Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13 Cruz was barking. Barking like crazy. Barry shook himself awake. Cruz was standing at the edge of the room, where the side of the house had been ripped away. But he was looking back at Barry as he barked. Come! he seemed to be saying. Come here and look! Something thundered in the sky. The house was shuddering and rocking. What was happening?

Was it a tornado? An earthquake? No! It was a helicopter! It hovered low in the sky, its winds churning the floodwater. Barry could see the pilot, a young man, through the windshield. He seemed to be looking right at Barry. "Cruz!" Barry exclaimed. "We're being rescued!" Barry waved at the pilot. "Here!" he said. "Here! We're here!" It's over! Barry thought. They'd made it! Soon they'd be out of the flood! He'd be back with Mom and Dad and Cleo! Barry waved his arms. The helicopter hovered for a minute longer. But then it suddenly rose and flew away. Was it circling? Was it going to come around the other side? Barry waited. And waited. But the helicopter's sound grew fainter, and then it faded away completely. "No!" Barry shouted. "Come back!" Cruz looked at him, confused.

Barry felt like crying. But he wanted to be strong. For Cruz. "I'm sorry," Barry said as calmly as he could. "I thought they were coming for us." The helicopter's winds had stirred up the water, and now the house was rocking so violently that Barry was knocked onto his knees. Cruz yelped. Before Barry could pick himself up, he heard a loud splash. Cruz had fallen into the water!

Barry dove toward the open side of the house and peered over the edge. He searched for Cruz, but all he could see was a mess of wood planks and branches. Something poked up in the middle of the debris but then disappeared. It was Cruz! He was tangled up in the mess and struggling to keep his head above the water. Barry fought the urge to jump right in. It was a ten-foot drop at least. And he had to be careful not to hit anything sharp floating in the water. "I'm coming, Cruz!" Barry yelled as he eased himself over the side of the house, holding tightly with his hands while letting his legs drop. He dangled there for a minute, grasping the edge, staring down into the water, until he spotted a big board floating underneath. Just as it passed, Barry let go. He hit the waves but grabbed hold of the wood before his head went under. He pulled his body onto the board and kicked over to Cruz. The dog was trapped between two branches. Barry pulled away the biggest branch and grabbed Cruz by the collar.

"I have you," he said, pulling the dog close, hooking his arm around Cruz's body. Cruz licked him on the cheek and pushed his nose into Barry's ear like he wanted to whisper a secret. "I know," Barry said. "That was scary. But we're okay. We're okay." But they weren't okay. The water was burning Barry's skin. The fumes stung his eyes. Cruz had to be suffering too. They couldn't go back to Abe's broken house. Barry wouldn't be able to lift Cruz through the window. And they couldn't just float like this either. In the distance, Barry saw the rooftop of a house poking through the water. It was too far to swim to through the poisonous flood. And then he saw a car floating toward them. It was upside down, like a turtle flipped onto its back. Maybe he and Cruz could ride the car to the roof of that house. Barry kicked as hard as he could, holding Cruz with one hand and the board with the other. They made it to the car and scrambled up onto it. Barry held on to one of the tires, and Cruz stayed close to him. Slowly, the car moved

toward the house, almost as though they were driving it. When they were a few feet away, Barry stood up, balancing himself, ready to jump. "Come on!" he said to Cruz. And they both leaped off the car and onto the roof. Cruz slipped, but this time Barry grabbed him before he fell. They staggered up to a small dry patch near the top of the roof. Barry sat down, pulling Cruz onto his lap. He suddenly felt more tired than he'd ever felt in his life. He rested his chin on Cruz's head. Barry could hear dogs barking and howling all around them. He remembered the news report that had said no one could bring pets to the Superdome. There must be hundreds of dogs and cats on their own. Thousands. And people too. In the distance Barry could hear voices calling for help. He and Cruz weren't the only ones out here. The light drained from the sky and the sun went down. Barry and Cruz sat slumped together. Neither of them moved. Barry was thirsty but there was no water to drink.