Page 2 of The Final Storm
Luke laughs, which is a pleasant replacement for his cough. “The fun police strikes again,” he mocks. Lori glares at him and refills his water glass from the pitcher. “How about we make an after-dinner trip to this thing? Let Sam and I test it out with our brute strength. If anyone can hit that ship, it’s the big boys. Am I right, Sam?”
Sam chuckles and nods. “It will be fun either way. I’m up for it, but only if the boys are.” All four nod, bright smiles on their faces.
“Then it’s settled,” Luke says. “But we have to clean our plates fast. Rains coming in from the west. I saw it on the scanner.”
My smile falls, and I drop my fork. Lori sees my expression, and her back shoots ramrod straight. “Shit,” I stammer, trying to reach for my fork with my stomach in the way. Sam pats my arm and brings it back up to the table. I meet Lori’s eyes and bite my lip. She will ask me again after dinner. She needs to know, and maybe I need to tell her.
“But then again, a little rain never hurt anyone,” Luke murmurs as he brings his glass to his lips. Another slight cough comes from the back of his throat, and he chokes it down with water. “The boys can just make a trip of it if you all want. You ladies can hang behind.” Luke lowers his cup to the table.
A tinge of blood swirls through the glass as the raindrops start on the roof overhead.
Chapter 2
Lights
Sam’sbrowfurrows,makinglines form across his forehead misted with sweat. “I don’t think I should go, Rowan. It’s raining, and we know what that means.” We both know he’s going as he laces up his boots through his objections, but I play along. BeLew are about to crawl out of their skin with excitement while my stomach rattles with nerves. This slingshot was the only thing that made us all smile this week, and Sam has to go.
“Not everyone knows what rain means,” I sigh. “Fuck, I don’t even know what it means, really.” It’s only a matter of time before Lori attacks me for information, and I dread the conversation. I rub my stomach, pushing the baby over to one side. There are a few months to go, but I wonder how I can get any bigger or any more uncomfortable.
“We should trust what we know, while keeping my visions in mind,” I add. “And what we know is that Luke is getting sicker. You saw what I did at dinner.”
Sam stiffens, tightening his jaw. The two men grew closer than I could have ever imagined in the past few months. When someone saves your life, it creates a bond - a bond that’s held steadfast every day since.
“I’ll head over to the slingshot after I talk to the islanders,” I tell Sam.
Sam rubs the back of his neck, moving his gaze and avoiding my eyes. “Today isn’t the best day to speak to Gemma.”
“You’ll be ten minutes away,” I brush off his objection. “I’ll walk with you most of the way to the slingshot.”
“Not a good day,” he repeats, pacing and picking up around the room. He finds one of my boots and sets it by my feet, scavenging for the other.
“We are running short on days,” I whine. “I need to talk to her about the Galene, and about people from the ship that might visit and…” I trail off, stumped about how I’ll explain my vision of Luke getting sicker and him on the Galene without sounding insane.
I’ve only seen a few flashes of the inside of the ship. Luke, being dragged down a steel hallway, his arms around two men. Luke, in a hospital room with tubes everywhere, his chest shuddering in labored breaths with the sound of machines blaring in my ears. I swallow hard, reminding myself he’s alive when I see him, and that’s what matters.
“We’ve gotten away without a battle over territory for six months, but if a bunch of military storms in… that could change,” I tell Sam.
Gemma is the all-but-elected leader for the few dozen among us that inhabit the island. We keep separate with ample space and supplies. She knows our generosity and more than once, they’ve shown us theirs, but we hold the relationship together with a taut string between the groups. Any sign of betrayal could make it snap.
I trust Gemma, and I hope a good bit of karma would come my way for helping them. If things start off poorly with crew members of the Galene, they may not help Luke.
“I understand we need to talk with her, and I don’t disagree.” Sam finds my other boot and slides it across the floor. This room is a small space but recently, I struggle to keep it clean with how tired I’ve been, mentally and physically. “They had a death today, and the community is taking it pretty hard.”
“Oh, no,” I gasp. There are so few of us that any death sends ripples of grief throughout the island. To survive everything so far and die when you think you’re safe is devastating. “That’s terrible. What can we do? Should we bring something?”
“They don’t want to see us right now. A young woman, early twenties, she took her own life. From what I understand, she was already mentally unwell. Added with the stress of the storms and isolation, it isn’t a shock, but there are some…” Sam stops short, wary of what he’s about to say. He sits at my side and plants a soft kiss on my shoulder. The simple touch warms my heart, and I lean toward him and place my lips on his forehead. “There are some people that think the Galene’s arrival spurred her decision. They don’t want to see outsiders. We need to let things calm down.”
“But that’s not the ship we came from. If I explain-”
“Not today,” Sam interrupts, placing a finger across my lips. “Let’s stick together today.”
As much as I hate it, I understand blame is part of the grieving process. We came to their shore uninvited, and we’re lucky they didn’t attack or worse. My conversation with Gemma will have to wait, but I suppose it gives me time to figure out what to say.
“I’ll go then and just spend time with you all. Luke’s right, a little rain never hurt anyone,” I joke.
“Famous last words,” Sam scoffs. He gives me a soft smile and reaches for my boots. “Do you need help getting these on?”
Sam, on his knees, groveling at my feet. I won’t turn that down, and I nod to him. A smile creeps onto my lips as Sam moves to the floor.
