Page 23 of Waves of Fury

One of the buildings nearby screeches as the cruise ship bumps into it. The concrete trembles and then with a moan of defeat, the building collapses under the stress of it.

Oh, fuck.

The waves of the building sinking rush toward the roof and spray up the sides. I’m blinded as to where the cruise ship has gone, but I know it’ll be here soon.

I have to warn the others.

If I can get them out and onto the roof, maybe we’ll have a chance to swim to another building. Well, those of us who can swim. The rest of us are as good as dead.

Snapping out of my shock, I turn on my heel and sprint to the roof door. I fly through the opening where Tyler is now standing with the ax in hand, skidding across the slick concrete until I slam into the railing.

“Brace for impact!” I roar just as the ship hits our building.

Everything rumbles and quakes beneath us. I lose my footing, flipping right over the railing. Falling face first into the dark depths of the water in the stairwell, I let loose a panicked yell.

Crash!

I hit the water with my arms above me in an effort to block my head from hitting anything that could be fatal. Water surges up right as I break the surface, shooting me all the way back up to the ceiling. Muted metal groans can be heard as I’m completely submerged. And even though my head slams into the concrete above me hard, the water hasn’t come back down yet. Just as I wonder if I’ll suffocate, the water sucks back down and a new sort of panic ensues as I’m pulled into the depths of the stairwell.

Pain rips along my side, jerking me to an abrupt halt. It takes me a second to realize the railing pieces that buckled and came loose hooked me. Gasping for air, I attempt to pull myself up the railing to no avail.

Water rushes toward me again without warning like a geyser, but this time rather than shooting me back up, I remain tangled on the metal.

I twist and thrash in an attempt to pull myself off the railing, but the sharp metal digs deeper into my flesh, further goring me.

I’m not going anywhere.

Here’s to hoping I don’t drown.

Tyler

We’re all going to die.

My heavy backpack pulls me down to the floor and the rooftop door pins me in place. Using the ax, I attempt to hook it into the railing so I can pull myself free. Just as I make headway, the water is sucked back down and I greedily gulp in air.

Once the water is gone and stays down this time, I slowly push the roof door away from me and rise shakily to my feet. Thank fuck I still have my backpack on or we could have lost what little supplies we have.

“Barb’s hurt,” Kyle barks out, cradling the older woman in his arms. “She smacked her head.”

Since I don’t know a thing about head injuries, I wait for someone else to step in and help. Luckily, Frannie staggers over to them. Gerry is helping Brian out of the water and Hope consoles Elise, who won’t stop crying.

Where’s Kellen?

“Help,” a hoarse voice chokes out. “I’m stuck.”

Snapping into action, I lean over the railing just before where part of it is missing to discover Kellen. His suit appears to be caught on the metal and he dangles there above the water.

“Gerry,” I bark out. “I need help over here.”

Gerry trudges my way, exhaustion making his features haggard. When he looks over the side and sees Kellen, he tenses.

“Can you reach your arms up, Kell? Me and Gerry are going to pull you off there.”

Kellen angles his head upward to see us and then looks back down. His entire body is trembling. Blood drips from some part of him, splashing into the dark waters below.

“I-I can’t fall into t-that,” he stammers, pointing wildly below. “I’ll d-die. Fuck, I don’t want to d-die.”

“You’re not going to die,” I assure him with a steadiness in my voice that I don’t feel. Nothing about this situation is certain, but that won’t help calm him down. “We’re going to pull you out. Reach your arms up.”

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