by Tl Reeve
Rai nodded. “Right. You’re right. I can’t go off half-cocked.”
“It’s okay to be nervous and scared. It’s also okay to feel relieved when you know someone you love is safe.” Dexter found a good spot to put his truck and the light that would allow maximum coverage and give room for other emergency vehicles to get in and out.
Between him and Rai, they had the floodlight up and running within minutes. It was then the impact of the devastation hit Dexter. Almost the whole building was gone. It was as if it'd been built with broken stucco, chicken wire, and matchsticks. Those who worked on removing the wreckage had made good progress. To the right of where he stood was a pile of plyboard, brick, and other materials. But, for as much as they'd done, they still hadn't put a significant dent in clearing a path for those trapped.
Dexter went straight to where Rai had seen Brittney, hoping beyond hope his son had been right. Not being able to talk to her, since the accident, made his stomach churn. He stepped to the woman who had her back to him. He thought about tapping her shoulder, but he didn’t want to alarm her either, so he called out her name, “Brittney?”
The woman turned and relief surged through him. It was her. Rai had been right. Her face was streaked with dirt and grime. Her arm had been bandaged and a spot of blood had already formed across the top of it. Her cheek was also scraped, and her shirt had been ripped, but most of all she was wet from head to toe. Her eyes widened as she threw her arms around him.
“I thought I’d find you stuck at home,” she muttered against his chest. “It’s bad.”
“I see it,” he said. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Shiro is at Hill Country with Lars. Wylder had to pop his shoulder into place, but he was in too much pain still. Oz and Wylder are up there.” She pointed to the remains of the establishment. “Spike is sniffing the area to be sure people aren’t out in the open trapped, while Oz is coordinating the removal.”
“How does the hospital look?”
Brittney grinned. “Clear and operating. They’re running on backup generators, but everyone was safe. Angie said to tell you, thank you.”
Dexter smirked. “Somehow I don’t think that was for me. I think that thank you was for your information.”
Brittney glanced down. “Well, I didn’t plan for everything.” She pointed toward the remains of Randy’s.
“Can’t save every building. We’re going to need a front loader in here to get the bigger pieces off, so we can dig down.”
She nodded. “I used the CB in Oz’s truck to get out to the county road crew, it’s on the way, but we have no ETA since everything is a mess.”
“Then we keep digging until it arrives.” Dexter put his work gloves on. “Rai is around here somewhere too.”
“How did your place fare?” Brittney asked.
“Compared to the other houses in my subdivision? Excellent. I have some superficial damage and it shouldn't take much to fix it back up. The others weren't so lucky. The neighbor to the right of me... All that's left is the foundation. The one to the left of me lost their roof. All of the others are somewhere in between that.”
Brittney frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Because of your dedication, everyone was safe, and all were able to get out of their homes.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let’s get to work.”
Dexter and Brittney dug through the wreckage, carrying away chunks of rubble to the trash pile while others around them began to coordinate other search and rescue operations. Pops and the others joined in at Randy's, giving them a boost. Dexter had no idea how long they worked in that spot, but when he glanced up, he found Rai across the road at the gas station, removing the last of the tin roof from the side door with a few other people.
He nudged Brittney and pointed over to where Rai held his hand out, helping through escape their shelter after being stuck inside. Brittney sucked in a breath, and pride shone brightly in her blue eyes as she watched their son. Proud of the boy, Dexter swore his chest puffed up more than it already was and he grew to be ten feet tall. Brittney had done all of it though. She instilled the fact all life was important. Rai ran into danger headfirst to help. It also scared the shit out of Dexter. The cutoff switch would be automatically thrown the minute the power went out, however, working around flammable material was still dangerous.
“He should be a little bit more careful,” Brittney muttered as if reading Dexter's mind.
“I agree, but I’m not going to stop him. He’s doing exactly what you taught him. Save those who need it most.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “Shut up and get back to work.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma'am.” In the distance, he heard a tractor and a surge of determination filled him. They needed to open a path for the front loader so it could get into the area. “We need to clear a path.”
Brittney glanced over her shoulder. “On it.” She went to the middle of the line. “Listen up, the tractor is here. We have to make a hole and make it wide. Once the front loader starts digging, we need to stay back. Don’t need anyone getting hurt. When we’re given the go-ahead, we’ll start up again.”
While Dexter directed the driver into the parking lot, Brittney had gone to where Oz and Wylder were digging. The rain had finally passed, and Dexter could see a thin stripe of orange along the horizon. Sunrise. Shit, had they been working that long? It shouldn’t have surprised him. They’d been determined to free everyone trapped inside, time ceased to exist. As the front loader came to a stop beside him, he got up on the runner board. The man inside popped open the small window and greeted him.
“Sorry it took so long,” the man said. “Couldn’t leave people trapped.”
No, he couldn't. Dexter didn't blame the driver. He could get people to safety. It was his job for the night. “Don't worry about it. I'm not sure how many we have trapped inside, but as you can see by what's left of the cars in the parking lot...”
The man nodded. “Do we know where they’re located?”
“I’m guessing some might be in the basement. Others could be in the walk-in fridges.”
The man grunted. “Large area to search.”
“We have a bloodhound who is certified in search and rescue. He's been combing the area since arriving on the scene. So far, nothing on the main floor. You should be good to go,” Dexter assured him.
“Then let’s do this.” The man started from the shell of a building.
When they stopped at the lip of the building, Wylder and Oz were waiting for them. Spike laid beside Wylder, exhausted from tracking the scents in the pile. Dexter jumped down and went straight to them. Like Brittney, they were covered in dirt and grime and were banged up as well from the accident. Lars had a cut above his eye while Wylder hard a nasty bruise on her cheek and arm. Her jeans were ripped up and at some point, Lars had removed his shirt. Jesus, it’d been like a scene out of an apocalypse movie.
“Where do we need to start?” Dexter asked, glancing over the pile of debris.
“Right there.” Wylder pointed out where the biggest stack of wood and pieces of the wall were piled. “I think it's the walk-in fridge. Also, below it should be the door to the basement, according to those who work here.”
“Did you already get some out?”
“No, they’re over there.” Lars lifted his chin in the direction of the line. “They showed up a short time after us. They told us where everyone would be.
“Got it.” Dexter nodded. “How about you three take a break and let the machinery take over.” He pointed to the little corner store that butted up to Randy’s. “They’re handing out coffee water and snacks to those who are working.”
“Coffee would be amazing right now. Come on, Spike.” She glanced over at Lars. “You coming?”
“Yes.” The man squeezed Dexter’s shoulder as he passed by.
Dexter strode back to the front loader and pointed to where Wylder and Lars said to dig. “It’s going to take some work, but t
hat’s where they said to begin.”
“Tight space, for sure, but I think we can do this. Tell everyone to stand back. I'm going to need room.”
“I will.” Dexter jumped down and went over to the line waiting for more directions. Some had gone to the corner store for refreshments while others sat on the curb resting. “Listen up. We’re going to have to move back for now until he can clear the area, then a couple of us will go in and see what we find.” By a couple of them, he meant police and him.
Since his arrival, there was also a bigger deputy presence. There’d even been a few of them digging through the pile shoulder to shoulder with the volunteers.
The front loader ’s horn honked before he revved up the engine and started using the bucket to pick up the pieces of debris too heavy for anyone to lift and dropped it off to the side. Up and back the man went carrying out pieces of the building, his movements were deliberate as if he was doing surgery on the building. It was tedious work. The anxious nervousness built within Dexter again. As much as the people were safe inside the basement or the fridge, they wouldn’t stay that way for much longer if they didn’t get some fresh air.
The man in the front loader honked his horn twice and Dexter rushed to his side, followed closely by two deputies. The man pointed to the area cleared and a sense of relief filled Dexter. They could get everyone out. He gave the man a thumbs up and started for the fridge. Through the porthole, he could see people huddled together and relief, infused with joy rushed through him along with a healthy dose of adrenaline. They were safe. He pulled open the door.
“Come on out. The coast is clear. The storm has passed.”
Though some of the people inside were a bit wide-eyed and shocked he saw the gratefulness too. One by one they exited the fridge until it was empty. Dexter didn’t keep count or see if he knew anyone inside, he might be happy they were out, but he had one more place to look.
The basement.
He pulled the door to that led to the basement open and started down the stairs. There he found another group of people waiting. Nadia was there. Relief surged through him. Considering where she’d been caught up in the storm, she looked good, if not a little worse for wear. Again, he told them they could exit the building. It was surreal standing there, helping them out of an establishment he’d been inside more times than not.
He’d been the last one to leave the carcass of a building. Though he was running high on the adrenaline rush of finding everyone safe, he could also feel the pull of exhaustion tugging on him. They were by no means done, even though the sun was coming up. More people needed to be assisted out of whatever remained of their homes and even the building that appeared structurally sound, needed to be gone through too, just in case.
Pops came up to him and handed Dexter a cup of coffee. “Go sit for a minute. The big job is done for now. We have several ambulances out on calls, and we have a few trapped calls but we’re managing to get to them all.”
Dexter nodded. “Do we have an estimate of damage?”
Pops snorted. “Doubt it.”
“Me too.” Dexter grinned.
“Brittney saved a lot of lives tonight,” Pops said.
Dexter nodded. “Yeah, she did.”
Brittney glanced out over the town. The tornado went through the main thoroughfare at an angle sparing most of the businesses while tearing apart others. Since the first tracker arrived, others were beginning to arrive along with power trucks and other utilities. While the roads were made passible, the power trucks with the digging equipment began pulling poles and replacing them. It would be slow going. She figured the power would be restored within a couple of days and since the tornadoes went through, the weather pattern began to stabilize, giving Tarpley clear skies and warm temperatures.
She grabbed her cup of coffee off the tailgate beside her and took a sip. Rai had gone to the corner store to help out there while Wylder and OZ were asleep in the truck. What a fucking night. It didn’t seem real—everything they’d been through. Between being caught up in a tornado and having to rush Shiro to the hospital... Twelve hours felt more like three days.
“Hey,” Dexter said, coming up beside her.
“Hey yourself,” she replied. “Heard you got everyone out of the building.”
“Yep. For now, the scene is cleared. I thought Spike could go over it again in case we missed someone.”
“Might be a while.” She took another sip of her coffee. “He’s sleeping and so is Wylder.”
“They looked like shit when I relieved them.” Dexter sat beside her. “How bad was the accident?”
“On a scale of one to never had that happened before,” she teased. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
“Didn’t see it coming?”
She shook her head. The small spin-up tornado had been rain-wrapped and formed out of nothing, reminding her of dirt devils. “Nope. Not even. Before I could get 'brace,' out of my mouth, we were spinning. The wind was hard enough to throw us into the ditch after we tossed around like a rag doll. Wylder lost her dinner. Shiro separated his shoulder. All of us are banged up, even Spike.”
“Shit. That’s bad.”
Dexter wrapped his arm around her, and she sagged, lowering her head to his shoulder. “I haven’t heard anything out of Sanders or his other teams. I can’t get through to Austin or San Antonio.”
“Cell towers are down,” Dexter grumbled.
“Figured as much.” She frowned as she nuzzled his chest. “I hate not knowing about my people.”
“The most important of us are all safe. I hate it too. I can’t reach my family yet, and it’s taking all of my will power to not drive the hour to check on them.” He squeezed her. “We have to know the information we gave them will serve its purpose and they’ll be safe.”
“True.” Brittney yawned then smothered it. “I'll be glad when I can take a shower and get some shut-eye.”
“Me too. Might have to find temporary shelter for now though, since my place is kind of messed up.” Dexter chuckled.
“I don’t know if you realize this yet, but a tornado ripped through your town,” Brittney teased.
“Shit... Is that what happened? I thought maybe Tank ate Pitts and Stuff’s baked beans again.”
Brittney snorted. “So gross.”
“Yeah, maybe.” He shook his head. “Hey, what’s that?”
Dexter pointed down the road. Three vehicles crept down the road going at most five miles an hour. She tilted her head as the group of cars dew closer then gasped when she saw the driver. “Sanders made it.” She hopped off the tailgate and held her hand out to Dexter.
Dexter joined her, lacing his fingers with hers. “Told you so.” He winked at her as they crossed the parking lot the group of storm chasers.
“Looks like you were right,” Sanders said after getting out of the SUV. “Damage is everywhere.”
“How far east?” She asked, coming to a stop in front of Sanders’ team.
“The first tornado touched down in Louisiana about fifteen minutes ago,” Sanders answered. It hit Shreveport dead on.”
She frowned. “Shit.”
“They were ready,” Sanders said. “I made a call to a couple of teams who service the area and let them know to get there.”
“Still, I could have done more,” she said.
“Hey,” Dexter said. “You did more than enough. You saved lives today, don’t drown on the information you couldn’t prepare for. It’s not all your responsibility.”
She knew that. However, she wanted to help as many people as possible no matter where they were. Louisiana had been through so much in the last fifteen years. They didn’t deserve to lose anything else. “How about Mississippi?”
“All of the weather services are paying attention. However, I noticed as soon as the storms hit Austin and San Antonio, there wasn’t as much lift to them or energy. It’s like they pooped themselves out tearing up everything here.”
“The gulf should give them a kick of energy,” Brittney said.
“Sure, but I don’t think it’ll be anything like this.” Sanders took a tablet from one of the members of his team. “Check it out.”
She glanced down at the radar and watched the loop. He was right. The pressure was rising and the energy fluctuated. She took a peek at the European model as well and found the same forecast, storms for the south but nothing major. Brittney breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they were through the worst of it now.
“Where’s your team?” Sanders inquired as he took the tablet back from her.
“Two are at the hospital and the other two are sleeping. Rai is over at the corner store helping hand out food and refreshments too.”
“Hope it’s nothing serious,” he said.
“Separated shoulder from the wreck.”
Sanders whistled. “Well, where do you want us? We’re here to help clean up.”
Brittney glanced around and found a small make-shift volunteer station across the road at the demolished gas station. “I suppose you can start with the volunteer station. Then you can help me out with the reporters.” She lifted her chin in the direction of the news vans pulling into areas that were safe and clear.
Sanders groaned. “Fine but you owe me breakfast.”
“You’re on.” She kissed Dexter’s cheek. “Guess it’s time to go back to work.”
“Yep, looks like it.” He started away from her and she grabbed his hand. “What’s wrong?”
She grinned and pulled him back to her. “I love you.”
His face lit up as he spun her around in a circle. It didn't feel right being so giddy in such a horrible situation, but she couldn't hold it in and, this time, she wouldn't hide anything from him ever again.
“You mean it?”
“I mean it. I love you.” She smiled up at him then brought his face down to her and kissed him.
