by Suzanne Cass
‘The Bureau of Meteorology has assured us that this is just a bad storm and not a cyclone.’ They all knew nature could be unpredictable. ‘We’ve never had to evacuate anyone from a season because of bad weather,’ JJ continued. ‘Your safety is of paramount importance, of course.’ But as Cilla watched JJ tip his gaze towards the sky, a thoughtful frown replacing his usual dimpled smile, she decided he was perhaps more worried than he liked to say.
‘We should all get going then,’ said Jason. ‘Is there any advice you can give us?’
‘Not really.’ JJ had the grace to grimace. ‘We’ll monitor the situation and you’ll be given a two-way radio so you can contact us. If need be we will evacuate you. But the best counsel I can give is if the wind picks up too much, you’ll be safer away from the trees. Just in case they come down in the gale.’
‘Right-oh then.’ Jason’s lips thinned, his quick glance at the looming clouds saying it all.
~
The large food chest was visible even from this distance down the beach. Tam’s stomach cramped at the mere sight of it. He’d never known hunger such as this. Sometimes he was sure his stomach was so empty it just dangled inside him like a deflated balloon, limp and lifeless.
Tam often found himself fantasising about food. Most of the time it was the small things he missed. The smell of frying onions. The crisp clean taste of a fresh apple. Or the cool slide of milk straight from the refrigerator running down the back of his throat. Food even invaded his dreams. Cakes the size of beds and marshmallows the size of pillows became his nightly companions. At least this living on rations of rice and beans had taught him a valuable lesson. Food – good food – was a luxury he wouldn’t take for granted ever again.
‘There it is,’ yelled Jason, and he started to run over the sand towards the campsite. ‘Come on everyone, let’s eat.’ He didn’t have to tell Tam twice, he started to jog down the beach as well.
The rest of the newly joined team didn’t take long to catch up. Tam slowed a little and ran next to Alisha. She wasn’t a pretty sight when she ran. Today she was running so hard she had to hang on to her enormous breasts so they didn’t hit her in the chin. Tam stifled a laugh at the sight. She’d lost a significant amount of weight while on the island – they all had – but she was always going to be a large woman. Tam didn’t mind, her body was a good match to her equally large personality.
The others surged ahead, eager to be with Jason when he opened the food chest. Tam stayed with Alisha. It was a slow jog for him, however Alisha was puffing hard.
‘What do you think about this new team, Alisha?’
‘I think we’ve a good chance,’ she panted between steps. ‘And I already like the two guys, they might make good allies.’ She was hard to understand as she pounded up the sand. ‘Can’t talk now. Running.’ She gave him a grimace and grabbed her breasts even tighter.
‘Right,’ he said through a grin. He let his gaze travel over the beach – their new home. The beach itself was smaller than their old campsite. Tam noticed there were three huge boulder-like islands nestled together just off the headland, protecting it from the rough ocean outside. The huge boulders seemed to almost float above the water, creating a safe haven within their arms. They were fascinating. He’d love to swim out and explore them later on, after this storm had passed.
JJ had been right in his prediction. The storm was coming up fast. Fronds on the coconut trees at the back of the beach were laid flat like streamers in the rising wind. Twigs and leaves were being thrown about the beach and he could see the waves building outside the haven of the boulders. They were in for a wild night.
He and Alisha reached the group around the food chest just as the lid was lifted. Some of the girls actually screamed in delight at the sight. There were plates of cheese, fruit, bread, and best of all a huge tray of meat. There were even some large bottles of beer tucked neatly in the corners.
‘We should get that meat cooking before this wind makes it impossible to get near the fire,’ said Jason. A man after his own heart. The meat was his number one priority too. They needed as much protein as they could cram into their bodies tonight. It might be weeks before they saw any more.
Tam helped Jason and Simon lift out the two big trays of meat and carried them over to the cooking fire. It’d been well banked and wouldn’t take too much effort to get back up and burning bright. There was even a steel grill to cook the meat in the food chest. He and Simon found some stones to stand the grill on while Hayden got the fire blazing again and Jason found some good cooking sticks. The wind was starting to whip up the sand and Tam could feel it stinging the backs of his legs as he positioned the grill.
From what Tam could make out, the layout of the camp was neat and orderly. A sturdy hut hunkered down beneath a tropical coral tree. The limbs were low and large and should help shelter them from the coming storm. Unlike Dawnbreakers’ rather rudimentary shelter, this hut had three sides with a tarp stretched over the top to give added waterproofing. It wasn’t large though, and they’d be all crammed in like sardines. He found himself stupidly hoping that one of the bodies he was crammed up against would be Cilla’s.
He could see her, over with the other the women, ferrying the rest of the food into the relative protection of the hut. Cilla glanced up and saw him watching her. A wonderful smile lit up her face. She moved towards him with a plate of cheese held high.
‘Grab a hunk, Tam. It’s delicious.’ His hands were full balancing the grill so that Simon could tuck another stone under one corner. She broke him off a bit and placed it in his mouth. Her fingers grazed his lips as he took the cheese. He nearly choked. Was it his imagination, or had she done that intentionally?
‘Thanks,’ he said around his mouthful, trying without much luck to swallow the cheese that was now sticking in his throat. It was probably delicious, but his mind wasn’t focussing on his tastebuds anymore.
‘Do you want some more?’ Her fingers held another chunk close to his lips.
‘Yeah, sure.’ This time her fingers did more than just graze the side of his lips, he was certain they lingered there. Tantalising. Teasing him, a slow smile spread over her face, leaving his lips tingling. A flash of heat spread out from his lower abdomen at the hinted suggestion in her gaze.
‘Cheese has never tasted so good.’ She popped a piece into her mouth and closed her eyes to savour the creamy taste. He watched, fascinated by the way her dark lashes lay, child-like against her smooth cheekbones. When she opened her eyes again, she fixed him with an audacious smile. ‘Don’t you think?’ Was she flirting with him? Maybe it was the heady rush of having real food to eat. Whatever it was, he liked the way she’d just become more animated, more alive.
‘Yes. Best cheese ever,’ he replied, locking gazes with her. He wanted to ask her for more, just to feel the feather-light slide of her fingertips again. Her emerald eyes widened a fraction as he continued to hold her stare. The heat turned from a slow burn to a rapidly growing fire licking through his groin.
This wouldn’t do. He bent over to hide the bulge developing in his shorts. He’d have to remember to keep his reaction to her under wraps. But it was hard. Almost bloody impossible when she was looking at him like that.
‘Oi, what about me then?’ Simon called from over the other side of the fire. ‘Do I get to taste this wonderful cheese as well?’
‘Yes. Of course.’ Her eyelids drooped, hooding the bright green irises, the teasing light dying as fast as it had appeared. She stepped away from him and the moment was gone.
Goddamn you Simon.
‘I think the grill is right now guys. Let’s get this meat cooking.’ Jason started throwing hunks of raw meat onto the grill, with Hayden pushing them into position with a large, pointed stick. The smell of the frying meat made Tam’s mouth water. He’d forgotten how good that aroma was. Trying to put aside the strangely intimate moment he’d just shared with Cilla, he concentrated on watching the meat cook instead.
‘All we need now is a few onions and it’d be the perfect BBQ.’ Hayden gave a wistful smile.
‘Amen to that one,’ Tam replied.
A large, wet drop landed on the grill, making it sizzle and spit. Then another drop hit the fire with a hiss. The rain was falling in vast, singular drops the size of acorns. It wasn’t heavy yet, the early warning drops of what was to come. He looked out towards the sea and was surprised to see both ocean and sky turning black, even though it was only just past noon. Sheets of lightening hurled their way from one side of the horizon to the other. Weather had a lethal beauty out here on the island. He could see rain squalls swallowing islands further out beyond the calm waters of their bay. It reminded him they were mere specks on another insignificant speck, lost out on an enormous ocean. It was both humbling and fortifying. They were out here to survive and their courage would be put to the test tonight.
‘Here comes the rain,’ yelled Tam. ‘Looks like we got the meat on just in time.’ He saw the women hurrying to get the last of the food out of the oncoming storm. He watched one of the new women – Rosa? – as she balanced a tray of fruit in each hand, making her way over the sand with sure-footed steps. She was petite, almost elf-like, with dark curly hair framing her face. She was perhaps a few years older than him and very pretty.
The second woman had introduced herself as Susan when they’d first met at the merge. She had mousey brown hair tied up in a ponytail away from her face. Her eyes lit up when she came over to shake hands with him, her plump cheeks trembling with delight as she held his hand. The merge was going to shake the dynamics of the Dawnbreakers up significantly. It was going to be an interesting few days as they figured each other out, testing their personalities, strengths and limitations. Would old friendships stay strong? He rolled that tricky problem over in silent contemplation as he watched the meat turn black on the grill.
~
The wind howled, a marauding animal prowling around the outside of their hut. Lightening was striking down repeatedly, followed by the loud booms of thunder. Cilla imagined bombs exploding nearby might sound much the same. The lightening was more frightening than the thunder, because it lit up the beach with its brilliance, and in that light the destruction the storm was wreaking was obvious. Huge waves rose up just outside the shelter of their bay, throwing themselves at the rocky reefs and hurtling enormous plumes of spray into the air. As fast as the gale could throw massive branches and even whole tree trunks down the beach towards the ocean, the waves would push them back up onto the sand, creating a wall of flotsam that heaved and surged with each roll of the swell. Sand and leaves were flying through the air, turning into mini-missiles, filtering into their shelter through any nook and cranny.
Cilla had lived through her fair share of storms before, even having to ride out a cyclone on a forty-five foot yacht at sea once. But this was the scariest thing she’d ever encountered. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that there were only flimsy coconut fronds protecting her from the fury of the wind outside. Or the fact that, despite the tarp, water was streaming down in rivers through the roof. They’d tried to cover the front entrance with more coconut fronds, but the wind had already ripped most of those away. Everyone in team Moonrakers was soaking wet, miserable and afraid. They huddled together for warmth. No one spoke, it would’ve been futile against the noise of the wind anyway.
Cilla was sandwiched between one of the new girls, Rosa, and Alisha. For once she was thankful for Alisha’s spare padding. It felt like she was being squished against an extra-large pillow. She was in the centre of the clump of huddled human beings, so at least she was relatively warm. Cilla tried to tune out the destruction that was going on outside the shelter, concentrating instead on the relative safety inside. Tam and Hayden were bunched in behind her. Tam’s strong bicep curled against her back. He must’ve had his chin resting on his arm, tucked up next to her shoulder blade, because she could feel the course of his breath as he blew warm air over the side of her face. It was a very curious sensation; despite all these people crammed in next to her, she found the only thing she could think about was his breathing. Familiar yet illuminating. Her mind was carried away by that thought.
Earlier today she’d taken the opportunity to run her fingertips over his lips under the pretence of placing a cube of cheese in his mouth. It was a move designed to tease and provoke, just having fun. But the way he’d looked at her had drawn her up short. His eyes had fixed her with that butter-scotch stare, the flare of desire unmistakable. But it’d been the ripple of nervous anticipation that surged through her in response to his obvious hunger which had been the ultimate surprise for her. It brought back the urgent way she’d responded to his kiss on the beach, the way he’d taken ownership of her mouth and the way she’d wanted him to take more, had been willing to give him more, and more. And the way her brain had subconsciously recalled every curve and dip of the hardened muscles of his stomach as she lay on top of him during the blind maze knockout. Never had she experienced such an immediate response to a man before. Sure, she’d wanted men, desired them, and definitely enjoyed the sex. But this slow burning ardour banked within her veins, ready to explode into flesh-eating flames every time Tam looked at her was completely new.
The sound of the wind changed, becoming louder, if that was indeed possible. The howl turning into a full-blown roar of rage, breaking off her fantasy about Tam.
There was on ominous rumble and crashing streaks of lightening flashed right over the top of their shelter. All of a sudden there was a loud splintering sound and a booming crash that shook Cilla to the core as something heavy hit the tiny hut, knocking her sideways. Rain and wind suddenly lashed at her face.
Screams of fright and confusion filled the air.
In the pitch black it was hard to tell exactly what’d happened, but Cilla sensed rather than saw rain was now pouring in through a gaping hole in one side of the shelter.
A tree had fallen on the roof.
The shelter was destroyed.
Time seemed to slow as Cilla scrabbled for purchase, trying to sit upright. Her breath came in panicked little pants. She needed to get out of here. Quick!
‘Cilla, are you alright?’ Tam’s voice finally broke through her fear. His mouth was right next to her ear, but he had to shout to be heard. Her head hurt. She raised a hand to her forehead and her fingers came away warm and sticky. Blood.
‘I don’t know, I think I might’ve cut my head.’ She found she was still struggling to sit up, until she felt Tam heave something heavy out of the way. At least now she could get to her feet.
Belatedly she remembered to ask, ‘How about you? Are you hurt?’
‘I’m fine,’ his disembodied voice came out of the blackness. ‘Let’s get out of here.’ He grabbed her under the arms and virtually lifted her up, steering her over the debris of the shelter and down onto the relative safety of the sand. It was still pitch dark, but once on the beach she could just make out the ruined form of the shelter against the shadowy grey of the scudding clouds. Darker forms moved through her line of sight as other team members clambered out of the wreckage. She sensed other bodies milling around her in the dark. But apart from Tam, who kept a tight hold of her hand, she couldn’t tell who was who.
‘What about Alisha? Where’s Alisha?’ Cilla found she was screaming now, but didn’t care, shock and a need to be heard over the wind lending her voice a hysterical note.
‘It’s okay girl, I’m right here.’ Cilla felt a hand on her shoulder and gathered the other woman in for a shaky hug. They kept hold of each other, afraid they’d lose one another in the dark. Cilla felt Tam’s hand in hers, rock-steady, encircling her own. Her head was pounding and she was glad of his calming touch. A warm trickle ran down the side of her temple. Blood must be flowing freely from the cut in her head. Her stomach turned over at the thought.
‘Everyone who can walk, make their way over to me.’ Cilla only just heard Jason over the roar of the gale. The thr
ee of them made their tentative way to where Jason stood in a clear patch of sand, out from underneath the boughs of the tree. Reaching in front of her until she felt fabric beneath her fingers, she held tight to Jason’s jacket. She was glad it was dark so the others couldn’t see how much she was shaking.
‘Who’s this,’ Jason asked.
‘Tam, Alisha and Cilla,’ she yelled back.
‘Good. We need to get everyone out here and accounted for.’ He was only a shadowy presence in the dark, but the sound of his voice and the fact he was taking control comforted her, and a little of the panic started to ebb away.
‘Everyone, over here, follow the sound of my voice,’ Jason shouted again. Tam joined in, yelling directions to the spectral forms making their way closer.
Soon there was a close-packed bunch of people crowding around Jason.
‘Is everyone here now?’ Jason did a role call and Cilla heard with relief everyone answer to their name.
‘Is anyone hurt?’ It crossed her mind not to own up to the cut on her head, but she knew Tam would dob her in if she didn’t confess. He still had his hand wrapped tightly around hers, strong fingers threaded through hers. She hadn’t had the courage to feel for damage again, but she knew there was quite a gash up there.
‘I got hit on the head,’ she admitted.
‘Is that you, Cilla? How bad is it?’
‘Yes, it’s me. And … I don’t know how bad it is. I think it’ll probably need stitches.’ She kept her voice steady, although the thought made her cringe inside. It wasn’t the pain she was afraid of. She just wasn’t good with anything to do with needles or hospitals. They brought back childhood memories she’d rather keep locked away. Of the abuse she’d suffered at her father’s hand. The dark threats he’d made if she ever dared to reveal how she’d actually received her various injuries had made her wary of all things medical.
‘Shit,’ Jason swore loudly. ‘Can you get someone to help you staunch the bleeding?’
