Oneshot Collection

Prompt 2 (Action) - 01/02/2024

Write about a character who is caught in the middle of a devastating natural disaster, but for some reason, he remains untouched and unharmed.

I awoke to people screaming and the sound of water rushing, and it took me a minute to remember I was on the beach. I sat up, glad the shade of my umbrella had been shielding me from the sun, but the most prominent thing on my mind was the cause of terror. I focused my gaze on the shore, which had receded tremendously already and was continuing to do so.

It struck me like a whip; the realization that a tsunami was coming and that I had to get out of there. Now. I stood up and turned towards the entrance I had come in through, but it was completely crowded with people. Frantically, I searched for a way out when I saw a guy driving a four-wheeler past everyone. I ran towards it, and the man stopped for me, let me on, and then drove over the dunes, past the crowd struggling to get through.

The strange man stopped next to my car and let me off, nodding to me as he drove away. I blinked, and he was gone. I got in my Subaru and started down the street I knew led to the freeway. Somehow, the lanes I drove through and turned into were clear exactly where I needed to be. I sped inland, knowing that there were taller buildings and less of a chance of major flooding happening. As the scenery changed from urban to suburban to rural, I noticed less and less cars.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Subtly at first, something you would have thought was just the car going over a bump, but the quakes increased in intensity until I began to feel slightly dizzy. The few cars that I did see on the road were swerving to the shoulders and their drivers piled out and started running in any direction but the one they were heading in. I continued to drive, in a sort of daze that coerced me into thinking everything would be alright if I just kept going.

I noticed that as the ground began to calm, the sky started darkening, specifically over the forests I was now surrounded by. A strange, faint smell started wafting into the car through the vents, and it took me much longer than it should have to realize it was smoke. The skies around me were now black, and visibility was dimming on the road. I started to doubt the idea that continuing was a good idea, but a small voice in the back of my head- no, an instinct told me I needed to continue.

I carried on, although I couldn't control my hands that were now gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles were turning white. The view out my windshield darkened even more, or so I thought until I realized it was my vision from unconsciously holding my breath. I took a few deep, relaxing breaths, and I noticed that the sky was lightening and there were no other cars on the road. In my rearview mirror, I could see flames coming out of the woods I had passed. All seemed calm now.

In my newfound peace, I realized I had left all of my belongings on the beach, including my phone, which my family was most likely blowing up by now. I noticed there was an exit to a small town that I was just barely able to make.

As I rolled into town, I noticed an inn that stuck out from the surrounding buildings, so I pulled into the parking lot and went inside. A middle-aged man was running the bar, cleaning a cup as I walked in. I approached the bar, sitting down and focusing on the TV that was displaying the news at the perfect volume. It described the tsunami, earthquakes, and wildfires as this event that happened years ago, detached from anything any of them had experienced before. Like it was some TV drama that they had just finished watching.

I remembered my family and how worried they would be, and by a simple scan of the inn, I noticed a pay phone in the corner. I guess I was one of the few people nowadays who still used them. I called my wife first, explaining the situation and how my phone was more than likely destroyed, but that I was okay. She told me she had booked the first flight she could back home, which would leave tomorrow morning. I told her I loved her and moved on to my parents, starting with my mom. She told me something similar, except that she had talked to my wife about the trip. My dad, who never showed much emotion, told me that I was not allowed to go on any more work trips that were more than an hour away. I could tell he was as close as a man like him could be to tearing up.

I asked the barman about a room, and he told me that in these circumstances, I wouldn't have to pay a dime. It was then I knew that everything would be alright, that everything would work out in the end.