Page 18 of After the End
“We’re in the city limits?” Chris said in surprise. He’d been expecting a county deputy.
“Yes. Just.” Robocop copied Chris’s information into a small notebook before returning his ID. “Where’s the rockslide?”
“About a quarter mile west, just on the other side of that curve. We were right under it when it started.” Chris checked out the pickup, grimacing at the scraped and pockmarked hood. The worst was the deep dent in the cab roof, but at least the truck was still drivable. The bed held several good-sized rocks, as well as dirt, gravel, and a couple of small, uprooted evergreen trees. Under that mess, he was sure there’d be some dents, as well.
“You were lucky,” Theo said, his frown not lightening as he took some pictures of the truck. Despite his disgruntled expression and flat tone, though, the guy hadn’t been rude. Chris was beginning to think the guy just had a severe case of cranky-cop face. He worked with some guys like that, whose tough expressions hid good hearts.
“Yeah. We were.” Things could’ve been much worse. He glanced at Daisy, who had walked the dogs across the road and down a bit to a weedy spot. At the sight of her—healthy and unbroken—a wave of gratitude washed through him. If they’d passed through only a second or two later, they both could’ve been crushed.
“I’ll get a county car out here to stop traffic on the other side before I go check out the damage.” Relaying the request over his portable radio, Theo returned to his squad car and popped the trunk, pulling out a stack of traffic cones.
A car zipped around the curve, heading toward them. It was traveling fast—too fast—and alarm swept through Chris. There was no way it could stop in time before colliding with his truck. Chris jumped out of its path onto the shoulder. His boots slid on some loose gravel, propelling him toward the rocky incline. He stopped just inches away from the drop-off, his breath escaping in a relieved exhale.
The squeal of locked tires made him turn. The driver cranked the wheel to the side, swerving sharply left to avoid hitting the back of the pickup. The car barreled straight toward Daisy and the dogs.
“Daisy!” he shouted, sprinting toward her, even as he realized she was too far away. There was no way he could reach her in time. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, especially Chris. The driver slammed on the brakes, tires shrieking, leaving heavy black tracks across the pavement as the car skidded toward Daisy.
Run!Chris’s mind screamed, but he didn’t have any breath to spare. Everything in him was centered on getting to her before the car did. It was impossible, though. He knew it, but he still sprinted as fast as he could. He had to save Daisy. The thought of life without her was unbearable.
She stared at the oncoming car with a shocked expression for a fraction of a second before turning to run. After only a single stride, a puppy darted in front of her, tangling the leash around Daisy’s legs. Her eyes widened as she started to topple forward.
“No!” Chris shouted, too far away to do anything but watch her begin to fall. Once she was down, it’d be too late for her to save herself. She’d never get out of the way of the car in time.
Suddenly, Theo was there. He tackled Daisy, knocking her forward. They both flew through the air, landing on the pavement just as the car struck the rock wall and rebounded, slamming against the side of the squad car before coming to rest. From his angle, Chris couldn’t see whether Daisy and Theo had gotten out of the way in time. Had they been hit?
He flew around the back end of the now-immobile car. Daisy and Theo were lying there, too still.
“Daisy!” Chris finally reached them as Theo lifted off of Daisy’s prone body. Chris had to force himself not to grab her and clutch her to him. If she’d suffered any spinal injuries, moving her would just make them worse. “Daisy, are you injured?”
“No.” She pushed herself to her hands and knees, and his muscles shuddered in response. She was talking. She was moving. She wasn’t dead. Bone-deep relief sent blood rushing to Chris’s head, making the world spin for a second. “I’m fine. I think. Are the dogs okay?”
“The dogs?” With a shake of his head, Chris tried to make sense of her question. Everything in him was focused on Daisy.
“Stay with her.” Theo ordered, pulling out his portable radio as he strode toward the car. “I’ll call this in and check the driver.”
“Copy,” Chris responded automatically as he helped Daisy to a sitting position, watching her closely for any sign of pain.
“The dogs?” she asked again, looking around. Blood beaded on a small scrape on her forehead, but Chris couldn’t see any other injuries. His heart rate started to slow, and his ability to think rationally returned. He looked over at the damaged car, checking on the driver. Theo wrenched open the front left door, and a man climbed out. He looked to be the only occupant. Chris figured that if the guy could stand on his own, he’d be okay.
Turning, he spotted Lemon and one of the puppies huddled on the narrow shoulder. Although obviously scared, they appeared to be unhurt. One of the other pups was sniffing around his pickup tire, and the third bounded down the center of the road, leash trailing behind her.
“Stay here,” he commanded as he stood. “Don’t move.”
Chris chased down the escaping puppy and scooped her up. “Where were you going?” he asked as she wriggled in his hands, trying to reach high enough to lick his face. She finally gave up on that and settled in to chew on his finger.
When he looked over at Daisy, he frowned. She’d ignored his order and had moved to the shoulder, where she was picking up Lemon and the puppy there. Chris saw Theo had the driver facing his car and was handcuffing his hands behind his back. By the way the guy swayed, he was either drunk or had hit his head. Since Theo was arresting him, Chris was going with the former.
“Need a hand?” Chris asked.
“Got it,” Theo said as he helped the driver into the backseat of the damaged squad car. The twisted hinges squealed painfully as he closed the door. “Thanks.”
Chris turned toward the last loose puppy, but she was no longer next to his pickup. He scanned the area and didn’t spot her. Crouching, he peered under all three vehicles, but the puppy was nowhere to be seen.
“What are you looking for?” Theo asked.
“The sister to this one,” Chris told him, holding up the puppy he’d caught. “She was by my left front tire a minute ago.”
Theo moved toward the tipped stack of cones. “Let me put these out so no one else runs into us, and then I’ll help look.”
