Still, a new arrival here and there was to be expected. The late July heat can be brutal on the island, and those who know usually wait until the trade winds return before they flock back to the resort. Nothing unusual about that-although we don’t get many of them in the off-season. It all started when my dad had asked me to meet a new guest at the helipad.

But with Friday evening came a string of events that, while they may have seemed unremarkable at the time, changed my quiet island life forever. Let’s just say I picked up a few more concerns along the way.Īs days go, Friday had been normal. Not the part about going to see Cami I still planned to do that. Until last week, my most pressing concern had been getting ready to visit my friend Cami back home in South Carolina. I would do whatever it took to see my mom one last time before I die. If only I could rewind the past three days, I’d do everything different. I swear I can feel the vibration of his footsteps coming nearer.

I drop to the ground, the sound of my scream caught in my throat. Half a breath later, a bullet splinters the palm trunk beside me. Inches from my head, a banana leaf jumps and rips apart. I want to stop and catch my breath, but his footsteps crash steadily through the undergrowth below me. The downpour slicks decomposing leaves beneath my feet so that I slip and stumble up the hill. I climb harder, but rain weighs down my clothes and stings my eyes.

Death by bikini by linda gerber