Waves of fury, p.11
Waves of Fury, page 11
Blood pulses from the reopened gash. I locate the first aid kit and quickly clean it with the alcohol wipes. He doesn’t even flinch. Once I’ve gone through all the motions and bandaged him back up, I put away the kit in my bag and then lean back to rest.
Since we’re drifting, letting the wind push us eastward, Aaron abandons his perch at the helm to come sit near me. It’s no longer raining, but the wind is fierce. Everyone is quiet—either sleeping or staring off into space, lost to their own thoughts. Even Jesse is sleeping, curled close to the teenage girl with Pretzel between them.
“Pretzel’s not the only stray you picked up,” Aaron says, smirking at me.
It’s then I realize my fingers are stroking through Kellen’s hair. I pluck them away so I can shoot my brother the bird. God, it feels good giving each other shit again.
“You’ve got a few yourself.” I motion to the family. “They were your client?”
He nods, a pensive expression crossing over his features. “The father is Dan Kravitz. He’s a dentist. The other three are his wife, Judy, and two kids, Hailey and Silas.”
“Seems like you, Jesse, and Wayne took care of them. You’re all still alive and well.”
Aaron frowns. “It was scary as hell for a while there.” His jaw clenches. “You have no idea how difficult it was to flee the Bay Area rather than head right for it in hopes to rescue my little brother.”
Knowing he was just as worried about me makes my chest ache.
“Wayne had to physically restrain me,” Aaron admits, bitterness on his tongue. “It’s also why he has a black eye.”
My gaze drifts to where Wayne sits, head tilted back and mouth hanging open while he sleeps. His eye is bruised, but he’s a brute of a guy, so I’m sure he handled the punch just fine.
“Wasn’t exactly rainbows and sunshine from my end either,” I grunt, suppressing a shudder. “Had I not got stuck in the elevator minutes before the tsunami hit, I’d have been toast.” Like Tabby.
Aaron’s jaw works as he considers my words. His eyes water, which makes my own burn with emotion. We miraculously survived this catastrophe and somehow were reunited. Just like the last catastrophe we faced when Dad killed Mom. We’re survivors both in and out of the apocalypse.
“You were right,” Aaron admits. “You had a bad feeling and—”
“If you’d listened to me, we wouldn’t be here right now.” I pin him with a firm glare. “You’re the big brother for a reason. Your instincts matter too.”
He relaxes at my words. “To think this is the one time Jesse’s bullshit attitude actually worked in his favor. If he hadn’t been suspended from school…”
Too many what-ifs for my comfort.
“No sense in thinking about the terrible things that could have happened,” I rasp out. “All we can do is move forward with our ragtag group here.”
Aaron follows my gaze, both of us glancing over each person. “Who are they anyway?”
“Kellen here was my customer. We got in an argument over my being late, which ended up saving me in the end. He’s a cool guy.”
My brother grins at my downplay of just how cool I think this guy is. “Sometimes your bullshit attitude works in your favor too.”
I can’t argue that one.
“The older guy there is Gerry and the younger one is Kyle.” I then motion to where Hope has Elise tucked into her side. “The blonde is Hope and the brunette is Elise. The unconscious woman is Barb. Banged up her head pretty badly and hasn’t recovered.”
“Too bad Dan is a dentist and not a medical doctor,” Aaron mutters.
“When we reach the shore, we’ll get her to a hospital. They’ll fix her.”
Aaron’s eyebrows bunch together and he gets that sad look on his face when he’s about to break bad news to me. My stomach twists in anticipation.
“What?” I croak out. “Don’t tell me the whole damn planet is flooded.”
Aaron shakes his head and motions to the helm. “I’ve been listening to transmissions. They’re spotty because of the distance, but I was getting multiple reports of catastrophes happening all over the globe. It’s not just here.”
For some reason, I hear Dad’s mocking voice in my head. “I told you so. I told you the world was ending. You could have had the easy way out like me and Mom.”
“What kind of catastrophes?”
“Sinkholes all over the damn place. Entire cities wiped out—big ones too. Seismic activity, fires, volcanoes…” he trails off and scrubs a palm over his scruffy face. “Honestly, we don’t know what to expect when we reach land.”
“There has to be aid, though, right? The National Guard? FEMA? American Red Cross?”
“I heard there are some refugee camps in the Great Plains, which seems to be less affected thus far. Maybe we’ll head there.”
We both grow quiet as we contemplate what our future may be. I’m not sure it’s going to be great, but it’s a lot better than our recent past. I’d rather take my chances on dry land, that’s for damn sure.
“How much fuel do we have?” I ask, though I’m not sure I want to know the answer.
“Not enough.” Aaron grunts and then stands. “I’d hoped to use the storm to steer us to land because I know we’ll need the last of the fuel to actually make it ashore. As soon as we make visual contact with anything besides more water, I’ll do what I can to get us there.”
He dips inside the helm to pore over a map, effectively ending the conversation. Knowing my brother is capable of handling things, I finally allow myself to crash. Within seconds, I’m fast asleep.
A sharp whistle jolts me awake. It’s dark on the vessel and Kellen is no longer sleeping on my leg. I scramble to my feet, slightly disoriented. The lights of the Angler-traz illuminate the way ahead of us as Aaron steers the boat. I follow Aaron’s gesturing.
Land.
In the darkness beyond the Angler-traz’s lights, trees can be seen. Kellen appears from out of nowhere, a firm hand landing on my shoulder.
“Aaron told me about the radio transmissions,” Kellen says with a heavy sigh. “Texas has fallen.”
I turn my head to study him in the dark. His face is slick from rain and pale. I notice his plump parted lips, wondering, though briefly, what they’d taste like.
“My brother,” Kellen chokes out. “He and my dad are there.”
“I’m sure they got out,” I murmur. “If you got out of your predicament, they will have too.”
His shoulders relax at my words. “Knox is quite capable. So is Dad, for that matter. Dad may be an asshole, but he can handle himself.”
“You’ll be with them soon,” I assure him. “We’ll find them.”
A smile curls his lips up on one side. “We? You’re going to help me?”
“Still working on the best tip ever, man.”
Before he can reply, Aaron shouts at me. I break from Kellen to rush over to my brother at the helm.
“There,” he says, pointing at asphalt up ahead. “It’s a road. I’m not sure what sort of debris we’ll run up against near the shore. Our best bet will be to run the boat onto the shore with the last of the fuel reserves. Everyone will need to be ready, though. It’s not going to be a soft landing and there’s nothing I can do about that.”
I give him a quick nod before relaying the update to Kellen. Within minutes, we have everyone up, aside from Barbara, bags and supplies in hand, ready to go.
We’re getting closer when the engine begins to cough and sputter. Aaron bellows, slamming his fist against the dash as though he can jump-start the boat back to life. The Angler-traz lets out a tired sigh and then goes silent. We’re still cruising at a decent speed. I just hope we don’t have to swim the rest of the way because the water has proven to be incredibly dangerous.
As we approach the road that emerges from the water and disappears into the trees, I study the area for signs of life. No lights or sounds or people. Nothing. It’s eerie and causes a shiver to crawl up my spine.
“Brace!” Aaron yells when we’re about thirty feet away. “We’re coming in hot!”
I grab onto a handle on the outside of the helm with one hand and Kellen’s arm with the other. Seconds later, the deafening sound of crunching and smashing assaults my eardrums. We bounce and are tossed aside as the boat topples over once it’s made its crash landing.
My hand gripping Kellen’s arm is jerked away as I roll across the pavement and into the grass. I stagger to my feet, ready to aid the others. People are scattered all over the road. I do a quick headcount but don’t see my older brother.
“Aaron!” I yell, rushing toward the wrecked boat.
Pounding from the helm can be heard. He’s trapped. Seconds later, Wayne appears, carrying my pilfered ax. He motions for me to step aside. With a few well-placed whacks, he splinters the wood enough for Aaron to push an arm through. Together, we break apart the wood panels until Aaron has enough room to climb out. By the time we get him onto dry land, everyone seems to be getting to their feet. Jesse is bleeding from his eyebrow and Pretzel is howling pitifully. Other than that, no one appears to be injured.
“No,” Kyle barks out. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
He’s squatted beside Barb, who lies on the asphalt, unmoving.
“What’s wrong?” I demand, rushing over to them. “Is she okay?”
The older woman is no longer sleeping. She’s not even breathing. Her head is twisted at a weird, unnatural angle.
Fuck, Barb is dead.
It’s probably for the best, though.
Guilt assaults me the second I think it.
“You!” Kyle hollers as he climbs to his feet. He charges Aaron. “You killed Barb!”
He swings a fist, connecting with my brother’s jaw. Before I can snap into action, Jesse joins the fray, yelling at Kyle to get away from his brother. I snap out of my shock and manage to grab hold of Jesse before he does something stupid like strangle Kyle. Thankfully, Gerry and Kellen loop their arms around Kyle’s, tugging him away from Aaron.
Aaron rubs at his jaw and dips his head. I know he feels bad for the crash landing, but it’s not like there were any docks waiting for our arrival. No matter which way we tried to disembark from the boat, it was going to be dangerous.
Hope walks over to Aaron and clutches onto his arm. “Thank you for saving us and getting us here. Not everyone is an asshole.”
“Bitch,” Kyle snaps at Hope and then he attempts to shake off Kellen and Gerry. “Let go of me.”
“Enough,” Kellen growls to Kyle. “This whole situation is fucked-up, but blaming Aaron won’t bring Barb back. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Kellen drags Kyle along the road, away from the smashed boat and Barb’s lifeless body. Now that I know Jesse isn’t going to kill Kyle, I release him. He grunts and then trots over to where Hailey holds a trembling Pretzel.
I don’t know what lies ahead in store for us, but I hope there’s a warm meal, a dry bed, and just a few hours where we don’t have to spend every minute surviving hell.
That’s not too much to ask.
We all start trudging along the road. We’ve barely made it a quarter of a mile when a road sign comes into view.
Mariposa County Line.
Holy shit.
The Bay Area wasn’t the only place underwater. Apparently, the entire Californian coast right up to Mariposa’s doorstep was.
Someone crudely wrote in Sharpie over the sign:
Gerty got us.
I’m starting to think Gerty got everyone…
Kellen
Barb’s gone.
The pain of losing another one of my employees is sharp and unrelenting. Her death has really messed with Kyle the most, though, as they were close. Ever since we left her at the wreck site thirty minutes ago, he’s been mournfully quiet.
Our exhausted band of survivors clomps down the road in general silence. Gerry has fallen back, keeping near Kyle, and I’ve taken up the lead. Tyler trots up to my side and gives me a grim smile, illuminated by the partly clouded moon.
“Not a sound coming from anywhere,” he says in a whisper. “Kind of creepy.”
I nod in agreement. “Everyone probably evacuated when the tsunami flood waters hit. They’re probably in the next town over, holed up in hotels.”
“Too bad we can’t find a hotel,” Tyler says with a grunt. “I’m so fucking tired.”
I clasp a hand on the back of his neck and give him a comforting squeeze. “We won’t walk for forever.”
It continues to drizzle off and on as we walk, making it impossible to feel warm. My dress shoes are rubbing blisters on the back of my heels and the sides of my big toes. I’ll be glad when I can get out of these clothes and into something more practical for the end of the world.
“What’s the plan?” Tyler asks, gesturing ahead at the dark road. “After we regroup, I mean.”
“If I remember correctly, the Sierra Nevada Mountain isn’t far from here. Our best bet is to get there where we’ll have the natural barrier to any more flooding. After that…” I trail off and shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
We come to a road that intersects the one we’re on, where a big wooden sign with the word “Hank’s General Store” and an arrow that points to the right beckons for us. Below it is another sign pointing to “camping area.”
A quarter mile to Hank’s.
A mile to the camping area.
Stopping, I turn around to face our weary group. “What do you all say we check out the general store?”
Murmurs of agreement ripple through the group. Pleased with their answer, I gesture for Tyler to follow me down the road. The trees here are thicker, hanging over the road and blocking out what little moonlight we have, and the asphalt isn’t as wide as the main road. If the last road was creepy, this one definitely surpasses it.
The road eventually opens up to a small general store and decrepit parking lot. Unfortunately, not a light is on. I stride ahead, wincing slightly at my painful blisters, to make it onto the porch of the store. A sign with their hours is plastered on the door, proclaiming they’re open from eight to eight.
“Do we break in?” Jesse asks, coming up the steps to peer inside the glass door.
“We can’t break in,” Elise mutters from nearby. “We’ll go to jail.”
I exchange a glance with Tyler. His brows are pinched together as he frowns.
“What do you think?” I ask him, voice low.
“I mean, if we break in and an alarm goes off, the police will show up. They can help us get to safety,” Tyler says. “If nothing happens, we’ll have the supplies we need.”
“I can leave my credit card with a note,” Dan offers, also joining us on the porch. “We’ll be careful to keep things nice inside the store and not break anything.”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll break in, take what we need, and promise to repay the owners.” I turn toward the group. “Any objections, raise your hand.”
The only one who raises their hand is Elise. When she realizes she’s alone, she quickly jerks it back down.
“Great. We don’t need everyone to go. Tyler, Aaron, Dan, and myself will go check things out. Everyone else can stay out here and rest until we deem it safe.”
Tyler studies the glass front door as if looking for the best way to get inside while Aaron walks around to the back with Dan. There’s no easy way to break into the front without busting the glass. The last thing we want to do is open up the general store to actual looters or animals. There’s got to be another way in.
A cracking sound can be heard and then Aaron hollers, “Got it!”
Me and Tyler walk around to the back of the building to find a back door standing ajar. No alarms have gone off, which means the building is likely out of power. I fumble for a light switch once inside and after flipping it on and off a couple of times, my observation is validated.
We need light.
Seconds later, a light illuminates the space and then sweeps over to blind me. I squint against it until it points to the ground.
“There’s a whole bucket of mini flashlights,” Tyler says, handing one to me. “Let’s see what we can find.”
I take the offered light and then follow Tyler through the store. One side of the store appears to be your typical convenience store with food, souvenirs, and drinks. Beyond the food aisles, another opening leads to a second area of the general store.
“Jackpot,” Aaron calls out. “Camping gear and supplies. Boots and clothes and other useful stuff.”
Boots and clothes.
Thank God.
“Unlock the front door, Dan,” I instruct, “and tell everyone they can come in to grab what they need. We’ll take an inventory on our note to repay the owner before we leave.”
Dan splits off to bring in the others while me and Tyler make our way to the camping section. It’s just as big as the food side, which is great. I’ve never been so happy in all my life to see redneck camo T-shirts and Carhartt pants.
Eager to get out of my wet, ruined dress clothes, I waste no time slipping off my jacket. My side hurts, but I’d noticed earlier Tyler must’ve redressed my wound while I slept. I quickly unbutton my shirt, peel it off, and then gingerly begin pulling off my undershirt.
When I get a whiff of my own body odor, I groan in embarrassment.
Tyler laughs and shakes his head. “You’re not the only one, Kell. I’ll go find us some deodorant.”
His eyes linger on my chest for a beat, causing heat to flood through me, and then he abruptly turns to leave. I start looking through the racks of camouflage long-sleeved shirts until I find one in my size. Tyler returns with a stick of deodorant that he’s already opened and pulled the cap off. I graciously accept his offering and attempt to erase my stench before handing it back to him. Once I pull the wonderfully dry shirt on, I then set off to find a pair of pants.
The tan Carhartt work pants remind me of the ones I used to wear all the time back at the ranch. It feels like a lifetime ago. Since I don’t have replacement boxers, I’m forced to keep the still-wet pair on, but putting on the new pants feels great.
