Page 6 of Primal

“Not the girl, but you did betray me.”

“I was a kid!” Now I was also shouting, arguing with Axel right in front of Poppy and her boyfriend. “I was only eighteen, and you know all eighteen-year-old boys think with their dicks. Get past it, already!”

Axel opened his mouth to reply, probably about to go on and on about what a shit friend I was, but the sudden screech of an alarm coming from the TV made the words die in his throat and drew everyone’s attention to the screen. A warning scrolled along the bottom of the screen and my stomach dropped as I read the words.

As turbulent as our situation inside of the cabin was becoming, it was nothing compared to the storm coming our way.

Chapter4

Poppy

We were all reading the words at the bottom of the screen when rain started to fall outside. There was no slow buildup to the downpour. One moment, it was quiet outside, and the next, the fat raindrops were lashing against the windows. Glancing out the nearest one, I saw the wind had also picked up, and the branches of the trees surrounding us swayed.

Looking back at the TV, I read the same alarming words over and over again.Severe weather. Thunderstorm. High winds. Flash flooding. Tornado watch.

My heart raced as fear gripped me. A tornado?

No, that couldn’t happen. This place didn’t have a basement. Where were we supposed to go for safety? My breathing grew heavy as panic set in.

“W-what do we do?” I asked, my voice shaky. “Where do we go?”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Mason said, moving toward me with a small, comforting smile on his face. He was always so calm about things, and as he pulled me into a hug, I felt a calmness seep into me, a comfort I definitely needed. “We’re going to be safe here.”

I glanced over at Joey, annoyed he didn’t step in to comfort me, but his attention was on the TV. He didn’t look concerned at all. Did he even notice?

“Yeah, you’ll be fine,” my dad said, his voice gruff.

Mason pulled away, and I saw Dad’s eyes were narrowed on him.

Was he annoyed Mason was the one to comfort me? Well, that was too bad, really. I hadn’t even seen my dad in almost a year. We weren’t close, and he lived in a completely different state. Aside from the occasional phone call, we really only saw each other during the holidays, and even that didn’t always happen.

“I’m going to need some booze,” Joey said, stalking off to the kitchen and opening one of the grocery bags we brought with us.

I sighed as I looked away, annoyed he was already planning to get drunk. We could be in crisis here, and he didn’t even give a thought to being too impaired to make sound decisions. At least my dad and stepdad were both here. They were people I could count on to keep me safe, despite my strained relationship with my dad.

“Maybe we should just leave right now,” Dad said, crossing to the living room window and looking out just as lightning flashed across the sky. “Head back to the airport and try to get flights home.”

I was about to point out I didn’t really have the money for that. I’d already booked my return flight and it was days from now. But Mason spoke up first.

“Like hell you are.” he said. “There’s a risk of flash flooding. You want to get swept away in that tiny ass clown car?”

Dad glowered at him, and I was worried they were about to start fighting again. I knew my dad didn’t like Mason, and I assumed it was because he was married to my mom. Tonight was the first time I’d learned they used to be friends, and Mason had stolen my dad’s girlfriend when they were younger.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you get swept away,” Dad spat.

Mason ignored the jab. “The only option is for everyone to stay here, at least until the storm passes.”

“The TV says that’ll be days,” Dad said.

“Do you have a better idea?”

My dad was a stubborn man, but even he knew how to admit defeat. Kind of.

Instead of speaking, he turned to the stairs and stomped up them. I heard one of the bedroom doors slam, and I was sure he locked himself away for the night.

Mason sighed through his nose. “He’s such a delight, isn’t he?”

I giggled.

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