“No, Riley. I can’t lose you like this. It’s my fault, let me die,” Tara cried.
Steven Stewart fought the corn, intent on reaching Tara. The more he struggled, the faster the corn swallowed him up.
Garrett pulled the harness on with Jameson’s help and grabbed the plastic crates.
“How is this done?” Jameson asked before lowering Garrett down.
“Drop the crates, I use those to prevent the corn from sliding,” Garrett explained. “We jam the panels around them and bail out the corn,” Matthew dropped the crates close to Garrett.
“I’m right here,” he assured them.
Using the crates, he knelt on the corn near them. A minute later, Jameson and Matthew appeared, holding sections of metal panels. Julio lowered the other two as the men began to surround the women. They shoved the panels down into the corn surrounding Tara and Riley, creating a tube.
“Help me, Garrett,” Tara cried. “Riley’s slipping down. She’s trying to hold me up.” Tara coughed as the dust from the grain rose as the men worked furiously. Sirens blared outside. Rebecca leaned over the opening, “The Fire department is here.”
“Send down the auger,” Garrett ordered Rebecca as they pushed the tubes down deeper.
“What’s the auger do?” Jameson asked.
“We shove it down by the panel, and it clears out the corn,” Garrett said as he handled the auger. Connecting the pieces, he turned it on. The corn sprayed away from the women.
“I love you, Tara,” Riley said calmly. “Whatever happens, none of this is your fault. Dad did this to us. Finish school and remember I’m proud of you.”
“No, no, Riley,” Tara pleaded. “Please don’t leave me.”
“We’re getting both of you out,” Matthew assured her. “See, the corn’s already going down. We need you to stay calm, and we’ll have you out of there in a jiffy.”
Riley coughed as her gaze met Garrett’s. “I’m sorry,” she said, struggling to breathe. “I love you and forgive you. Please save her. If you love me at all, you’ll save her first.”
Tara cried as Riley seemed to slump, now buried to her chest.
“Okay, darlin’, I want you to grab the bars and see if you can pull yourself up now,” Julio instructed Tara.
“If I let go, Riley will slip. She’s holding me with her leg,” Tara cried.
“Look at me, Tara,” Garrett commanded. “I’m not letting anything happen to Riley, but we can’t help her until we get you out.”
Julio leaned in and helped pull Tara upward as a fireman dropped down.
“Take her up,” Garrett said, as Julio passed Tara to the firefighter. “Get her medical attention.”
Riley’s gaze followed Tara out of the tube and then fixed on Garrett.
“I’m coming, Baby Girl,” he vowed. They shoved the auger deeper, getting the corn flowing. “Your dad didn’t release the bottom hatch. You’ll be fine.”
Riley smiled sadly as she took one more glance at Tara before she closed her eyes.
“Shit,” Garrett said as he reached inside and pulled at Riley’s coat. Glancing toward the two firefighters watching from the top, he called, “Pull me up. I need to get inside the tube.” Matthew took over the auger duty.
They hustled, and he cleared the top and grabbed Riley. Her chest never moved, sending him into a frenzy. “Come on, Baby Girl. I didn’t come in here to wrangle you for nothing. I mean it, Riley. I will turn you over my knee if you dare think of leaving me,” he babbled, trying to illicit a response from her.
“Get me up,” he called as he finished pulling her the rest of the way out and gripping her tightly to him.
The firefighter worked fast, and he passed her limpbody. He swung his legs over the edge and pushed the button to bring Jameson up. As soon as he cleared the bin opening, Garrett ran down the ladder. His heart raced as he watched the firefighters lower her to the ground and begin CPR.
Garrett roared as two men tried to hold him back, and he dropped to his knees. “Baby Girl, I need you. Don’t do this,” he said, wiping the moisture from his eyes. The firefighters continued working on her, trying to bring her back.
One of the paramedics leaned down, whispering something in the fireman’s ear while he worked on Riley. The fireman stopped compressions and sent Garrett a sympathetic look.
