Australian Nightmare

The airport, always the most annoying part of any trip. Such a tedious start to a wonderful adventure. Twenty-six hours from now I will be on Australian soil. It is currently 8pm here in New York. My excitement is boiling over, but I know the flight will be long. This is my first trip to Australia, and I plan to fill all my time with incredible memories. I have planned this trip for years. My ex-fiancé Jorge was supposed to join me, but I found him in our bed with another woman a few months ago. So here I am, alone. Bittersweet is the feeling that comes to mind, but I am determined to have the time of my life without him. This new chapter of my life will be incredible. It has already started off great. When I return, I begin my new job working for my favorite charity in their public relations department. I am so excited to finally have my dream job! I board the plane after what seems like ages getting through security and find my seat, so glad I opted for first class. My seat is comfy and roomy. The seat beside me remains empty having been meant for my ex. I quickly flag down the stewardess. Jack and coke with a sandwich. The drink will calm my nerves and the sandwich will fill my stomach so I can take the sleeping pills. I hope to sleep for as much of the flight as possible. She quickly returns with my order after takeoff. I quickly snap a picture of my meal and my first-class accommodations to post on my Instagram, then begin my meal as clouds pass my window and catch up on my social media accounts. I finish my meal and take one of the sleeping pills. As I wait for them to begin to work, I check my email. A new email from the charity has come in. They congratulate me on joining their team and briefly go over how things will play out upon my arrival next Monday. I respond with a quick message thanking them for this opportunity and end it with the standard see you Monday response. My eyes begin to feel heavy as I feel the medication kicking in and I pull out my pillow and blanket. Once I have found a comfortable position, I drift off to sleep. I am roughly shaken awake. Still groggy, I feel the plane shake again and the pilot comes over the speaker mentioning some turbulence. The stewardess approaches me and asks if I am ok. “Yes”, I respond. After a few more drinks and about an hour wasted on social media I decide I should take another sleeping pill. It quickly takes effect thanks to the alcohol in my system, and I once again drift off to sleep.

A gentle nudge wakes me up. “The flight will be landing soon please place your tray in the upright position.” The stewardess asks. I do as she says and peak out the window. I see Sydney airport beneath me. An amazing sight with planes moving about, busy. The beautiful ocean beneath the runway as we touch down encompasses my attention. I snap a few more pictures. As I depart the plane my legs are stiff. I try to shake off the jet leg as I walk through the airport and grab a taxi outside, it takes me to the hotel. I drop all my luggage in the corner. I plop on the bed; it is comfy. I look at my phone, 1pm, so much day left. The weather is beautiful, and I plan to go swimming. My hotel is right on the beach. I head down to the hotel bar to order some drinks and food. As I enjoy my drink and a steak the news plays in the background. A cyclone hovering over the pacific is headed towards Papua New Guinea, I am relieved I choose to vacation here in Sydney. I decide to head to the beach. I quickly change into my bikini and walk to the beach. Upon arriving to the beach, I snap another picture with the waves in the background. What a beautiful sight. The waves are tall and crash to the shore furiously. A stranger with a surfboard walks by me talking to his friends. “You were right this is the perfect time to surf.” He exclaims as they head towards the water. I lay my towel out on the sand and lather on some tanning oil. What is a beach vacation without a nice tan? As I lay in the sun it warms me and melts away the stress I have been feeling for months. My eyelids become heavy, I guess I overdid it a bit with the sleeping pills and drinks. I try to shake off the drowsiness, but I soon fall asleep, soaking in the sun’s rays.

When the sun sits just above the horizon, setting a beautiful view. There are only a few people left on the beach, mostly surfers. The waves seem twice as big as they were before and tread very close to my towel. I decide to move further back. Once I am situated in my new spot, I pull a bottle of wine from my cooler and settle in for a nice night on the beach. In the distance I see dark clouds above the sea. A thunderstorm I presume, but it is still far off so I will enjoy the beach a bit longer. I stay out on the beach all night until the sun reaches the horizon once more. Then I stumble back to my hotel room having finished many bottles of wine and met a few new friends. I grab a quick breakfast from the hotel bar and then crash into my bed. Warm, wrapped amongst the blankets I drift off to sleep once more.

I awaken at 2pm and the sky outside my window is dark. Clouds lay low in the sky. The wind bends the trees with its force. The sea seems to have crept way closer to the hotel and the waves are decorated with white patches of foam. I call room service for more wine and food. When the waiter arrives, I inquire about the weather. He tells me this is normal due to the hurricane headed towards New Guinea. He assures me it is okay but that the weather may be bad for a few days. I am disappointed as this really puts a damper on my plans. As I lay in my room rain comes and goes with quite a bit of force for the rest of the day. The wind howls against my windows. I decide to visit the hotel bar once more where I meet a nice gentle man, who buys me many drinks. He is a smooth talker with a lovely smile. Oliver is his name. We drink all night as the storm rages. By 2am, I am well beyond my limit and in my lonely, intoxicated state, I follow him back to his room. I awaken and the room is empty, silent, and dark. I stumble to find my clothes and out into the hall. The storm still seems to be raging outside and I do not see any other guests in the hallway. There is no light in the hallway either. The building seems to shake against the storm. I head back to my room, assuming the power will be restored soon. Upon arriving in my room, I crawl into my bed and sleep once again.

I awaken and it is still pitch black in my room. As I step off the bed my feet are suddenly wet. With no light, I use my phone camera to look at the floor. The rug in my room is drenched with water. I peek out my window as a wave’s crashes against the hotel. I shriek and jump back, startled. The rain is slamming against my window and many of the trees and bent over, broken from the wind. The roads are flooded. I panic and run out of my room. As my bare feet squish through the soaked rug, I come upon the bar. Nobody is behind it and the hotel is eerily silent aside from a radio behind the bar. A siren blares over its speakers a cyclone less than an hour from landfall. I panic. I run outside, thinking I need to get somewhere more inland. The streets are flooded and with no shoes, the rain chills me to the bone. The wind threatens to knock me to the ground, and I reach to the building for support. A tree crashes into the hotel beside me, narrowly missing me by a few feet and shattering the windows. A piece of glass flies and scratches my cheek. I quickly rush back inside. I rush to the front desk and hide behind it. Crying I do not know what to do. The water continues to rise, and my ankles are covered by the dark swirling waters. I turn my cell phone flashlight on and stumble through the water. I must get higher, or I will drown! I rush up the stairs to the top floor. I stand in the hallway for a moment unsure what to do. I see the rain crashing against the window down the hall. A wave crashes against the window and it shatters under the pressure. Water rushes in the hall almost knocking me to my feet. I regain my composure just as another wave crashes through. Swept off my feet the water rushes over me and I am slammed against a wall, knocking the breath from my lungs. Gasping for air I grab a doorknob to pull myself up and the door swings open. I stumble into the room and struggle to close the door against the raging water. Once the door is closed, I jump on the bed. The floor is soaked but there are no windows in this room. Water rushes in from under the door. I quickly grab towels, blankets, and the mini fridge. I push them against the door. I seem to have stunted the water flow into the room. I sit on the bed and my thoughts race. The storm continues to surge outside. The water level in the room seems to stay steady. I begin to cry, praying that I make it out alive. I jump at the sound of the waves crashing against the building. My body shakes from fear, though I am soaked to the bone, I do not feel cold. Adrenaline surges through my body my life could be over at any minute. I cannot take my eyes off the door, afraid it will come crashing down in front of me, sweeping me into the water once again. I wrap my arms around my legs, cradling them to my chest.

The storm rages for what seems like hours as I rock back and forth. My phone no longer works as it was soaked when the water knocked me off my feet. I am encompassed by nothing but darkness, with no escape. Suddenly the hotel is silent. I sit for a moment and listen. I no longer hear the waves bombarding the building, or the rain pouring onto the roof. I pull the mini fridge, towels, and blankets back from the door. No more water seems to be rushing in. I slowly open the door. The water seems to have subsided in the hallway. A tree protrudes from the window that was shattered earlier. Debris is scattered about the hallway. I walk towards the window, cutting my foot on a piece of glass beside it, I stumble back. My blood tints the water red beneath my foot. I peek past the tree and the sky is calm. White clouds surround the sky around me, and the waves are calm. The sky is a bright blue, the air feels warm and humid. My clothes cling to my body uncomfortably. I turn and head to the stairwell. Upon making it to the bottom floor it is still flooded. The water higher than it was before, with a swift current. I rush outside, all seems calm. Trees, fish, boats, and cars scattered about the roads. I head inland towards the city, destruction surrounds me. The streets are empty. I slowly walk down the flooded streets, unsure of my surroundings.

Suddenly the winds pick back up, knocking me to my feet and rain begins to pour from the sky. As I pull myself up, I turn to see a large wall of clouds advancing towards me and I sprint in the other direction. The water begins to rise and the waves rush into me. I am swept away in its current, slamming me against a building, I am swept under. I choke on the water that fills my lungs. Using all my strength I paddle my way to the surface and gasp for air as the current pulls me back under. Struggling against the current is impossible, it pulls me along with its destructive force. I am slammed into another building; a tree branch impales my hip and my blood swirls amongst the water. I scream beneath the waves and water rushes into my lungs. I flail my arms trying to reach the waters’ surface once more. For a moment my head breaches’ the surface and I gasp for air before I am slammed into a wall. The water holds me against a building, its force overpowering my body. I scream out in pain and cannot move. I look at my surroundings franticly. Spotting a broken window a few feet away I muster all my strength and try to maneuver myself towards it. With a slow pace, I manage to position myself in front of it. I grab the sill with my hand and the broken glass cuts it open. I shriek in pain and once again the current sweeps me away. I gasp for air as the current pulls me along. A large tree hits me from behind and I cry out in anguish. I manage to grab ahold of it as it continues its rampage through the flooded city. I float along holding onto this tree for dear life for what seems like days, constantly bombarded by the current, rain, and other debris. The rain and wind begin to die down, but the current continues. I feel myself slipping from the tree as my injuries overcome me, but I hold on because I know my life depends on it. My eyes feel heavy, and my strength is failing me. I look to the sky praying that I make it to see tomorrow and notice a helicopter above me. Relief floods my body; help is on its way! Then everything goes black, as my body gives out and I slip from the tree branch.

THE END