Page 39 of Waves of Fury

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.

Ifwe 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.

---