Shiye felt her self snap to consciousness. Her eyes hurt and when she opened them the sun was beaming down. She squinted, straining to see. Covering her face she turned her head to the side to see Isaac beside her.

"Ike, oh God Ike," she screamed shaking him.

Ikes face scrunched up and relaxed as he opened his eyes. He squinted in the sunlight and looked over.

"It's over," Shiye smiled kissing him.

Their kiss was broken by Zac coughing and moaning as he sat up. The water in the bunk house had drained away. Not more than a moment later Walker came to and noticed Anthony off to the side.

"Dad, is he," Zac said with a very lost look on his face.

"Oh boy, I'm afraid so," Walker replied after checking for Anthony's pulse. There was none.

"He saved us, if he hadn't helped us out of the car," Zac cried.

"Taylor," Ike said suddenly snapping to attention.

*          *          *          *          *

Darkness surrounded him. He felt adrift. Once again he felt no pain. Then just as before it all rushed back and slammed into him like a freight train. Taylors eyes fluttered open. Squinting in the sunlight. He looked beneath him.

The sun shown down on him. Will lay there, eyes closed, still. Taylor tried to heave air into his lungs to scream. What he got in return was a searing pain rushing through his rib cage. Unknown to him both of his lungs had collapsed and the supply of oxygen to his blood was steadily decreasing.

The pain flowing from him surpassing anything he had ever known. He pressed his cheek to Wills. Cool, and soft. He struggled to free his left hand. The sheer will to move it completely over rode the realization that it had been slashed to ribbons.

He pressed his hand to Wills face and cried. Pale and cold, Will was gone. His face peaceful and relaxed. The pain and torture of everything they had just gone through were no longer existent. As if he was in one of the most relaxing sleeps he had ever had.

Taylors heart cried in agony. The one thing that he had fought so dearly to hold on to was gone. The torture and anguish rushing through him sent his mind into shock. Taylor's neck relaxed. His head dropped onto Wills chest. A tear trickled from his eye. His ears no longer heard the soothing thud of his heart beat. His chest no longer warm.

Taylor struggled to breath. No more than a quiet hiss came from his throat. He couldn't feel his legs, he could only imagine how bad of shape he was in after the hurricane. Taylor felt suddenly very tired, his mind felt drunk. Somewhere the logical portion tried to explain to the frantic area that it was due to the lack of oxygen. He weezed another slight breath and closed his eyes. His only comfort being Wills arms wrapped around him, knowing that it wouldn't be long.

*          *          *          *          *

"We've gone through the lists, we've looked over everyone, your son and his friend did not arrive at the shelter," an officer exclaimed to Walker.

"Then where on earth are they," Walker said, tears welling in his eyes. Blood shot and tired, they had been searching for three hours now.

Zac stared off distantly. Deep down inside, in that dark private place where he always evaluated everything he saw and heard, he knew. It was too late.

"Ike, you don't think," Shiye said looking at him. Tears welling up, her voice cracking.

Isaac was a picture of exhaustion. His eyes blood shot, his hair a mess. Still dressed in the cloths they had worn on the air plane. Nothing had mattered to him more than the fact that his brother and father and girlfriend were safe. Beyond that Taylor was the number one priority on his mind. Somewhere inside he still clung to a small shred of hope.

"Excuse me," a girls voice slightly called out.

Walker turned around.

"Yes," he sighed.

"You're the Hansons aren't you," she asked sheepishly.

"Yes," Zac said quietly.

"I think you should know this," she started.

"What," Walker suddenly perked up.

"Well, there's this girl over in the Red Cross tent, she's totally out of it, she keeps talking about Taylor and some guy named Will."

"Where," Walker said suddenly as Ike, Zac and Shiye all started following the girl.

"Over there, she's totally out of it, they found her on the side of the road, they couldn't believe she survived it all out there in the middle of it," the girl said as she looked across the way at Anthea who was mumbling to herself.

"Anthea," Walker said as he walked up.

"Anthea," Zac almost gasped looking at Ike.

"It wasn't my fault, I tried," she muttered looking up.

"What, where is Taylor and Will," Ike asked.

"I don't know, I haven't, I mean, I saw, but," she stuttered suddenly turning death pale.

"You said something about them, where are they," Walker said kneeling down in front of her.

"I don't know, I," she started when a police officer ran up and tapped Isaac on the back of the shoulder.

"We're really busy right," Ike started.

"You better come look at this," the cop replied.

Walker and stood up and they walked over to a news van.

"We found this in the survelence camera of one of our squad cars, it was over turned up on the coastal area near the cliffs," the officer exclaimed pressing the 'play' button.

"You'll have to turn your heads to the side in a moment, the car was tipped upside down so the view is, well screwy in a moment," the cop said.

The tape skipped forward and then ran at normal speed. The view was through the windshield. Rain poured down and the view would clear and blur as the wipers would swish the water off the glass.

"What are we supposed to be looking at," Walker asked.

"Here," the officer said as the camera showed the car slowing and two figures in the road.

"Who is, oh God, that's Taylor," Ike said covering his mouth.

"There's no sound but," he started as they watched Taylor start towards the car. Then they saw him fall as the entire view shook and turned to the side and then totally upside down.

"I can fix that," a technical operator with the news van said who was standing near by. With a punch of a few buttons and a turn of some knobs the screen flickered and showed everything right side up.

They fell silent at the sight. Anthea stood up, walked towards Taylor. They said something to each other, struggled and then Taylor fell over the rail. Shiye gasped as it unfolded. They saw Anthea dive halfway over the rail and a moment or so later Taylor emerged slowly and stood. The relaxation of seeing him safe was quickly destroyed as they watched Anthea push him in the face off the side and walk away.

"The lil queer deserved it, I told him." Anthea suddenly was heard directly behind them.

"You bitch," Zac and Ike lunged at her. Walker clenching his fists. Three to four officers jumped in and tried to hold them back.

"You know something, that is it," Shiye said whipping around.

In one fluid movement Shiye swooped her arm around and caught Anthea by the hair. A swift move with her leg and Shiye planted to quick thrusts of her knee into Antheas face. Anthea reached up and grabbed at Shiye but it was no use. Before she could do anything Shiye and spun around and planted her boot across her chest twice, spun again to the left and caught her with the back of her hand and came up with her fist in one final slug which sent Anthea on to her back.

Everyone stared in shock. No one had moved to stop Shiye. Everyone had been trying to hold Walker, Ike and Zac back. In under one minute Shiye had put Anthea flat out on the ground.

"We gotta get to that cliff," Walker yelled suddenly bolting to the nearest squad car.

"What the hell are you waiting for, move it," Zac screamed at the cops standing there.

"Mr. Hanson, we've, we've already looked, there's no one there," a female officer exclaimed.

"That's not going to stop me, we're still going," Walker said slamming the door and throwing the car in to reverse.

"Dad, wait!" Ike screamed.

"Come on kids, I'll take you," the female cop yelled as she ran for her car.

Zac gasped for breath. His stomach turned. While he had the sudden sense of hope somewhere his mind was quiet and calm. He knew that something horrible had happened. They sped toward the coast up ahead the roadway took an incline. Zac looked out the windows. Debris lined the roads. A few ships had been beached along the coast. Not a building in sight.

He saw in the distance the other squad car. Off the road, Walker running. In an open stretch of grass a mass of debris. The mast of ship, palm fronds and perhaps some kind of sign. An older hawaiian woman stood there looking down. His eyes followed down and he caught sight of someone lying there. His heart screamed.

"Stop," he screamed.

"What," Ike, Shiye and the officer screamed in reply.

"Oh God, Taylor, no," Zac screamed pounding on the window tears starting to stream down his face.

They hit the breaks and looked out the window.

"Oh God no," Ike gasped fumbling for the door handle.

Stumbling and falling out of the car they all ran. The police officer on her radio for an ambulance. Ike nearly tripped and fell, Shiye catching him. As they approached Walker dropped to his knees.

Their gasps and cries and screams silenced instantly. Sliding and falling to a stop behind Walker. There they were, Taylor and Will.

"Dear God no," Walker cried putting his hand to Taylors neck.

"Dad," Zac welled, his lower lip quivering, his face flushed. Trembling.

"Dad, oh God no," Ike's voice shook. Shiyes eyes wide her hands over her mouth.

"Oh God no," Walker screamed looking up into the sky.

"Why God why," he screamed tears streaming down his face.

They all fell to their knees. Silence washed over them. They stared quietly.

Taylor, still and quiet. Slumped over Will. Both motionless. Wrapped in each others arms.

"The blond boy was whispering when I found him," the old woman said quietly looking down.

"I knelt beside him and he was whispering, I don't think he was talking to me," she said quietly.

"What did," Zac cried and coughed.

"He said 'I'll never let go'," she said quietly.

The silence was broken in the distance by sirens. The medical teams came rushing up behind them. Walker knew it was too late. When he had reached to feel for his sons pulse Taylors neck was cool and damp. They knelt there staring. Their minds refusing to accept what they were seeing. They stood there watching as the medics checked for pulse. Quiet unresponsive to anything they saw. The medics wrote in their clip boards and Taylor and Wills bodies were lifted onto stretchers.

Zac turned his head and threw up as he watched them pull the zipper up on the large black bag around Taylor, and then Will. Shiye fell against Ike unconscious her heart and mind in over load. Walker quietly walked over to one of the medics and said a few things.

"Come on, we're leaving," he said walking behind the two stretchers. Zac running up behind them.

"But Daddy we're not leaving them are we," he cried. Ike breaking down as he heard his younger brother sobbing.

"No, no they're coming back home with us," Walker said trembling slightly.

"What about mom, does she," Ike cried unable to finish the sentence.

"No, she doesn't know yet, I can't get through," Walker sighed pain all over his face.

*          *          *          *          *

Tulsa Oklahoma 48 hours later

*          *          *          *          *

Zac sat there quietly in their room. Staring at Taylors bed. Unmade, the shape of his neck and head still pressed into the pillow. He could hear his mother sobbing in the distance. They had all been crying for the past five hours. Flowers had already started to arrive at the house. The smell made his stomach turn. He walked down the hallway to the stairs and down to the garage.

It was quiet. A pair of Taylors shoes sat against the TV set. Everywhere he looked he was reminded of his brother. He walked back to the room. He felt lost, he didn't know where to go or what to do. But sitting still didn't feel right.

*          *          *          *          *

Ike rubbed his face. His stomach hurt, his head throbbed. He sat in his van alone. Shiye was back inside the house with Diana. He couldn't sit in the house, with Taylor gone. He just couldn't do it. He glanced over at the floor of the van. There was a disposable camera lying on the floor.

"I'll get that developed, it'll help me get this off my mind," Ike though to himself revving the engine and pulling out of the driveway.

Arriving at the photo shop he was met with a few stares. The official word had already been released about Taylor and Wills deaths. Everyone in the area looked at him with that mixed face of sadness and shock. He dropped the film off. It would be an hour, he could wait in the van. He got in and laid down in the back.

"Maybe I'll get a nap," he thought, trying to forget that they were gone.

His cell phone rang and he bolted up, looked at his watch, it had been two hours since he had laid down.

"Hello," he replied to the ring.

"Where are you?" Diana asked with a stuffy nose and a scratchy throat.

"I'm at the photo lab I'm on my way home, I love you, how is the camp," he asked.

"It's gonna be rough, we've been getting cards and flowers in all day, some just arrived from the big labels, it's too much Ike, I just can't handle this," she started to cry.

"Mom, I'm on my way," Ike cried.

He walked in and picked up the pack and got back in the van and tossed it onto the passenger seat. Moments later he pulled onto their street. There in front of their house were maybe about twenty five people standing on the road. Flowers and cards and letters all lined the curb. They all looked on quietly as he pulled into the driveway. He got out and looked back at them.

One of them waved. Anther waved and then cried. Ike somewhere inside felt anger that they were there. But then another part of him realized they also were missing Taylor. They too had feelings. He stopped and turned back and walked over to them.

"Hey guys," he tried to smile.

"Oh, Ike we're so sorry," a runny nosed mother exclaimed with a teary smile.

"We're gonna make it," Ike said with a tear.

"We loved those guys so much," another girl said holding a card that had a picture pasted on it of Tay and Will smiling.

Ike took it from her hand and looked at it. So much happiness. Taylors eyes sparkled and shined. They both looked so happy. His throat knotted up and tears welled up in his eyes.

"I've gotta get inside guys, thank you so much," he said his voice cracking.

"We love you guys, we're praying for you," one mother said as Ike turned to walk away.

"Do you know when the funerals are," another girl asked quietly.

Ike stopped, and turned back. Tears streaming down his face. Eyebrows bunched, pure pain pouring from him.

"No, we don't know yet," he whispered as he turned away.

Ike walked back towards the house. The words echoing through his head.

"Do you know when the funerals are," they echoed. His head spun. His feet slipped.

"Taylor, you're really gone," Ike whispered as he stumbled against the door and collapsed into the house.


On to Chapter Ten

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Disaster in Paradise is Copyright © 2000 by Taylor W. Quest.
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All applicable copyright laws apply. All individuals depicted are fictional with any resemblance to real persons being purely coincidental.

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