The Mississippi led them to more flooded towns, most even smaller than Gulfport: Dallas City, Pontoosuc, Niota. Niota held another former bridge, reaching across to the first major hills they’d seen in weeks, a promontory bluff and a town called Fort Madison. Niota was in better condition than the last three villages had been, and they waded in as far as they dared, searching for anything they could use to float across. Samm found one end of a barge tipping up from the river at an angle, but nothing still holding to the surface. The current was, indeed, stronger than Kira had expected, and she waded back out of the eerie, underwater town as soon she as she could.

“Well,” said Heron, flopping down beside her on the grass. “We’re still stuck, but we’re soaking wet. Remind me again how that’s an improvement.”

“Don’t worry,” said Kira. “As hot and muggy as it is here, you’ll have something new to complain about any minute now.”

“Let’s get back to Afa and the horses,” said Samm. “We can make it another ten miles today if we keep moving.”

“Wait,” said Kira, staring at the sunken city. Something had moved. She scanned it carefully, shielding her eyes from the bright glares and flashes reflecting up from the surface of the water. A wave surged, and it moved again, big and black against the glimmering water beyond. “The barge is moving.”

Samm and Heron looked out, and Kira whispered to wait, wait, wait . . . and then another wave sloshed against it and it moved, almost lightly. “It’s still buoyant,” said Samm. “I thought it was sunken.”

“It’s moving too freely to be pinned,” said Heron. “Maybe tied down?”

“And if we untie it,” said Kira, “maybe we can use it.”

They shucked their guns and heavy gear and waded back into the city, this time kicking off and swimming when the river grew too deep to stand in. The river was strong, but they kept to the lee side of the buildings, moving hand over hand along the roofs as they picked their way toward the barge. It flapped faintly against the current, nearly the farthest object from the shore. They hoisted themselves onto the last building out, watching the trapped barge from the roof.

“It’s definitely moving,” said Kira. “As soon as we cut it loose, it’s going to pop right up and float away.”

“We’ll have to tie it to something else on a longer line,” said Samm. “We’ll want a safety line on whoever goes out there anyway.”