She stood just in front of the door, turned towards the raging ocean and the blanket of clouds that seemed unnaturally grey. It had been raining non-stop since they got there and it seemed as if the massive downpour would not stop any time soon. She felt irritable, she hadn’t seen E.Lin in what seemed like forever, but in truth, it had only been one night. She turned towards the door, fingers brushing the slim knives strapped to her thigh as she pushed it open, but soon she relaxed seeing that the coast was clear, but still no E.Lin. She slammed the door closed behind her, brushing the wet strands of hair from her face. The light filtering into the room, between the boards against the window, highlighted the piece of paper on the dresser. She made her way over quickly and read the message. She was safe, that was what was most important. She turned the paper over and picked up the pencil nearby, scribbling a note of her own.

“I am glad you’re safe. Went to the garage, they had no locks. There is a hardware store just down the street, I’ll try there next. You’re right. We’ll be running out of options soon and it’ll be good to get you a check-up. I still can’t get myself to believe in the idea of a shelter, it has to be a trick and if it is, it means all of them are in on it. Don’t go alone. We’ll need to decide what the best option is moving forward. We haven’t come this far to drown. I’m safe. I fucking hate the rain. If you don’t find me here, check the bar, it’s likely I’ll be there. Be careful. Above all, stay safe.

C.”

She looked the note over one more time, before placing it in the same spot she’d found it. The pencil laid down on the other side. For a moment she thought about changing her clothes, but with E.Lin gone, she didn’t want to stay in the apartment either. She decided against a change, instead stepped out into the rain again and as soon as she closed the door behind her, she was met with the loud rumble of thunder. Seconds later a bolt of lightning lit up the sky in the distance. If the rain didn’t try to kill them, the ocean most certainly would. It was unacceptable. They didn’t survive two years out there, just to have this island kill them.