Chapter 7 - The River Chase
The massive helicopter hovered terrifyingly close, the deafening roar of its rotors whipping the river water into a chaotic, violent frenzy.
A heavy, door-mounted machine gun swung directly toward us, the mercenary gunner preparing to shred our small boat entirely.
"Hold on tightly!" Ethan roared, slamming the twin throttles completely forward.
The heavily armored speedboat launched aggressively out of the boathouse, tearing wildly across the dark, freezing river.
The helicopter banked sharply, giving chase instantly, the massive machine gun unleashing a terrifying, relentless hail of heavy-caliber bullets.
The water erupted violently around us, the heavy rounds tearing massive, jagged holes through the thick fiberglass hull of the boat.
I threw myself completely over Noah, shielding his small body with my own as bullets ricocheted dangerously off the armored console.
Ethan steered the speeding boat with absolute, reckless precision, violently weaving back and forth to avoid the deadly, concentrated fire.
"We cannot outrun a chopper on the open water, Ethan!" I yelled frantically over the deafening roar of the engines and gunfire.
"I know!" Ethan yelled back, his eyes fixed fiercely on a massive, looming steel structure ahead in the darkness.
It was an old, abandoned industrial bridge, its massive concrete pillars creating a dangerous, narrow labyrinth in the center of the river.
Ethan drove the boat aggressively toward the bridge, completely ignoring the terrifying spray of bullets chewing up the water just inches behind us.
He violently jerked the steering wheel at the very last possible second, sending the boat skidding wildly beneath the low, heavy steel beams of the bridge.
The massive helicopter, entirely unable to follow us into the tight, confined space, was forced to aggressively pull up to avoid a catastrophic crash.
"We lost them for exactly two minutes," Ethan panted heavily, slowing the boat down to a quiet, creeping crawl in the shadows of the bridge.
He pulled a heavy, waterproof tactical bag from a hidden compartment under the console and quickly began distributing weapons and supplies.
"They will undoubtedly have heavily armed men waiting at the main river docks," Ethan calculated grimly, checking a digital map on a secured phone.
"We have to abandon the boat and proceed entirely on foot through the dense, freezing woods."
He steered the boat quietly toward the muddy, overgrown riverbank, effectively hiding the vessel deep within the thick, tangled weeping willows.
We scrambled desperately out of the boat, wading through the freezing, waist-deep mud to reach the solid ground of the dense forest.
Noah was shivering violently, his small teeth chattering loudly in the freezing, absolute darkness.
I quickly took off my heavy, dry coat and wrapped it securely around his small, trembling shoulders.
"You are being incredibly brave, Noah," I whispered warmly, hugging him fiercely to keep him completely warm.
Ethan led the way, his heavy assault rifle raised and ready, his eyes constantly scanning the dark, terrifying treeline for any sign of movement.
We walked for over an hour, the freezing mud sucking heavily at our boots, exhaustion threatening to pull us completely down.
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Suddenly, a massive, blinding spotlight pierced the thick forest canopy, shining directly down onto our exact, specific location.
Margaret hadn't just sent the helicopter; she had completely surrounded the entire forest perimeter with heavily armed, ruthless tracking dogs.
