Wet

May 10, 2015

My phone wakes me up at four a.m. It's my parents.
"Jake. Leave. Now. No time to explain. Just go. Get Jessie to drive you to Tampa. You can stay there for a few days." My mom panted frantically. She hung up.
"Jessie! Get up! Just got a call from mom. She told us to get out of Naples. Get up, get dressed, and get driving."
"But Jakiepoo, it's four in the morning. I haven't even had breakfast yet!" Jessie moans from her bedroom. I'm already throwing on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. I run down stairs and look out the window. It's raining. Hard. And hailing.
"Jessie!"
"Coming!" I grab a bag or Doritos from the pantry. I pull my charger from the wall and throw it into my bag.
"Get a tent," Jessie tells me.
"Good idea." I run and get one.
"Ready?" Jessie asks.
"No. But let's go," I say.

"Oh my gosh!" Jessie screams.
"What?"
"Hail just smashed the car in front of ours' windshield."
"Perfect," I say.
"You think they're enforcing a speed limit?"
"Yeah."
"Shoot. I'm going to have to take a detour around the coast. The road's closed," Jessie mumbles.
"You sure this is a good idea?"
"No." I look out the window and wish I didn't. Huge waves, probably ten feet tall, are smashing into all the hotels. I see a pier washed away. But worst of all, I see my parents' office building being battered with waves and rain and hail. There's lightning now. And I can't even hope they will get out of that building. They'd be washed away. I reach over and turn on the radio.
"-heavy casualties reported along the coast, only a few are confirmed. It's mandatory all citizens living within ten miles of the coast evacuate, there are floods expected tomorrow. Make sure you don't carry any valuable items at night with you, there has been reported gang violence and looting, although again, none of it is confirmed." The reporter says. I turn it off. The rest of the car ride is silent.