At Doc’s instruction, J.B. had fired a dozen rounds with the Uzi into one of the walls of the ruins, opening up a small hole through which the rain spillage poured, lowering the level to around Ryan’s chest.
The other thing that Jak and Mildred had done together was to drag the ragged corpse of the woman from the shambles, so that Ryan no longer had to stare at the grinning memento mori.
“Think should drop other beams along Ryan. Take weight off of him.” Jak looked at the others. “We try and move timber it’ll all collapse like house cards.”
Doc nodded. “I believe that our ivory-headed young companion might have deduced a possible solution. Try and build a sort of cage, as it were, around Ryan. If we can find something strong enough to use as a lever.”
“This could take us days,” Mildred said. “I know he’s not in immediate danger from drowning anymore, but most of his body’s been immersed in freezing water for about ten hours or more. Hypothermia’s becoming more and more of a reality to steal his life out from under our eyes.”
“We could get a fire going and boil plenty of water,” J.B. suggested. “Pots and pans all over the ville. Then we could pour it in around him and take off the biting chill.”
Mildred kissed him on the cheek, making his sallow face blush. “Brilliant! Hot water and plenty of it.”
“You ladies can undertake that.” Doc grinned, showing his wonderful set of teeth. “John Barrymore Dix and Master Lauren and I will work on the lad’s scheme. Come gallants all, and let’s away, to try our fortunes on this happy day.”
RYAN WAS AWARE OF the sun moving steadily across the bright blue sky, visible through the cracks and holes in the wreckage that surrounded him. Noon came and went.
The hot water helped a little in taking off the chill, and he could actually feel life returning to his numbed lower legs and feet. Krysty stayed close to him, making sure the miniature mutie rodents didn’t return, keeping up his spirits while they brought each other up-to-date with their news.
They agreed that the prospect of finding Harmony untouched by the murderous gang of norms and muties was remote. They had both seen too much evidence of the brutal murders committed by the thugs.
“Part of me wants to get you out and then turn around and head back for Glenwood Springs. Up into the hills to the redoubt and jump out of here,” Krysty said. “And part of me wants to go ahead and look. Just for my peace of mind. Whatever we find up there in Harmony won’t be any worse than my imagining what might’ve happened.”
Ryan nodded, reaching up to hold her right hand in both of his. Jak had managed to work away the timber that had trapped his left arm.
“We’ll see what’s there. I got me a big blood score against these swift and evil bastards,” he said. “Seemed you couldn’t turn a corner of the trail without coming on another violated, crucified corpse.”
Jak appeared, carrying a length of tubular steel scaffolding across his scrawny shoulder. “Think this could do trick.” He moved cautiously, feeling timbers shift and whisper under his weight. He looked down into the dark depths of the water and slid the end of the tube down, angling it between Ryan’s trapped legs, through a gap in the timbers.
“Watch what you’re doing with that,” Ryan warned. “I have hopes of fathering more children.”
He felt the steel easing between two of the main roof joists that kept him helplessly trapped.
Jak grinned proudly. “That’ll do it.”
He called to Doc, Krysty and the others to come quickly and lend their weight. “This’ll do it.”
With both arms free, Ryan himself was able to give them some help, bracing his feet against the bottom of the pole, sensing where the snarled, twisted mass of broken wood was weakest.
The others had all managed to find a platform for their own pushing and pulling, standing and waiting, gripping the steel pole, until Jak gave them the word to start.