Elly's Ghost Read Online Free PDF

pontoons creaked as they
scraped the top branches. Jay groaned as he pushed the yoke forward to keep the
plane from stalling. The young woman screamed as the plane dove toward the
water. Jay pulled back quickly on the yoke to level the plane. They hit the
water with a loud slap, both pontoons hitting water at the same time. The plane
swayed side to side but stayed upright.
     
    * * *
     
     
    Elly felt like
she’d been bucked off a horse and had the wind knocked out of her. It took a
moment for her breathing to return to normal.
    “Are you okay?”
the young man asked.
    Elly nodded as
she coughed and fought to get air into her lungs.
    They came to a
stop thirty feet from shore. The flames coming out of the engine grew larger.
    The young man quickly
grabbed his camping gear, backpack, and rifle from the rear seat.
    “We need to get
out now.” He made sure Elly found the door handle and then opened his door and slid
out of his seat onto the pontoon, then jumped into the shallow water, holding
his gear above his head.
    Elly fought with
her door latch but finally slid from her seat and stepped out onto the pontoon.
She struggled to keep her balance while fighting her handcuffs and the heat
from the fire. She took one step on the wet pontoon and slipped, falling away
from the floatplane. She hit the water screaming. The cold water sent a jolt of
pain through her arms and legs. Gaining her balance on the rocky bottom, Elly
stood, coughing up lake water and pulling at her soaked T-shirt. She trudged through
waist-deep water to dry land, where she collapsed on the shore and watched the fire
consume the floatplane.
    Elly didn’t even
feel the sharp bits of gravel and stone that dug into her scalp and arms. She
shivered and turned onto her side, chilled as much from the cool pine breeze as
from the vivid image of Kevin lying on the tarmac. This isn’t happening , she said to herself again and again.
     
    * * *
     
     
    Jay stared at
the black plume of smoke rising high into the air above the floatplane. He
thought about how much his father had loved that floatplane and how excited Jay
had been any time his dad took him flying.
    He broke his
stare. The burning smell made Jay think of a supply truck in Afghanistan that was still smoldering when his unit arrived. He instinctively panned the shoreline,
looking for enemy snipers. Then he dug through his backpack, reloaded his rifle,
and dropped extra shells into his pocket. He clipped a large knife to his belt,
then powered up his handheld GPS navigation unit and marked their location. He scanned
the sky in the direction from which they’d come and saw it was clear.
    Jay watched the
young woman struggle frantically with her handcuffs to pull out a small plastic
bottle from her pocket, pour two pills into her hand, and quickly swallow them.
After that, she curled into a ball and started shaking. She was breathing so
fast Jay thought she was going to hyperventilate. She covered her head with her
arms. At first she was only whimpering, but soon she burst into tears. Jay knew
she was likely in shock from both what happened at the airport and the
realization of how close they’d just come to crashing. He watched from a
distance and let her have a moment.
    She was wearing
thin canvas sneakers, and he wondered how far she could walk before her feet
would get sore. He reached into his bag and pulled out two rolls of athletic
wrap bandages and medical tape.
     
    * * *
     
     
    “Hey, are you
okay?” the young man finally asked.
    Elly wiped her
tears as he approached. She sat up to see what he had in his hands and was
forced to ask herself if he was a kidnapper just like the others. Maybe he had
double-crossed them and was going to take her all for himself. Goosebumps
formed on her arms and legs. Elly doubted she could outrun him.
    He crouched down
next to her. “What’s your name?” he asked.
    Elly was confused
by the question. Someone trying to kidnap her would already know her name.