Chute Roll

Chapter Two

I love the feeling of letting the wind sweep me into a free fall. It is as close to flying as a person can get.

Face down, I spread my legs and arms. Although I was falling at over a hundred miles an hour, I was still so high that the ground didn't seem to be getting any closer. At least not yet. But if my parachute didn't open...

Far below me, was the brown of the desert. The airport runway was a dark slash of pavement across it. Farther way, was the large circle of the red and white target. Soon enough, I would have to concentrate on getting my angle right.

For now, though, I was having fun. I leaned one way. Then the other. I moved my arms and swooped like a hawk. In free fall, without an open parachute, you can twist and turn in the speed of the wind.

Finally, I pulled on my rip chord.

I held my breath.

Although I have jumped over 200 times, pulling the rip chord is the one thing that always makes me nervous. Because, for a few seconds, I wonder if my chute will open. In my nightmares, I'm always falling toward the ground. In my nightmares, I have two or three minutes to watch it rush toward me. In my nightmares, I have all that time to wonder what it would be like to smash into the ground.

I held my breath and counted the seconds. One, two, three...

Bang!

My shoulder straps jerked me as the chute opened wide. It stopped my fall from a 120 miles per hour to ten miles per hour. It stopped me so fast that it seemed to yank at me, like a giant hand pulling me from above.

I started to breathe again. Now all I had to do was guide myself toward the target as I floated downward.

I looked over my shoulder to see where Sabella Scanelli was. I spotted her about a minute behind. She was a dark shape against the pale blue of the sky.

I checked the ground.

I checked Sabella.

I checked the ground again.

I checked Sabella. And nearly screamed.

Her chute had tangled!

The strings of the chute were all wound together and the chute could not fill with air.

She tumbled toward me. Because I was floating and she was in free fall, she gained on me like a rock.

I saw her hit the breakaway cord and release her main chute. She yankd at her second rip cord for her reserve parachute.

Nothing happened. No chute opened behind her.

I couldn't hear her scream, but her mouth was wide open in terror.

A second later, she flashed past me on her way toward her death.

There was only one thing to do. I had to cut myself loose from my parachute.