The air smelled of ozone so I knew a storm was coming. A big storm like the one that stranded us here.
So not good.
***
Sure enough, the wind had turned into a howling gale by dawn. Rain the size of small cats pelted us as Alice and I huddled side-by-side under the wooden lean-to, our hands wrapped around our knees. When we were younger we would have been hugging each other, but the tension had evaporated those urges. But Alice refused to go to the caves and I was determined to support her.
Regardless, none of this helped. The palm fronds we’d used to construct the roof were quickly swept away by the high winds. The surf pounded the beach with a deafening roar. Bits of sand filled our mouths, our eyes, and our throats. It seemed like the end of the world.
"Where’s your girlfriend?" as
