Page 22 of Brighter than the Boss
"Set your watch!" I shouted out to Ivan when he hit the downstairs. I somehow managed to hit the right buttons as I sprinted, starting the countdown that would rule my actions and that of my lifeguards. The next thirty minutes could define my career and determine whether people made it out alive.
We snagged the two ATVs out of the open garage bay and zoomed out to the sand with the beach evacuation signs on board. Ivan went right to patrol north of the pier and I went left. Each of the signs on the back of my ATV would include further directions and street maps for the public to reference when they exited the beach. I hit the first stop and slammed on my brakes. Grabbing a sign and pounding it into the sand took less than five seconds. Back on the ATV to the next stop to repeat this all along the beach until I hit the line where the State Beach took over.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sunny running along the beach, bullhorn in hand, letting people know to evacuate. Families all along this stretch of sand were in the middle of their day, lying out on towels, barbecuing lunch, flying kites, playing volleyball.
So many people. So little time.
I gunned the ATV even faster, careful to keep an eye on any little kid that could dart in my path. An even stronger urge to get these signs posted and get back to Sunny's area flooded my body. She was such a tiny woman. Would people listen to her and leave the area like she requested? Would anyone hassle her or leave in such a panic that they trampled her? I gritted my teeth and kept going, knowing I had to do my job first.
So many people.
I moved as fast as I could, my heartbeat pounding in my ears, keeping time with the alarm on my wristwatch.
Thirty minutes.
I pounded in the last sign down by tower 19, then raced back to my ATV. The crowd was thinner down here, the huge rush of summer mostly over, thank God.
"Is that for real, man?" a guy asked me as I jumped onto the ATV. He had a smile on his face, like he expected a cameraman to jump out and say he was on candid camera. Like this couldn't actually be happening in real life.
"Yes. Get your friends, family and head north, quick as you safely can. Go!"
The look on my face must have clued him in as he took off running across the sand, arms waving at the group of people set up around the campfire closest to us. I saw one of our red lifeguard trucks, lights flashing, headed my way, so I took off. That should have been Dean in the truck, here to make sure everyone evacuated.
My radio sprang to life right by my ear. "Water is clear, boss!" Jax's voice shouted through the radio.
I handled the ATV with one hand and radioed back, "Haul ass to the marina and lock ’em down. Meet back at HQ to snag a spare truck and help land evacuations. Over."
Jax was my head marine safety officer out on the water. If he said we were all clear, then I trusted him. I wanted him and my other two lifeguards off their watercrafts and on dry land before they hit choppy waters.
The air around me seemed to change. A sense of alarm was palpable as I saw families scrambling to collect their belongings and traipse across the sand toward the parking lots. I scanned the crowds, making sure everyone was remaining calm enough to not hurt anyone else as they left the area. Not seeing anything alarming, I pointed the ATV toward Sunny's tower. Unfortunately, I couldn't get very far without people tossing questions at me or asking if the warnings were true. I had to slow down and address their concerns even though every fiber of my being wanted to get to Sunny and make sure she was all right.
It didn't seem to matter that I'd decided only two nights ago to leave her in peace. In my twisted brain I truly felt like I just wanted to make sure she was okay and that my urgency had nothing to do with actual feelings towards her. I knew it was more than that, but my panic wouldn't let me treat her like all the other guards.
As I tried to get to her, impeded every few feet by civilians, I reexamined why. We had several females on staff, so that wasn't the reason for my concern. I was confident in her abilities as a lifeguard because she came with such glowing recommendations from LA County, so that wasn't it either. The simple matter was: I cared about her. Even if I couldn't have her, she mattered to me.
And if these goddamn people didn't get out of my way, I was going to fucking run them over.
I gunned the ATV again, determined to get to tower five, dodging around people as they gathered their belongings or ran in front of me without even looking. A glance at my watch told me we had twenty-two minutes left.
A loud wail pierced the air, signaling the tsunami warning alarm going off in downtown HB. Everyone lifted their heads and paused, assessing. Then the panic ratcheted up a notch and everyone sprang back into action, moving that much quicker to get off the sand. It wasn't hysteria yet, but it was close.
11
Sunny
"Sir, I need you to put the camera down, collect your belongings, and exit the beach immediately."
My announcements over the bullhorn had gotten most people to their feet and moving off the beach without much effort. However, there were some stragglers who either didn't believe me or just didn't seem to think a tsunami was a big enough deal to vacate their oceanfront spots. I knew keeping panic to a minimum in events like this was key to a successful evacuation, but I was finding that some people could do with a little more urgency.
Though I was tempted to bullhorn my warning to this guy, I turned it off and dealt with him one on one.
Without taking his eyes off his camera screen, the red light blinking as he filmed, he answered me. "Yeah, yeah. Let me get a good shot of the waves starting to recede. They say that's the coolest part. When the water recedes really far back before the waves come in."
"Yes, that is a very cool part. Unfortunately, once that happens you'll have zero time to get to safety before the tsunami waves hit shoreline. We're closing down the beach right now. You must exit, sir."
Again, he stared at his camera screen, not even bothering to look my way. He took his hat off with one hand and scratched the top of his head, then jammed the hat on backwards this time before replying.
"I'm good, Baywatch girl. Go help some other people."
