A Second To Understand

Chapter Four

     "What do you mean we're stuck here?" We heard the commotion before we saw it as we sidled up to the center of our campsite where the huge mess hall tent was set up with an assortment of picnic tables and cooking supplies. There was a small metal shed like structure off to the side which protected our food stores from attracting wild animals to camp.

"We aren't sure what's going on yet, but communications with the mainland have been spotty since we got here. Now they've ceased altogether."

"There's no way everything just went black on us all of a sudden. That kind of thing only happens in the movies." Several of the cheerleaders and football players that were standing in the crowd around their coach nodded in agreement.

      My brow creased as I took in the scene and walked up to the large group that was formed around the coaches and other chaperones. "Hey, what's goin' on?"

Grayson's piercing blue eyes caught mine and he shimmied away from the others to join me. "They're saying we can't get in touch with anybody from the mainland and even the walkie talkies are nothing but static now."

"But how is that possible? What about the ferry?"

"It left yesterday a little while after everyone got off and they finished unloading our supplies."

     "Wait a minute, I thought the ferry was supposed to stay here the whole month in case of emergency? We have no way to get to the mainland, we're surrounded by miles of open ocean in every direction, why would they leave the huge responsibility of all these kids on a deserted island?"

     "I don't know, but Blake and the others are trying to figure it out. The school board made it very clear when they signed off on an entire year of students coming to this island that there must be some sort of constant contact with the mainland and an escape route in case of any serious emergency."

"Speaking of open ocean," Naomi was suddenly beside us and pointing in the direction we just came from. "We might want to tie anything loose down because it looks like a thunderstorm is heading our way."

I stepped away from the incessant noise and looked back out at the ocean where the sky had been a clear crystal blue a few moments ago, and my jaw dropped to see that it was suddenly changed, darkened immensely by ugly black clouds rolling in fast over the water. At that moment a deafening boom sounded making the ground shake around us, then it was eerily quiet.

     "What the hell?" Grayson was by my side in a second. "Storms don't move that fast." What the hell is going on?

     Within seconds the rest of the students gathered around us looking in the direction we were facing, then the mumbling questions started. "What's going on?"

     "What is that thing?"

     "Is that a hurricane?"

     There was another earth shattering boom. It felt like the very earth might split open under our feet. Everyone went still and watched as the ominous vision before us inched closer, so fast that we could visibly see the speed of the storm system coming towards us. The silence that preceded was more deafening than the waterfall we slept beside last night.

The still only lasted a few seconds before the coaches and other chaperones burst into action, barking orders at the jocks to tie things down and the others were quickly packing everything else into totes and shoving them into the shed with our food supplies so the heavy winds wouldn't blow anything away. Naomi struggled to get her tent unzipped and I ran over to help. "Thank you." She pushed all her equipment carefully into the tent and we ran to help the others pack up the mess tent.