Waves of fury, p.21
Waves of Fury, page 21
“I’m going to make a bowline knot,” I say as I get to work. “Feed it down to Judy. I’ll put the other end around me.”
As soon as I’ve fixed up both ends, I pull the rope around my middle. Kellen is already sending the other end of the rope down toward the others.
The muck has crept higher and I’m starting to worry that none of us will get out of this.
“Do not let go of him, Judy,” Dan barks out. “Try to get this rope around you, but whatever you do, don’t let go—”
His words are silenced as the earth trembles again, vibrating every bone in my body. I sink deeper into the cold mud. We’re all going to die out here.
“Mommmyyyyyy!”
Silas’s yell drags on for what feels like an eternity and then it’s immediately silenced. Judy’s inhuman wail follows and I know. I fucking know what just happened.
He’s gone.
That sweet, quiet little kid is gone.
I choke on bile as tears well in my eyes. I’m reminded of Jesse when he was a little guy. It’s gutting to know we lost another person—this time the youngest in our group.
Dan starts bellowing. It sounds like he’s begging, pleading, sobbing. Judy, on the other hand, is hysterical.
“Let me go!” she wails. “Let me fucking go!”
Dan curses in pain and then he’s screaming in horror. “Judy!”
We all stumble back a bit now that we’ve lost some weight. An adult and small child’s worth of weight.
I’m going to be sick.
This time, I do throw up, barely turning my head in time to save Kellen from wearing it. He and Wayne are all but dragging Dan away from the sinkhole. The man is sobbing, red-faced, with snot running down his lips.
He’s lost his wife and son.
I can’t imagine the pain he’s in.
We hear honking approaching. I twist around to see a small, older model Toyota truck barreling across the land along the edges of the area we’re sinking into. When it gets close enough but not so close it gets sucked in, Jesse jumps out of the back. He ties a rope to the bed of the truck and then charges for us. As he nears, he tosses the end of the rope to me.
“Hang on!” he instructs. “We’re going to pull you out!”
He runs back to the truck and hops in. Then, slowly, the truck starts moving. I cling to the rope he threw to me and hope the others can hang onto the rope tied around my middle. At first, it feels like I’ll be ripped in two, but then we’re slowly dragged out of the muck without injury.
As soon as we’re on solid ground, the four of us collapse. Aaron has stopped the truck. Hope, Hailey, and Jesse all rush over to us to help us to our feet. Hailey looks past us, her bruised and gashed face pinching as she searches the group. Her eyes land on her father and she frowns.
“Where’s Mom and Silas?” Her bottom lip trembles and tears flood her eyes. “Dad, where are they?”
He collects her into his arms and holds her close. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I am so sorry.”
They both sob uncontrollably. We’re all feeling defeated at this point. I even hear Wayne crying, which is completely out of character for the big man.
“Tyler,” Jesse mutters under his breath. “We need to go. Get everyone into the truck.”
Hope and Jesse help Hailey and Dan into the passenger seat of the truck. The man holds his daughter in his lap as though she’s a toddler who had a bad dream. Hope shuts the door, shaking her head sadly. The rest of us climb into the bed of the truck.
We’re caked in mud, freezing cold, starved, thirsty, and heartbroken.
How much of this can we take?
The truck drives off and soon finds the road again. Once on solid ground, Aaron pushes the limits of the vehicle, racing along the asphalt at breakneck speed. We want to leave this all behind. To get far, far away from here.
But what awaits us as we continue our trek? More death and misery?
Kellen pulls me to him, his entire body shivering. His warmth and comfort are just what I need if I have any hope of enduring what comes next. He mutters assurances to me, stroking my hair and kissing my head. It’s then I realize I’m still crying. My heart hurts and I can’t seem to stop.
My heavy lids droop, but I don’t give in. I cling to Kellen, my eyes darting from Jesse to Hope to Wayne and then back to Jesse. Pretzel peeks his small head out of the top of Jesse’s jacket and lets out a pitiful howl. Even the dog is devastated.
The odds are so unfairly stacked against us. No matter which way we turn, we’re met with more pain and suffering. I’m not sure it will ever end. It’s as though Mother Nature is a vengeful, angry god, eager to mete out vicious justice on every human being on this earth.
She’s thorough and efficient.
Ruthless and cruel.
I wonder how long it’ll take her to eliminate everyone.
Our days feel numbered like the clock is ticking on our demise.
“Sleep, Ty. You need to rest. I’ve got you.”
Kellen’s voice, soft and reassuring, has me finally relaxing. I’m unable to keep my eyes open this time and quickly fade to darkness with one thought on my mind.
Please don’t take anyone else from us. We’ve lost too many.
Kellen
Tyler has passed out, snoring loudly over the whipping wind and the rumble of the truck engine. Hope stares sadly at Tyler while Jesse and Wayne wear matching stony expressions. We’re all at our wits’ end.
Aaron cruises at a considerably fast pace—as though we can outrun the horror and tragedies we’ve faced thus far, especially our most recent ones. No matter how fast he drives, though, the pain keeps us noosed in a strangling hold.
How are Dan and Hailey doing?
Will they have the will to keep going?
If I lost Tyler right now, I’m not sure I would. I’m feeling defeated and so goddamn tired. Hope for seeing my brother one day almost feels silly and fantastical. A pipe dream that’ll never come to fruition.
I’m not sure how long we drive. It feels endless. Like we’re in a purgatory of pain and suffering. I know that’s not true, though. A tank of gas can only go so far. When the vehicle begins to slow, the numbness starts to thaw and dread creeps back in.
What will we face now?
Aaron comes to a complete halt and jumps out. He makes his way to the truck bed and says, “Roadblock ahead.”
None of us have the energy to fight. Again.
“I’m going to see if they will help us,” Aaron says slowly, waiting for anyone to argue. “We have to try at this point.”
No one agrees or argues, so Aaron gets back into the truck. Slowly, he drives toward the roadblock. When he stops again, I hear a man’s voice.
“State your business, sir,” the man says. “This town won’t tolerate any troublemakers.”
Aaron exits the vehicle. “Nice to meet you. Aaron. My family and friends have been through hell. Can your people help us?”
The man is silent for a moment, then rattles out in a gritty voice, “The name’s Harry. This guy here is Ryan. We’re both firefighters here in St. George. What sort of help do you need? We don’t have much in the way of food or supplies.”
Firefighters?
My gut lurches with hope but then quickly fizzles at the reminder Stovepipe Wells had cops in their group and they were up to no good.
“We’ve been traveling from San Francisco,” Aaron explains tiredly. “It’s gone. Completely drowned by the sea. I was lucky enough to have been on my boat when the tsunami hit. Rescued this lot from one of the high-rise buildings still sticking out of the water.”
“No shit?” the younger man, Ryan, asks. “That’s a helluva long trip.”
“A lot on foot,” Aaron continues. “We’ve lost a lot of people. Most recently, outside of Vegas, we lost a woman and her son to a sinkhole. Our group is beaten down and defeated. Any kindness will help. Please.”
The men are quiet for a moment but then the gritty man, Harry, speaks. “There’s a Motel 8 just beyond this roadblock. It’s meant to be a place to catch your breath for a day or two before moving along. A visitor’s station if you will. We have volunteers who can offer minimal first aid and medical care. Water is still working, but power is out. There’s a cafeteria set up at the fire station. We can offer one meal a day to newcomers, but that’s it. I’m sorry, but that’s all we have.”
After the time we’ve had, a nice, safe haven with a couple of promised meals sounds almost too good to be true.
“This isn’t a trap?” Aaron asks. “We’ve run into some unsavory folks. A lot of them.”
Harry grunts. “Same, brother. I sure hope you didn’t pass through Stovepipe Wells. We’ve taken in a few people who barely escaped with their lives over there.”
“That would be us, too,” Aaron admits. “I think they’re capturing women to do God knows what with. It’s more of a prison camp than a safe haven. We got away from them by the skin of our teeth.”
“Sounds like you guys have a lot of information,” Harry says. “How about this? We put you up in the motel and then we can trade information for some supplies. You’ll need it when you leave in two days.”
Is it too much to hope for them to keep us indefinitely?
“I can’t thank you enough for your kindness, Harry. We’ll tell you everything we know. Dan, there in the truck, is a dentist. He just lost his wife and son, but I know he can help out if anyone needs their teeth looked at. I owned a deep-sea fishing and bay tours company. We may be a ragtag group, but I’m sure we can offer help in return for your graciousness.”
Soon, the engine starts back up again and we pass by the two men standing guard at St. George. Harry, a burly, massive man, meets my gaze as we drive by, pity in his expression. I know we look like hell.
Aaron drives over to the Motel 8 and parks in an open spot. By the time we all start climbing out, a heavyset woman with gray hair pulled into a severe bun waddles out of the front office. She speaks on a radio for a moment and then offers a smile of greeting.
“Harry says we’ve got guests,” the woman says. “I’m Florence. I don’t own this motel, but I’ve been on the Chamber of Commerce board for years. They’ve appointed me to run this post. Rooms one, three, and seven are available. Fresh linens, some bottled water, and a few snacks are provided. There’re also toiletries so you can clean up. If you leave your dirty things outside your door, someone will be around this evening to collect them and give them a washing.”
“Thank you,” we all mutter out pitifully.
“We do what we can,” Florence says. “Harry wants to meet for breakfast to exchange information. He said to meet in the motel office. Then, for lunch, you all can go down to the fire station for a hot meal. Something tells me it’s been a while since you all have had one of those.”
The last hot meal I had was forever ago and I got sick from it.
After we figure out the bed situation between the rooms, me and Tyler take the king-sized bed in room one. Aaron and Hope decide to stay with Dan and Hailey in room three with the two double beds, and Wayne and Jesse take the last room. As if in a trance, me and Tyler strip out of our clothes and gather all our dirty ones from our bags. While he starts the shower, I peek out the door and drop them in a heap. I’m not keen on leaving my clothes in someone else’s care, but in this moment, I have no energy left to fight. By the time I reach the shower, steam fills the small bathroom.
Inside, I find Tyler quietly sobbing.
This brings tears to my own eyes. I gather the filthy man into my comforting embrace and try my hardest to assure him everything will be okay.
I hope he believes my lies because nothing is certain in this world.
Nothing.
As promised, our clothes are clean and neatly folded by our room door the next morning. Because we can, me and Tyler take another shower. We’re both too beat and somber to get frisky and settle for holding one another. Once dressed and ready to face the day, we head outside to find Aaron, Hope, and Wayne standing just beyond our door.
“How are Dan and Hailey?”
Hope frowns. “They haven’t stopped crying. We told them to stay inside and rest. Jesse is going to watch over them while we meet with Harry.”
My gut twists painfully. If I feel like my world might literally end if I lost Tyler, whom I’ve known briefly in comparison, I can only imagine how Dan and Hailey are feeling losing half their family.
Aaron leads the way with Hope at his side. Tyler falls in step beside me as Wayne trudges behind us. The motel front office is bustling with people. When I smell something savory—cheese and eggs—my stomach grumbles.
Harry, another man with a gray goatee, and Florence are all seated at a table that’s been placed in the center of the room. In the middle of the table is a carafe of what I pray to every god in the universe is coffee. There’s also a basket of muffins and a tray of breakfast sandwiches.
He only promised a hot lunch, though.
Harry, upon noticing our starved expressions, chuckles and waves a hand at the spread. “Help yourselves. This is a business breakfast. Not part of your one meal a day promise. Sit. Feed yourselves and whatever’s left over, take back to the others in your group.”
Tyler doesn’t have to be told twice, going straight for a breakfast sandwich. He tosses one to me and I’ve barely gotten it unwrapped before devouring half the meal in one bite. The salty, savory flavors explode in my mouth, making me groan with pleasure.
While we eat, Harry introduces the other man. “This fellow here is our mayor, Jared Snead. Jared’s held this town together while the rest of the country falls apart. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his quick thinking and ability to act to protect our town.”
We all turn our gazes to the serious man who eyes us with an unreadable expression. I give him a nod but don’t try to talk over the mouthful of sandwich I’m trying to swallow. Florence begins pouring coffee into cups and passes them around to us. I wash down the dry crumbs of the biscuit with the hot, bitter coffee.
Heaven.
I’ve never tasted anything so delightful in all my life.
Once I’m feeling less like a starved animal and more like a civilized human, I make my way over to Jared and shake his hand.
“We can’t thank you enough for taking us in when you did.” I gesture at my group. “We’ve nearly died more times than we can count. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.” Or months? Hell, maybe it’s just been days. To be honest, the entire journey has run together in a blur. Sadly, I’m unsure how much time has really passed, which is jarring to me.
“Sit,” Jared says. “We’ll discuss what all you’ve endured.”
For the next hour, we stuff our faces with muffins and coffee until we’re all looking a little green. We regale the St. George trio with our travels. They all listen with rapt attention, only interrupting to clarify something or ask more questions. None of them judge us for stealing cars, food, and supplies.
“Hello,” a chipper voice says, entering the office. “I’m a local EMT here. My name is Amy.”
Amy, with her strawberry-blond hair and bright smile, enters the room with a small child in tow. She squats to whisper to the child, who then runs over to the table to sit beside Florence, who’s waiting with a muffin for her.
“That’s Cora. She was found wandering outside St. George a few days ago,” Amy says as she sets her bag on the table. “She doesn’t ever leave my side. I promise she’s well-behaved.” Then she scans our weary group. “Who needs medical attention?”
My gash to the side feels like eons ago, so I don’t raise my hand. Tyler grunts and points at me and then Aaron.
“Kellen here got speared by metal in a high-rise building. A bullet grazed my brother Aaron. I’ve treated both their injuries the best I could, but I’m no professional. Just a delivery guy with a first-aid kit.”
Amy eyes Tyler with appreciation. He’s hot as fuck, even tired, beat down, and depressed. She clearly has eyes and sees everything I see in him. Because I’m feeling possessive, I place a hand on the back of his neck and squeeze lightly.
“Don’t let him sell himself short. He’s my savior many times over.” I flick my gaze over to him and wink. He smirks, but his cheeks redden slightly at the compliment. “I couldn’t do this without him.”
I don’t come right out and say it, but the insinuation is there. Mine. Tyler is mine. Sorry, Strawberry Shortcake.
She smiles kindly at me and then points at Aaron first. “Let’s take a look at the gunshot wound.”
Aaron’s wound looks pretty nasty, but she quickly cleans it up, redresses it, and forces antibiotics down his throat. While I wait, Hope and Wayne gather the rest of the food to take to the others. They’re going to bring Hailey back so Amy can check out her mouth injuries.
All the while, Florence, Cora, Jared, and Harry all watch us with rapt attention. We may as well be aliens for how interesting they find us. It’s apparent that they’ve had their fair share of people passing through, but aside from lack of electricity and dwindling food supplies, life has continued on for them without much of a hitch.
These people haven’t lost those they love and care about.
They haven’t had to outrun marauders, lightning storms, and deadly sinkholes.
Not one of them seems to have missed any sort of meal.
Cora, though found wandering, still bears the childlike wonder and easy smiles found in most kids her age. For that, I’m grateful. Silas’s smiles were stolen long before his life was. Hailey and Jesse have been forced to grow up in a short amount of time. Even our damn group dog is traumatized.
Speaking of Pretzel, I hear him yip and howl, announcing his arrival in Hailey’s arms. She doesn’t meet the eyes of anyone here as Hope slowly leads her over to Amy.
“Do you have anything soft to eat?” Hailey asks, a soft lisp now present. “It hurts to eat.”
