Page 55 of Wild for You
“Don’t stay out here too long, Tarzan,” she teases. “I don’t want you blowing away out here.”
I smirk, watching her walk away as another clap of thunder echoes in the distance, a cruel reminder of just how not in control I actually am.
“Yeah, yeah. I hear you loud and clear.” I say aloud to mother nature. “Just give me a week to get ready, will ya?” I get my answer when a light sprinkling of rain begins to fall.
“Fucccck.”
I’m drenched by the time I make it to the campsite, where I find Gwen hunkered in our flimsy lean-to with two salads laid out and ready. “It’s really coming down out there. Is this normal? Should we be worried?” Her eyebrows pull together in concern as the heavy wind whips our shelter back and forth.
I take a seat, sitting crossed-legged next to her, and begin shoveling my salad into my mouth. I don’t speak because I’m afraid I may scare her. I eat my salad and oysters and mentally prepare for what I know is coming. A bead of water leaks from the roof, landing directly on my forehead. The cold liquid slides all the way down my face before dripping into my empty bowl.
Gwen’s eyes go wide, and she glares at me with concern, “Oh, shit. The roof’s leaking! Do we need to patch it or something?”
Just as the question leaves her mouth, a gust of wind blows through the shelter, taking the roof with it.
“Gwen, listen to me. You need to get to the overhang where we had our first date. There’s a small cavern on the side. It’s only big enough for one person. Go right now, do you understand me?” My words come out as a command rather than a suggestion, and I can see the fear bubbling up in Gwen’s eyes from the change in my demeanor. She nods her head in understanding and bolts as another wide gust rushes over us.
I steady my breathing and get to work. I’ve got to collect all of our things, the things we both need for survival. I throw on my backpack and do my best to shove our food supplies and what’s left of Gwen’s clothing into a hollowed-out tree trunk. Her things will be wet, but the fish I dried will be fine … as long as the wind doesn’t blow it away.
The rain pelts against my face like bullets, stinging every inch of exposed skin as I rush to find Gwen. But when I see the huge waves crashing against the rock, my heart sinks. Not only could this ruin our chance of escape, but we also may not even live through the night to try.
“Fuck!” I scream as I squint my eyes, trying to make sense of where I am. I know I’m close to the rocky overhang, but the rain is flying around me in every direction. “Gwen!” I call, cupping my hands around my mouth. My heart’s racing so fast I think it may spontaneously combust. “Gwen!” I yell again as I climb the shallow rocks, stumbling and falling with every other step I take. Blood spills down my legs, and I know I’ll be digging out fragmented rocks for days. I just hope Gwen made it in time. “Gwen!” My voice cracks, and a wave of nausea courses through me, mixing with the adrenaline, and I feel like I’m going to be sick.
“Jack, I’m over here!” Her scared, shaky voice is music to my ears, and I turn toward her voice. That’s when I see her, hunkering behind a rock, her white blonde hair slicked back as her small body curls in on itself.
“Baby, I’m here.” I rush to her, pulling her shivering body into my shaking arms. “Baby, I told you to hide in the cavern! Goddammit, you scared me.”
“I … I … I couldn’t find it, and then a gust of wind blew down this tree right in front of me, and I panicked.” She sobs into my drenched t-shirt. “I thought I was going to die, Jack.”
“I’ve got you.” I take her hand and give her a firm squeeze. I’m not letting her out of my sight until we’re safe. “We’ll make a run for it, okay?”
She nods her understanding and squeezes my hand even tighter.
“The cavern is just ahead. I want you to go in first, and I’ll follow you.” Gwen’s face is white as a sheet, but she steadies her gaze and nods.
“We go on three, okay? One. Two. Three.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Jack
Last night wasthe worst night of my life. Gwen scared the shit out of me when she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. The muscles in my back scream and ache from lying on the hard rocky surface of the narrow cavern.
The small cavern we slept in is barely big enough for one person, so I used my body as a shield to cover the opening, protecting Gwen from being pelted by the storm. She still shook like a leaf in my arms all night, but at least I was able to shield her from the brunt of it.
The only reason I know the time is because of my watch. I didn’t sleep a wink, and the hazy sky is blocking most of the sunlight. I climb out of the cramped cavern, and the vision before me steals my breath.
Our small little paradise is unrecognizable.
Everything we’ve built to sustain ourselves has been destroyed. Palm trees lay uprooted in every direction, and I try my best to keep my composure. I don’t want to scare Gwen because the last thing I need is for her to know how scared I am right now.
I suck in a long steady breath to slow my racing heart and take her hand. “Come on, let’s go check on the camp.”
She nods her head and furrows her brow. “Jeez, look at all of this mess.” She kicks a stray log away from the path, head wandering around in every direction. “Was that like a monsoon or something?”
“Or something,” I say, not wanting to get into the details right now. I know I’m being short with her, but I have to be careful with my words here. I need to see the camp and assess the damage so I can figure out our next move.
When we finally make it to the campsite—or where the campsite used to be—there’s no evidence of the last two months of our lives.
