Chute Roll

Chapter Three

I arched my back. If you don't do a breakaway right, it throws you into a spin. Once I was level, I pulled on the breakaway handle.

It took less than a second to lose my main chute.

I fell toward the ground. The altimeter on my wrist showed there was only 7,000 feet left before splat. At a hundred and twenty miles an hour, that's not much time.

I dropped my head and went into the dive position of a delta move.

Sabella was falling belly first. She had her arms and legs wide to slow herself as much as possible. It's a one in a million chance to survive a free fall, but she was trying.

In my dive, I started to gain on her. In a delta, you can scream downward at 200 miles per hour.

She was a little ahead and to the left. I kicked a leg out to change my direction. I aimed straight at her.

The wind screamed against my face and goggles.

Twenty seconds later, I had cut the distance in half. Ten seconds later, I had cut it in half again.

But the ground was getting larger and larger. I was close enough to see the cross-like shadows of cactus trees. If I didn't reach Sabella soon...

Five, four, three, two...

Her dark hair was flapping behind her like a blanket, almost whipping in my face as I reached her. I had to time it just right. I flung out my hand and grabbed her ankle.

She screamed.

"Don't panic," I shouted.

With both hands, I pulled myself up her body. The rushing wind tried to tear us apart.

The ground was closer and closer.

Finally, I yanked the second rip cord on my parachute. It was my backup chute. If it didn't open...

As I waited those awful few seconds, I wrapped my free hand around Sabella again. We were like one beetle on top of another. Me on top. Her on the bottom. I needed to be holding her with all my strength.

My chute flopped open and yanked at us.

I held tight. We were maybe a thousand feet off the ground and still traveling fast. Would there be enough time for the single parachute to slow us down with our double weight?