STORM DWELLERS

Chapter 3 excerpt

Instead of diminishing, the smoke increased, the ground shimmered red hot where the lightning hit. Rain poured down; the ocean stirred violently, and waves rose. A supernatural storm surge rolled toward the island. Lightning struck the water and it roared and foamed in response. Water vapor rose high as the sand glowed as if it were boiling. The vapor turned into a thick, smoky wall. Multi-colored energy illuminated the sky, dancing with the radiance of a strobe light.

Lynn sprinted toward Darcy.

“Darcy, the PIN!”

“34343!” Darcy answered over the wind. “Benny! Move it. Run!!”

Lynn finally got the phone unlocked. She saw the GPS was on, so she opened the Facebook app and typed ‘help me s padre send cops’ on his timeline, tagging a few random people then hit the send button, then dialed her mother, Angela’s, number.

Benny screamed, “Darcy!” Then took off running, but in the wrong direction.

“No, Benny,” Darcy yelled, “go left. To your left!”

He veered left, but abruptly stopped once again. Directly in front of him, a gruesome, yellow-eyed creature emerged from a wall of smoke stemming from a magma puddle.

It was a sight to behold, and Lynn stood frozen with Benny’s phone to her ear, listening to her mother’s phone ringing; the ring staticky and broken.

“Hello?” Angela answered. “Ben…th…you? What’s that noi…”

“Mom?” Lynn said. “Mom, help us. We’re on SPI. Near UFO. Send help.”

“Lynn, why…you have Benny’s…” the phone crackled, “…on the island..”

“Mom, please, this is not a time for questions. I’m begging you, send help!”

“Help? To you?” Angela’s voice turned sinister. “You’re a big…girl…now, witch!”

“What the hell…” Lynn said.

The phone popped and sparked and got hot in Lynn’s hand. She pulled it away from her ear and dropped it onto the sand just as it burst into flames.

Lynn growled her frustration and stomped her foot on the phone dowsing the fire.

Copyright 2023 Wanda S. Paryla