Chapter 5 - The Escape
The deafening sound of the helicopter blades rattled the windows of the wooden cabin.
I grabbed Rachel by the hand and pulled her toward the back door.
"Leave everything behind, just grab the kids," I shouted over the noise.
Rachel strapped the boys into a double carrier on her chest while I wrapped Mia in a thick blanket.
We bolted out the back door and plunged directly into the dense, dark forest.
The spotlight from the helicopter swept wildly across the trees, hunting for us like animals.
I knew these woods intimately from my childhood, which was our only advantage against Noelle's private security force.
We navigated through the thick brush, the freezing night air burning our lungs with every breath.
The sound of dogs barking echoed ominously from the direction of the cabin.
"They brought hounds, Evan, we can't outrun them with three babies," Rachel panicked.
"We don't have to outrun them, we just have to reach the river," I told her, pushing through the heavy branches.
After twenty minutes of agonizing running, we reached the edge of the rushing Delaware River.
I uncovered an old, motorized fishing boat I kept hidden under a camouflage tarp for emergencies.
I quickly helped Rachel and the crying triplets into the small metal boat.
I yanked the pull cord, praying the engine would start after sitting unused for a year.
The engine sputtered and finally roared to life just as three men in tactical gear burst through the tree line.
One of the men raised a tranquilizer rifle and fired directly at the boat.
The dart completely missed Rachel but shattered the plastic casing of the outboard motor.
I slammed the throttle forward, steering us aggressively into the rapid currents of the dark river.
We managed to lose them in the fog, but the damaged engine was leaking fuel rapidly.
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"The motor is dying, Evan, we are going to be stranded in the water," Rachel warned.
I looked ahead and saw the flashing red lights of a police patrol boat heading directly toward us.
