Waves of Fury (Surviving Earth Chronicles)

Chapter Fifteen

Kellen

T hey’re hugging.

These aren’t random people. They’re Tyler’s brothers. Unbelievable.

It’s a miracle they survived and were reunited with him. Maybe I’ll reunite with my own brother soon. Thoughts of hugging Knox’s neck right now are all I can think about.

I miss my brother so damn much.

As soon as all this is over, I’m going to get a call through to him and apologize for my actions. Hell, maybe we’ll spend Thanksgiving together or something. The point is, we’re getting out of here and I’m going to make things right with Knox.

If we get rescued…

Tyler won’t leave us here. He couldn’t even leave the dog, for crying out loud. He’ll tell them all about our group so we can get out of this sunken city.

I need to rally our group, but I’m afraid to leave my spot. Like if I return, they’ll be gone… Nothing but a hopeful mirage.

“Kellen!”

Tyler’s voice projects over the sloshing waves. He grins happily at me, drawing out a matching one of my own.

“Toss my clothes to me and then get everyone out here. There’s plenty of room!”

I scramble into action, finding his pile of clothes and shoes. I stuff what I can of his clothes into his backpack and then tie his shoes to one of the straps. He waits by the edge of the boat, arms open and ready. I swing the bag back and forth a couple of times to judge how much momentum I’ll need before launching it at him. It goes high, but he easily catches it and hollers, “Touchdown!”

Without wasting another minute, I scoop up the ax and then head back to the landing where our group remains. I nearly crash into Hope on my way back inside.

“What is it?”

“A boat,” I say with a wide grin. “Tyler’s brothers. We’re rescued. Grab your stuff and let’s go.”

Elise predictably starts to cry and Gerry fist pumps the air. I hand off the ax to Hope, gesturing for her and Elise to go ahead of us.

“Hand me the supplies bag,” I say to Kyle. “You and Gerry are going to have to get Barb to her feet.”

I want to help, but I’ll risk tearing open my wound. Knowing I’ll have to get wet and ruin it bothers me, but I’m hoping it’ll be an excuse for Tyler to patch me back up again.

Kyle passes the trash bag to me. I tie it in a knot at the top so I can toss it to the boat when we get there. While they haul Barb up, I keep the door open to let them pass. By the time we step out onto the roof, I can see the people on the boat pulling both Elise and Hope out of the water. Hope, miraculously, swam over with the damn ax.

When I reach the edge, I cup my hands to project my voice. “How do we get Barb to the boat?”

I see Tyler consulting with the older of the two men he hugged and gesticulating, though I can’t make out what they’re saying. The other guy, presumably Aaron, hands a life jacket to Tyler. Tyler heaves the life jacket toward me. The wind sends it hurtling to my right, but thankfully Kyle snatches it out of the air, nearly dropping Barb in the process.

“Hold her and I’ll get it on her,” I instruct.

It takes some fumbling, but with the three of us aiding in the effort, we finally manage to get the life jacket put on Barb and tighten it as much as possible. She still hasn’t woken since she hit her head so badly, which is worrying. Hopefully, after we get out of the city, we can get her to a hospital for proper medical care.

Water sloshes up over the side of the building, spraying over the four of us. It’s then I realize it’s much choppier than when Tyler swam across to rescue the dog. The wind has picked up, which could be the issue. Regardless, we need to get the hell out of here and soon.

“Okay,” I tell Gerry and Tyler. “One hand on Barb and one on the flotation ring. Just hold on and they’ll reel you in. We’re almost there.”

I take over the hold on Barb while Gerry grabs the flotation ring that’s tossed to him. He hooks an arm around it and then nods at us to indicate he’s ready for Barb. Once he has a hand on Barb’s life jacket, Kyle gently pushes Barb into the water but doesn’t release her. The two men struggle a second to find their bearings and then Kyle hollers to pull them in.

On the boat, they waste no time hauling in the three of them. I watch with bated breath. Another swell of a wave sweeps between the buildings, making the boat rock wildly. The three in the water disappear under the wave and then pop back out, two of them sputtering and cursing.

Come on.

So close.

We can’t lose anyone else.

To my relief, they’re pulled to the side of the boat within seconds. Tyler and one of the guys he hugged grab onto Barb’s jacket, dragging her up into the boat. Two other men materialize to assist Gerry and Kyle. Only after they’re safe on the boat do I breathe again.

Thank God.

Rain starts to pelt me, stinging my cheeks. The sky has darkened, and the wind howls like it’s pissed off we’re making our great escape. Anxiety claws up inside me that they’ll leave me behind to die all alone.

Tyler yells something at me, but I can’t hear him over the wind. He tosses the ring toward me, but it sails off to my right. Quickly, he yanks it back out of the water to try again. Before he can throw it, another wave hits, making the boat tilt dangerously to one side and then the other. Elise nearly topples out of the boat if not for one of the men in the boat snagging her arm.

Tyler attempts to throw the ring again. It lands a few feet out in front of me, but my feet falter, sudden debilitating fear of the water washing over me.

What if I lose my grip on the floatation device?

I’ll be sucked into the dark abyss with bodies and sharks and who knows what the fuck else.

I can’t do this.

I’m really going to die.

“Kell!” Tyler bellows. “You can do this. Grab the ring and don’t let go!”

His words snap me out of my terror. I nod rapidly and then sit on the edge of the building, my legs dipping into the water. Another wave swells over, nearly knocking me backward onto the roof. I dig my fingers around the concrete ledge, holding on for dear life. Tyler’s determined gaze is locked on me as he tosses the ring. This time, it lands two feet away. Before I can question my actions, I leap for it.

Time slows as I fall toward the ring. A wave starts to pull it away, but in a last-ditch effort, I sling my arm out, ignoring the pain in my side, barely grabbing onto the floatation device. I vaguely hear the cheering of someone before another wave completely swallows me.

I manage to tangle both of my arms in the life ring, holding on as though my life depends on it. Because it absolutely does. A second later, I pop back up to the surface and suck in a huge breath. Tyler is hollering something at me, but I can’t hear him. Rain is falling in sheets now and the waves are out of control. I expect to be reeled in like everyone else, but instead, I’m jerked hard as the boat engine roars to life and takes off.

But I’m not inside the boat!

They can’t leave me!

A terrified yelp escapes me before another wave of water engulfs me. I’m tossed about under the current and slam into something hard that knocks the breath out of me. Before I suffocate, I’m back above the surface.

Behind me, I can hear a loud, pained grumble.

Not a person.

A building.

The sudden turn of the weather and ferocity of waves is too much for one of the buildings. It surrenders, getting sucked beneath the surface for its final resting place. All I can do is hold on and pray they pull me in soon.

More sounds can be heard around me. It’s deafening. Meanwhile, I feel like I’m jet skiing without the skis. I’m being dragged through the water so quickly the spray of it feels like tiny cuts in my face and the force with which I hit debris in the water nearly knocks me off the life ring completely.

I get spun around, facing the direction we just came from, and the view terrifies me. Beyond the dark curtains of rain, I watch building after building disappear under another mountainous wave.

My building is gone.

If not for Tyler’s brothers showing up when they did, we’d all be dead right now.

A flurry of multiple hands grabs onto me and then I’m roughly yanked out of the water. Tyler, Gerry, Kyle, and another man have pulled me free. They drop me to the floor of the boat where I continue to cling to the flotation ring. My chest heaves, making my wound cry out in agony as I attempt to come to terms with the fact we almost just died. Again.

Emotion wells up inside me, making my throat ache and eyes burn. It takes a second to register that someone’s speaking to me. Over the roar of the boat’s motor and pouring rain, I realize it’s Tyler.

You’re okay.

I’ve got you.

We’re safe.

His words are a balm to the psychological storm raging inside my head. I grab onto his hand, clutching onto it with profound desperation.

How is it someone I only met days ago feels so important to me? It’s as though we’ve known each other for months, not the short time we’ve really known each other for. If there’s anything to be grateful for in a situation like this, it’s that I met Tyler. Without him, none of us would have made it this far.

“Where to now?” I rasp out, wincing when we hit a wave at top speed and I’m thrown into the air before slamming back down onto the deck. “Your brother captains like a maniac.”

Tyler grins at me. “You should see me or Jesse when we try to pilot this thing.”

Kyle, who’s seated nearby, joins the conversation. “I don’t know where we’re going, but if I don’t see ocean water ever again, it’ll be too soon.”

Slowly, Tyler helps me to a kneeling position. He doesn’t let go of my hand, which I’m grateful for. Earlier, I might’ve been embarrassed for my employees to see me holding his hand. However, now I don’t give a damn. I need his strength too much to care about what people think.

For as far as the eye can see, ocean surrounds us. The tops of our once great city that clung to life, chin barely above water, has drowned. San Francisco is nothing but a place that once was. I’m not sure it’ll ever be home to anyone but sea life ever again.

The engine cuts off abruptly, but we continue to coast on the momentum we’d created. It doesn’t take a genius to know Aaron is probably preserving fuel. We’re not out of the woods quite yet.

Since there’s nothing to see but more water—and I’m sick of looking at it—I turn back around and sit on my ass. My side burns and I’m feeling new bruises all over from taking hits against underwater debris during our hasty escape. I scan the group of survivors crammed on the boat.

We have our original crew—me, Tyler, Hope, Elise, Gerry, Kyle, and Barb. There’re also Tyler’s brothers, Jesse and Aaron, plus another guy wearing a shirt with the same logo Aaron wears. There’s another family too. A father, a little older than me with graying hair, a mother around my age, a teenage girl, and a boy around six or seven. And, of course, our survival mascot…a Chihuahua.

So many lives were lost this weekend.

Friends, families, pets.

The loss of not only a great city but an entire population of regular people is gutting. All I can hope for is that the people who made it out of San Francisco and the other affected coastal cities make an effort to live the best life possible in honor of those who no longer can.

I tighten my grip around Tyler’s hand.

I know I’m going to do my damn best.