18. Kade

Chapter eighteen

Kade

I leaned against a weathered post at the end of one of the Whistleport docks at the harbor's edge. It was past midnight, but the oppressive heat that plagued the town for days had somehow broken. A cool breeze smelling of salt and seaweed blew in off the water while I waited for Ziggy.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling as he approached. Seeing him and knowing he was mine made my heart dance with joy in my ribcage. "Thanks for coming out," he called to me. "I know it's horribly late, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep."

We shared a massive hug, and I inhaled the mingled scents of coffee and citrus shampoo. "No worries, but this is a total surprise. I had no idea I'd get to see you."

While our bodies fused together in our hug, I realized the harbor was unnaturally quiet and still. I could barely hear lapping waves or creaking boats.

Ziggy pulled back. "Is it just... I don't know, doesn't it seem way too quiet?"

I stared ahead at the harbor. "Now that you bring it up… it is. And what about the gulls? They're usually squawking, even at night."

A shiver raced through Ziggy's body, and I instinctively tightened my arms around his waist. His unease was contagious, making my stomach churn with a vague dread.

Growing up on the edge of a country club with manicured lawns cared for by a landscape company, I didn't pay much attention to nature's patterns. By contrast, my summer in Whistleport taught me a lot about the moods of the ocean and the subtle shifts that Ziggy knew, like the back of his hand.

Taking a step back, he reached out to hold my hands. "Something's off. Maybe we should head back toward Main Street." His voice shook slightly.

That was all the confirmation I needed. "It's not just me. You feel it, too." As we turned toward downtown, I caught something moving out of the corner of my eye. A lone seagull, barely visible in the darkness, flew low and fast over the water like it was trying to escape something. I quickened my step at Ziggy's side.

We'd only traveled about twenty yards when we heard a faint rumble. At first, I thought it was distant thunder, but the sky was clear, with thousands of stars visible.

I stopped and tried to remain calm, but I wanted to clarify I wasn't imagining things. "Did you... wait, did you hear that?"

Ziggy nodded. We heard the sound again, louder. It was like an ominous growling beast buried somewhere in the earth at our feet.

"What the hell is that?" I didn't expect an answer, but I had to ask anyway.

"This is not right. Where's that coming from?" Ziggy took three steps back as his green eyes scanned the harbor. The worry in his voice caused my stomach to churn.

Before I could answer, a flash of light appeared at the far end of the harbor. For a second, I thought it was lightning, but it was too close to the ground. It was near a row of electrical transformers.

A deafening boom suddenly shattered the night and shook the ground beneath our feet. We both instinctively threw ourselves to the earth. I watched as a blinding flash appeared at the far end of the harbor. It lit up everything with an unnatural light—like an overly intense camera flash. I saw dozens of lobster boats, a few gleaming yachts, and salt-crusted buoys swaying on the waves.

Everything was dark again the next second until flames consumed one of the electrical transformers. It was a horrifying sight. A white-hot shower of sparks rained down from atop the tower of flames, landing on the boats below.

Ziggy reached up and clenched a handful of his hair. "Oh, God." I turned to see his face light up like a ghost in the gleam of the fire.

The flames started to spread. They leaped from boat to boat like a devil's game of hopscotch. The stench of burning fuel and melting fiberglass filled the air, making my eyes water and my nose burn.

Panic clawed at my throat, threatening to overwhelm me. I'd never felt so helpless, so utterly unprepared for something. It wasn't like anything I'd faced before—not a must-win hockey game or a family argument. Raw, primal fear tore at my heart.

A second explosion, louder and closer than the first, split the night. I watched as a lobster boat with the name Lady Luck on its hull turned into a fireball. The blast knocked us to the ground, and tiny wooden splinters fell around us.

"We gotta go! Now!" I shouted, grabbing Ziggy by the arm and hauling him to his feet. The panic in my voice snapped him out of a state of shock. "Come on, move!"

As we ran, chaos reigned. Fishermen and boat owners rushed from the town toward the docks, some shouting and some crying. Their voices were suddenly drowned out by a sound that made my blood run cold. It was the whoosh of a fuel tank igniting.

Beside me, Ziggy yelled, "Look out!" He yanked me down to the ground as a burning piece of debris sailed over our heads. It came too close. We had to keep moving.

When we reached the east side of Main Street, nearest the harbor, we flung ourselves onto the ground to sit and catch our breath. As I panted for oxygen, Ziggy grabbed my hand again. "We're not safe yet. If the fuel depot explodes—"

Another massive explosion cut off the sentence. A shock wave hit us and pushed us to our knees before we could fully stand. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw roaring flames where the fuel depot once stood. The multiple raging fires threatened to swallow the entire harbor.

As we stood and leaned on the west wall of Tidal Grounds, the sheer scope of the blaze started to sink in. It wasn't a simple fire. It was the kind of catastrophe I'd only seen on TV news.

Ziggy gripped my hand tight enough that I worried he might break my fingers. "Dad's boat," he wailed. I could barely hear him above the roaring flames. "Our company offices. Everything…"

I pulled him against me, and he buried his face in my shoulder. His body started to shake as he sobbed. Two more lobster boats fell victim to the flames, their fuel tanks exploding in the terrifying scene.

Ziggy pulled back and turned around. We watched as people who lived near the harbor began to flee in their cars and on foot. Sirens wailed when fire trucks, emergency vehicles, and police cars arrived.

With a tug on my arm, Ziggy insisted, "We have to help. There are real people down there, our neighbors and friends."

I swallowed hard. Fear threatened to consume me, but my loyalty to Ziggy was stronger. Real danger surrounded us, but lives were at stake. Ziggy bolted, and I followed at his shoulder. We headed down into the inferno, and I knew at that moment that I would follow him anywhere.

Another explosion rattled the harbor. The entire area was like a war zone, and Ziggy took us directly into the heart of it. It was mayhem everywhere we looked.

Dodging the maze of smoke and flames was a little like navigating through defensemen in a tight hockey game, except the stakes were now life and death. I saw familiar faces—the man who owned the bait shop and Eugenie from the Lobster Shack. Everyone scrambled to save what they could in case their homes and shops went up in flames.

Ziggy and I worked as a team to help get people out of boats and buildings. Sweat rolled down the sides of my face as I confronted the intense heat. Soon, my muscles screamed from the intensity of the workout, but I couldn't give in with Ziggy at my side.

We helped a trembling fisherman off his listing boat before taking another break. While we sat on a patch of grass, he pressed his face into his crossed arms and shook with sobs. Multiple boats capsized in the harbor as I watched helplessly.

Our rest didn't last long. Within thirty seconds, Ziggy was up again, and we pushed back toward the harbor. Firefighters nearly had the blaze contained. Putting all the fires out would take some time, but they would no longer spread to untouched properties.

Suddenly, Ziggy gasped at my side. "Mom! Dad! Emma!" he yelled, his voice cracking.

As he took out running, I followed at his heels. The Knickerbocker family waited for us with light smoke swirling around them. Usually immaculate, Olive was less than put together. Her tangled silver-streaked hair wreathed a face smudged with soot. Knick appeared older than I remembered, his shoulders slumping. Emma clung to her mother, eyes wide as she stared straight ahead.

Ziggy crashed into his family, wrapping them in an intense hug. A huge lump rose in my throat as I watched the emotional reunion. I hung back a few steps, not wanting to intrude on such an intimate moment.

Olive cupped her son's face in her hands. "Thank God you're okay. We couldn't find you, and we worried—"

"I'm okay, Mom. Kade and I were down at the harbor when it started. We saw the first explosion, and we've been trying to help."

When Ziggy mentioned my name, they all turned their attention to me. I shifted my weight back and forth as they watched.

Olive reached out, took my hand, and pulled me into the family group. I wrapped my arms as far around the group as they would go.

Ziggy praised me. "Kade's been amazing. He's been right with me through all of it. He pulled Old Man Fredericks to safety out of his boat."

Knick gripped my shoulder with his bearish hand. It shook slightly, but his hold was still strong. "Thank you, son." The words were brief, but the acceptance was apparent.

Emma pushed one of her arms around my waist. "Thanks for watching out for my crazy brother," she mumbled into my soot-streaked shirt.

I offered an awkward pat on her shoulder. Such open displays of affection didn't happen in my family. Genuine hugs were rare. "He's looked out for me, too."

Olive wiped tears from her eyes. "We're just glad you're both safe. This is all so horrible. How could it happen?"

Suddenly, Knick gasped, his eyes wide open. I turned to follow his gaze, just in time to see a sign reading Knickerbocker Lobster Co. go up in flames while the building behind it collapsed.

"No," Ziggy yelled.

A choking, anguished cry came out of Knick, and it made me tremble all over. He took one step forward, but Olive caught him by the arm.

"Knick, no." Her voice was firm as tears rolled down. "It's too late. Let it go."

Emma turned away and buried her face in her mother's side. She was always strong and direct with frequent sarcasm. Now, she was a frightened young girl, and seeing it tore at my heart.

So much of Ziggy's world crumbled that night. The legacy of generations of Knickerbockers working to provide a future for their children and grandchildren went up in flames, and we were helpless to do anything about it. Without thinking twice, I pulled him in close to me, and his body shook against mine.

I leaned my head against his. "I'm here. We'll get past this. We're all stronger than it is."

Ziggy's family watched closely as I held him. I didn't know whether they put two and two together, but it didn't matter. The only important thing was being strong for him and for his entire family.

Olive rested a hand on my back, indicating I was part of the group. Knick wrapped an arm around the back of Ziggy and me while Emma pressed in close. We all huddled together, desperately trying to offer comfort while the harbor burned.

A profound understanding swept over me while we all held each other close. I not only had my birth family, but now the Knickerbockers were a chosen one. I chose them, and they chose me, both through Ziggy. It was a warm sense of belonging I couldn't remember ever experiencing.

Holding onto Ziggy, I whispered in a shaky voice. "We'll figure this all out together. I promise."

It was a tremendous promise to make. It wasn't just a situation where I was comforting my boyfriend after a bad day at work. It was a commitment to a future together, rebuilding his family and town's lives. Surprisingly, the daunting task didn't frighten me. The promise was the right thing to do, and I couldn't see the aftermath of the fire any other way.

When the sun cast its first rays over the horizon, smoke still billowed out of the ruins of Whistleport's harbor. A few small fires continued to burn, but the fire department had them contained. Ziggy's breathing was ragged as he held me tightly. He'd taken a significant hit, but I sensed he remained strong. He might bend and ache from such a disaster, but it would take a lot more to break him.

Around us, the local residents were already looking toward the future. They comforted each other, and I heard the first whispers of plans to rebuild. Whistleport was a town that didn't give up. The people were fighters, and I had become one of them.

When Ziggy finally pulled back from our firm hug, he gazed at me with red-rimmed eyes. I spoke softly. "You and me, Zig. We're together, whatever comes next."

A slight smile flickered on his lips. "Yeah, you and me."

We turned toward the scene of devastation, hand-in-hand. Instead of despair, a wave of hope swept over me. the disaster battered Whistleport's harbor, but it didn't break it. We'd be part of the future, building it back better than ever.