We moved fast, or as fast as the swaying vine islands would allow, which was not very fast.
The storm had settled into something consistent and loud— not getting worse, just present, the way a problem became background after long enough.
Rain at full down. Thunder on a rotation. The vine platforms rolling in slow waves that I was getting the rhythm of, which helped with footing, but the girl behind me had not gotten the rhythm of them yet and I could hear her footsteps behind mine doing the slightly-off pattern of someone compensating for ground that wasn't cooperating.
Then thunder, loud and close, and her arms were suddenly around my back and her face was pressed between my shoulder blades and she had gone completely rigid.
I stopped. Looked back at her. She was stiff from shoulders to ankles, both arms locked, paralyzed but was handling it, and not handling it… fuck, what am I narrating.
