I couldnt hear what they were saying, but Cade was shaking his head firmly, his arms crossed over his chest. Abby clung tighter to me; I could feel small tremors running through her petite frame. Jenna was behind Cade, nodding as he shook his head. Cade looked troubled and worried as Jenna eagerly followed the conversation. Aiden was hanging slightly back, looking unsure of either option while Bret was listening to each argument intently, trying to decipher which course of action he felt would be best.
I need you to stay here Abby.
I tried to free myself from her grip, but she only clung tighter to me. No.
Abby
But it didnt matter; the group was beginning to break apart. Aiden was coming toward us. I could tell by the set of his shoulders, and the determination in his eyes, that I was not going to like what he had to say. I braced myself, my jaw clenching tightly.
Were going to go over in groups.
Im not going over.
Bethany
No Aiden, I am not crossing that bridge. Its suicide to do so.
Its suicide to stay here.
Crossing that bridge is instantaneous suicide and you know that. Why would you even want to try it? We still have a chance over here; we can come up with a different plan if we just think about it reasonably.
The aliens might not have considered the bridges.
The sheer stupidity of that statement caused my mouth to drop as I gaped at him. They somehow had the technology to navigate galaxies with ease, and freeze a good chunk of the population, but they wouldnt have the foresight to monitor the only two ways off of Cape Cod? I had no idea what anyone was thinking, but they sure as hell werent using their brains to do so. Aiden
We cant stay here Bethany.
There has to be another way.
What way?
I didnt know how to answer that. The canal was known for its dangerous currents, and to swim it would be almost as obvious as running across the bridge, but even that seemed a better option to me than this. And then I knew. I knew exactly how we could get to the other side. What if I have a better plan Aiden? I asked softly.
He stared at me for a long moment. What is it?
We can swim across. If we find some diving gear, we could use it to swim across. We could stay under water, stay out of sight. It could work.
He was silent for a moment; Abby stared up at me in wide eyed awe, while Cade seemed to be thinking it over. None of us know how to use scuba gear, and where would we even get it?
I didnt care if none of us could scuba dive. I was far more willing to take my chances with it than I was with the bridge. Someone here might know how, and theres a rental place a few miles away. They have all kinds of beach supplies in there; they may have something that we could use.
The other group had moved closer to us, but none of them spoke out when I mentioned scuba diving. We can figure it out, I whispered.
Its not something you just figure out Bethany.
I glared fiercely at him. I would rather take my chances with that instead of running across something over a hundred feet in the freaking air Aiden! I snapped, unsure why he was so stubbornly clinging to this crazy notion. He was one of the smartest people I knew, but he was being adamantly stupid right now. My idea wasnt without risk, and possibly death, but it was still better than this absolute insanity. Yet I could tell that few people even wanted to consider what I had to say.
She has a point, Cade said softly. We can swim around the canal, avoiding the currents, and come up somewhere more sheltered on the other side.
We dont know how to use scuba gear, one of the other group insisted firmly. We would never be able to do it.
And we are never going to be able to do this! I insisted.
I know how to scuba dive. My attention was drawn to a young woman in her late teens or early twenties. Her long
reddish hair, so dark that it was nearly brown, hung in thick curls to the middle of her back. Her cat green eyes were bright as she surveyed the group. My father and I used to go lobster diving. Im not an expert, but I do well enough with it. I could help.
Hope sprang through me, I looked eagerly to Aiden, but his jaw was clenched and I could tell he was still against it. We dont know for sure that the store will have rental gear.
Its worth a shot, Abby said softly.
There may not even be enough for all of us, and then what? another woman in the group inquired.
I sighed loudly, growing impatient and frustrated. Then we come back here tomorrow night, but at least we would have tried, I said sharply.
You can stand here and debate this all you want. Im not waiting any longer. The closer it gets to dawn, the less likely our chances of getting across are going to become, a man amongst the group insisted. And we may not have another night. This may be our only chance to escape, and I am not going to blow it.
But this isnt a chance, this is death! I insisted angrily. Please dont do this. Its foolish.