Surviving the Storm

by Heather Woodhaven

  “Please let it hold. Let it hold,” she chanted. She squinted and witnessed the waters rush past the tower. The tower stood strong. “It didn’t crumble,” she cried aloud, laughing in relief.

  “At least they didn’t seem to have cut corners. It seems to be holding.” He squeezed her tight. “I was so overwhelmed earlier that I never thanked you for what you did in that hallway. I hate that you could’ve been hurt, but you likely saved my life.”

  She looked up at him in surprise. The relief that they had been spared, as well as anyone who had made it to the safe zones, snapped her out of her shock. She was still in David’s arms, his strong arms, and he was being nice. Despite the chill, her breath felt hot as it slipped past her lips.

  “It’s times like these you realize how precious life is,” he continued.

  Her heart agreed with him, no matter how clichéd the sentiment, but her mind screamed danger at the change in his demeanor. She stepped out of his embrace. “I don’t see the Hummer anymore.”

  He didn’t seem to mind her abrupt change in course, both in proximity and conversation. “Either they’ve driven away or they’ve turned their headlights off,” David said. “I can’t make out anything but dark shadows near the highway.”

  She tasted the salty air, but the sensation brought her no pleasure. The ocean had invaded. How long would it take before it went back to where it belonged? Was everyone spared? Anxiety tightened the muscles in her stomach. She needed information. She needed to feel connected with the rest of the world. But someone still had to bring about justice, to catch those men. Part of her hoped that the waters had reached George’s murderers. Her throat burned with rage but also guilt for even thinking such thoughts.

  “How long a drive until the Hummer gets to the state park?” David asked.

  It was the mental slap she needed to refocus. “What do you mean?”

  “Since we know they made it to the highway, how long of a drive would it take for them to get into the state park?”

  Aria bit her lip. “Assuming they could go anywhere on the highway, ten or fifteen minutes?” She pictured her mental map of the highway. Directly to the east of the highway, past the houses dotting the foothills, was mountainous terrain. No roads led straight east. It was a dead end past the highest house. They weren’t a big enough community to warrant other roads, making Highway 101 their only way out.

  To the north was the town of Beachside, but she didn’t know if the accident and car pileup the dispatcher had mentioned was to the north or south of the state park entrance, or if it had been cleared before the tsunami. If they hadn’t, surely the police would’ve heeded the tsunami warning and made people carpool or run to get to safety in time.

  The state park kept the highway farther back, but for the rest of the jagged coast, the highway ran precariously close to the beach, which meant the tsunami waters likely blocked their only way out.

  Inside the state park, there were miles and miles of trails and paths. The main, and only paved, road wound all the way to the farthest ocean overlook, but she didn’t know how long it would take the men in the Hummer to drive. “Thirty minutes to get to this point...at the very most,” she concluded aloud, but knew it could be a lot faster.

  “Get back on the four-wheeler then. We need to get somewhere safe to hide before those men find us.”

  EIGHT

  Aria grabbed his wrist to keep him from starting the engine. “Wait a second. Let me think.” It helped her memory if she closed her eyes. She hiked the park daily, weather permitting. The park took up most of the space on the elevated range but not all. Some prime real estate that bordered the park’s forest to the east—yet still boasted an ocean view—had been filled with tall vacation homes. “There are some houses on the edges of the park.”

  “Good hiding places?”

  “At least somewhere we can hide until the authorities can reach us.”

  David shook his head. “Sounds good, though I have a feeling we’re the cops’ last priority right now.”

  She released his wrist and put on her helmet before slipping behind him on the four-wheeler. The fear of being shot or wiped out by a ton of water had lessened enough that she became fully aware of the sensation her wet clothes stuck to her cold skin caused. She was soaked, in the winter, and running for her life while the rest of the coast suffered through a natural disaster. It was too much. She wanted to press into David again for comfort and warmth, but he was wet as well, not to mention she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea.

  Her mother’s words came back to her. He’s just like your father. It wasn’t true in personality or looks but more in his stubbornness and choice of occupation. She’d seen her father fall at the construction site, and there was nothing she could’ve done to prevent it. The grief alone may not have been enough to run from a relationship with David, but seeing her mother left with a shell of her former self would’ve been if David hadn’t ended it for her. She shared the same passionate zeal as her mother, and if her mother couldn’t live life without her husband, Aria knew she’d be resigning herself to the same future if she chose to let her heart love David.

  David revved the engine but sat still.

  “What’s wrong?” she hollered over the rumble. “Why aren’t we moving?”

  “I realized I don’t know where I’m going.”

  Out of the couple of dozen houses on the outskirts of the park, Aria had often admired the blue house sitting on the east side. “Head southeast.”

  The moonlight disappeared again thanks to a large cloud. “I’d be glad to if I could find a trail. Our risk of running into a tree is higher with each passing minute.”

  The darkness intensified, but she had no other suggestions. At her silence, he shrugged and put the vehicle into motion, albeit slow motion. It puttered through the landscape, but without a trail they bounced over the plethora of rocks scattered among the vegetation. The ride jarred her spine as her head jerked left and right. The headlights dimmed. David swerved around a young spruce that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was so close, her shoe scraped against the bark. A cold splattering of drizzle hit her face. Great. The weather was working against them.

  A choking, guttural sound accompanied the shuddering of the vehicle. She clenched her jaw. “Please tell me that’s not us.”

  The four-wheeler lurched forward, and she slammed into David’s back again. He groaned, and she realized her helmet had hit him between his shoulder blades. It had to have hurt. The ATV lurched forward once more and sputtered to a stop.

  David slapped the front fender then sagged over the handlebars. “I think it’s out of gas.”

  “Great. This is great. The entire coastline is dealing with the effects of the tsunami and we’re out of gas, in the rain, with two homicidal thugs after us.” Her anger was in such full force she couldn’t rein it in. She dismounted the ATV, picked up a rock and threw it as hard as she could into the black void. Her voice cracked. “I don’t understand why God is letting all of this happen. Those men, George, the earthquake, the tsunami—”

  Her throat closed tight. She wanted to mention every other thing in her life that she didn’t understand—her father’s death, her mother’s withdrawal from life—but she’d already said too much. She tripped over another rock, and caught herself against one of the mammoth tree trunks. She turned around, took off her helmet and leaned up against the tree for support. A moment later his hands were on top of her shoulders. She didn’t look up but heard David’s sigh.

  “I don’t understand why either, Aria, but I figure He’s a big enough God to handle our questions. It’s His job to know and our job to put one foot in front of another while we trust and obey Him. And hopefully, we’ll get to know the answers we seek someday.”

  She felt her eyes widen. His words didn’t sound like those of the immature guy s
he’d verbally sparred with earlier.

  “I don’t always live like I believe that,” he said, as if he’d read her thoughts. “But when I realize that my actions don’t match my beliefs, I just try to do the very next thing right.”

  She lifted her head. She didn’t want to share her struggles with trusting the Lord right now. It hurt too much to admit and she wished she had kept her mouth shut in the first place. Aria inhaled and looked up into his face. “I appreciate you trying to comfort me, but I just want this to be over.” The moonlight accentuated his strong jaw, his green eyes and his broad shoulders.

  He stared at her for a moment before nodding. “Regardless, I need to focus on the very next step. We need to find shelter before those men find us. The ATV’s out of commission, but we can’t stay here. It’s time to set out on foot. At least until help can reach us.”

  The heavy bag on her hip reminded her she still wanted to get her hands on the information on the flash drive. It’s what George had wanted, and it was the least she could do to honor his last request. The moonlight disappeared, covered by clouds again. She fumbled for her phone and turned on the flashlight.

  “No,” David said. “There’s no brightness setting on the flashlight. If they’re out there it makes us easy targets. Let’s put our screens on low brightness and use them the least amount possible.”

  She followed his suggestion but it meant only seeing a few feet in front of her. “How on earth are we going to find our way like this?”

  A small movement in the corner of her vision took her breath away. Something brown and fluffy was moving. She swung the screen light in the direction. She exhaled. “It’s one of the rabbits.”

  As if in answer, it bounded a few more leaps and turned to look back at her. It was standing right underneath... “A sign!” she cried.

  “You beautiful, smart animal! Thank you.” She ran up to the wooden state park trail guide, complete with yellow arrows, as the rabbit hopped away.

  David shook his head. “Aria, you can’t possibly believe the rabbit led you—”

  She held up a hand. “Let me have this moment. Even if it’s a delusion, it’s a welcome one. I have my bearings, we have a trail and things are looking up.”

  * * *

  David couldn’t help but laugh. This was a glimmer of the Aria he remembered—the passionate, spontaneous, upbeat, light-hearted girl. It was good to know that even in the darkest of moments, this side of her still existed. The only problem was it made his heart soften, a dangerous side effect. He couldn’t afford to let his affections for her grow again. “Which way do we go?” he asked.

  Her fingers drifted over the letters. “The Spruce Wild Trail should lead us to the southern outcropping of vacationer homes. Most of them—if not all—should be empty right now.”

  David followed behind her, glad for their phones. But if they kept relying on them, their batteries would be dead within an hour or two, and without a charger, he didn’t want to take that risk. The moment his feet reached the flattened dirt path, he switched his phone off.

  Aria stiffened. “What is it?”

  “Trying to save battery.”

  She huffed a sigh. “Well, talk to me before you do stuff like that.”

  David clenched his jaw. Was she seriously trying to give him a lesson on communication? Yet another reminder of that interaction two years ago—he had bared all of his feelings in that card and she responded by saying she needed space. David suppressed a growl. Embracing anger was better than allowing hurt to paralyze him again. Yet it was better to remain silent than open his mouth and say something he’d regret.

  “David?” she asked. Her phone screen went dark.

  He stopped. “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I have no right to bark at you. It’s an understatement to say I’m on edge and the phone going dark gave my heart a jolt. I thought you had spotted someone.”

  His heart softened as fast as her voice had and he changed the subject. “So, you’re familiar with these trails? How far a walk we talking?”

  The beam from her screen turned back on and he followed her quickened pace. “If we keep moving at a clip, I’m going to guess it’ll be a good thirty minutes before we start seeing houses.

  “Isn’t that how much time you thought we had before the Hummer reached us?”

  “Uh...yeah, but as you pointed out, we don’t exactly have a lot of options. I’d run if it wasn’t dark but as it is, I think it’s too risky. Besides, do you hear my shoes? If I ran, the squeaking would be even worse. These things are soggy beyond belief.”

  “You’re not going to like this, but I think if we’re not there in fifteen minutes, the phone has to go off entirely. I don’t want them having any way to track us.”

  The phone beam swung with her swinging arms. “Then you better pray the clouds move enough so we can see...but not enough that they can see us.”

  David looked up only to see blackness. Where had the stars gone? He squinted to make out the layers of odd shadows. “I don’t think it’s the clouds we need to worry about. We’re covered underneath a canopy of tree branches.” His stomach released a loud gurgle.

  “Me too,” Aria said.

  He cocked his head in her direction. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “Your stomach did, and I agreed. I’m hungry but I’ve never been this thirsty.” Her teeth chattered. “I might be a little cold too.”

  A gust of wind rushed past the trees and through his hair. As if in reply, goose bumps covered his arms. He tried to block out his own discomfort by straining his vision. Focus proved to be a powerful ally. They walked in silence for a few minutes, and David’s eyelids grew heavy. He stumbled over something—a rock? He bucked forward and pressed his hands onto his knees until he was steady.

  “Are you okay?” Aria’s hands were on his back, ready to offer him support.

  He laughed. “I appreciate the gesture, but how did you think you were going to help me? If you tried to hold me up, you’d go down with me.”

  “Instinct,” she responded. “At least you only tripped over a branch. There are sometimes full-sized fallen logs on the trail.”

  He straightened, his stomach and pride a bit bruised but otherwise intact. “Doesn’t bode well for turning off the lights, does it?”

  “I think we lose the tree covering around the bend.” True to her word, the sky made an appearance and the wind whipped across his face. “Stay close to me, David. It’s another overlook with a steep drop. The Gillamook viewing point.”

  He spotted the moon. It hung low to the east, just above the treetops up ahead. “It’s almost a full moon.”

  “Perfect for lighting our way.” Aria slipped her phone in her pocket. Her right shoulder hung down low from the weight of her bag. Wordlessly, he lifted the strap and took it. He remembered the photograph she had slipped into the bag before the earthquake. David couldn’t help himself from asking. “Did you check to see if your picture was damaged?”

  She lurched to a stop and spun toward him. “I hope not!” While he held the bag, she sunk her hand in and pulled out the frame for a moment. The moon reflected off the glass cover, but it was enough light to see her brilliant smile in the middle, with her mother and father on either side. Aria breathed a sigh heavy with relief and dropped it back in the bag. “It’s not damaged.”

  David hesitated. He wasn’t going to ask about the framed photograph but he also knew conversation was good to keep them focused. With the half-hour hike ahead of them, they needed safe topics. “How are your parents doing?” David asked. “Your dad still building away?”

  She halted, her mouth dropped and her breath turned raspy and shallow. David reached a hand out. “Aria? Are you okay?” He fumbled for his phone. Had she been hit by something?

  “My dad died.
” Her voice was low and gravelly. “You know that. You might not be happy with how things ended between us, but I never thought you’d be so cruel as to play mind games.”

  NINE

  Any remaining adrenaline coursing through his veins dissipated. He sagged forward, his heart throbbing against his rib cage. Surely he had misheard. “Wh-what? Your dad died?”

  “Don’t pretend. Please.”

  Acid rose in his throat. He shook his head. “Aria, I promise. I had no idea.”

  She stepped forward, the moon highlighting the ways her eyes narrowed. “How could you not know?” Her eyes were wet. When she shook her head, a tear dropped.

  “It’s no game.” David closed his eyes. “I didn’t know.” A man he had admired and respected, like George, also gone? They were examples of what he wanted to be as a man. It was too much. “I’m—I’m so sorry.” His stomach burned. “When?”

  She stepped back, uncertainty written on her face as she tilted her head. “He died a couple of years ago.”

  David’s head dropped forward, his mouth agape. “A couple of years ago?” Aria remained silent, her arms wrapped around herself. David examined Aria now. She seemed far away, lost in thought. “Your dad was a great guy.”

  “Yes, he was. Thank you,” Aria said, her forehead still crinkled in a frown.

  David straightened and pressed through his foggy thoughts and tried to do the mental math. After he had reacted in hurt during their phone call and essentially ended their relationship, he had gone to visit a few days later to apologize in person only to find the house empty and the house for sale. His parents hadn’t been able to reach them either, but David had assumed it was their wish to end to the relationship. Had he seen everything through the wrong lens or...“It happened right after we broke up?”