Downpour

by Madison Daniel

  “We’re here!” Frank announced. Oz jumped at my face with an excited bounce.

  “Alright, alright…” I hurried and opened the truck door. He darted for the warm sands in front of us. I closed the door and turned toward the beach, finding it full of families. There had to be at least ten dozen people…easily. It shocked me at how large this tradition was. Frank made his way over to me and placed his arm around my shoulder. The smell of the perfectly cooked meat hit me at the same moment. It smelled amazing.

  “Happy Thanksgiving son,” he smiled. I filled with pride.

  “Back at you big guy,” I teased, but I felt loved. He chuckled and pushed forward toward his friends and colleagues. They welcomed him with open arms and wide smiles. I wasn’t the only one who loved him.

  “Mahalo Uncle,” I said softly.

  The holiday beach felt more like a community park. Trees surrounded the sand and the water looked far away. There was a playground filled with slides and swing sets near the end of the beach. It was overflowing with little children running and playing. Music pumped through the cool wind from a large stereo system at the other end of the sand. Everyone was laughing or joking. They all looked so happy, so close. I felt a little out of place.

  Frank took his time and introduced Oz and I to most of his ex-colleagues. They were all welcoming and courteous. He wasn’t feeling a hundred percent, but with each new introduction he seemed to stand a little taller. It felt good that he was still proud of me. With all the drama lately, I thought maybe I had tarnished that enthusiasm a little. The morning was comforting. The meat from the island pig was delicious. The holiday was a first for me…it was fun, but the day was far from over.

  “You must be Max,” a strange voice asked from behind me. I turned to find a young boy with spiky black hair and wide brown eyes. He couldn’t have been more than eight or nine.

  “Aloha,” I said. He smiled and looked up at me strangely.

  “I’m Ona.”

  “Well Ona, you seem to already know my name…”

  “My brother said you might come today,” he spoke out loud. I was confused by his statement.

  “Do I know your brother?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulders.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Oh,” I scratched my head, bewildered. I looked around the gathering for any familiar faces.

  “But he knows you,” he added quickly. I tried to ignore my building curiosity. His big eyes traced the tattoos along my arms. First Mia’s name on my right inside wrist, then the two words along my left forearm.

  “Kid Ego? What does that mean?” he asked. His finger reached out and began tracing the lettering along my skin.

  “Long story kid,” I said, defeated. He stared up at me blankly.

  “Whatever,” he shrugged again.

  “So, where’s your brother at?” I asked, nervously looking over his little shoulders. He anxiously played with the mini shark tooth that was tied to the thin leather band around his neck. Quickly he pointed behind him toward the edge of the beach. His little thumb curved back and forth over his left shoulder.

  “Back there. He’s gonna do some off-road riding with his buddies. They have some motorcycles and four wheelers!” he said, bragging. His little face scrunched together. He looked upset.

  “He said I wasn’t big enough to ride with him, but I could watch if I didn’t get in the way.”

  “What’s your older brothers name?” I asked.

  “He told me not to tell you.” His eyes dared me. I swallowed a dry lump in my throat. My eyes concentrated on the brush in the distance. Four large pickup trucks were parked in a loose circle throughout the foliage. They looked like they were slowly unloading their many different bikes. I couldn’t quite make out any details because there was just enough shrubbery to be annoying. I grumbled and Ona turned and ran for them. His tiny feet kicked up the sand as he ran, leaving fresh footprints.

  “See ya,” I taunted. I paced in place for a few minutes, trying to convince myself to let it go. I didn’t need to know who it was. It had trouble written all over it. Just walk away Mad Max. Go and find Frank. I had almost talked myself out of going over there when the first bike’s engine roared to life in a high-pitched scream. My hands heated up.

  “Play nice Max,” I warned my famous temper as I started to head for the busy brush. Frank watched me from a distance with a nervous smile.

  ~You Could Be Mine: Guns N’ Roses~

  As I walked up to the gathering of 4x4 vehicles I felt my head build with pressure. It pushed at my temples with a steady throbbing. No one noticed me at first, or they just pretended not to see me. Either way I moved in closer for a better look around. There were about ten people hustling back and forth. Two of them were girls and they looked no more than 15 or 16. They laughed at a new text that popped up on one of their cell phones. A couple guys were unloading their dirt bikes from the back of their truck. They never even looked up to acknowledge me. Another couple of boys were unstrapping two full sized quads from their trailer. One was red and the other was black. Both had yellow flames scratched across their sides.

  “Can I help Uncle?” the little boy I had just met asked another older man.

  “Ona go see if your brother needs help!” he snapped at him. Tough love, I thought. The whine of another quad coming to life fired up behind me. Ona’s hurt eyes filled with delight and he ran past me to the sound. I had to step out of the way just so he wouldn’t run into me. He was beyond determined.

  “Pardon me,” I joked. Quickly, I turned around to follow his sprint. I wasn’t ready for what I found next.

  “Valentine,” the boy’s large brother growled.

  “Jason?” I stopped suddenly. His eyes filled with an evil smile. Jason Mahikoa was Devon’s best and much larger friend. He was strong, cocky, and dumb. A dangerous combination. Our paths had met too many times before. Once on the beach at a party last year. He was drunk and hurting someone for fun so I stopped him. And by stopping him, I mean burning his ponytail off in a fit of rage. His hair was long again and dangled just above his shoulders.

  “Welcome home Max,” he smiled. His tight hand gripped the handle of the quad and revved the engine menacingly. I winced as the air grew thicker. His little brother watched us both silently.

  “What are you doing here?” I accused. I stepped forward, not even knowing I had.

  “Spending Thanksgiving with the family.” He seemed to enjoy my discomfort. Slowly, he walked around the bike, leaving it at a quiet idle.

  “Family?” I asked, not thinking calmly anymore.

  “My uncle works with your uncle. I mean…did work with your uncle. Ya know, before the sick leave,” he dared. My head popped with heat. I had to leave. Now. My anger was alive inside of me again. He could see the fire behind my eyes.

  “See ya around Jason,” I winced and turned to walk away. His big meaty hand latched onto my arm with determination. My body tensed with fire instinctively. He squeezed even tighter as it did.

  “Pleasure was all mine Max,” he said like a threat. I turned to him with my eyes pulled tight.

  “You have something else to say?” I said through clenched teeth. My blood filled with my precious inferno. He was close to becoming another one of my bad days. His head looked over his shoulder toward the distant vegetation. I could still make out the crooked line along his nose from the last time we met. Burns, bruises, and a broken nose, courtesy of Mad Max. He and his friends thought they would teach me a lesson for my friendship with Samantha last year. Their egos thought they would easily break the new kids spirit. They were wrong.

  “Me? Nah bro…but…” Jason nodded toward the trees. He smiled wildly as I tried to focus on the far away shadow. When I finally did, my heart thumped like a drum. A warning sign flashed in my head. In the distance was a person on a motorcycle. A dirt bike. The face and features were hidden by the streaming shadows from the sparkling sun. The mysterious man was at least a hundred yards away but I foun
d his outline familiar. Too familiar.

  “Devon?” I swallowed, and pushed my body past Jason with force. He fell behind me with a laugh. The stranger had the same body and shape as my archrival. They even shared the same spiky hair cut. It can’t be! Devon’s dead. Asia cut him in half with her vengeful lightning storm and threw him over our favorite lookout.

  “It can’t be,” I whispered dazed. I could feel Jason smiling from behind me.

  “Like I said Max…welcome home!” he taunted again. I turned around to send a fiery fist down his throat when the ghost across the way stopped me. His dark outline finally moved. The ghost pulled up one of his hands and made it into the shape of a gun. My eyes locked onto the shadow as it pulled the trigger and then drove off in the opposite direction.

  “Devon!” I spit. My body jumped onto Jason’s quad without hesitation. As the mysterious shadow disappeared into the thick trees, I slammed the quad in gear and rushed toward the fleeing ghost. I was possessed.

  My stolen quad roared to life as I pushed it with every thing it had. The fading shadow in the distance was moving fast. I had to go faster. My hands started to ignite in orange flames. The smoke peeled off my fists like ribbons. Green vegetation slapped my hot cheeks from all directions as the bike stumbled over and through the tundra.

  “Come on Max!” I cursed. Devon was dead. This was just a mistake. He was dead. Forever. Then from the back of my mind came a small voice. They never found a body.

  “No!” I yelled at the realization. My hands squeezed the throttle as far as it would go and the quad sped up. I could finally see the taillights of the bike, as the shadowy ghost seemed to mock me. It left a dusty trail that made it impossible to get a good look at the driver. In a quick snap, his bike broke from the path we were on and onto a thin dirt trail. It was much too tiny for my large off road quad. I would not be able to follow for long. His two wheels made him much more agile and quicker then me. I filled with fire at the aggravating thought.

  “Come on!” I dared the bike. The lush scenery was whipping past my face. Large leaves and tall grass seemed to be everywhere. I was having a hard time focusing as the environment swallowed my vision. I clenched my teeth harder and pushed the bike faster. Within seconds, it seemed I was getting closer to him. Had my luck actually changed? I was getting so close now. I still couldn’t quite make out any details in his face though. He would not get away from me, not this time. Before I could celebrate, my tires slipped on some loose soil, sliding me into a stray palm tree. I hit it full force, with a low thud. The sound of the plastic fenders cracking echoed through the brush.

  “Damn it!” I screamed and revved the bike forward again. I was now completely on fire. Flames slid from every corner of my clothing. My anger was soaring as I watched the ghost shadow fade away. I pushed the bike harder. That was my last mistake. The seat caught fire from my flames. The plastic on the sides followed and then the right back tire. It gave way to the heat and deflated with a quick pop as the engine pushed me forward at its top speed. I tried to keep it under control as long as I could, which wasn’t very long at all.

  THWACK! I slammed into a broken tree that lay across my path just before a small clearing in the forest. It flipped the burning bike sideways, throwing me into the clearing against a small gathering of lava rocks. My flaming skin scraped along them before I finally stopped.

  “Ouch,” I grumbled from the dirt. Luckily I didn’t sustain much damage other than some scrapes. I wish I could have said the same for the bike. It sizzled from the trees behind me with the engine winding itself into a death scream.

  “Oh no,” I clinched up. The smashed vehicle exploded into a ball of fire that struggled to escape the surrounding vegetation. Metal and plastic crackled and chimed as it fell all around me.

  “Great,” I huffed. I looked around and noticed that I couldn’t even hear the motorbike I was chasing anymore. He had gotten the best of me. My ghost was long gone. I stood up, dusted my clothes the best I could when from the ground, something caught my eye. I reached down and picked up the little black and silver key to the demolished quad. I stretched my back and a couple bones cracked in unison. I wiped away the fresh blood from the scrapes along my shoulder.

  “Good times.”

  It took me an hour to find my way back to the holiday beach. I was tired and dirty. My legs were scraped up and my knuckles were covered in dry blood. As I made my way out of the last few feet of thick brush and to the comforting sand again, I had attracted the attention of the entire gathering. Frank looked on from a distance. His face filled with worry and then relief. Mine filled with an exhausted anger as I spotted the little boy, Ona. I walked up to him quickly.

  “Wow! You look like crap!” he squealed. I stepped closer to him, ignoring his choice of words.

  “Where’s my brothers bike? He’s not going to like this!” he exclaimed. I smiled down at him wickedly.

  “Where’s your brother?” I asked. He smiled and pointed to the end of the beach. I moved past him and softly patted the top of his head.

  “Thanks,” I said in a mild roar. I pushed past the murmuring crowd to reach Jason. They watched me with big, gossipy eyes. Some smiled while others wore their disappointment like masks. Frank was in the line of my warpath but he did nothing to stop me. As I walked closer to him he spoke calmly.

  “You have a nice ride?” he joked, with a plate full of Thanksgiving pork. I frowned and pushed out a puff of hot air from my tight lips. It whipped my bangs from my eyes for a quick second. His eyes watched mine until I looked away and continued walking toward my old friend. Just before I reached Jason and his buddies, he turned to find my angry face.

  “Max!” he almost jumped, startled by my presence. “Where’s my quad?”

  “Here!” I shoved the black and silver key into his chest and proceeded to walk past him. His big mouth fell open in disgust. His meaty hands squeezed tightly around the key as he watched me walk toward the incoming waves.

  “What did you do with my bike Valentine? It better not be wrecked!” he cursed, at the top of his lungs. He threw his arms into the air and kicked at the sand in a fit. I ignored his tantrum and continued walking to the oceans edge.

  “Pleasure was all mine Jason…you son of a…” I grumbled to the wind as my feet stepped into the tide. It was cold and felt refreshing. Steam billowed off of my hot legs. I glanced back over my shoulder to see Jason and his friends gathering their things to go and find his motorbike. I slid my sore and dirty body into the water, hoping they would find his bike in pieces. The thought brought a much-needed smile to my face.

  “I hate this freakin holiday!” I surrendered to the sea, as I floated along my back. My eyes filled with the blue skies above me and my body melted into the rolling tide. I was in paradise.

  “I need a vacation.”

  Jump - 23

  ~Wish You Were Here: Incubus~

  Friday - 7:45 a.m. - November 24th.

  “Max, I hope you’re ready for this place…it’s truly amazing!” Kai laughed out from behind the steering wheel of our rented SUV. He smacked the dashboard playfully and gave me a smile. I tried to return his enthusiasm but couldn't manage much more than a half smile. I had spent all night haunted by my holiday of the walking dead. He shrugged off my disinterest and kept on driving down the secluded path.

  Actually, other than his last comment, no one had said much of anything to anyone this morning. Especially Asia. When she dropped off Frank’s truck in the morning, completely repaired from her previous emotional damage, she hadn’t even said good morning to me. I didn’t feel like talking anyways. I was still wrestling with the decision to tell them about the ghost I saw the day before.

  Sam sat in the passenger seat quietly and stole a glance my way every so often. She could tell that I had something I wasn’t sharing with her. It was scary how well she knew the way I thought. Every time her emerald eyes winked at me from over the front seat, thunder would roll along the tree tops even though
the skies were completely clear. I sat in the second row seats by myself, nervous and tired. Asia stretched her long frame in the very back without a seat belt. She gently ran her fingers along the window frame and used every opportunity to remind me she was still angry with me. Her eyes were ice and her smile was far, far away.

  “We’re here!” Kai shouted. He slid out the driver’s side door even before the truck came to a complete stop. His messy dreads bounced along behind him. I quickly followed without a word. Sam spent a second behind to wrap her blond locks up into a loose ponytail. Asia was in no hurry to get out at all.

  “Wow,” I huffed, finally letting the scenery into my brain. Trees were everywhere, green and lush. Colorful birds polka dotted the vegetation with their bright feathers. Their calls welcomed our arrival and signaled that we were the only ones around. The sound of falling water was close and hypnotizing.

  “Puohokamoa Falls has the best and most remote cliff diving on the islands,” Kai announced with his arms stretched out to his sides. He filled his smile with fresh air. I would have joined his inhaling if it hadn’t been for Sam passing by me. Her little hourglass shape stole my thoughts just before she walked past me, letting her soft skin on her arm graze mine as she did, and for a short second I was happy to be here. That was until my eyes found Asia standing at the back of the truck with her arms crossed in dissatisfaction.

  “Sam, do you remember?” Kai asked, not aware of the ice-cold chill in the air. She quickly pulled away from me and took Kai’s hand into hers. When they did, they looked like a newlywed couple. The thought took my breath away.

  “Our first date…of course I do,” she whispered as her body slid next to his.

  “It’s still so beautiful,” Kai added. As I watched them closely, their connection was painfully obvious. My chest started to hurt. Asia walked up to me with a hurt smile.