“I need you to hand me the bucket,” Archie said slowly.

“I can’t,” Patrick whispered.

They didn’t have time for this. Archie needed to find Susan and get her and the kid out of there. What did the parenting books say? Never negotiate? “I have something that belongs to you,” Archie said quickly. “Your Darth Vader figure. You lost him near the river. I found him. I’ll trade you.”

Patrick looked down at the bucket and seemed to hesitate.

Archie put his flashlight under his arm, and extended his hand, and took a step toward the boy.

“Archie,” he heard Susan say from behind him.

If it had been anyone else, he might have reacted differently. He might have secured the boy first before turning around. But it wasn’t anyone else, it was Susan, and Archie acted on instinct, swinging his gun around to his left, following her voice, away from the boy. The flashlight was still pinned under his arm and its beam careened sideways. He dropped it, caught it in his hand, and lifted the light to find Elroy Carey holding Susan in front of him, one arm around her waist, the other hand securing her by a fistful of her hair. The top of her head came to the top of his shoulder. Archie aimed his weapon at Carey’s head.

“He’ll put his hand in the bucket,” Carey said. “If I say so.”

Archie couldn’t see Patrick. The boy was behind him. If Archie turned, it would mean taking his gun off of Carey. “It’s okay, Patrick,” Archie said. “You don’t have to do what he says anymore.”

Susan was limp in Carey’s arms, her head twisted back like a rag doll. “Heil’s dead,” she said. It sounded like an accusation.

Archie couldn’t see if Carey had a weapon. If Archie shot him, he’d have to kill him, or risk him hurting Susan, and he’d have to kill him instantly. SWAT called it “aiming for the apricot.” The apricot was the medulla oblongata—the lower half of the brainstem. It controlled involuntary movement. Done right, Carey wouldn’t even flinch. But Archie wasn’t a marksman. And Carey kept moving, rocking back and forth, shifting his feet. And Susan was so close.

“Did you hear me?” Susan said. “He killed Heil.”

“I know,” Archie said. He kept his gun trained on Carey, along with the flashlight, hoping the light might limit his vision. He needed to buy time for Flannigan to work his way around to the boy.

“You need to help me get everyone out of here, Elroy,” Archie said. “It’s flooding.”

Susan’s body stiffened. Archie thought it was the threat of the flood.