Tyler

 

We’re all going to die.

My heavy backpack pulls me down to the floor and the rooftop door pins me in place. Using the ax, I attempt to hook it into the railing so I can pull myself free. Just as I make headway, the water is sucked back down and I greedily gulp in air.

Once the water is gone and stays down this time, I slowly push the roof door away from me and rise shakily to my feet. Thank fuck I still have my backpack on or we could have lost what little supplies we have.

“Barb’s hurt,” Kyle barks out, cradling the older woman in his arms. “She smacked her head.”

Since I don’t know a thing about head injuries, I wait for someone else to step in and help. Luckily, Frannie staggers over to them. Gerry is helping Brian out of the water and Hope consoles Elise, who won’t stop crying.

Where’s Kellen?

“Help,” a hoarse voice chokes out. “I’m stuck.”

Snapping into action, I lean over the railing just before where part of it is missing to discover Kellen. His suit appears to be caught on the metal and he dangles there above the water.

“Gerry,” I bark out. “I need help over here.”

Gerry trudges my way, exhaustion making his features haggard. When he looks over the side and sees Kellen, he tenses.

“Can you reach your arms up, Kell? Me and Gerry are going to pull you off there.”

Kellen angles his head upward to see us and then looks back down. His entire body is trembling. Blood drips from some part of him, splashing into the dark waters below.

“I-I can’t fall into t-that,” he stammers, pointing wildly below. “I’ll d-die. Fuck, I don’t want to d-die.”

“You’re not going to die,” I assure him with a steadiness in my voice that I don’t feel. Nothing about this situation is certain, but that won’t help calm him down. “We’re going to pull you out. Reach your arms up.”

He continues to stare at the churning water beneath him. When the water surges a bit, swelling over his ankles, he starts to panic. I watch helplessly as he flails his arms and legs.

“Help! Help me!” he cries out. “Tyler, help!”

“Kellen,” I growl, “look at me.”

“I can’t. I’m going—”

“Look. At. Me.”

His head jerks up and his frantic stare meets mine. For a bigshot CEO clearly in his late thirties or early forties, in this moment, he doesn’t look a day over Jesse’s sixteen years.

“Reach your arm up,” Gerry says, voice soothing. “We’ve got you, man.”

Kellen grunts as he attempts to raise his arm. He flinches and then shakes his head. “It hurts. This metal gored me.”

Sickness roils in my gut. How much metal is inside him? What if it’s keeping him alive?

“Well, we can’t leave you there forever,” I grumble. “Can you hold on to the end of the ax at least?”

Leaning over the railing, I grip both hands around the ax right under the blade and offer him the wooden, blunt end. It’s just long enough for him to grab onto.

“Don’t let go,” I tell him. “Gerry is going to do what he can to unhook you while I pull you up. Trust us to get you out of this mess.”

He nods rapidly, pleading eyes latching onto mine. “I won’t let go.”

I wait for him to get a good hold on the ax handle while Gerry slides on his belly, reaching his arms down below the bottom of the railing. He scoots until half of his body is hanging over the ledge. Brian rushes over to hold on to Gerry’s feet to keep him from flipping completely over.

“On the count of three,” I say to everyone. “I’m going to pull you up and when you can, use your feet to get a footing onto the rails.” I brace myself against the railing. “One, two, three!”

As I pull Kellen up, using every ounce of strength left in my reserves, he howls in pain. I can hear Gerry saying something placating to him but can’t make any of it out. My biceps scream from the exertion and the railing digs into my gut. I’m careful not to accidentally cut myself on the sharp ax end as I manhandle him off his hook.

“He’s off!” Gerry yells just as Kellen belts out a cry of agony. “Pull!”

I struggle to bring him any higher, but then Kyle is beside me, grabbing onto Kellen’s suit jacket. Together, we pull him up and over the railing.

Kellen is essentially dead weight and he collapses on me, his head narrowly missing the deadly end of the ax. Thankfully, Brian reaches over and tugs it out of my grip. The steps dig into my back and I’m completely spent from expelling what little energy I had left, but relief floods through me.

Kellen trembles and his teeth chatter loudly. Brian, Frannie, and Gerry stand around, worry gleaming in their eyes. Kyle has moved back over to where Barb is sitting leaned up against the wall beside Hope and Elise.

“We need to take a look at your injury,” I grunt out. “Come on, big guy. I can’t move under you.”

Kellen winces as he lifts himself off me. His face is pale and a bluish bruise is forming across his forehead. He’s alive and able to move, so that’s something. Gerry helps him to his feet and then guides him to the top of the stairs. The door keeps swinging open and closed, making all kinds of racket as the stormy weather continues on, but Gerry sets Kellen in front of it, using his back as a doorstop since our concrete hunk is now missing.

Brian offers me a hand, pulling me up to my feet. The backpack is still on me and weighs a ton, but I can’t take it off now for fear of losing it.

I climb the steps to where Kellen sits and kneel down beside him. “Let’s take a look. Can you get your jacket off?”

He squeezes his eyes shut and his lips form a thin line.

“I’ll take that as a no,” I say with a grunt.

Carefully, I move one flap of his jacket away from his torso to reveal his bloody dress shirt. Then I unbutton the buttons before gently peeling the torn material away from the source of his bleeding. Sure enough, he has a several-inch gash just under his ribs on his side. His ribs are probably what saved him and stopped him from completely gutting himself.

I need a first aid kit, but I also need a boat and my brothers and a damn cheeseburger. I’ll have to make do with what I have for now.

“Give me your ties,” I tell Gerry and Kellen. “We need to stop the bleeding.” Then, to Brian, I say, “Grab Kyle’s too.”

Brian grimaces but nods and then darts away. Kellen shakily tries to remove his tie. It takes him several attempts to get the knot undone. Gerry hands me his tie and then swats Kellen’s hand away to assist. I fold Gerry’s tie into a thick square to use for a bandage.

Brian returns and thrusts Kyle’s tie at me. “Got it.”

“Tie them together on one end,” I instruct. “We’re going to use it like a sling.”

Kellen groans when I press the folded tie against his wound. I know it hurts like hell, but there’s nothing I can do about that right now. He’ll need proper aid later, but this is all I can offer at the moment. Once Gerry has the ties knotted, he feeds the material behind Kellen’s back under his shirt. I carefully cover Gerry’s tie that’s working as a makeshift bandage and then hand him the other end of the ties. He knots it and then pulls it tight. Kellen hisses through his teeth, making Gerry shoot me a worried look.

“It needs to be tight,” I assure him. “Knot it good. We can check it later.”

After he finishes with his knot and pulls Kellen’s clothing back into place, Gerry and Brian both retreat to check on the others. I settle on the ground beside Kellen, my backpack also pressing against the door. Rain continues to pelt the building outside, but we’re not met with any more swells.

“What happened?” I ask, turning slightly to look at Kellen. “I heard you tell us to brace for impact before all hell broke loose.”

He grunts and swipes a hand over his face. “Cruise ship. Took out another building before hitting ours. It’s a fucking miracle we’re still alive.”

“No shit,” I mutter. “Damn.”

Kellen is quiet for a moment before he says, “I guess that tip I promised just keeps growing, eh?”

A snort of laughter escapes me. “At this rate, you’re just going to have to put me on the payroll. Hell, give me some of your stock shares while you’re at it.”

Despite the hellish day we’ve had, we both grin at each other. Barb’s moans nearby swipe the humor off our faces.

“What the hell are we going to do?” Kyle exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. “Barb’s concussed. She needs a fucking doctor.”

Kellen needs a doctor too, but we’re shit out of luck.

“We need a second to catch our breaths,” Gerry grunts. “I’m too old for this shit.”

“At least you got lunch,” Kellen mutters, smirking at me. “No stock options for you. You’ll never live that down.”

He’s making jokes, which is better than him dying on me. I’ll take it.

“We’ll need our strength for whatever comes next,” I state, sitting up so I can pull my backpack off and into my lap. “Let’s all put something into our bellies.”

We don’t have much between us from what we’ve gathered, but it’s enough for everyone to get a few swallows of soda and water and some nibbles of the snacks we’ve acquired. There’s even enough to allow us another break in a little while. After that, we’re fucked unless we escape this hellhole or miraculously get rescued.

I’m not sure what comes next and I can’t think that far ahead.

“Everyone, try to rest,” I instruct. “We need to huddle for warmth the best we can, too. Night is upon us and being stuck in wet clothes isn’t going to be comfortable.”

Thank fuck this shit didn’t happen in the winter or we’d be totally screwed.

Kellen brings his legs up to make room in front of him. Gerry sits beside him with Elise and Hope on his other side. Brian helps Kyle move Barb, setting her in the middle of our huddle. Brian sits down on the step beside Hope and Kyle sits on the step next to Barb. Frannie sits beside me on the step, leaning against my side.

We’re a pitiful group, all nine of us trying to survive, packed together on the landing, but we’re still alive. We’re all still here.

Kellen’s head lulls to the side and rests on my shoulder. This close, despite being submerged several times, I catch a hint of his cologne. Still smells expensive. My eyes fall shut and I inhale the comforting scent. There’s not much to take comfort in right now, so I allow myself the indulgence.

I hug my backpack to me, hating how tears are beginning to prickle behind my eyelids. Now that we have a moment of respite, I can’t help but think of the loss of my brothers. It’s an ache deep inside my chest that hollows me out. Knowing I’ll never give Jesse shit again for being a bratty teenager makes my stomach churn. Never seeing Aaron’s reassuring smile again has a sob choking my throat.

What happens now?

How do I even go on without them?

A cold hand curls around mine and squeezes. I open my eyes, following my gaze to where Kellen’s large hand grips me.

I don’t know this man.

Hell, this afternoon, I hated him for being such a dick.

Now, I’m grateful for his presence.

I need someone to cling onto or I might as well just let myself drift out to sea.

“We’re going to get through this,” Kellen whispers. “I promise.”

I’m not sure if it’s meant for me or himself or the entire group, but I latch onto it anyway. I believe his every word because I can’t mentally afford not to.

We’re going to get through this.

We have to.