• Scattered tree branches, coconuts, and other debris on the backdrop of damaged cars and trucks.
    126
    0

    It took only a few hours to obliterate the country. Then the skies cleared, and we crawled out of our houses on shaky limbs, fearful of what awaited us. The year was 2004, and our tiny island had been safe from catastrophe for over fifty years. One of the most destructive storms to cross the ...
  • Man standing on a beach with logs stacked all over haphazardly looking toward the sea in a red jacket. A gloomy sky and island is in the background.
    131
    0

    “So, Derek, first you want to heat the pan to medium,” said the lady on the TV with the too-big hair. Simon watched through dull eyes as she plopped a large saucepan onto a stove and lit the flame.  He pulled at the scratchy T-shirt his mom had given him to change into. Bright green ...
  • Man standing on a beach with logs stacked all over haphazardly looking toward the sea in a red jacket. A gloomy sky and island is in the background.
    267
    0

    Esme stared out at the water from her poolside lounge chair. She remembered loving the wicker seating when she found The Paradise online, but now the rigid weave dug into her thighs. She sensed Marcus’s eyes boring into her from a few chairs away and refused to look at him, her grip tightened on the ...
  • Man standing on a beach with logs stacked all over haphazardly looking toward the sea in a red jacket. A gloomy sky and island is in the background.
    141
    0

    As the sun rose over the horizon, Lexi turned the wheel of her Focus and repressed a grimace at the terrifying squeal of too-old axles. She pulled up to a guard station big enough for one, stuccoed and painted light coral.  How is it possible this guard shack looks 100 times better than my own ...
  • Man standing on a beach with logs stacked all over haphazardly looking toward the sea in a red jacket. A gloomy sky and island is in the background.
    128
    0

    “This is like a CASTLE!” shouted Matty as he ran through the lobby of the Paradise, a high-rise beachside condominium complex. The lobby atrium towered above his head and filtered bright sunlight down onto plush seats, carefully arranged tropical plants and opulent water features.  “Stay close!” yelled Marcus through the automatic glass doors as he ...
  • Man standing on a beach with logs stacked all over haphazardly looking toward the sea in a red jacket. A gloomy sky and island is in the background.
    163
    0

    “I’m sorry, Mrs. Jacobs. He’s gotta go.”  Lexi Jacobs sent waves of ire back over the rickety desk and squeezed the faded gray upholstery that surrounded the arms of her chair. Her back stiffened as anger flooded her capillaries and reddened her pale skin. She aimed her glare at the daycare owner’s limp yellow hair ...
  • Man standing on a beach with logs stacked all over haphazardly looking toward the sea in a red jacket. A gloomy sky and island is in the background.
    259
    2

    Lightning pain wrenched her from a terrible dream, a nightmare painted with a sudden plunge and screaming terror. But consciousness was worse. Much worse. She tried to drag air into her ragged lungs and cried out, though all that sounded through the haze was a raspy squeak. She felt an invisible grip around her torso ...
  • Shake
    699
    0

    “Oh, wow, it is now turning into a category 2. You think we’d need to make sure that the insurance is up to date?” Jeremiah turned to his wife and waited for a response. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere as she continued blankly staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Since the last ...
  • Derecho, Midwest
    1853
    4

    On Monday, August 10, 2020, a dreadful storm tore through the Midwest. The sirens didn’t go off where I live near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Instead, a weather-alert text warned me of a “severe thunderstorm.” While my husband and I continued to work outside, we saw the sky change from sunny to dark in a matter ...