“All right, you got me there.” Willis threw his head back and laughed. “I’ll bet he’s down there testing out the torpedoes right now.”
“All right, ladies, break time’s over. Let’s finish our run.” Tam raised an admonishing finger. “And I don’t want to hear any more complaints about cardio. I don’t care how well you boys swim…” The words died on her lips. Along the shoreline, the water receded across a wide swathe, and the gentle roar of the waves dissolved into an ominous, sucking sound.
“You were saying?” Willis folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head.
“It’s a drawback!” she shouted. “Tsunami!”
Chapter 4
Tam dashed down the pier, the sunbaked planks trembling beneath her feet as she pounded along its length. All around, people looked at her in confusion.
“Tsunami!” she shouted. “Everybody get to high ground as fast as you can!”
Everyone looked at her like she was crazy, and well they should. The idea that a tsunami could hit with zero warning, and from the inland side of the island, was absurd. That, and there was no “high ground” to be found here.
She slowed her pace and turned on her most commanding voice. “Move it! Get to the upper floors of a building! Now!”
The authority and urgency in her voice seemed to convince a few people, who began trotting along in her wake, but others just stared.
“Come on, y’all. Look at the water!” Willis pointed to the receding waterline. “I’m a Navy SEAL and that’s a warning sign of a tsunami. Now move your asses!”
Whether it was the bizarre sight of the water drawing back, or the force of Willis’ words, the people on the dock were finally convinced. That was both good and bad, as some turned and ran, while others froze in fear, and some even began to scream.
“Sure.” Tam put her hands on her hips and frowned. “The woman yelling tsunami is hysterical, but if a man says it, they jump. Forgive me, Lord Jesus, but stupid people do vex me.”
Matt and Willis brought up the rear urging the stragglers along, while Tam ran ahead, continuing to call out her warning to those who might not have heard.
She knew they didn’t have much time. The wave period for a tsunami averaged twelve minutes, but there was nothing average about this situation. She stole a glance over her shoulder to check on Matt and Willis. They were falling farther behind as they tried to get everyone moving off the pier. She knew enough about them to know they wouldn’t want to leave anyone behind. A tsunami in Key West! Why had she let Maddock talk her into setting up shop here?
By the time she hit the end of the pier, the warning had spread and people all along the shore were streaming away from the beach, but it wouldn’t do any good if they couldn’t get above the waterline. She scanned the area, looking for anywhere safe. Most of the buildings in this area were small waterfront bars, restaurants, and shops, but beyond them, she spotted a four-story hotel building.
“Everybody to the hotel! Get to the second floor or higher!” She ground her teeth in frustration. These people were slower than boyfriends to a bridal shower. She grabbed a dazed-looking, heavyset woman who seemed to be clogging the flow of traffic, took her by the chin, and looked her square in the eye. “You see that hotel right there?” The confused woman nodded. “Good! You’re in charge of getting everybody to the top floor. Can you do that?”
The woman nodded again, shook like a dog fresh from its bath, and turned around the face the oncoming throng. “We’re going to the hotel!” she bellowed in a voice suited for a football coach. “Follow me!” With that, she lumbered away, the rest following in her wake.
Tam could almost hear her grandmother chiding her for lack of tact, but she’d gotten the job done, hadn’t she? Matt and Willis trotted up as the last of the stragglers cleared the deck of the pier.
“Where to now, boss?” Matt didn’t look the least bit concerned about the impending disaster.
Down the shore, a crowd milled about, some staring at those fleeing the beach, but not making a move to escape the wall of water that would soon sweep them all away if they didn’t get away. Willis and Matt followed her line of sight and they took off running. All three were in good shape but Willis outpaced his shorter colleagues, reaching the crowd well ahead of them and ushering them away from the beach. It didn’t take long for panic to take over as people realized what the receding water meant, and they fled in every direction.
“If that’s all the stragglers, we need to get ourselves to some place safe.” Tam pressed her hand to the stitch in her side, hoping she wouldn’t have to run any farther.
Matt turned toward the water and his expression grew stony. “I think we’re too late.”
Sure enough, a wave rolled toward them. It was difficult to tell at this distance, but Tam estimated it to be least four meters high, which meant the swell behind it would be powerful. They’d never outrun it.
“Time for some body surfing.” All signs of fear were absent from Willis’ face, but a hint of resignation lay beneath his words. “I always did like riding the waves.”
Tam looked around for anywhere close by they could go to escape the water. “We ain’t done yet. Come on!”
A nearby sign read “Glass Bottom Boat Rides” and two of the crafts sat on damp sand where the drawback had left them high and dry. Willis untied one from the dock while Matt kicked in the office door and retrieved a key ring. He tossed them to Willis and joined them in the boat.
“You think we’ll make it?” Tam tried to sound braver than she felt. The wall of water was now a hundred yards away and closing fast.
“The boat’s pointed the right way.” Matt couldn’t keep his eyes off the wave. “We’ve got a chance.”
“Y’all put on your life jackets.” Willis said found the proper key and put in the ignition. No sense cranking up the engine until they were actually afloat. If they managed to ride the wave, that was.
Tam strapped on her life jacket and braced herself as the wave broke fifty yards from where they waited and an avalanche of foamy white water came roaring toward them. When it struck, the boat shot straight up, its bow pointed to the sky. For one, heart-stopping instant, she was sure they were going to flip over backward, but then, as if in slow motion, the craft fell forward and hit the water with a loud crack. She felt the impact from head to toe, and icy water soaked her, but the boat didn’t capsize. She spat out a mouthful of salty water and blew more from her burning sinuses. This was crazy, but they were alive. For the moment.
The boat rocked and spun as Willis fired up the engine and struggled to gain control, but the water carried them inland at a breathtaking pace. They rode a swell and teetered perilously as they crested it and came down, sending up another curtain of cold salt spray. “Can’t you drive any better than this?”
“It’s just like a ride at Disney World!” Willis laughed. He was enjoying himself. Gradually, he turned the craft, but not out into open water, as Tam expected. Instead, he pointed it back toward shore.
“What the hell are you doing?” The roof of a submerged beachfront bar stuck up like an iceberg in their path, and they bore down on it with alarming speed.
“We can’t fight the water.” All traces of humor had vanished from Willis’ face. “Engine can’t handle it.”
“Well, you better make a right turn quick.”
With agonizing slowness, the boat turned, but not fast enough. The stern struck the roof of the bar, sending them spinning. Tam tried to see where they were headed, but couldn’t focus. She felt, more than heard, another crash. The next thing she knew, she found herself lying face down on the glass bottom, staring through drops of blood and churning water at a paved road beneath the swirling water. She touched her forehead and her hand came away red and sticky. That was going to be attractive.