Annette tried to coax her vehicle into starting, but it was having none of it. Nearby trees were swaying in the pre-hurricane breeze. “Come on, come on,” she said. After almost ten minutes of hoping and praying, she gave up.
Hopelessness fell upon her as she realized she was stuck. All the buses had left hours ago. There was no way off the island. Rain started to fall, and the ever-growing wind reached new heights.
“Why did I come here?” But she knew why – St. George Island was where she worked, and she couldn’t afford to miss a single shift. Now, she’d experience the island as few tourists had. Her heart fluttered at the thought.
Unsure where else to go, she climbed out of her car and headed for the hotel. Everything looked and felt so different. Without the tourists, it was kind of creepy.
A shadow watched Annette as she gave up on her car and went back inside. The shadow grinned. The scene was being set.
♦♦♦
Chad heaved over the toilet, setting his insides free. What a time to get sick. He should have left the island hours ago. Instead, he’d passed out on his boss’ couch. He woke up in time to puke, which coincided with the storm picking up speed.
Done with being sick – or at least, he hoped so – he staggered back to the couch. His best bet was leaving the island, but there was no way that was happening. Everyone had left without him, and he had no car. He’d been too sick to travel anyway, so he’d have to withstand the hurricane. This prospect didn’t scare him much. He’d been in Florida his entire life, and he’d seen some truly crazy storms. He’d stay on the second floor, and everything would be fine.
Chad’s eyes fluttered shut. He opened them halfway a few more times, but eventually, he was no longer conscious. If he had been, he would have seen a shadow peering into the second-floor window.
♦♦♦
Heather cursed herself. Of course, everyone had left already. She’d told them to, after all. She was the manager of a very expensive resort and had barked at everyone to get out on time. She didn’t think every single one of them was going to bail on her, though.
Damn them. How did they expect her to get home? They were aware of her driving problem. Nevertheless, she’d checked the lot, and there were no cars to be found. This was going to be a long twenty-four hours. She’d checked in with the island’s police department, only to find out they’d set out for the mainland about twenty minutes before.
Screw it. If she was going to be alone, she was going to drink. She went to the bar, grabbed a bottle of vodka, and slammed back two quick shots. “That’s better,” she said to no one.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the shadow said. Heather deserved to die. And he was more than willing to mete out justice.
♦♦♦
Spencer couldn’t believe his bad luck. Sure, he’d waited at the pier for longer than his contemporaries, but his last customer had returned the boat and gone on his way. Spencer should have been free to do the same. But after securing the boat and locking up the shop, he’d been greeted by a nasty surprise. All four of his tires had been slashed, which meant he wasn’t driving off the island.
Maybe I’m getting too old for this game.
No matter what he did after the hurricane, he’d have to make it through the next twelve to twenty-four hours first. He couldn’t decide if he was scared, but he knew staying put right next to the water was not a good idea. As it was, the wind had already picked up and it was lightly raining. He’d better head toward the center of town and hope that someone offered him a better place to stay. Because if they didn’t, well… this might be his last day on earth.
Spencer put his arm over the top of his hat. He was pretty sure it was going to fly away anyway, but he had to at least attempt to keep it on top of his bald head.
He’s not a challenge, the shadow thought. But he’s here, so I’ll gut him, anyway.
♦♦♦
Kate sat on the front porch in anticipation. Her folks had left the island the day before, but she’d stayed behind. They’d pleaded and cajoled with her to leave, but she couldn’t see the point. Another hurricane was headed right for the island, and she’d be damned if she didn’t get to see it. Hell, she’d purposefully come to St. George a few days ago in hopes of living out a good survival story.
The air felt electric as rain steadily picked up steam. The neighbor’s house already had a small tree across their front yard. Here it comes, she thought with glee. And there was no one left to yell at her about “taking shelter.”
Most people considered her to be a bit weird, but she didn’t care. She lived for crazy weather, and she was finally old enough to do whatever she wanted. And with a three-story house behind her that was packed with food, Kate had no concerns.
The shadow particularly liked Kate. Anyone who heard that a hurricane was coming and responded with “sign me up” would make a great kill.
