Television had become their constant companion. Laura had never watched this much TV before but they didn't want to miss one bit of news. Such strange weather, all around the world. What could it possibly mean? She wanted to ask Sam's opinion, thinking he might have a clue as to what was happening since his father was a climatologist. But he was so touchy about his father sometimes; she hadn't brought up the subject yet.
None of them had slept much last night. It had become a slumber party, of sorts. Sam and Seth had gone out at one point to get pizza, returning to the room soaking wet. The pizza had been slightly soggy but still tasty.
Whenever Sam's attention was focused on something, her gaze was drawn to him. She would study his profile thoughtfully and quickly glance away if he started to look in her direction. That night of the reception, when Summer had helped her with her dress in the restroom, conversation had somehow steered towards Sam. When Summer had incorrectly assumed that he was her boyfriend, she'd stated that they were just friends. With a wise smile, Summer had told her that it was obvious that Sam 'had the hots' for her. Just thinking of it now made her blush. Could it be true? Ever since he'd joined the decathlon team he'd become a good friend but she'd never looked beyond that. He was, she admitted to herself, awfully cute. Funny how she'd never quite noticed it before.
It was morning now and she had to suppress a laugh, as Summer and Seth bickered over something. They made an interesting couple, seeming to argue an awful lot but making each other laugh too. Seth reminded her a little of Sam. Shy and sweet in an endearing way. They even shared the same sarcastic edge to their humour. Summer was...unique. Brash and outspoken with a biting wit, she wasn't the type of person that Laura usually befriended. But she sometimes caught a glimpse of an underlying kindness and sensed that Summer was a good person underneath the prickles.
Sitting next to Sam, they continued to watch the news. Manhattan was the focus now and this particular scene was filled with gushing water. A policeman was guiding people to safety as they fled the flooded subway line. The torrential downpour continued and she even heard the rumble of thunder in the distance.
The phone on the nearby table rang and Sam picked it up. Laura flipped to another station, trying to find some word on whether flights were still grounded. And of course, the answer was yes. Here were some live shots from JFK airport, overflowing with people as they slept on the ground and on their suitcases. Everything was a mess.
"Well, that was the front desk," Sam informed her.
"Uh huh?"
"They're kicking us out."
That got her attention, as she swung around to look at him. "What? What do you mean?"
"The underground parking garages are flooded and some of the rooms on the top floor are leaking. They don't think it's safe so they're closing down the hotel."
"So what do we do now?" she fretted. "Go to the airport?"
He looked about as pleased as she felt. "I think so."
They quickly informed Seth and Summer about what was happening and it took some convincing to get Summer to agree.
"Have you looked outside? Do I have fins? I hate getting wet," she'd complained bitterly.
But in the end, with much grumbling, she'd started packing up. It took almost half an hour before everyone was set and ready to go. As Summer hooked the carry-on bag over the handle of her suitcase, Laura looked out the window one last time. The storm seemed to be intensifying, the skies dark grey and gloomy. Rain pelted against the glass with a loud and rapid rhythm, carried along by the fierce gusts of wind. For a moment, her view was lit in brilliant white light as lightning split the sky, immediately followed by a crash of thunder.
"Laura, let's go," Sam called out to her.
She grabbed her backpack and followed him out the door. As they all headed towards the elevator, she thought about the lightning she'd witnessed.
"Maybe we should take the stairs," she suggested. "This storm is pretty bad."
"We're on the tenth floor," Seth pointed out. But his finger hovered over the down button.
As if on cue, the building seemed to shake with the force of the loudest thunder yet. Lights in the hallway flickered bravely, then went out completely. Laura held her breath as they were enveloped in eerie darkness but in three seconds the emergency lights cut in. It was dim but enough to see by.
"Guess it's the stairs," Sam stated dryly. "I think we passed by them." He turned back down the hall, followed by the others. Sure enough, he found the stairwell and held the door open. Seth had one foot through the doorway when Summer called his name.
"Can you..." she continued on, but Seth cut her sentence short.
"Don't even think it. Ten flights, are you kidding me? I don't know why you've got that huge thing when we're only here for the weekend."
"Please?" she wheedled, with a beguiling smile that surely must have tempted him.
But he remained strong. "Nope." And with that, he disappeared through the door.
"Son of a bitch," she muttered under her breath. "Who needs you anyway."
Although Laura had also marvelled at the size of the suitcase, she couldn't just leave the girl to struggle on her own. "I'll help you. Maybe if you just take this bag."
She started to reach for the strap when Sam intervened. "Here, Summer, you take the carry-on. I'll get the suitcase."
Summer beamed at him. "Really? You're the best, Sam. Thanks." Hoisting the bag over one shoulder, she headed down the stairs.
Laura watched, amused, as Sam lifted the case with a grunt. "Geez, what does she have in here, bricks?" he huffed. But he still managed to hold the door open for her.
That was her Sam, she thought fondly. Always the gentleman.
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By the time Sam reached the ground floor, both of his arms were aching. All the way down, he'd kept transferring the suitcase from one hand to the other. With a sigh of relief, he handed the burden back to its owner. He was rewarded by a kiss on the cheek from a grateful Summer. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Seth watching them, his eyes rolling in exasperation.
Once out on the sidewalk, they all paused to take in their surroundings. Water was everywhere – falling in the rain, overflowing from the street and splashing everything in sight. Cars were in complete gridlock going nowhere fast, and the air was filled with nothing but the sound of the rain and honking horns.
"Are you sure the subways are closed?" Summer asked again.
He nodded. "Yeah, we have to walk. At least for a little while. Maybe once we get out further the traffic will clear up a bit and we can grab a taxi."
Knowing it was useless, he turned up the collar of his jacket anyway before they stepped out from the sheltered entrance of the hotel. Although it was Summer who knew the way around Manhattan, he'd gotten a general sense of directions from the front desk. He found himself leading the way, occasionally stopping to make sure everyone was still following along.
Dodging fellow pedestrians and fighting the wind made the journey tiring and slow. Laura was doing a good job of keeping up but Summer was starting to lag behind. Sam once saw Seth trying to finally help with Summer's suitcase but she slapped his hand away, ignoring his attempt to apologize.
They trudged on, wet and miserable. After what seemed an eternity, but was in reality just a few blocks, he stopped to catch his breath. That's when he realized that the water was rising. He hadn't noticed until now. It swirled just at his ankles.
Laura was soon at his side. "I've never seen so much water," she complained. "My feet are soaked."
"I know." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, not sure why he was feeling uneasy. Before he could expand on that thought, he heard Seth and Summer arguing again as they came within earshot.
"I'm fine. Just forget it," he heard Summer say.
"What's going on?" he had to ask, wondering if he'd regret getting into the middle of things.
Seth spoke first, clearly agitated. "I told her she's going to wear herself out, dragging that thing along. She should just dump it."
He didn't have to reference the suitcase directly for Sam to know what he was talking about. Twin spots of colour stained Summer's cheeks and he was sure that sweat intermingled with raindrops on her damp forehead.
"And I told him he's crazy if he thinks I'm going to just toss it away," Summer retorted. "Can't we try another hotel or something? Or just wait it out?"
"Maybe she's right," Laura said with a glance around, as if trying to spot someplace suitable.
"I wouldn't say no to that," Seth chimed in.
All three pairs of eyes settled on Sam and he felt himself caving in. So far, this trek through the storm was sucking badly and he wished nothing more than to sit down and dry off for a little while. What could it hurt? Just as he was about to agree, some inner voice made him look down.
The water was getting higher.
He blinked, lifted one foot and sloshed it back down. It couldn't be. "How long have we been standing here?" He looked up anxiously but they stared at him with blank faces. "Two minutes? Less than that? The water's rising."
"Well, the sewers obviously can't take this so yeah, it's going to flood a bit," Seth reasoned.
"This is more than a bit. In the time we've been talking here, the water's gone up at least an inch. Maybe closer to two. Do you know how fast that is?"
Nobody ventured to do the math but he could see the concern starting to creep into their expressions. You didn't have to be a decathlon winner to realize that was pretty damned fast. "Summer. Drop the suitcase. We have to get to higher ground now."
For once, she didn't argue.
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This was bad. This was very, very bad.
Summer had to will herself to keep moving with every step. She was beyond wet now and was chilled to the bone. When had the water risen to just above her waist?
She'd lost count of how many times she'd refused Cohen's hand. He'd given up now and was walking beside Sam up ahead while she moved along with Laura. She could see the boys talking but neither she nor Laura wasted any energy in speaking. She'd always been envious of women with long legs and that was never more true than today. The waterline was several inches lower on Laura's torso, making it slightly easier for her to walk. She also guessed that Laura was in better shape physically, since she didn't even seem out of breath. Summer, on the other hand, had always loathed exercise so while she had a naturally slim body, she was not the least bit athletic.
Her other difficulty was the carry-on bag. It only had a single strap, so she had it slung diagonally across her body. It was getting cumbersome and felt heavier by the minute. It would have been less awkward, had it been a backpack like Laura's. Another reason to be envious. She thought of tossing it aside but stupid pride wouldn't allow it.
It seemed so surreal, practically wading through the middle of the street. Cars had been abandoned and their path was like an obstacle course. People were scrambling in every direction, not knowing which way to turn.
She suddenly realized that Laura wasn't beside her.
Turning around, she tried to ignore the jostling as people bumped into her. Water continually splashed in her eyes and she rubbed at them futilely, blinking rapidly. There she was, standing beside a taxi and a police officer.
Summer made her way over. "What are you doing? We should keep moving." Funny, she thought she'd head Laura speaking in a foreign language.
"You keep going, Summer. I just need to help her."
"But..." Summer's protest trailed off as she noticed the woman and child in the taxi, speaking rapidly in another tongue and obviously upset. The police officer kept tugging and then pushing at the door. It was jammed shut or simply unable to open against the water pressure.
Laura spoke in urgent but soothing tones and to Summer's ear, what sounded like fluent French. Then she heard the crashing of glass, as the officer broke the side window. He reached inside with both arms, yelling for the woman to grab onto him.
Summer kept one eye on the unfolding rescue and also looked ahead, worried that Sam and Cohen had moved too far ahead and left them behind. She couldn't see them anymore. Starting to grow anxious, she turned her attention back to the cab, relieved to see the mother and daughter being pulled out. But once the older woman was on her feet, she spoke again to Laura in frantic tones, gesturing inside the confines of the car. Laura nodded in understanding and began to shrug free of her backpack.
Summer couldn't believe her eyes. "Laura, what are you doing? We need to go. The water's getting higher."
But Laura ignored her and leaned through what used to be the window, hollering back some words. Summer heard something about a passport and purse. "Just forget it," she pleaded, tugging at the arm that Laura had braced against the door.
"Summer!" shouted a voice, just above her ear. Startled, she turned her head to see Cohen, having magically appeared at her side.
"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I..."
He clamped onto her arms, shaking her. "Listen to me. Drop the bag and take my hand. We have to run. Now."
She stared into his eyes, a little frightened by the intensity that shone from them. "Why? W-what's going on?" she stammered.
"Summer, if you've ever trusted me in your life, just do it now or we're both dead," he implored.
Without hesitating any further, she yanked the strap over her head and let go of the bag, instantly grateful to be rid of the burden. She didn't waste time arguing when she saw how serious he was. Serious and afraid.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sam appear out of nowhere, yelling to get Laura's attention. Something caught her eye further in the distance and that's when she saw it.
Her mouth parted in disbelief. The only way to describe it was a massive wall of water, so high that it obscured everything else. It was coming fast and coming at them.
Summer grabbed Cohen's outstretched hand and they started to run.
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Seth tried to ignore the chaos around him, focusing on the act of leading himself and Summer to safety. Most people were screaming and running, desperate to escape the wave that would soon be destroying everything in sight. But a surprising number of others were standing as if in a daze, looks of confusion on their faces. They still weren't aware of what was happening.
He looked ahead to gauge how close they were. Almost there. He was heading towards the steps leading to the library. Only minutes before, he and Sam had been standing there, looking back on the crowd to find the two girls they'd inadvertently left behind.
While trudging through the streets, they'd knocked in vain on several doors of hotels and businesses, hoping to be let in. Sam had wanted to get as high as possible and the upper floors of these buildings had seemed like a good idea. But every door had been shut and locked, their pleas for help either unheard or ignored. Then Sam had spotted the library set high above street level and figured that might be the best place. As a public building, they'd hoped it would still be accessible.
They had been so busy talking, trying to figure out what was best, neither one had noticed that Laura and Summer were no longer right behind them. Only when they'd stood on the steps and looked back did they see the tidal wave rushing down the street. For a moment, they'd each been frozen in horror but they'd quickly snapped out of it.
Seth had spotted them first. "There they are!" he'd pointed.
"I'll get Laura. You get Summer," Sam had called out, as they'd dashed down the stairs.
And now, here they were, fleeing for their lives.
Seth pulled Summer along, praying they wouldn't stumble. He almost expected the wave to overtake them at any moment and was grateful for every second they had. Just a few more feet and they would be at the stairs.
Seth grunted as a man banged into him with such force, he lost his grip on Summer's hand. He tried to turn around but the panicked mass of bodies around him carried him in its own wave, away from Summer. A yelp of pain escaped his lips as his left thigh was slammed against the side of a car. He had no choice but to roll across the hood unless he wanted a pair of broken legs.
"Summer!" he yelled frantically. Damnit, he couldn't see her. But he could see the rushing wall of water that seemed to soar into the sky, swallowing buses, cars, and people. The rumbling in the distance sounded vaguely like thunder and it was getting louder. If he had to guess, they had less than a minute left.
At last, he spotted her and leaned across the hood as far as he could, stretching out his arm. "Grab my hand. Come on, hurry, you can do it!"
Gasping for breath, she clutched at his fingers and he pulled, trying to help her slide over the obstacle. She was halfway across when her footing slipped and she sank deeper into the water.
Her face screwed up with pain. "Ow, my foot. It's...it's stuck!"
Seth immediately dived down into the water, his hands reaching for her foot. It was tightly wedged between the bumpers of two cars. No amount of tugging would set it free so he tried to unbuckle the shoe. His fingers were numb and shaking and his heart was sinking fast. He couldn't do it. Shit, shit, shit. They were going to die.
There! He'd done it! Her foot came free and he popped back to the surface, gulping in the air with ragged gasps. Taking her hand once more, they started racing up the steps two at a time. Never had a flight of stairs looked so long or intimidating. The roar of water was frightening. Deafening. He wanted to risk looking back over his shoulder but instinct kept him hurtling forward, driven by the will to survive.
Finally, unbelievingly, they made it to the doors and pushed their way inside. On dry ground at last, their pace unconsciously slowed as they crossed the lobby.
"Seth! Summer! Keep running!"
That was Sam's voice, calling out to them from the top landing of another set of steps further ahead. He was waving at them wildly. "It's still coming behind you!"
Putting forth another burst of energy, they sprinted for the stairs.
Seth couldn't help it. He had to look. Then he was sorry he did. Game over.
The water engulfed him whole and he was rolling, out of control, smashing into a wall at one point while he was helplessly carried along. The force of the wave hitting his back had knocked the wind out of him and he was soon desperate for air. His lungs burned with the need but he didn't even know which way was up. Against his will, his mouth parted and he took in water, choking, which only made him convulsively swallow more liquid. Then he found himself flying through the air, as if the water had grown tired of playing with him and had decided to spit him out. Landing hard on the floor, he tumbled over and over again until finally, he came to a full stop. It took a while before he found the strength to move, but not before all the water he'd swallowed came gushing back out of him.
Groaning, wiping at his lips, he slowly sat up. His body felt like one massive bruise and his head was spinning so badly, he was sure he'd throw up. Somehow, he managed to hold it together. Funny how the possibility of drowning had never even entered his mind in all the times he'd gone sailing. But his first trip to New York and he almost drowned in the middle of Manhattan. In a library, no less. If he wasn't in such a pained, exhausted state, he would have burst out in hysterical laughter.
A slow glance around told him that he was alone in this hallway. He had to find Summer.
Swaying a little, he got to his feet and braced himself against the wall for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Once he'd regained his balance, he walked a few steps to test out his legs. He was a little shaky but fine.
Calling her name, he didn't have to go far before he saw her down an adjoining hallway, crumpled in a heap on the floor. He continued to chant her name as he knelt down, cradling her head in his hands. Sweeping away the dark, wet strands of hair from her white, bluish-tinged face, he regarded her closely. She wasn't breathing. Fighting down the swell of panic, he gently placed her head back down and tilted her chin up, trying to remember everything from CPR class.
But before he could do anything she regained consciousness, coughing and choking. He quickly turned her onto her side, rubbing her back as she emptied the water from her lungs.
"That a girl," he soothed, as relief washed over him. "Get it all out."
Even after she'd spit out all the water, she remained prone on the floor, obviously worn out from the ordeal. He continued the slow, circling motion on her back until she struggled to get up. As he helped to support her weight, she wrapped her arms around him. Sliding back a few inches, he sat against the wall with legs sprawled outwards and Summer's head on his chest.
She didn't speak, but continued to keep her head down. He could feel her shaking and was worried about hypothermia. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
She muttered something inaudible. "What?" he had to ask.
"You didn't leave me."
She finally looked up so he could see her face. "Back there. You didn't leave me."
He was glad to see the pinkness returning to her cheeks. "Of course I didn't." Her tremors were abating too and though he was feeling chilled, he remained where he was, content to have her in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Cohen. For being so stubborn and stupid."
"You're not stupid. You're on the decathlon team, right?"
"Don't joke right now." She sounded annoyed. "I'm trying to apologize here. How often does that happen?"
"You're right. I should treasure the moment."
"There you go again, you jerk."
He pretended to be offended. "Hey, this jerk saved your life. Do you know how hard it is to be the hero?" Frankly, he'd never thought he could be capable of something like that. Good thing he'd had no time but to simply react.
"I know. Thank you." Her tone softening, she cupped his face with one hand and he obliged by dipping his head down. Their kiss was brief and sweet. He didn't allow himself to think about how close he'd come to losing her.
With some reluctance, he finally stood up, bending down to help her up. Only then did he notice her feet were completely bare. Her other shoe had somehow been lost too.
"Guess we better find something for your feet. And our friends too."
A/N: Whew, I actually got this chapter done faster than I expected. Thanks for the great reviews thus far and I hope you keep enjoying it. There's more to come!