Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16 Josh's mind swirled in panic as he bicycled his legs under the water, desperately trying to keep them both afloat. In health class, he'd learned what to do if someone was choking. Was drowning the same as choking? It didn't matter—it was the only thing he could think to do.

乔希在水里蹬着两腿，拼命地想让他们俩都浮在水面上，他的脑子里一片慌乱。 在健康课上，他学会了如果有人窒息该怎么做。 溺水和窒息是一样的吗？ 没关系——这是他唯一能想到要做的事。

He managed to whip Holly around so her back was against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, locked his hands under her rib cage, and pushed in hard right below her chest. Water gushed from her mouth. She sputtered and gulped in the smoky air, coughing between each breath. Her eyes fluttered open. But something still wasn't right. "My leg," Holly said weakly. "I think it's broken. I can't move it." Josh struggled to hold her up. He kept his eyes on the fires on the opposite side of the river. They were growing bigger now. If he and Holly didn't get over there soon, they would lose any chance of getting out alive. A feeling of doom rose up inside Josh. But so did something else: a rush of energy. Like at that basketball game, when they were down by two and time was running out. When there had been nobody to pass to and it was up to him to try to make that three-point shot.

他把霍莉甩了一圈，让她的背靠着他的胸膛。 他双臂环抱着她，双手紧锁在她的胸腔下，从她的胸部下方狠狠地推了进去。 水从她嘴里涌出。 她在烟雾弥漫的空气中大口大口地吐着唾沫，每呼吸一次就咳嗽一次。 她的眼睛抖动着睁开了。但还是有些地方不对劲。 “我的腿，”霍莉虚弱地说。 “我觉得它坏了。我动不了。” 乔希挣扎着把她扶起来。 他一直盯着河对岸的火堆。 它们现在越来越大了。 如果他和霍莉不尽快赶到那里，他们就会失去活着出来的机会。 一种厄运的感觉在乔希心中升起。 但另一件事也发生了：一股能量的涌动。 就像那场篮球赛，他们落后两分，时间不多了。 当没有人可以传球的时候，只有他自己去投三分球。

Josh whirled around in the water so his back was to Holly. "Climb on!" Josh shouted, the words coming out before he knew he was saying them. "I'll get us to the other side." Holly had gotten them through the flames, to the river, over the burning trees. She'd picked him up when he was hurt, cheered him on when he was sure he couldn't move. Now it was his turn. Holly wrapped her arms around his neck. Then Josh started to swim. It was hard. Really hard. Josh had to kick his legs and stroke very fast with his one good arm. It took every ounce of strength he had to keep them afloat. But he did it. Inch by inch, he moved them forward until finally his feet scraped the river bottom. He held Holly on his back and staggered toward the shore. He made it to knee-deep water and then couldn't go another step. The pain in his arm and

乔希在水里转过身来，背对着霍莉。 “爬!”乔希喊道，话还没说完，他就脱口而出了。 “我会把我们带到另一边的。” 霍莉带着他们穿过火焰，来到河边，越过燃烧的树木。 当他受伤时，她扶起他，当他确定自己动弹不得时，她为他加油。 现在轮到他了。霍莉用双臂搂住他的脖子。 然后乔希开始游泳。 这很难。真的很难。乔希只好用他那只没受伤的胳膊蹬腿，划得很快。 他用尽了所有的力气才使他们浮在水面上。 但他做到了。他一寸一寸地向前移动，最后他的脚蹭到了河底。 他把霍莉背在背上，摇摇晃晃地朝岸边走去。 他游到齐膝深的水里，就再也走不动了。 他手臂的疼痛和

hand was agonizing. His legs were shaking. The smoke made it almost impossible to breathe. "I just… need… to… rest… for a minute," he gasped. But the new fires were gaining power. Flames hopped from one tree to the next. Embers took hold. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! "We can't stay here," Holly said, reading Josh's mind. "There," Josh said, pointing about thirty yards up, where the trees and bushes were farther back from the river. "It's better up there." Josh turned so Holly could climb onto his back. He staggered forward, praying his legs wouldn't give out. The fire roared and crackled and shrieked. And then there was a new sound, a furious pounding from behind them.

汉德很痛苦。他的腿在颤抖。 烟雾使人几乎无法呼吸。 “我只是……需要……休息……一会儿。”他喘着气说。 但新的大火正在积聚力量。 火焰从一棵树跳到另一棵树上。 余烬蔓延开来。嗖!嗖!嗖!“我们不能呆在这里，”霍莉说，读懂了乔希的心思。 “那里。”乔希指着上面三十码的地方说，那里的树木和灌木丛离河更远。 “在那里更好。”乔希转过身，好让霍莉爬到他背上。 他摇摇晃晃地向前走，祈祷着自己的腿不要断掉。 火焰咆哮着，噼啪作响，尖叫着。 接着，又有一种新的声音，从他们身后传来一阵猛烈的砰砰声。

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. The noise reminded Josh of a ferocious beast snapping its jaws. He imagined a huge creature bursting through the wall of fire, its jagged teeth gleaming through the black smoke. He was afraid to turn around. The river began to churn. The hot wind swirled faster, whipping around them. And whatever was making the sound got closer. THWACK. THWACK. THWACK. "Josh," Holly rasped into his ear. Her voice was bright, not scared. "Look!" Josh glanced back. And sure enough, something enormous hovered behind them. But it wasn't a fiery beast. It was a helicopter—white and red. Josh's heart leaped. The Huey!

啪的一声。啪的一声。啪的一声。这声音让乔希想起了一只凶猛的野兽撕咬它的下巴。 他想象着一个巨大的生物冲破火墙，锯齿状的牙齿在黑烟中闪闪发光。 他不敢回头。 河水开始翻腾。热风在他们周围旋转得更快了。 不管是什么发出的声音越来越近。 啪的一声。啪的一声。啪的一声。“乔希，”霍莉在他耳边嘶哑地说。 她的声音很明亮，一点也不害怕。 “看!”乔希回头看了一眼。 果然，有个巨大的东西在他们身后盘旋。 但它不是一只凶猛的野兽。 那是一架直升飞机，白色和红色相间。 乔希的心怦怦直跳。休伊!