Page 22 of Waves of Fury

I really fucking hate water.

Ever since I was a little kid and fell into a water hole at the ranch, it’s spooked me. I can thrash enough to keep my head above water, but actual swimming is something I never learned how to do because of my fear of it.

And now my worst nightmare is sloshing around my ankles.

Just hold your breath, paddle, and use walls or furniture to propel yourself.

My little pep talk does little to calm my erratic heart, but it’s enough to have me dipping into the water. With a huge gulp of air, I drop beneath the surface. The doorway to my office is open and I see Brian’s legs kicking as he goes through it. I push off the floor, using the force to send me surging toward the doorway. When I reach it, I grab hold of the frame and pop up on the other side. Brian is bobbing in the small pocket of air and gives me a grim smile. He sucks in a breath and then goes under. I mimic his actions and follow after.

Even with my eyes open, the reception area is dark. Furniture floats amidst scattered paperwork. I search the murky water until I see Brian up ahead. Using the doorframe, I shove off it, rocketing toward where I last saw him. The door to the stairwell is open and I kick my legs as I reach it. My lungs are starting to burn, so I hope I’ll be there soon. I can hear muffled voices above me. My hand slaps at what I think is the surface, but I don’t hit air. For a moment, I panic that I won’t make it.

It’ll be like when I kept slipping on the mud beneath the water at the ranch, unable to get my footing, sucking in a lungful of water instead of air.

Before the memory can steal me completely, someone grabs hold of the backpack I’m wearing from behind. Then, with a tug, they pull me upward toward the surface. As soon as my face bursts out of the water, I suck in air with a harsh sound. The hand on the backpack remains, guiding me toward the stairs that are visible. Once my feet hit the steps, I feel brave enough to look at my savior.

Tyler.

He flashes me a quick smile and then releases me to slosh up the steps. Hope is behind him, her lips turning slightly blue. I follow them up the steps to a landing between the rooftop access and the floor of my office. It’s dry and relatively safe. The others are all sitting on the landing, catching their breaths.

Thunder rumbles, making the entire building vibrate. We all pause, bracing ourselves for something catastrophic, but nothing happens.

“I’m going to take a look on the roof,” I say to Tyler, breathless. “Make them huddle for warmth and figure out a way to ration what we have.”

Tyler nods, taking his backpack that I offer to him. “Be careful.”

I make my way up the steps to the doorway of the roof. An axe sits on the floor beside a concrete hunk that appears to be keeping the door closed. I pull the heavy piece of debris far back enough I can slip out the door.

Rain stings my face as the wind slings it at me. I squint, hand shielding my eyes as I attempt to survey my surroundings. With the building leaning considerably to one side, I take care with each step so I don’t slip and make a fatal mistake. The rain continues to batter down on me, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.

The wind howls so noisily it hurts my ears. Beneath me, the building shifts and groans.

Fuck. We need to get off this damn building. But how? I can’t exactly Uber a life raft.

Rumbles and groaning of buildings can be heard between claps of thunder. Occasionally some big piece of debris scrapes along a building, maybe this one, and causes more racket.

How many people survived this…this thing?

Are we the only people left in this godforsaken city?

Considering there are only a few buildings left sticking out of the water that are a little taller than ours, I’m going to hedge my bets that not many made it. Furthermore, any and all opportunities for rescue are gone. The police precincts, fire departments, hospitals—hell, the coast guard—are all sunken tombs now.

We are well and truly fucked.

I’m about to turn and head back inside to shelter from the storm when I see something dark in the distance. Slowly, it begins to materialize between the sheets of rain coming down. My mind has trouble understanding what I’m seeing.

What the hell is that thing?

Thunderous crunching of metal against concrete is a deafening cacophony. I’m stunned, staring at the monstrosity.

No, it’s not an alien spacecraft.

It’s a goddamn cruise ship.

For a brief second, elation surges through me as I allow hope of a rescue to needle its way in. The happiness is quickly dashed as it continues to drift. There are no lights on in the vessel. It’s apparently an empty ghost ship, somehow come loose from wherever it was docked before the tsunami hit.

It’s unmanned, which means no one is controlling the thing.

And it’s heading this way…

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