I huddle forward and peer at the map. He’s pointing to something. I read Niagara Falls.

“Oh,” I say, apprehensively.

That was the sound: rushing water, distant, yet growing closer.

It’s a testament to the dangers of the cities that the Commander and General Reece thought it would be safer to direct us via Niagara Falls than have us go by foot for any significant portion of the journey.

“What do we do?” Ryan asks.

“It’s the only way to get into Lake Erie,” I reply. “Toledo is on its west bank. We’ll just have to be careful.”

The tension is unbearable. Not only do we have poor weather and overcrowding to contend with, but now we have to maneuver past a waterfall. I feel Bree’s small, cold hand slip into mine.

“It will be okay,” I say. Then I look up at Ryan, who is steering the boat. “Won’t it?”

He nods grimly, his expression not exactly filling me with confidence.

“We don’t have much gas,” Ryan adds. “And we’ll need as much power as possible to counteract the force of the falls, to get us to shore before we go over.”

“Use it all if you have to,” I tell him. “We can sail the rest of the way. Just don’t let us go over.”

He turns back to the tiller___, his features transforming into complete concentration. I hold Bree close to me and whisper a silent prayer under my breath. She nuzzles her head into my chest and squeezes her eyes shut. Penelope sits in her lap, shivering from the rain.

The boat chugs along, churning up water as we go. Ryan steers us smoothly along, trying not to fight the power of the water while also using it to push us forward. I can hear the engine struggling in the choppy water, and then a new noise makes me even tenser. It’s the rising sound of the waterfall, of thousands of liters of water plummeting down a cliff face, crashing on the rocks. And we’re heading right toward it.

I grip the sides of the boat even tighter. Beside me, Molly is doing the same. Zeke has practically turned green. In complete contrast to the others, Ben sits serenely, his gaze locked on me. I can’t help but feel calmed by his presence. We’ve gone through so much together and are still standing; it’s almost like he’s a good-luck talisman. He nods as if to say, “We’ve got this. We’ve been through worse.” Despite my fear, I find myself smiling back at him.

The boat carries on forward and the sound of the waterfall grows even louder. The amount of water spray kicked up by the power of it is immense. It drenches us as much as the rain.