I thought I should try and make peace with myself, maybe contact I didn’t know who and could not have since I tossed my comm-unit in the river days ago. Instead, I leaned back and stared at the edge of the black clouds now quickly chasing my drifting boat.

A loud click startled me. It was followed by the whine of an electric motor. The boat began moving faster and faster still. The clouds appeared to be slowing, but the opposite was true. I was moving rather quickly, and within several minutes, the boat slid alongside a dock that extended into the lake about fifty feet.

When the boat slowed enough, I grabbed my gear, leapt onto the dock and ran to shore. I managed to reach a small stone outbuilding before the downpour, drown out all sound with the crescendo of thunder and lightning emphasizing my lucky escape. I even managed to stay dry. The door closed tightly. The only light as far as I could tell came from outside.

I felt exhausted and truly grateful for whoever activated the homing device built into the rowboat. I sat on my knapsack since there was nothing inside the stone and brick building. The storm built in strength until the sound of it was all I heard. Out the corner of my eye, I saw the door I’d used swing open and half-stood to close it stopping as a hand reached inside using the door jamb for support.

“Here wait, let me,” I shouted to be heard of the roar of rain.

A loud female scream was the response. She peered around the door soaking wet, blonde hair stringy and wild, large blue eyes widened by surprise, I imagined.

“I won’t hurt you,” I shouted and walk closer. “Give me your hand and I’ll steady you so you might close the door before we both drown.”

That seemed enough to calm her into accepting my offer. Her hand was tiny compared to mine, wet and very cold. I clasped hers tightly and pulled some as she wedged inside the building and then fought the wind and rain to close the door.