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There were murmurs of goodnights and good lucks, and he ended the video call. The live feeds all showed the same: heavy rainfall, slanted in strong winds that changed direction on a whim. It was gusty, no discernible pattern yet, only mayhem. A mere taste of what was to come.
“Suppose we should take shifts,” Doreen said.
I nodded. “Yes, that would be best. Why don’t you sleep first,” I suggested.
With a nod, Doreen got up and stretched, groaning loudly, her hands almost touching the ceiling. “Okay, Tully, get up,” she said brusquely. “You’re in my spot.”
With a grin, he got up, taking his laptop with him, and gestured to the floor next to Suri. “All yours.”
As soon as Doreen was lying down, Bruce jumped on her, and Suri curled under her arm, like it was exactly how the three of them slept every night.
It was kinda sweet.
Tully fell into Doreen’s chair and slowly wheeled himself over to me. “You know,” he said. “I deliberately didn’t pack condoms in our bag, but there is lube.”
“Still not asleep down here,” Doreen said from the corner.
I gasped. “Oh my god.”
Tully laughed, then pretended to whisper, “You know, I deliberately didn’t pack condoms in our bag...”
Suri laughed and I wanted to die.
I pushed his chair away from mine. “Be quiet, they’re trying to sleep.”
Tully chuckled and opened his laptop again to check the live video feed. We had satellite radars and some footage cameras but the one he had was perfect. It was looking out to sea, directly into the face of the cyclone.
All we could see right now was squalls of rain for a few feet into the dark, but if it held out until daybreak, the footage would be spectacular.
If it held up. If the camera stayed intact.
If his house was still standing...
And through every minute and every hour that ticked by, the rain never stopped, the winds were a yo-yo of blustery to gale force. I sent out alerts for large hail and some lightning activity, more heavy rainfall, and more wind warnings.
Across the top end, all of Darwin, Kakadu, and Arnhem Land.
Tully fell asleep in his chair around one thirty, and I let him sleep. He needed the rest, and if I was being completely honest, I liked watching him sleep.
God, he was so handsome.
He had his arms crossed, his chin on his chest, legs outstretched. His longish hair was pulled back in that cute little sprout ponytail, and the lights on the control panel were painting his profile in orange, green, and flashing red.
But around three o’clock in the morning, a massive crack of thunder shook the building. Tully shot up out of his chair, and Doreen sat bolt upright, Suri still tucked under her arm, still half asleep. Bruce began to bark at the walls.
“Jesus Christ,” Doreen said, picking Bruce up. “That was close.”
“We’ve got an electrical storm,” I said, stating the obvious. More thunder rumbled and a crack of lightning ripped through the night, right above us.
Tully ducked. “Holy shit. That’s too close.”
“What time is it?” Doreen asked.
“Zero three hundred.”
“Three...? I told you to wake me, boy,” she said, getting up. “Split shift is supposed to be split. You shoulda woken me an hour ago.”
“Well, considering you don’t even have to technically be here at all, I thought I’d shoulder most of the time.”
