“Laiyla!” I raise my voice, but the wind swallows my word.
Before I can decide what to do next, a huge wave curls toward the tide pool shelves. I drop the meditation pillow and grab hold of the railing with both hands. The wind is so strong, I swear it lifts me off my feet for a terrifying second. The wave crashes like thunder and shakes the ground under my feet.
My gaze is drawn to a dark spot in the tide pools, one that wasn’t there earlier. Then it moves, tossing off fins and scaling along the rocks like a hermit crab. It’s KT, in a wet suit, her scuba tank still attached to her back.
Another wave crests behind KT, a gigantic, furious wave that’s going to pound her into the tide pools like a hammer. A vise grips my chest.
“Look out!” Laiyla’s scream to KT is instantly swallowed by the storm.
I watch in disbelief, my hands bloodless on the railing, completely powerless to do anything but witness the wrath of Mother Nature.
The next wave hits KT like the last, swallowing her. Horror flows through my blood like acid.
KT
surfaces, only to be lashed and thrown by the waves, then dumped back on the tide pools so hard, she bounces—once, twice, then lies there motionless for what feels like minutes, but is, in reality, only seconds.
Laiyla drops her pillows and runs down the stairs, toward the ocean. Bile rises in my throat, and my screams for Laiyla to stop barely exit my mouth. I’m soaked to the bone in warm rain.
KT is on her feet again, working her way toward the stairway where Laiyla positions herself to meet KT. Before the women can meet, another wave rises. KT lunges for the last post in the stairway railing, and Laiyla runs back up the stairs to escape the ocean’s reach.
The power of the sea rumbles through the rock and shakes the island. When the water recedes, I’m shocked to see KT still clinging to the railing.
Laiyla runs back down and grabs a handful of KT’s wet suit. I take two steps toward them before the next wave crests. Just when I don’t think I can be any more terrified, they both disappear beneath the water.
I choke out a scream and grip the rail with both hands.
They’re gone. They’re dead. There’s no way they could survive.
The horror of losing these two women ravages my heart. The wind deafens and blinds me, and I hide my head between my arms. Debris flies from every direction, pelting me again and again.
Clearly, a miracle is required to save them. I put every ounce of my soul into a quick prayer. Archangel Michael, keep them safe. Bring them back.
Michael is the badass of archangels. The big guns. When I need something that seems impossible, I call on Michael.
I chance a glance as the wave recedes, terrified the prayer wasn’t enough and I’ll find them gone.
But both women are still clinging to the iron pole, and all my air whooshes from my lungs.
“Oh my God.” Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I force myself to my feet to move and meet them midway up the stairs. They both look at me with terrorized gazes. Blood trails down KT’s face, but I can’t tell where it’s coming from.
KT’s hand moves to the strap around her chest, and the next thing I know, a gust of wind grabs the tank and swings it toward me and Laiyla. I duck, Laiyla doesn’t, and the tank hits her squarely in the side of the head with a clank that’s loud enough to hear above the wind.
A sick sensation swirls in my stomach, and Laiyla goes boneless. I barely have time to cushion her head before she hits the ground. And now she’s bleeding too. She’s also unconscious.
“Fuck,” KT yells. “Get her arm around your shoulders,” she tells me, doing the same on the other side.
We fight our way up a few more steps before Laiyla regains consciousness. KT orders us to stop, and the three of us crouch to gain some strength. The rain comes in torrents and buckets, and I struggle to breathe. I wonder if this is how it feels to be waterboarded.
The air is a minefield of tree branches, stones, tables, chairs, umbrellas. Roof shingles peel, siding rips, all becoming lethal projectiles. My head is filled with the chaotic scream of the storm. All we need is a cow hurtling through the air, and we’d fit right into a Hollywood blockbuster.
When we start out again, Laiyla is moving mostly under her own steam and we make progress toward the resort. If we can just stay clear of the larger debris, we’ll make it.
I hate to bother you again, Michael, but this situation is going to require multiple miracles. Please help us to safety.
I lead the way, and KT and I keep Laiyla between us. A thundering crack rips through the air, and my feet jerk to a stop just before a tree falls directly into my path mere inches from crushing me. A violent whoosh of air hits me. Branches cut at my face, arms, legs. The ground thunders beneath my feet so hard, I’m knocked off-balance.