Page 76 of Mr. July

“Bro… they’ll never let you in. Even the police have left. They went door to door. I’m sure they got her out.”

“Something’s not right. I can feel it.”

“Take the truck then. Good luck. Use the back roads where you can. Pretend to be an off-duty fireman if you get questioned. Works for me every time.”

“Don’t worry Bun-Bun. I’ll go get our girl and bring her back safe. You get ready for the storm with Daisy. My building has a generator if you want to stay there.”

She wrung her hands. “Times like this. I find it’s best to be in the comfort of your own home.”

“I’ll bring her there then.”

She nodded, blinked back a few tears, and squeezed my arm. “God be with you.”

“It’ll be fine.” I reassured her.

The sky was already darkening as I raced down the freeway in Hunter’s truck. I was still in my work clothes. I didn’t even take emergency supplies. I just prayed like heck, I wouldn’t run off the road and need rescuing before I found her.

Thirty

“Miss? You need to leave. Immediately.”

I nodded but as soon as the officer left, snuck back inside. I had no choice. There was no place for the animals to go and once I realized that I couldn’t just leave them to drown and die. I moved crates, litter boxes and food upstairs to my third-floor walk-up. The shelter was built ages ago. But it seemed sturdy enough. One by one I moved animals and their crates. By the time I was done, my small apartment was crammed. I went back down for flashlights, food, whatever I could find. The tide was coming in with the high winds of the hurricane swirling closer. The storm surge alone would be fifteen feet. I was about twenty off the ground.

This was madness. I had to leave. I was on a tiny inlet with water on every side. I told myself I had done all I could. Gave each animal extra water and food. I grabbed my bag, secured the windows, and cut the power myself, worried about the rising water and electricity combining.

“I’m sorry. I did all I could.”

I locked up, racing to my Jeep. Water was already over the road. I’d never make it to the highway. This was suicide and stupid. But I still tried. Three miles later I was forced to go back. A tree was blocking the road. All this time I was focused on the water, I had forgotten the damage of wind. As soon as I reached the shelter, I fought with the wind to open my door. My cell slipped under the rising water disappearing under the current. I eyed the Mako debating if I should chance swimming out to where it bobbed. I could use the Marine radio to call for help. But knowing there could be a riptide, I chose to play it safe.

The water was up past my knees as I sloshed around back. I clung to the railing as I climbed the wooden steps. Opened my door to the relief of the nervous animals and braced it shut again.

“Looks, like we’ll ride this out together.”

I found all my blankets and towels. Lifted the mattress off my bed to wedge between the couch and my windows. The way the wind was blowing, I was sure they’d blow out at some point. My only saving grace was that the foundation was four feet of solid concrete and the building itself was brick. The hurricane could huff and puff but hopefully the shelter would hold. I wrapped Gran’s summer quilt around my shoulders. Let the tears of fear fall. With my back against the closet wall, I closed my eyes letting my mind drift to Chase. To the weeks we shared. I thought of Gran, the smell of cinnamon cloves at Christmas… the first soft summer rain. Chimney smoke in fall. All the small things I cherished deep in my soul. I knew the hurricane had landed when the wind roared like an old locomotive engine. My hands shook. The animals barked and cried. I opened the kitchen drawer took out Steve’s old iPod and turned it on. Instead of the sounds of fury and fear, I listened to jazz and his gospel tunes. His mix was all over the place, but it kept me together.

I thought of all my wasted moments. Words I couldn’t take back. Words I might not get the chance to say. The battery to the iPod died hours later. I opened the crates; freedom helped the animals quiet down.

“RYAN! RYAN!” Over the storm my name was a battle cry.

“Chase? CHASE!” I screamed, running for the door. I flung it open. He was halfway up the stairs, waist deep in water.

“My God you’re alive!” He ran up to me, held me tight. I ran my hands up to the side of his face. “How?”

“I made it pretty far in Hunter’s truck. Trees and powerlines are all down. The roads are impassable. I ditched the truck when the rising water killed the engine. Kismet. It was kismet. A boat had come undone. I swam to it, started the outboard. We need to leave. Now! The eye of the storm is here, we don’t have much time before the backend spins around.”

“Chase, the animals. They’ll die.”

“We’ll die, too.”

I cried. He was right. “Can we try taking at least a few?”

He surveyed the room. “Leave the cats. Put the food and water on the counters. They’ll jump on top of your cabinets if it comes to it.”

We took the four dogs. It was hard. The animals were just as scared as us. Once we were all in the small boat, Chase steered us into the stormy sea the town had become. The damage was stunning. The ocean had invaded our cozy civilization. The small boat was no match for the churning waves.

“Chase. We need to find a sturdy high rise. Maybe one of the condo complexes. We can’t last in this.”

His face was grim but determined. There was no high ground to be found out here. “I know a place we can try.”

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