“Help is coming,” Sam said.
“Maybe, eventually,” Erik said, leaning toward Sam. “You do realize I’m just as trapped as you are.”
“How so?” Sam asked sharply.
“I drive up from Illinois a few times during the summer to get away from city life,” Erik said, with a heavy sigh. “Well, and to get away from work. I’m not as prepared as I would have liked to have been, but when I heard the news, I considered my options.”
Sam narrowed her eyes. “You had a lot of options?”
“I could have gone back to the city or take my chances out here. I decided to take my chances,” Erik said. “I can fish, get water, whatever I need, I’ll be able to figure it out, but back home, things are likely to deteriorate quickly. Riots, looting… absolute chaos. Why didn’t you two turn back?”
“We hadn’t heard until we were almost here,” I said, feeling heat filling my cheeks.
“How is that possible?”
I pressed my lips together. “With everything that was going on, I didn’t bother listening to the news.” I shifted my weight. “Are you going to take us, or are we going to sit here chit-chatting all day?”
Sam groaned.
Erik beamed. “Let’s go.”
8
We followed Erik to his small motorboat. It was a bit rusty and looked as though it could fall apart if it hit a particularly big wave.
Other than the floating debris, the water was a crystal blue, and the sun sparkled on the tips of the waves like diamonds. I tried not to think about Olivia back in the city. She was probably freaking out and worried sick about Sam and me.
Maybe there was a chance that the solar storm wasn’t as widespread as Erik had suspected. Perhaps Olivia’s day was just like any other except for the fact that she’d be glued to the news trying to find out what happened to us.
I tried not to think about her because it made my heart pound and my brain spin. After everything that I’d gone through with Elijah, I knew I had to somehow manage to keep it together. There was no choice. I wouldn’t be able to get any kind of care or treatment if I had a meltdown.
“Could your boat stink any more than it does?” Sam asked as she expertly lowered herself into the bobbing boat.
“Gee, I sprayed it with air freshener too. I just can’t seem to get rid of that fishy smell in my fishing boat,” Erik said, scrunching up his nose.
He offered me his hand to help me down into the boat. I hesitated. My body felt like it was swaying side to side.
“Are you having second thoughts?” Erik asked.
“I’m fine,” I said, forcing a thin-lipped smile. I took his hand, and the warmth of his touch jolted through my body like a double shot of espresso. “I’m not a big fan of boats.”
Sam groaned. “To be fair, though, she’s not a big fan of anything.”
“You’re just mad at everyone, aren’t you?” I asked sharply.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said, clasping her hands together. “It’s just that I’m so worried about Dott. I guess when I’m worried, I lash out.”
Erik snorted. “You guess?”
“You don’t know me,” Sam said.
“And still…,” Erik let his retort fade away.
“It is a bit much,” I said, placing my hand on top of Sam’s as I sat down next to her. “I know you have Dott to worry about, but we need each other right now.”
Sam sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Erik started the engine. The boat zipped away from the dock, and I grabbed the edge as we bobbed aggressively over the waves.
My hair whipped around my face as we sped through the water. It didn’t take long for the small town to come into view.
The town hadn’t changed much since I’d last been there years ago. Erik pulled up to the dock and hopped out of the boat. He expertly tied it up before reaching out to help Sam and me onto the wobbly, creaky, wooden dock.
Not far off, a group of older folks were sitting on a bench near the waterfront hotel. The women were clutching their purses, and the men’s eyes darted around. Someone in a suit came out of the hotel, flailing their hands as they talked.
The further we walked into town, the more people there were wandering around aimlessly. Confusion contorted their faces, likely the same way mine had been.
“I hate to say it, but told you so,” Erik said, keeping his voice down. “All the tourists stranded here. Hotel rooms they can’t cool. Nothing to do and no way to get home. Even the locals are freaking out, they’re just doing privately in their homes.”
“Thanks for weighing in,” I muttered.
A door to the building to our right crashed against the side of the building as a woman thrust it open. She stepped onto the sidewalk, clenched her hands together, and screamed.
“Please! Help me!” she howled, running across the street, grabbing the nearest person.
The terrified old man looked as though he was about to fall over from her vigorous shaking. Erik bolted over to them and peeled the woman’s hands off the man.
People crowded around, looking at Erik as if he’d done something wrong. Several people turned and walked away as if they were afraid of what might unfold.
“What’s going on?” Erik asked the woman keeping his voice clear and steady as he stared into the woman’s eyes.
“My husband needs a doctor,” she cried. “Are you a doctor?”
Erik shook his head, and the woman squealed in his face as if she were a cat
