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“I have to know, did you see it swirling? Was it like in that movie? I mean, were the clouds all dark and creepy? Was it green? Was there other shit floating around?—”
“It was fucking terrible!” I shouted, breathing harshly. “I was fucking scared out of my mind! I curled up in a ball on the floorboards and prayed I didn’t shit myself, because that’s how fucking scared I was! Is that what you wanted to hear?” I was screaming at him like a lunatic, but I couldn’t help it. Once that dam opened, I couldn’t stop it. “The shit you saw in the movie, that was nothing like what I just experienced. And the worst part was that I didn’t fucking turn around because I didn’t want you guys laughing at me. And then I almost died because I’m a fucking idiot!”
I was breathing hard as I stared at him. I hadn’t realized he’d pulled over to the side of the road until I was done losing my shit. He stared at me, his eyes growing more intense the longer we sat there. I shouldn’t have fucking opened my mouth. Now I would get made fun of until the end of time.
And just when I tried to find my way out of what I’d just said, he faced forward and put the truck back in drive. “I definitely wouldn’t tell that to any chicks if you want to get laid.”
We pulled back onto the road and I sat there, my eyes bugged out as I wondered where this would go from here. “That’s it? No making fun of me?”
“For nearly shitting yourself when a tornado almost swallowed you whole? Nah.”
“But…this is like…the best leverage you could have over me. You could go to the guys and tell them about how scared I was. I would be made fun of for the rest of the year!”
“And that’s precisely why I’m not saying anything. Dude, we’re roommates now, and roommates don’t do shit like that to each other. Besides, it stands to reason that one of these days I’ll do something equally stupid, and I’ll need you to have my back.”
Huh. Well, that made sense. “So, you’re not saying anything.”
“As far as I’m concerned, you just took on a tornado and survived. It was fucking awesome,” he said, grinning over at me.
That made me feel slightly better as we drove through town. Cash was already gathered at the center of the destruction, handing out orders to anyone who volunteered. Brock pulled over, leaving room for ambulances and fire trucks to pull in. Some of the houses were worse than others. A few had minor destruction. It was strange how the tornado had hit one house, completely demolishing it, yet passed the one right beside it. I’d never seen anything like it.
Getting out, I headed right to Cash, ready to help in any way I could. I had mostly pushed the terror from earlier aside, at least enough to do what needed to be done.
“—I want a coordinated effort, searching each of the houses in the area. Until the dogs get here, go in pairs, calling out for survivors. Remember, these houses are not stable, so don’t go tap dancing on them because you hear a show tune in your head!” he said, glaring at Fox.
“That’s just wrong, boss. I would never tap dance on someone’s grave,” Fox said, clearly offended.
Everyone scattered, grabbing whatever gear they could. Brock didn’t have a lot with him, but we had some climbing gear in the bed of his truck. That would have to do for now. I grabbed his bag, carrying it over my shoulder as we set off for the first house. This one was still standing, so hopefully everyone inside was okay or had already gotten out.
I opened the door, calling out as I walked inside. “Is anyone in here?”
There was no response, so I walked further inside. Brock jerked his chin, indicating he was going through the first floor. Testing the stairs, I stuck by the railing, hoping the whole fucking thing didn’t cave in on me. The first two rooms were clear, but the third had an antennae through the window, and on the floor was a woman passed out. I rushed over to her, kneeling at her side.
“Ma’am, can you hear me?”
She stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she looked at me. “What…what happened?”
“It looks like you got hit in the head,” I said, setting the bag on the floor beside me. Opening it up, I found a med kit and pulled out a wipe, cleaning the gash on her head. “It doesn’t look too deep. I don’t think you’ll need stitches. How are you feeling?”
“Just a headache.”
I had limited medical knowledge, but knew enough to check her pupils and ask all the right questions, ensuring that she could be moved. There were probably people injured worse than her, and someone could drive her to the hospital instead of using up the ambulances.
“Alright, let’s get you downstairs,” I said, helping her to her feet as Brock walked in the room.
“The rest of the house is clear,” he informed me. “Ma’am, was there anyone else here?”
“No, my husband took the kids out of town. Thank God they weren’t here for it. I was cleaning,” she said, dazedly looking around. “I had…earbuds in. I didn’t even hear the sirens.”
We got her downstairs and over to Cash, then moved on to another house. Help was starting to show up, but not fast enough to help the people in the direct path of the storm. We cleared three more houses, finding two empty and one person dead in the third house. It wasn’t exactly the way I thought the day would go, but it was certainly a new outlook on living in the Midwest.
“Let’s hope the next house isn’t like the last,” Brock sighed.
We walked over to the next house, this one looking just as horrible as the last. It was still partially standing, but a tree was down right in the center of it. “How do you want to get inside?” The front door was missing, so that was out.
“Over there,” Brock said, pointing to a hole in the side of the house.
We climbed over debris to get to the large opening, calling out before stepping inside.
