Stormy World, page 15
“Stay close,” Jodi shouted. “Ruby, follow!”
Ruby seemed to understand and went timidly into the hallway, following Shane and guiding Violet and Kaylee. Jodi waited until they were out of the room before she started to follow. As she did, she heard a loud crack from above. She glanced up and saw an enormous mass of wood beams and broken panels falling toward the office. With a cry, she leaped through the open door, just as the great mass crashed down on top of the desk and shattered in a thousand fragments which went flying about the office. A few of them hit her in the back as she stumbled and went down.
When she looked up, she saw Shane and Corbin fighting their way to the end of the hall, where a narrow door opened on blackness. Violet held on tightly to Ruby’s harness, bent forward to fight the wind, with Kaylee still wrapped in her arm. Jodi considered going back for her mother. If the worst of her pain had passed, maybe Jodi could pull her down the hall.
However, when she looked back, she saw a great pile of debris filling the hallway not far from the office. Another big section of the roof had collapsed and brought some of the outer wall with it. Wind was blowing fiercely through gaps above and around the pile. The entrance to the sanctuary was now blocked.
Why did I leave my mother behind? It doesn’t matter if she was hitting me, I should have dragged her kicking and screaming down the hall! Even if she was having a heart attack, I should have kept her with me!
She turned back around and started after Violet and Kaylee. Another crash and boom echoed through the building. It felt like the whole building was coming down, and an impressive amount of water was blowing into the hall, pooling on the floor. The stairwell was in a shallow recess near the end of the hall, and it was utterly dark below. Corbin charged in first. Shane hesitated a moment to make sure everyone else was coming, then followed him down.
Ruby led Violet and Kaylee into the darkness, guided by her other senses, though Jodi heard Kaylee stumbling on the stairs. Jodi went last. As she did, she heard another series of booms and crashes coming from the building, and a blast of cold rain hit her in the back. It felt like someone had taken a big bucket full of water and slung it at her. When she looked back, she saw that more of the roof had come down in the hallway.
The stairs were wooden and rickety, so narrow that her shoulders brushed the walls on either side. She found a handrail in the dark and used it to guide herself, but it was loose and rattled in her grip. Over the roar of wind, she could just make out Violet continuing to reassure Kaylee.
“We just have to wait out the storm, Kay. It’ll pass, and then we’ll be fine. It’s not like a tornado. It can’t suck us out of the building. It’s just going to knock stuff over, but we’ll be fine.”
Some large piece of debris hit Jodi in the back and clattered to the steps behind her. She stopped and reached down, feeling around for it. A large chunk of wood, smooth on one side, she was pretty sure it was part of the top of the desk from the pastor’s office. She continued down into the darkness. The room below was musty and filthy, with piles of trash and debris crunching under her boots. It seemed small, and as she pressed forward, she bumped into what felt like a water heater tank.
On the other side of the water heater, she found her family huddled together in a corner. Her hands were thrust out in front of her, and someone grabbed her wrist.
“Jodi, is that you?” It was Shane.
“Yeah, are we sure we’re safe down here?” Jodi replied.
“We don’t have much choice,” Shane said, as he gently pulled her in close and put his arms around her. “I think we’ll be okay.”
“And what about Owen? Katie? My mother?” Jodi leaned in close, laying her head against his shoulder.
“They’ll be fine,” Shane replied, stroking her soaking-wet hair. “Everyone’s going to be just fine.”
He doesn’t believe it, Jodi thought. She could hear the doubt in his voice.
“You heard Dad,” Violet said to Kaylee. They were directly behind Jodi. “The family is going to be okay.”
And just then, as if nature wanted to respond, there came another crash from above, louder and more violent than any of the others. It trembled in the walls, in the concrete floor beneath them, and a blast of rain-filled wind came down the steps and swirled around the basement.
20
The first section of the roof that came down was just above the pulpit. A broken beam with a few large wooden panels still attached tumbled down and slammed onto the pulpit and the stage. Beth felt the blast of air and turned her head away. She was propped up against the end of a pew, but the constant pain in her chest made it almost impossible to move. It was a tightness that stretched across her chest and down her left arm.
This whole damned church is going to smash me flat, she thought. And so be it.
Not the worst way to go, all things considered. Better than burning to death like the people in Hickory Falls, or drowning like Mike. Remembering her lost son caused such a pang of regret and longing that Beth almost welcomed the end. She gazed up at the new giant hole in the ceiling above the sanctuary. She estimated the hole to be about eight feet long and four feet wide, and the edges were buckling already, as if more were about to fall down.
Beth considered wriggling in between a couple of pews, but that didn’t seem much safer. The pews were old and half broken. The pulpit had been crushed by a wood beam. She didn’t think the old pews would hold up much better.
The wind was impressive. It never relented. It sounded like the whole sky was screaming at her with some endless breath, and now rain was pouring into the sanctuary. Clutching her chest, Beth managed to shift position enough to see the doorway to the hall. It was now filled with chunks of the ceiling and roof.
“Jodi?” Beth tried to shout her daughter’s name, but her voice was hoarse. And it made the pain in her chest worse. She could only hope that they’d found some safe place.
Another section of the sanctuary’s roof fell, and this time it brought down part of the outer wall. Cinder blocks toppled across the floor, breaking a pew in the front row. The pile of debris landed just a few feet from Beth, the blast of air shoving her onto her side. Her teeth clacked together from the force of her fall. When she looked up, she saw another large panel swaying back and forth directly above her, still attached by a roof beam but just barely.
Okay, maybe I don’t want to be crushed after all, Beth thought.
Despite the pain, she managed to roll onto her belly, but then she had to consider her possible escape routes. A doorway led into the foyer, but a big section of the ceiling had already collapsed in there. The same was true of the hallway. That left only one other option: the brand-new opening in the outer wall. That meant she would have to crawl outside, but she figured it was better than being cut in half by some enormous panel.
She began pulling herself down a narrow aisle between pews, making her way toward the toppled section of the wall. It was slow going, as she had to fight through the pain. When she reached the end of the row, she turned right and followed the outer wall. Another loud crash echoed from elsewhere in the building. The collapse of the wall had left a narrow opening that led right into the high grass outside the building. The grass was being whipping violently by the wind, but Beth dragged herself toward it. She’d have to clamber over a few fallen and broken cinder blocks, which would prove challenging.
Just then, another large section of the roof above the sanctuary collapsed. She saw it out of the corner of her eye. A roughly ten-foot length of a heavy roof beam with some panels attached came crashing down in the center of the room, the beam slamming down right where Beth had been sitting just a minute earlier.
Beth pulled herself outside into the grass, dragging her legs over the fallen cinder blocks. The rain lashed at her like a thousand tiny whips. She couldn’t even fully open her eyes, so she just kept crawling forward, inch by agonizing inch, trying to get some distance from the building. However, she didn’t make it far before her arms gave out on her, and she collapsed face-first into the grass.
Before long, she felt some enormous object tumble past her. She managed to turn her head and saw one of the signposts bouncing along the ground.
Well, maybe I’m not so safe out here, either, she thought, as she laid her head down on the ground again.
Something else flew right over her, but this time, she didn’t have the strength to even look up at it. She felt a hard edge just barely scrape along her back, and then it was gone. And then something pressed against her side, right into her ribs, and actually began to slide beneath her. Beth cried out in alarm, though there was little she could do about it.
Suddenly, she found herself being rolled onto her back and then hoisted up into the air. Even then, there was little she could do to stop it. She had pushed herself to the point of complete exhaustion, and the pain was constantly radiating through her body. However, as she rose from the ground, she opened her eyes and saw a figure towering over her. Only then did it become clear that she was being picked up by someone. She blinked rain out of her eyes, and his face became clear.
“Owen,” she said with a gasp. “Where did you come from?”
Little Katie clung to his back, her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs around his belly. She was crying and trying to hide from the rain against his shoulder.
“I tried to get inside the church,” he said, “but the foyer has collapsed. I was looking for another way in.” He adjusted his grip on Beth, pulling her in against his chest.
“No, don’t go in there,” Beth replied. “The whole place is coming down. I don’t know if the rest of the family is safe or not. They went down a hallway, and the ceiling collapsed behind them. It’ll all come down soon.”
Owen looked around helplessly, his face pulled into a grimace. He had to spread his legs a bit to keep from being bowled over by the wind.
“Okay, then we have to find somewhere else,” he said. “There are other buildings down the hill.”
Just then, a huge tree branch tumbled up the north side of the hill and flew within inches of them. Beth felt leaves brushing against her shoulder.
“Leave me here, Owen,” she cried. “You have to get Katie indoors somewhere. Just set me down.”
“Absolutely not,” Owen replied, as he took a stumbling step forward.
“It’s too much extra weight,” Beth said. “Put me down!”
“It’s not going to happen. Save your breath, Grandma.” And with that, Owen trudged through the high grass, the wind at his back. “Katie, you keep holding on tight back there, okay?”
“I hate the rain,” Katie howled. “I don’t want any more rain, Daddy!”
“I know. We’ll get out of the rain very soon. Come on.”
He made his way to the back of the church, and Beth knew she couldn’t fight him. He was putting himself and Katie in more danger by carrying Beth, but he was clearly set on it. She didn’t have the strength to stop him. Indeed, she barely had the strength to keep her eyes open, and the pain in her chest would not let up.
“But where are we going?” Beth shouted. “This is a cinder-block building, and it’s falling apart.”
They had at least a little bit of a reprieve from the wind on the back side of the church building, but as Beth gazed up into the gray sky, she saw a big piece of the roof break loose and go flying off into the trees. Owen headed down the north side of the hill, where the small, abandoned town poked out of the wild overgrowth like a collection of benign tumors. The hurricane wind was already wreaking havoc on the trees and buildings down there.
“Owen, just slide me down the hill or something,” Beth cried. “Roll me if you have to. You’re doing too much.”
Indeed, he was clearly struggling, teeth clenched and bared. Katie at least seemed to have a firm hold of him, but her arms were around his neck, pressing against his throat. Beth, despite her age, wasn’t a particularly small woman. She was, as some might say, “big-boned” and sturdy. Owen was having trouble carrying her and making his way down the hill, and his boots kept slipping. But he ignored Beth’s pleading and kept going, pausing from time to time to stand against a particularly fierce gust of wind.
At the bottom of the hill, at the end of an old, pitted cul-de-sac, stood a low building of beige brick. At first, through the haze and surrounding wild growth, Beth thought perhaps it was a law office, but as Owen made his way toward it, she realized it was a small school building. It was slow going, as the wind kept trying to push him down. Finally, he sat on his rump and began sliding down the hill. Katie managed to maintain her hold on him, and he kept Beth in his arms, even as he slid to the bottom of the hill.
The entire roof of an old house rose up above the trees just to their right. It stood vertically for a moment, then came spinning through the air directly at them. Beth cried out weakly, and Owen dropped to his left. Katie finally fell off and landed behind him in the wet grass, and Beth found herself being awkwardly folded in his arms.
“Daddy! Daddy! I fell down,” Katie cried.
Beth sensed the roof as it flew over them, missing her by a couple of feet at most. It crashed into another tree and broke into pieces, and all the pieces went flying off into the gray distance. Owen had to lay Beth down to get up. He was grimacing, and he seemed to be struggling as he turned to pick up Katie.
“Leave me here,” Beth said. “Get Katie inside. I’ll be fine.”
“Grandma, do me a favor and shut up already,” Owen snapped. He lifted Katie over his right shoulder and practically flung her onto his back. She latched on tightly like a baby monkey. Then Owen stooped down and scooped up Beth again, though he grunted loudly as he lifted her off the ground. Beth hated that she was slowing them down. She’d already been such a huge burden on the family, and the embarrassment of being pushed on the supply cart was still bothering her.
However, Owen was up again, and he trudged through high weeds, moving toward the brick building. The old glass front door was shattered, as were a number of windows along the front of the building, but the walls were intact. Owen crossed the cracked and pitted remains of an old parking lot and slipped through the front door, but he promptly slipped in a puddle and went down again. This time, Beth rolled out of his arms onto a hard terrazzo floor.
She tried to pick herself up, but the pain in her chest was getting even more intense. Beth struggled just to draw breath. She flopped onto her side, as Owen rose again and stumbled against a nearby wall.
“In there, I think,” he said, gasping for breath. He pointed into what appeared to be a custodian’s supply closet—now devoid of supplies. “Sturdy door. Sturdy walls. Come on.”
Katie slid off his shoulders and landed on the floor, and she ran into the closet. Owen reached down and grabbed Beth’s wrist, dragging her across the hall and into the closet after Katie. There wasn’t much inside the small space: an old sink, some shelves bolted into the wall, a few rags on the floor. The door opened outward, and the wind had pushed it against the wall. Owen reached out and grabbed the handle, then spent a couple of hard minutes fighting the wind to get it closed.
At last, the door swung shut, casting them into shadow. Light still shone from a generous crack at the bottom of the door, and wind whistled through that narrow space, making a nearly melodic sound. Beth managed to scoot back into the corner, as Owen plopped down near the door with a huff. Katie climbed onto his lap and curled up in his arms.
“We’re safe now, Daddy?” she asked.
“I think so,” he replied.
Beth tried to sit up, but it made the pain in her chest flare. So she settled for lying on her side, curled up, with one hand tucked under her cheek.
“Owen, where were you?” Beth said, speaking through clenched teeth. “How did you get separated from everyone?”
“It just happened,” he replied. “I grabbed Katie when you both fell off the cart, and then I looked around for a bit. Sort of in a daze again, I guess. When I came out of it, we were alone in the storm.”
“You’ve been in your own little world for too long,” Beth said. “Unreachable. We need you to come back to reality and stay there. We’ve all lost people. We’re all grieving. It’s a nightmare, but you can’t lose your mind over it.”
“I know,” he replied, waving her off. “Well, I’m here now, aren’t I? I saved your life, and I saved Katie, didn’t I?” And then he smacked his own forehead a few times with his open palm a few times, for no apparent reason.
It was too much for Katie. She climbed off his lap and crawled back into the corner with Beth, curling up against Beth’s belly.
“We’ll be all right,” Beth said, gently patting her. “Your daddy found us a safe place. He took care of us.”
21
The wind blew for what seemed like hours, though Shane lost track of time down in the dark basement. There were more crashes from above, and the light shining down the steps grew dimmer over time. Shane spent most of that time holding Jodi, as the young people huddled together behind them and tried to comfort one another.
“Will any of the church still be standing when this is over?” Jodi said.
“Surely the walls will endure,” Shane replied. “That wooden ceiling was in bad shape to begin with, but those cinder-block walls should hold up.”
“Yes, of course. You’re right,” Jodi said, glancing toward Kaylee and Violet.
And then, all of a sudden, the wind died down. It was almost like someone had pulled a plug out of the wall. One second, it was howling like a hundred banshees out there, and the next moment, it went eerily quiet. For a moment, no one said anything. Shane could hear Kaylee breathing fast and shallow. Ruby was panting so hard she made a whistling sound.
“Is it over?” Violet asked.
“Probably not,” Corbin said. “Sounds like we just entered the eye of the hurricane.”
