"You coming?” I turned around and asked.
Trevor made a weird grunting noise then stood up. “You’re gonna regret this. I’m telling you now, you’re gonna wish you’d left them.”
We headed back out and started up the pinched road. Waves slapped the side of the wall, sending icy mist into our faces. The storm was strengthening and out in the water it looked like a monster was forming in the gray wall of rain.
The wind came in desperate gusts. It scraped the side of the mountain then rushed upward like a swirling tornado. Just when I found my footing it would hit me in the chest, sending me scrambling, latching onto anything I could reach.
I felt a rush of relief once we reached the solid ground above, but we weren’t in the clear. Trees had fallen over and broken branches were now spears, flying with deadly precision. We ducked and dodged the debris, half blinded by the downpour of rain.
Clusters of thick bushes and tangled vegetation were like claws grasping at my arms as I ran by. The trail through the jungle had turned into a muddy stream. It hid the dangerous roots that snagged at our feet, trying to claim us for the island.
Tripping and sliding we tumbled through the trees and back down toward the beach. The lagoon had swollen with the sea and crested over the boulders, spilling into the beach on either side. We dove into it, doggy paddling across as the wind whipped the water into a cyclone.
“This is stupid!” Trevor shouted over the roaring wind. “So fucking stupid!”
We ran across the beach that was now a pit of slush. Through the lashing beads of water, I could see the yellow raft tangled in the trees. I tapped Trevor and pointed into the tree line as the wind tried to rip the raft away.
“Over there!” I shouted.
Leaning into the wind, we made our way toward the raft. Every step I took was a battle, the sand blasted against my face followed by bits of ice and rain that felt like shattered glass.
“Amber! Chase!” I shouted.
I reached out and grabbed the raft, but no one was under it. A wind gust snatched it from my hand. The rope snapped and it sailed up into the trees like a hot air balloon.
“Hello!” I screamed.
Spinning around, I looked from side to side, but couldn’t find a sign of them. Palm leaves and nets of seaweed were scattered across the beach. Broken branches and splintered trees littered the jungle, making it impossible to see.
“Where the hell is everybody?” Trevor asked.
“I don’t know I came to find you.”
I walked deeper into the thick trees, screaming at the top of my lungs. Branches and bushes swung and whipped around like they were alive. The wind sent the trunks toppling over then swinging back as it died down.
“Amber!” I shouted again.
The water on the jungle floor rose over my ankles. Streams of it rushed past me carrying debris and small animals out toward the beach. Snakes and spiders floated by as I pushed deeper and deeper into the thicket.
“Where are you going?” Trevor asked.
“They’ve gotta be somewhere around here.”
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed and hit a tree, sending pieces of bark into the air. I fell back to avoid a massive chunk, knocking Trevor to the ground.
“We’re gonna die out here,” he grumbled and clambered to his feet.
He was right. I was battling hurricane force winds and a freakish monsoon for people I hardly knew. I wondered if they would’ve done the same for me. But none of that mattered anymore. We were here, we all were here. If we were going to survive it would have to be together. Otherwise, we were never going to make it.
“Just a little further,” I screamed to Trevor as a tree snapped in two and tumbled away.
Lowering my head, I pushed forward. Everything looked the same, broken and shredded to bits, huge branches and palm leaves cluttering the swampy floor. Wherever they had gone, they weren’t here and that was probably a good thing.
“What is that?” Trevor asked suddenly, pointing to a hump of leafy branches webbed together like a hut.
I shrugged then hesitantly moved closer. “Hello?”
There was no answer, but I could see something moving around inside. I took a few more steps then stopped.
“Amber? Chase, Sherry? Hello?”
“We’re in here,” Sherry shouted back.
“Well bring your ass out!” Trevor screamed. “This place is flooding and we’ve gotta go!”
Chase poked his head out of the makeshift tent and looked at the swirling water only a few meters away. His eyes lit up and he quickly crawled out and jumped to his feet.
“Where the hell were you guys?”
“We don’t have time,” I said. “This whole forest is flooding. Get everybody and follow us.”
Chase didn’t argue. He shouted into the hut and moments later everyone emerged with confused looks on their faces.
“Follow us,” I told them. “And keep up.”
“Wait,” Reggie started. “We’ll have to go slow, Conner is sick.”
“Sick? What’s wrong with him?”
“We don’t know. He said he didn’t feel good then he collapsed.”
I turned and stared at Conner. His eyes were half-open, and his lips were a faint shade of blue. He was leaning against Reggie, huffing for air as rain water poured down his face.
He reminded me of heroin addicts they’d show us videos of in drug prevention class. Some city in New Jersey where an epidemic had broken out and swept into the suburbs. Promising students, corrupted by the drug and withering away like a dying plant. That was how he looked, curled up and shaking as he begged for his next fix.
A series of lightning strikes pulled me back to the present. The sky roared and I could feel the vibrations getting closer. The worst was yet to come.
“We can carry him if we need to. But we have to go…now!”
We ran back toward the beach at a labored pace. Conner had his arms draped around Reggie and Chase’s necks and he’d barely lifted a foot as they dragged him through the rising water.
“How are we going to get him to the cave?” Trevor asked as we finally cleared the jungle and made it onto the muddy sand.
“I don’t know. If he stays out here he’s dead anyway, so we’ll have to try.”
Our first big challenge was when we reached the gnarled rocks that bordered the lagoon. Chase and Antonio climbed up first and then we lifted Conner to them. He was basically unconscious at that point and offered no help.
“Don’t let him drown,” Reggie said desperately as Chase pulled him into the swollen lagoon.
Conner’s head bobbed up and down in the water as Chase paddled him across the deepening pond. Keyon was waiting for him just over the rocks and grabbed Conner’s hand, dragging him over the rough surface, to the safety on the other side.
It took us an hour to reach the leeward side of the island and start the trek up the hill. The storm was still raging a war against us and we all bore the scars to prove it. We each had our own series of spills as we took turns carrying Conner over our shoulders like a wounded soldier. If he’d been any bigger, we probably would’ve left him back on the beach.
“Where are you taking us?” Amber asked as we pushed through a particularly dense patch of trees.
“To shelter,” Trevor replied. “You’re welcome.”
I grinned and kept moving forward. I could hear the water slamming into the cliff in front of me. I wondered if it had always been that loud, or was I just hearing it now because I knew it was down there.
I marched the last hundred yards carrying Conner like a sand bag. As we reached the edge I lowered him to the ground and stared out to the manic waves below. The wind gust bellowed like whales as the rocks pushed the air upward. It rushed past me, pushing me back a step before I caught my balance and the rain clawed at my eyes.
“What the hell is this?” Chase asked angrily. “You call this shelter?”
“What the hell is that? Reggie sai
d and pointed far out into the water.
Funnel clouds spiraled madly in the distance. Several of them buzzed around the waves, spinning the water into frothy cyclones as they circled each other.
“They’re coming this way. They’re coming this way!” Sherry screamed hysterically.
“Come on,” Trevor called out as he started his decent down the thin ledge.
“What the hell are you doing? What the fuck!” Chase gasped and threw his hands into the air.
“There’s a trail. It runs downs the cliff to a cave in the side of the rocks. It’s the safest place.”
“Fuck you!” Chase growled. “You brought us up here to die? I’m not following you down there to fall off that cliff.”
“Oh, and your plan of hiding under a tree was such a good idea. Do you see that shit out there?” Trevor snapped. “Stay here if you want, go back to your tree tent…I’m going to my cave. It wasn’t my idea to invite you assholes anyway.”
Chase fumed as Trevor vanished down the side of the cliff. I shook my head from side to side then turned to Reggie and the others.
“It’s narrow, but we can carry him together if we’re careful.”
“Okay,” Reggie mumbled.
“Watch the edges, it gets really slippery down there.”
I grabbed Conner’s arms as Reggie got his feet and started to back my way down the dirt road. The water spouts were a few hundred yards away, but were turning into full blown tornadoes and I could already feel the increasing winds assailing us.
Chase grilled me from the ledge as we followed Trevor. The girls quickly fell in behind us, leaving Chase and his entourage, stewing above. I was fine with them staying right where they were.
A bolt of lightning flashed, and the air crackled like the sky had just split in half. I jumped then steadied myself on the narrow ledge.
“Sorry bro,” Antonio said then quickly ran after us.
Keyon and Hanson followed behind him, leaving Chase alone with his stubbornness. His friends weren’t the smartest, but at least they weren’t gonna follow him to their own death.
As I moved further down the cliff, each step became more suicidal. The first time I’d nearly fallen by myself, now I was walking backward and carrying Conner in worse weather. Every time I lost my footing, I struggled with the thought of just dropping Conner and latching onto the wall. I didn’t plan on dying for someone I barely knew.
“How much further?” Reggie shouted above the shrieks of wind.
“Just around the bend.”
“Can we stop for a minute? My arms are killing me.”
I looked at him like he was insane. Who in their right mind would try to stop here? The rain was mounting a full-scale assault and the wind felt like a giant was trying to blow us off the cliff. I ignored him and kept walking, dragging him along after me.
I pulled harder to make Reggie speed up. The tornadoes were getting closer and sending bands of lashing rain in our direction. If we got caught on the trail there’d be no way we survived.
Suddenly, Reggie dropped Conner’s legs and fell back onto the ground. Conner swung off the trail as I struggled to hold his arms. His legs dangled over the craggy boulders below.
“What the fuck!” I screamed.
My feet were slipping. I couldn’t hold Conner and stay on the trail and if Reggie didn’t get off his ass his boyfriend was gonna be sliding down the cliff on his own.
“Get up Reggie!” I snapped. “Get up or I’m letting him go!”
The ground gave a bit more and I slid closer to the edge. Reggie screeched and scuttled backward as my hands started to slip down Conner’s wrist.
“Reggie! Get the fuck up Reggie!” I roared.
“I got it,” Trevor’s voice called from behind me.
He grabbed Conner’s shirt and started pulling him up onto the dirt. I pulled even harder, straining as we dragged his limp body through the mud. With one last grunt, Conner landed on the trail and I fell back and splashed in the water.
“Come on,” I grumbled, forcing myself to stand.
I shivered as the rain pelted my skin. Fatigue starved my senses and I struggled to balance, but I knew I had to continue.
“You ready?” Trevor asked.
“I’m good,” I replied.
I grabbed Conner and together we started walking toward the cave. I could hear Sherry behind me coaxing Reggie to stand and keep moving. It was pathetic.
“I could kill that idiot,” I grumbled as I sloshed through the muddy ditches.
“Just remember, whatever happens…you wanted them here,” Trevor growled.
Wrenching at his arms, we pulled Conner’s lifeless body into the cave and laid him across the ground. Once he was situated I headed back outside just as Reggie was making his way in. I walked past him, brushing shoulders without a glance in his direction.
“This way,” I called to Sherry and the others then ducked back into the shelter.
The girls quickly followed me into the cave’s safety and breathed collective sighs of relief. Antonio and the other guys weren’t far behind. I even saw Chase tiptoeing down the trail like a clumsy ogre.
“How did you find this place?” Amber asked as she stepped out of the rain.
“I didn’t. Trevor found it during his cooling off walk.”
“AKA my Amber is a bitch walk,” Trevor uttered.
“Really dude?”
“I’m just saying,” he jabbed then turned and walked off.
“Sorry,” I mumbled to Amber.
“It’s okay. I’m sure I deserve it.”
Antonio and his friends scrambled into the cave, drenched and out of breath. They looked around in amazement, but didn’t say a word to me or my brother. They were the kind of assholes that hated to admit when they were wrong.
“Thanks,” Amber said unexpectedly and hugged me.
“For what?”
“For coming back to get us. If it weren’t for you two, we’d all be dead.”
“Holy shit!” Chase exclaimed as he stepped inside. “Holy fucking shit!” His deep voice bounced off the walls and echoed into the depths.
I looked around, wondering just how far and how deep the voluminous cavern went. It was something worth exploring, especially considering it might be our new home.
“Hey?” someone called.
I jumped and spun around, nearly tripping over a rock.
“Sorry,” Reggie said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I, I…just wanted to say sorry and thanks. I don’t know what happened back there, I just freaked out.”
“Don’t worry about it. How’s Conner doing?”
Reggie covered his face and let out a long breath. He ran his fingers through his hair and clenched his jaw. “He’s breathing…I guess that’s a good thing. I just don’t know what’s wrong with him. I don’t know what to do.”
“Does he have a fever or anything like that? Maybe it’s an infection.”
“Well, he’s freezing right now, I think we all are. He just said he didn’t feel good and he needed to lie down. It all came out of nowhere.”
I nodded. I didn’t know what else to do or say. I wasn’t a doctor and no one else was either. We were just a group of kids fumbling around in the dark, literally.
I stared at Reggie wondering what he wanted from me. He gazed at me with a puzzled look as if I could say something to assuage his guilt. Like I could fix his lover or make the shame of leaving him to die go away.
“Those…those funnel clouds or whatever are gone,” Hanson announced. “Looks like we might be okay.” He turned away from the entrance and walked into the dark.
“You’ve been all the way through this thing?” Chase asked as he stepped beside him.
I turned and looked toward Chase. I was happy for the diversion, so I paid him more attention than I normally would’ve.
“Need light for that,” I replied.
“There were some flashlights back there with the other supplies from the ship,” Reggie
added.
“Guess it’s a good thing we never went and got any of that stuff,” Trevor said in an accusing tone. “At least Chase got to work on his tan and Antonio took a nice nap.”
“You’re such a tough guy Trevor…when your mouth is moving,” Antonio said and puffed out his chest. “This isn’t our fault, supplies or not the storm was coming so shut up.”
“If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can go back to your fucking bungalow asshole.”
“Fuck you! You don’t own the cave,” Antonio growled and took a few steps forward.
“Fuck you!” Trevor snapped back. “
Out of nowhere I felt a rage swell inside of me and I charged forward. I grabbed Antonio by the collar and slammed him up against the wall.
“You lazy bastards didn’t want to get the supplies when we could! You cried about how tired you were and shit. So yeah, it’s your fucking fault we’re in this! You’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for my brother!”
Antonio slapped my hands away and shoved me in the chest. “Fuck you and your brother. Nobody stopped you from getting the supplies yourself.”
I started back at him, but Amber grabbed my arm and spun me around.
“Stop it!” she roared. “Are we gonna do this for the rest of the time here? Either we learn to work together or we’re all gonna die. Fuck!” She swung her arm in the air then stormed off.
No one spoke for the next few minutes. We all stood around staring at one another, letting the air dissipate from the room. It seemed we were all just as stubborn as we were angry.
“How about we go tomorrow and get the supplies,” Reggie started. “At least now we have somewhere to keep them safe.”
I shrugged then walked off. I stopped near the edge of the entrance and watched as the rain slapped against the mouth of the cave. Dark green vines twisted down from the wall, hanging over the opening, swinging back and forth in the wind.
I could see down to the choppy water outside. Massive waves hit the rocks and climbed up the wall like spidery fingers. Rain blew sideways into the cave, leaving puddles on the floor near the mouth. The storm didn’t look like it was ever going to let up.
Deconstruction- The Complete series Box Set Page 57
