Chapter 5: The Edge of the Ravine**
Victoria’s heart stopped. Adrenaline surged through her veins, numbing the freezing agony in her bare feet as she sprinted toward the flashing hazard lights.
A tow-truck driver and an elderly man stood by the guardrail, shining a high-powered flashlight down the steep, forty-foot muddy embankment that sloped into the swollen creek below.
"What happened?!" Victoria gasped, her voice shrill, grabbing the tow-truck driver’s arm. "Who's down there?"
The driver turned, startled by the wild-looking woman in a ruined evening gown. "Lady, take it easy! Some old lady slipped on the black ice near the bridge. Must’ve tumbled all the way down into the creek bed. We just called 911, but the ambulance is at least fifteen minutes out from the county station."
Victoria looked down. In the harsh glare of the flashlight beam, lying motionless in the freezing mud and rocks near the rushing water, was a small, fragile figure in a grey knit sweater.
"Mom!" Victoria shrieked.
"Hey! Don't go down there! It’s all mud and loose rock!" the driver yelled, reaching to grab her, but Victoria was already over the steel barrier.
She didn't hesitate. She threw herself down the embankment. The wet mud gave way beneath her, and she slid violently down the slope, thorny brambles tearing into her skin, sharp rocks gouging her arms and legs. She tumbled the last ten feet, landing hard against the muddy bank of the freezing creek.
She scrambled on her hands and knees through the icy sludge until she reached Mary.
Mary was unconscious, her face as pale as marble, a deep gash bleeding slowly along her hairline into her silver hair. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, her small frame shivering violently against the freezing rocks.
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"Mom... Mom, please, open your eyes," Victoria sobbed, pulling Mary’s head onto her lap, using her own ruined evening dress to shield her mother from the biting wind. "Look at me, please... Vicky is here. Your Vicky is here."
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