“Das a good one, Kai.” The hammer was steady in his hands, each tap of the head on a nail a simple rhythm as he nodded his head. “Thanks, Chief.” A heavy hand met his back, Kai holding back a grunt at the basketball sized palm patting him hard enough to almost knock him forward….
His vision went white, the sky blinding his open eyes with a camera flash jagged enough to blot out everything. He barely had time to wipe his eyes before the thunder caught up and tried to shake his teeth out of his gums. Kai’s mouth hung open, hair standing up on his arms with the…
Aloha ʻoe… A warm, wet blanket made of light pressed Kai down into the wax of his board as he drifted with eyes half-closed. Lids glued together with so much dried salt, he did nothing but watch the inside of his own skull turn orange under the sun. Aloha ʻoe… The ocean was playing nice…
Three days. That was how long it took. Three whole days of peace, quiet, and a butt numb from sitting on rocks that were definitely too sharp for comfortable lounging. Ow… Kai shifted his weight, a grimace twisting his mouth as a sharp edge dug itself right into the extra padding he’d grown over the…
The jungle path was cooler, all shadows and green noise from the trees above as it blocked the brunt of the sun from cooking you. Doesn’t do much for the humidity, though. Yeah, sweat was still a problem but considering he was on an island, he’d take a win where he could get it. Kai…
“Whoooo-hoooo!” Salt. Too much of it. A whole bucket of the stuff slapped him right in the open mouth, drowning out the yell before it could really get legs behind it. Kai spluttered foam, choking and snorting as white stuff blasted free from his nose and mouth both. Fuuuu- Arms went out wide, spinning like…
Chapter 3 There was no killing. Nobody seemed to want anything bad to happen to him. That same night, the older lady with the heavy boobs walked him over to a small hut that was apparently all for him, and for the first time in a long time, Kai slept like a baby. He woke…
Chapter 2 Salt. Thick on his lips, his tongue, and everywhere in his mouth, all he tasted was salt. His mouth opened in a rattling breath, more salt coating the back of his throat as he took in air and Kai couldn’t do anything but cough. The sound rattled as much as the breath did,…
Chapter 1TWO YEARS AGO Lauderdale… place is barely a city, son. His dad used to say that all the time, mostly while he was complaining about traffic after he got home from work. Just a big ol’ swamp they’d paved over. Kai didn’t know all that, but he knew the air was wet and too…
Chapter 0: Broken Piece “Stop running, ya rats! It’s only pain!” Splinters that used to be the thick painted wood of the fruit stand — Mama Elina’s pride and joy — bit into her palms. Her fingers half-curled, two fingers on her left refusing to go any further as sticky-sweet mango pulp mixed with something…
