Chapter 6
At first glance, everything appeared to be perfectly normal. The sun was still shining, the sky was still blue, and everyone else still seemed to be having a good time.
So, why did I have this horrible feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach?
I looked out at the ocean, and I suddenly realized what was different. The waves were no longer loud or crashing, and in fact, the ocean appeared completely calm.
It was almost eerily still.
I was suddenly very hyperaware, and I noticed all the seagulls were silent, too, and when I looked around for them, they were nowhere to be seen.
I glanced back at the other contestants again, and they were all oblivious to my revelation, except for Parker. Her eyes were also focused, and she looked out at the ocean with a frown, like she’d noticed the same thing I had.
“Liam, what’s wrong?” Sadie’s voice cut into my thoughts.
“I think something’s wrong,” I said in a low voice, and my eyes never left the horizon.
Sadie’s own eyes widened as she glanced at the ocean and tried to see what I saw.
In the distance, I noticed dark clouds beginning to form, and it was happening very quickly.
“I think we need to leave,” I said as I quickly got to my feet and helped Sadie to hers.
I scanned the beach again for a good spot to take cover, but there wasn’t much. The only two buildings I could see in any direction were the Tiki bar and the bathrooms.
The Tiki bar was basically useless because it was just one big open stall, and though the bathrooms appeared to be entirely enclosed, I doubted they would stand firm against whatever was currently brewing out at sea.
There were probably other, sturdier structures outside the aliens’ barrier, but we couldn’t get to them because we’d get zapped into oblivion the moment we tried. Not to mention these other supposed buildings were probably miles away, so we’d never reach them in time, anyway.
Not on foot.
Not in flip-flops through the sand.
I glanced back to the ocean. The distant storm clouds were quickly growing larger, and the waves retreated further and further out.
We probably had minutes at this point.
I threw one last regretful glance toward the bathroom structure.
Damn.
Bathrooms it was.
“Let’s go,” I said as I quickly grabbed Sadie’s hand and tugged her back toward the group.
She went willingly, with no resistance, and she didn’t stop to question my judgement.
I beelined it for the Tiki bar where Parker stood as she watched the ocean with an expression of quickly growing horror on her face.
“We need to find shelter,” she said as soon as we’d reached her.
I nodded, and then I turned to the group who were still playing their volleyball game.
“Everybody!” I had to yell to be heard over their laughter and banter, and they didn’t even pause their game to listen.
The only two people who stopped were Tyler and Claire, and they both paused to look at me.
“We need to get out of here and take cover,” I said as I pointed out at the ocean. “There’s a storm coming.”
That seemed to catch everyone’s attention, and they paused their game long enough to glance in the direction I pointed.
“It doesn’t look that bad.” Kyle turned back to me with a snort. “Besides, it’s way out in the ocean and nowhere near us. We’ll be fine.”
“Seriously?” I knew Kyle was stubborn, but I couldn’t believe he’d really act this dense.
“I don’t know, man,” Tyler said to Kyle as he shifted awkwardly on his feet. “It looks like it’s getting pretty bad out there. I think we should listen to him.”
“If you’re so concerned about it, then you go,” Kyle scoffed, and the other guys laughed. “The rest of us are going to stay here and enjoy the beach day like we’re supposed to.”
He wasn’t seriously going to put fun over a potential safety issue, was he?
I knew the real reason he was refusing to listen, and it was because I saw the threat first. Apparently, following through with someone else’s observation was a sign of weakness, and his pride was going to get the entire group killed.
Tyler shot me a meaningful look before he moved to join us, and Claire followed close behind him.
“Pussies,” Kyle muttered under his breath, before he continued playing with the others.
“Okay, what do we do now?” Tyler asked as soon as he and Claire had reached our group.
“We need to find shelter,’ I said as I pointed toward the restrooms in the distance. “And unfortunately, I think that’s going to be our best bet.”
Nobody looked particularly thrilled with the idea, but they all started moving as quickly as they could in that direction.
I hung back for a few seconds before I turned to look at the small robot behind the Tiki stand’s counter. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt bad for the little guy, and I didn’t want to just leave him out here with the other idiots. I doubted it had feelings, but one never knew…
I sighed and approached the Tiki stand.
“You understand me, right?” I asked.
The robot made a series of beeps at me, and the lights on it lit up.
“Okay, I’m going to take that as a yes,” I replied. “Will you please follow me?”
I glanced over my shoulder toward the ocean, and the clouds were even darker than before.
We really didn’t have time for this.
The robot beeped again before it held up some fruity-looking drink.
“No, I don’t want a drink,” I said.
It beeped again, set the drink down, and fiddled behind the counter before it offered me a hamburger.
“Okay, maybe you don’t understand me,” I mused. “Let’s try this, instead… I want you to follow me.”
For a moment, the robot did nothing, before it beeped and then moved out from behind the counter.
It worked.
I hurried to the bathrooms while the little robot followed me, though how it was able to move without getting sand in its wheel and mechanisms was beyond me. Clearly more advanced alien tech.
I glanced back a few times as we walked, and though it was still quiet, the storm clouds were definitely swiftly growing in the distance, and I had no doubt in my mind that when they reached their full size, they’d head this way.
We reached the building the restrooms were located in, and everyone else was waiting for me.
“You brought the robot?” Parker’s eyebrows shot up, and she had a slightly amused expression on her face.
“I felt bad for it,” I sheepishly admitted.
“Softy,” she giggled, but then the urgency returned to her face.
I ordered the robot to stay, and then I had the women wait outside with it while Tyler and I checked the inside for any other potential threats. I didn’t care how peaceful the last couple rounds of games had seemed.
I wasn’t taking any chances.
Thankfully, the restrooms were clear, and we returned to the women to bring everyone inside.
I decided the women’s restroom would be the best option because it had more individual stalls. So, if something happened to the actual exterior structure of the building, they’d provide another layer of protection.
Not that I thought a bunch of cheaply built, flimsy bathroom stalls would keep us safe, but we didn’t have a lot to work with here, and they were better than nothing.
Fortunately, both bathroom entrances had sturdy doors, and as soon as we were all inside, I promptly shut ours and locked it. It felt pretty secure, though I didn’t like the huge, half-inch gap between the base of the door and the floor.
I hoped the place wouldn’t flood.
I felt bad for locking the others out, but I wasn’t about to risk my life, not to mention everyone else’s as well, just to try to convince a bunch of stubborn jackasses.
Besides, there was another bathroom available, and if they were truly desperate, they could always knock, and we’d let them in.
I was surprised to find that the restroom’s lights were in full working order, and I again wondered if we were in some random location in the world or if we were in some weird simulation of some kind.
The women’s restroom was a simple, rectangular-shaped room, with a line of twelve stalls on one side, and a long counter with a matching number of sinks on the other side.
The flooring was tile, but the walls were made of a wood paneling, which I thought was a bit of an odd choice given the location.
Wouldn’t the constant moisture in the air warp the wood?
“Well, this is cozy,” Claire mumbled as she looked around. “Do you think we’ll be safe here?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted. “But we’ll certainly be safer in here than we would be out there.”
“How long do you think it’ll be before the storm reaches us?” Sadie asked, and I could hear how nervous she sounded.
“Not long,” Parker replied. “It looked like it was growing fast.”
Everyone shifted nervously.
“I guess we should probably make ourselves comfortable then,” Claire said as she hopped up and took a seat on the counter. “I think we might be here for a while.”
Parker and Sadie joined the mousy-haired woman, Tyler moved closer to the group as well, and surprisingly, the robot followed. I was especially grateful for Tyler’s presence, because I knew if worse came to worst, he’d help me protect the women.
They all quietly spoke among themselves while I continued to study our surroundings and pinpoint the weak areas in the structure.
My biggest concern was the gap beneath the door. The door itself, as well as the surrounding frame, seemed sturdy enough, but if there was an excess of rain, or if the ocean level were to rise, we’d be completely vulnerable to flooding.
Not to mention, I still wasn’t entirely sure what sort of storm was coming, because a lot of different things could make the ocean behave the way it was. Though, based on the black clouds I saw gathering in the sky, my best guess would be a hurricane, and not a small one, either.
Besides the door, I was also concerned about the actual structure of the building. From the outside, the roof had appeared to be made of aluminum, which would hold up well against heavy winds and water. But besides the out-of-place wooden paneling, I had no idea what the walls were made of.