A Shelter in the Storm

My eyes are closed, but I am awake, listening to the sound of sobs fill the makeshift shelter. There is a sick comfort in the sound, familiarity from the nightly sound. Everyone cries when they first arrive. My own first few nights after the storms, I did nothing but cry. The place was too new, the loss too great. We had been warned for years our ways as humans would lead to the downfall of the human race. It led to far more destruction than we ever expected.

The change started with the seas flooding the coastal regions, wiping out entire states. Then the earthquakes started. Fires raged. Climate-caused disasters filled headline after headline all around the world, wiping out at least half the population. Firm numbers were never given; the technology needed to convey them wiped out. My family had been lucky enough at the beginning. We were a midwestern family, landlocked, far from the disasters plaguing the Earth. But the fires spread, and then the tornadoes followed. Our home was ripped apart around us. I was one of a few in the neighborhood to survive, though my parents had gone missing in the middle of it.

The first two days after the event, I stayed in our ruined home. I was so sure my parents would come back I didn’t dare seek a better shelter. Rain moved in, flooding what was left, but I still laid on the ruined couch, curled up with my childhood blanket, eating the little food that was left. Mr. Perkins, an older man from fourth down the block, found me like that on the third day. Even though I was in my late teens, he gently lifted me, carrying me to the old school-turned shelter. I recognized the place as my own school, though half the building was missing.

My eyes opened, the sobs growing louder. Newcomers had arrived last night, probably from one of the nearby villages. It was no secret we were the largest town within a thirty-mile radius and the only one with a hospital, even if it had been mostly destroyed. There was no point trying to sleep tonight. As quiet as I could manage, I heave myself from the cot and pick my way outside. The darkness was beginning to break, light beginning to shine from behind the ruined buildings. My body craved for nicotine or alcohol, longed for a release of the tension that seemed to stay with this new, dangerous world.

“Isabelle?” I hear my name whispered and spin, looking for signs of life among the still dark world. Everyone should be asleep, though sleep comes in fits here.

“Who’s there?” I try and keep the panic from my voice. I hadn’t thought anyone had followed me outside, let alone someone I was close enough with to have my name. I was answered with a laugh, and Colin stepping into the light. He was one of the few people around my age, one of the few people I knew from my previous life where everything made sense, and I still had a family. “Colin,” I breathed, trying to relax for a moment, “what do you want?”

“Can’t a person come to check on you?”

“Sure they can, in daylight hours. It’s pitch black out here; what do you want?” I growled the question. Colin had been a pretty boy in high school, an elite. Now he was as dirty as the rest of, a disheveled look that became the norm for this new world.

A hurt look crossed his face, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I had never liked the guy, and the apocalypse certainly hadn’t helped matters. It felt opportunistic, forced. If things were still conventional, this man would never have given me the time of day. “Honestly, I was worried. All the crying has me on edge and then you coming outside, alone, when who knows what is out here,” he stopped suddenly as though unsure of what word he should choose. The silence crept in, making the tension more prominent. “What if another storm comes?”

I hadn’t been expecting the question, but it was valid. Another storm could come at any point, wrenching away the new world we had started to create, the order that came with the shelter. We all had jobs here, tasks that needed doing to keep civilization running smoothly. The main concern was the search for food and water, but there were other needs, like cleaning and teaching. While it wasn’t the world we knew, we tried to keep the standards we knew running. I didn’t know how to answer. The truth was, a storm could happen at any time, but it didn’t seem to matter if I was inside or out. The school was already half gone. I doubted it would be able to survive another violent attack.

Colin took my silence for enough of an answer. “I know I was a shit in school, but things are different now. We’ve got to look out for one another. You have no reason to trust me, but I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Alright,” the word sounded forced, but I wasn’t sure what else to say. We hadn’t been friends before, and I didn’t really want to try for friendship now, but he was making an effort, and I felt he needed acknowledging. Mindlessly my fingers find the gold chain hanging around my neck, hidden by shirt. They follow the strand down to the gold heart-shaped locket attached. A finger stroked the intricate details, a nervous habit carried over. It was the last thing I had of my family, a reminder of everything I lost and what I continue to survive for. I could only hope someday they would turn up at the shelter, find their way back to me, but deep down, I knew it was more likely they were dead, perished in the storm.

I turn back toward the school, not wanting to let Colin see the tears beginning to fall. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to know, knowing he hit my weak spot. I want nothing more than for the world to return to the way it was, but it is too late for that. The damage was done. All we could do was live with it. “We should be getting back inside. I’m sure the kitchen is up and running by now, and it won’t be long before we are missed. Besides, I’d rather have the opportunity for apple slices with my oatmeal.”

Colin nodded and followed me back into the school, back into the heart of it all. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I could feel the wind picking up. Inside, the shelter had come to life. The gloom the darkness brought on, the daylight took away. The sound of sobs no longer filled the room, replaced with laughter, chatter with the beginning of the day. Already there was a line for breakfast, and I could see the sheet of paper posted with the daily job assignments.

“Should we check the list first or get food?” His voice surprised me, causing me to jump. His rich, deep laugh echoed through my soul. In a way, the sound was painful, but I knew I couldn’t show it.

“Food, then list. We’ll be useless without the first,” I said, choosing to ignore the fear. I still wasn’t sure why Colin had attached himself to me, but I was beginning to accept it. There weren’t many teenagers among the survivors, making us one of the few closest in age. I saw him nod before motioning for me to take my place in line.

We hadn’t been in line long when I heard the first gust hit the building. Screams filled the room, the whistling wind stopping everyone in their tracks. Immediately I was taken back to the night it all happened, the first storm the wrecked my hometown. The familiar panic began to rise in me, moving from my stomach to my throat. Words wouldn’t come, but magically I felt a hand on the small of my back, pulling toward a firm chest. “It’s okay. I’m here,” Colin murmured in my ear, clutching me to him. I was helpless to refuse the comfort.

As the wind picked up, swirling, blasting the weakened walls of the school, the terror did as well. This was the moment the building would either save us again, or we would all perish. I buried my face into Colin’s chest, felt the tears soak into his already stained grey t-shirt. For as scared as I was, there was also peace, a relief in the possibility of finally being reunited with my parents. The inadequate lighting rigged in the school flickered before ultimately going out to more cries. I knew this was the end. It was always destined to be the end.

Once more, my fingers found the locket, the silent prayer ascending to whatever deity would listen at this point. We all heard the wind pick up. I shut my eyes, bracing for the moment of impact, the moment before silence would take over, the moment before everything would end for the human race.