AWWD (The NIght Sarah Came Home)
Chapter 3 excerpt
by William Joseph


3

December 26, 2032: Sunday
9:30 PM
1Feb1989sm


Taking deep breaths, Kid and Jess submerged their heads with sections of dune fence in their hands. As soon as Kid’s face went under, his eyes bulged wide as the water temperature almost made him exhale the breath he was holding.
      After completing their brutal underwater tasks, they both were shivering as they shook off excess water.
      Kid yelled, “Put it into reverse and hit it!”
      Brian shifted and hit the gas. The dune fence gave the tires just enough traction to start moving slowly. The truck crawled for about a foot in reverse towards the safety of the beach.
      As the strong waves retracted back to sea, the momentum of the truck changed, and it was being dragged further into the ocean.
      “Let off the gas!” Jess yelled. “Let off! Don’t hit it until we tell you to.”
      Jess and Kid ran around to the front of the truck, thigh-deep in water, and started pushing. “We need to go with the tide,” Jess said as they faced the front hood and the shoreline beyond.
      As the next waves ran in towards the beach, Kid yelled, “Go! Go!”
      Brian slowly depressed the gas pedal. The truck started reversing towards the beach.
      “Stop!” Jess called out as the waves again retracted to sea. Kid and Jess both pushed with all of their might as the truck inched forward towards them and the hungry ocean.
      “Go!” Kid shouted as the next swell of waves rolled in.
      Gaining traction and momentum, the truck reversed with growing speed and backed up until it was on the sand about halfway up the beach.

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