Wrong Kind of Paradise

by Suzie Grant

  deserted her long ago, and uncertainty clouded her mind. How would she manage to get them out of this

  mess now?

  Blac came to at that moment and stirred on the ground. Relief washed through her and her eyes

  misted. He sat up and met her gaze. But several sabers surrounded him and he raised his hands, climbing

  to his knees. His eyes cautioned her to show no emotion but she couldn’t help it. She loved him. She

  wasn’t ready to lose him or her father yet.

  Phillip turned to Blac. “Ahh, he’s awake again. Excellent. Just in time too.”

  “Time for what?” Blac asked, shaking his head.

  Phillip retrieved the sword from the ground. He snatched Angel from the man who held her and

  yanked her back against him, the blade settling at the base of her throat. She gasped.

  Paralyzed with terror, Angel ceased to breath and her heart pounded against her rib cage. The vise

  of his arm against her neck cut off any air. She clawed at the hands holding her, struggling to free herself,

  but the blade entered her vision. “One more move, Angel, and you’ll watch your blood spill across the

  ground.”

  Her glance moved to Blac. He struggled against the arms that had captured him. Men subdued her

  father, but he heaved one of the soldiers to the ground before another took his place. Logan roared his

  fury.

  They were outnumbered six-to-one. They were outgunned and all the odds were in the viscount’s

  favor.

  Time had run out.

  Twenty-two

  A low rumble sprang up from beneath their feet. The viscount’s arm loosened just a little as he

  steadied himself. Confusion ran through the room as the redcoats toppled like toy soldiers, one atop the

  other. Angel glanced to Blac with widened eyes, gripping the viscount’s arm in utter terror. “What’s that

  sound?”

  Blac shook his head. The sound grew louder. The ground beneath them shook as glass shattered.

  Everyone seemed to pause in slow motion as realization dawned on them.

  “Earthquake!” Blac shouted and bound from his position on the floor toward her. The soldiers let

  him go as panic rushed through the ranks. Blac shoved the sword away from her throat and sent a fist into

  Phillip’s face. The viscount crumpled to the floor.

  “Don’t let Logan get away,” the viscount shouted, trying to lumber to his feet.

  Logan roared in fury but several men pinned him down. “Get her out of here, Blac. I’ll cover you.”

  Two more men leapt into the fray and Logan toppled to the floor under the mound of redcoats. Angel

  screamed through the hand covering her mouth.

  Blac hesitated.

  “Get her...out...of here,” Logan bellowed from under the pile of bodies.

  Blac seized her wrist and dragged her to the doorway, but she struggled against the hold. “Papa! I

  can’t leave him. Please!”

  But Blac hauled her to the door, ignoring her protests.

  She squinted at the brilliance of the sun as her eyes adjusted to the light. The waves in the harbor

  heaved and tossed the ships about like toys until one of the docks splintered in half before her very eyes.

  The horrid sound of wood crackling as ships bashed into each other seemed eerie under the roar of

  extremely high waves.

  The house next to them disappeared into the ground as if it had been sucked down into the earth like

  a whirlpool.

  Her heart dropped into her stomach as realization of what was happening hit her. Blac dragged her

  around the building. He shoved people out of their way until they reached the front, just as another shop

  next to them sank beneath the surface.

  Glancing back, she screamed. “Papa!”

  She turned to search for her father but Blac’s hand around her wrist stayed her. A whole section of

  the wharves trembled like waves on land before it collapsed into the depths of the sea.

  I don’t want to die!

  The terrain crackled behind her and spread. No matter how fast they ran, it followed behind them.

  We’re going to die!

  “Run, damn it! Angel, run!”

  Fighting tears, she heaved air into her lungs, and her sides burned from the effort as they cut through

  the alleyways toward High Street. Fear skittered down her spine. Her feet pumped harder but no matter

  how fast she ran it didn’t seem to be fast enough. Blac’s vise-like grip on her wrist jerked her along

  behind him, and her skin stung in protest.

  Completely aware of her feet moving forward, Angel felt her steps drag as if she were slogging

  through waist-high water. Time slowed until it ticked second by second.

  An explosion rocked the ground beneath Angel and more of the earth behind her vanished,

  swallowed up by Mother Nature herself. Nature’s rampage cast her wrath on Port Royal, shattering the

  serenity of this warm, sunny afternoon. Cries rent the air along with what sounded like claps of thunder, as

  building after building crumbled under the weight of the earth’s fist.

  Thick clouds of dust sprang up and wafted back down around them, choking off any source of clean

  air. Is this where we die?

  Blac yanked her to the right and they tumbled to the hard packed ground, just as the split in the earth

  lengthened, ingesting the ground they had just vacated.

  Stunned, Angel gulped in air. Her knees stung from the fall and the stitch in her side rent heavy

  gasps from her. She paused. Her gaze settled across the street to the only building left intact. A man lifted

  a half-empty bottle of liquor to his lips as he walked out the front door and another scrambled to his feet.

  But the earth gave way beneath him. Just before he plummeted into the abyss, he latched onto the ledge

  and cried out in horror. The drunkard stared down at him and took another drink. The man’s pleas for help

  ripped Angel’s heart from her chest.

  She eased to her knees, set on making it across the way to grab his hand, but the entire house

  dissipated before her eyes. She gasped and toppled back on her rear, clapping a palm over her mouth in

  an attempt to stifle her scream. Dazed, her entire body shook with fear.

  “There’s nothing you could’ve done for them, Angel.” Blac caught her face in his strong hands.

  “Nothing. Now get up and keep moving.”

  She knew he spoke the truth but her mind didn’t want to listen. Her heart ached at her inability to

  save another life, at the helplessness she felt as the world crashed around her.

  Tremors rippled across the surface of the street and her eyes widened. “Is there another one?”

  Blac scrambled to his feet again and tugged her up with him. “Get up. We have to get to higher

  ground. Now!”

  “Why?”

  He didn’t answer her as they dodged running people and zigzagged their way through the back

  alleys. Chaos ensued all around them. He slammed through a gate and into a courtyard. Before they

  reached the entrance to the building, another rumble shook the earth, followed by an ear-splitting roar.

  “What is that?” she cried out, gripping his hand. Terror seized her heart in its desperate grasp and

  planted her feet. Frozen in place, a shriek lodged in her throat. Angel sensed death over her shoulder.

  She whipped around and spied a ten-foot high wall of water crashing through the middle of the

  town. Her eyes widened.

  “Run!” Blac shouted.

  She darted into the house behind him and up the stairs. They reached a veranda.
He glanced around

  frantically searching for something and then leaned over the side of the rail. Clasping her wrist, he

  dragged her to the edge. “Jump!”

  “What?” Had he lost his mind?

  The monster-like wave hit the side of the house and toppled the far wall behind them. Glass

  shattered under the force, and the plaster splintered into a thousand pieces. She shrieked, turned, and

  together they jumped off the edge.

  Both feet hit the wagon beneath them with a thud and her legs buckled underneath her. Pain jarred

  her knees as she collapsed, and the wall of water swept under the wagon, lifting it in its palm, carrying

  them in its grasp.

  Angel clung to the front of the wagon. Blac settled in behind her with an arm on either side of her.

  The wagon tilted dangerously and teetered on the tip of the wave, slinging Blac off his feet.

  She seized his arm and shrieked his name.

  Oh my God, don’t let us die!

  He regained his footing and clutched the side of the wagon. Ocean spray splattered across her face

  and soaked her hair. A three-story structure loomed ahead of them. They were going to crash right into

  it!

  Angel pointed but there was no way they could steer this damn thing. Blac reached an arm around

  her waist and settled inside the wagon with his back against the side and her between his legs. His arms

  covered her head and he sheltered her entire body with his own. “I love you, Angel,” he whispered in her

  ear.

  Before she could reply, they collided with the building at full speed.

  ~*~

  Wood fragmented all around Angel, and suddenly she sank into the waves. She screamed but her

  mouth filled with salt water instead. The force of the impact separated them, and she was yanked from

  Blac’s grasp. She reached for Blac but was inhaled into the deepest brine.

  Thrashing to grasp hold of anything solid, she slammed into the wall behind her and cracked her

  head against the brick. She cried out. Pain ricocheted down her neck and red swirls entered her vision as

  she realized it was her blood. With her lungs nearly bursting for lack of air, she swam for the surface and

  broke through with a gasp of relief.

  The pressure of the wave smothered any source of air and water rose until she could no longer keep

  her head above it.

  She sank beneath the tide and bobbed back up. Her gaze swept the area. Blac, knocked unconscious,

  was pinned against the same wall, his chin hanging against his chest.

  Was he dead?

  Her heart fluttered to a stop. She struggled to swim toward him but the force of the raging water

  kept her immobile, flattened against the wall. She gasped. She had to reach him. With her legs, she pushed

  against the bricks but sprang back once again. Two inches gained at best.

  “Blac!” Fluid filled her mouth and drowned out his name. She coughed. Damn it! Frustration

  elicited tears and urged her forward.

  She inched toward him. The pressure against her chest threatened to cave in her lungs, and she

  collapsed into a coughing fit. One of her hands brushed against the fabric of his shirt, and she grasped it to

  pull him closer.

  Glancing up as the remains of a wrecked ship bobbled toward them, she braced herself and closed

  her eyes. It missed her by mere inches, but the wall behind her gave way. They were both swept along

  with the wave.

  Blac! She’d lost contact with him.

  The wall of water hurtled her down the street. Swim!

  Refusing to die like this, determined to live, she kicked her way to the surface and looked for

  something to cling to. The remains of the ship drifted toward her and she kicked her legs, reaching out and

  finally grasping the edge.

  Angel clung to the broken piece of wood and all strength left her body. Blackness caved in around

  her for mere seconds.

  Jerking awake as the water, receded she inhaled air. Her feet found solid ground and she wobbled

  on shaky legs. Shock seized hold of her, and hysteria threatened to overcome her. Tremors wracked her

  body, and she stumbled to her knees.

  I’m alive!

  Sobs shook her frame, and relief washed over her. Her fingers sank into the muddied ground which

  oozed between her digits. Numb, she stayed on all fours and cried.

  She couldn’t breathe and her heart raced inside her chest. Every muscle inside her body ached. Her

  arms quivered and collapsed to her elbows as her forehead fell to the damp earth imprinting itself into the

  ground.

  I’m alive! I’m alive.

  Blac! She snapped her head back up. I have to find him!

  Lugging herself to her feet, she headed back toward the devastated town. Sopping wet, moisture

  plastered Angel’s hair to her face and neck as she slogged through the knee-high water. Blac! Where was

  he?

  She called his name. Hefting a broken piece of debris from the water, she shivered. “Blac! Please

  answer me!”

  The ground slanted, and she stumbled to her knees in the water. A pale corpse floated by her and

  she screamed, shooting to her feet in fear. Her hands shook as she covered her mouth, peering around.

  Most of the city had vanished, as if into thin air. What few buildings remained were skeletal structures of

  what they’d once been.

  A hazy fog clouded her vision and she struggled to focus on anything. Why? Why did this happen?

  Papa! Had she lost them both?

  She glanced down the street in the distance. The entire north end of the town and pier were under

  water. Ships anchored in the bay had sunk under the force of the tide and many of their tall peaks gouged

  the surface of the water like weeds.

  Devastation and debris floated on the surface of the water. She dug through chunks of wood and

  pulled up a broken bowl. She tossed it behind her and kept digging.

  Angel coughed and tears burned behind her eyelids. Blac! Where could he be?

  The water level receded slowly, and she trudged through the muddied liquid. Dread swept over her

  as she wrapped her arms around her middle. Chills surfaced across her skin and her teeth chattered. More

  bodies surfaced as she searched the area. Vomit rose in her throat.

  How could this have happened? Why now? How had things gone so wrong?

  She called out for her father. Alone in the middle of the water-filled street, she aimlessly turned

  around. Lost. Scared. Exhausted. She could barely summon the strength to put one foot in front of the

  other, and her voice grew softer as the futility of her situation finally hit her.

  Her hands covered her face as she crashed to her knees and cried. The thought of never seeing her

  father again or having Blac’s arms around her sent huge shafts of pain through her chest. Ragged sobs

  wracked her body, and the force of the tears as they spewed from her eyes hurt. Mindless, numbing

  despair assailed her, and she simply could not get up anymore.

  I’ve lost both my father and Blac now...I have no one...I’m all alone.

  She swallowed around the lump of fear that clogged her throat. An eerie silence filled the air as the

  water wafted back out to the sea, taking with it the remains of a town lost to an early grave. A town that

  had paid for its sin in death.

  So many people...dead. So much life lost. The British crown jewel had lost its luster; the only

  remains of its splendor lay in broken heaps of ruins.

  S
he plunged her hands down into the water and something wrapped around them. Frowning, she

  lifted the remains of someone’s silk red dress. She tugged at it until the trapped material pulled free and

  the body of a young girl emerged. Angel hurled the fabric away from her and gagged. She watched the

  body sink back into the waiting arms of the water due to the weight of the dress. No older than fifteen, the

  girl’s green eyes were frozen in death and her lips blue from the chill in the water.

  Angel screamed and screamed. The sound echoed in the vast emptiness and only reminded her of

  just how alone she really was.

  Something nudged her elbow and she turned to see a hat with a long yellow feather floating past her

  toward the mouth of town, which had long since disappeared. She reached out for the hat and crushed it to

  her chest. The feather tickled her wet nose and her heart squeezed so tight she feared it would split.

  Blac couldn’t leave her. Not now!

  She scrambled to her feet and sloshed through the mire back the way she’d come. Frantically, she

  searched some more.

  Minutes, or perhaps hours passed, and she pressed through the knee-high water, barely able to put

  one foot in front of the other. Misery cloaked her and wrapped her in its embrace. She could not shake the

  fear of being alone for the first time in life, and hope had long since vanished.

  When Blac had told her she’d been sheltered, she’d never believed him until now. Now she knew

  her father had shielded her from the horror of the world, and for once she was grateful for it. For now

  faced with the shocking truth of reality, Angel’s only wish was that she could return to the way things

  were.

  A flash of white caught her attention and she paused. What was that? She squinted to see through the

  gloom and misty haze that had settled over the area. She ran through the muck.

  “Blac!” she yelled. “Blac!”

  Relief washed over her and whooshed from her chest. He lay bent over the remaining rubble of a

  wall, but he wasn’t moving. She rushed forward and knelt, lifting his head to peer into his face. Leaning

  close, she listened. His breath was shallow, but he lived!

  “Blac! Oh my God! Please stay with me.” Her heart thundered inside her chest as she attempted to

  lift him away from the wall but he wouldn’t budge. She cursed.