next to the zip line. Then he started hacking at one of the two zip line wires.
    Dan was headed straight for him.
    Amy’s heart jumped to her throat. Dan was halfway across when the top wire that held him snapped.
    â€œDan!” Amy screamed.
    The wire dropped in front of Dan. His harness halted with a jerk and the lower wire drooped low over the river. He dangled above the water rushing over the rocks below, supported by only one wire now, the other in his way, keeping him from sliding forward.
    Amy heard thudding footsteps behind her. She turned quickly. The rickety suspension bridge had slowed down the fighters who’d been chasing them — the men were so big they had to cross it carefully, or their weight might break it or sway it so much it would throw them off. But they had finally made it over the bridge and were running toward her down the jungle path.
    They’d be on top of her in a matter of minutes.
    Across the river, the saboteur hacked at the second wire. Once it broke, the pulleys holding the harness would slide off the wire and Dan would tumble into the river to his death.
    â€œDAN!” she screamed again.
    Dan twisted in the harness, looking for Amy. When he found her, they locked eyes. She could read his thoughts, and they were terrible.
    This is it
, he telegraphed to her.
Good-bye.
    No!
Her body jolted with terror, a lightning bolt to the brain.
    Without thinking, she jumped into her harness. She’d zip over to Dan, catch him, glide him to safety. . . .
    She’d nearly leaped over the water when she caught herself. It wouldn’t work. She’d reach Dan halfway over the river, and they’d both be stuck. Half the zip line had been cut. Across the river, the strongman was chopping, chopping, chopping. The second wire weakened, sagging even more.
    Dan’s body dropped closer to the rushing water, the harness holding him like a noose.
    Every nerve, every fiber in Amy’s body strained over that river toward her brother. Her brain was on fire, rat-a-tatting,
save him save him how how how?
    She scanned the ground for a life preserver, a float, something she could toss him that might break his fall, but there was nothing. The wire thinned. Dan’s body dropped lower. He closed his eyes, his face a mask of terror.
    The wire was hair-thin. It was about to break.
    Behind her, the thugs were only yards away.
    As if in a nightmare, Amy saw what was about to happen. She saw Dan’s body