rubbed and patted her back, and crooned some calming nonsense in her ear. Oh, how far they’d come in less than twenty-four hours.
The sound of the front doors slamming open had them spinning around. Chaz came flying in, shouting into his cell phone. Tripoli Cleaners was in the other arm of this U-shaped mall, directly across the parking lot. “Get out of your apartment! Take your mama and aunt down to the basement, Kaylee! Hide in the middle, in that furnace room! The one with no windows, hear me? Now! No! Don’t take anything. Just run! Run! Go, go, go! Now! Yes, yes, baby. I love you, too. I’m fine. And I’m praying for you, baby. I love you . . . You’re breaking up. I’m losing you, baby. Are you there? Kaylee?” His head dropped back on his shoulders, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Jesus, please. Please, keep them safe.” A heavy sigh rushed out in a groan and his shoulders flagged.
Abigail’s breathing came in rapid gasps, and her heart was racing. Panic had her feeling as if she was going to fall. “
Kaylee
,” she whispered.
“You okay?” Justin asked.
She whimpered. She knew she probably had to be cutting off his circulation by this point, but couldn’t seem to unclench her grip on his arm.
Chaz stepped over to them and dragged a hand across his face. “Kaylee says the tornado has come as far as Fisher’s Mill Highway.” Chaz glanced at Abigail and added, “That place you ladies held her party last night is out there.”
Abigail swallowed and nodded.
“It’s nearly at Old Town now,” Chaz said. They all sighed, at a loss for words. “I’m not sure that this is the best place for us to be . . .”
Justin glanced around. “I know. But we don’t really have time to move now.”
Desh covered the mouthpiece of his phone and said, “The QIG main office is requesting a head count from each of our local stores. Can everyone please come gather here, at the counter?” The three people, two men and a woman, who stood watching TV, turned to comply, as did the young woman and her children. Abigail guessed that the man who wore a white shirt and tie was some kind of businessman, just getting off work. The woman was middle-aged and her basket was loaded with batteries and canned goods. The second man was older, and looked as if he hadn’t bathed in several weeks. Homeless, Abigail deduced.
Desh was getting a headcount when the power went out. Silence fell and they were plunged into darkness for a second before lightning illuminated a man standing in the doorway. People squealed at the ghostly apparition and one of the children began to shriek. Haruo Nakamura, normally a very reserved and quiet-spoken man, stood, his hair blowing in the wind, his arms beckoning and shouting at the top of his lungs. “Come on! I have big walk-in refrigerator, no window! Reinforced steel! There is still time!”
“No!” the young mother cried and gathered her babies to her knees.
“Don’t go!”
“Ma’am,” Justin said, and strode toward her, Chaz on his heels. “We don’t have time to argue. If what you say is true, you’re better off with us. Let’s go.” He picked up one of her wailing kids and Chaz went for the other.
“Now!”
he shouted over his shoulder and she jumped to follow. Abigail helped Jen to her feet and they, too, plunged into the storm.
6:55 p.m.
Selma Louise Tully had lived through one of these monsters before. Barely. But, she’d learned a few things about preparedness. Unfortunately, she’d become complacent in the last four or five decades. She’d begun to ignore the siren’s warnings. Forgotten a lot of the terror. Birthed and raised a family and gotten old and a little addled. And so,
she
was prepared, because Clyde had insisted, after the last big one back in ’66.
And, Guadalupe was with her; so that made one more body safe and sound.
But Abigail and Elsa and many of her other friends and neighbors were God only knew where, right now. Like Clyde had
The sound of the front doors slamming open had them spinning around. Chaz came flying in, shouting into his cell phone. Tripoli Cleaners was in the other arm of this U-shaped mall, directly across the parking lot. “Get out of your apartment! Take your mama and aunt down to the basement, Kaylee! Hide in the middle, in that furnace room! The one with no windows, hear me? Now! No! Don’t take anything. Just run! Run! Go, go, go! Now! Yes, yes, baby. I love you, too. I’m fine. And I’m praying for you, baby. I love you . . . You’re breaking up. I’m losing you, baby. Are you there? Kaylee?” His head dropped back on his shoulders, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Jesus, please. Please, keep them safe.” A heavy sigh rushed out in a groan and his shoulders flagged.
Abigail’s breathing came in rapid gasps, and her heart was racing. Panic had her feeling as if she was going to fall. “
Kaylee
,” she whispered.
“You okay?” Justin asked.
She whimpered. She knew she probably had to be cutting off his circulation by this point, but couldn’t seem to unclench her grip on his arm.
Chaz stepped over to them and dragged a hand across his face. “Kaylee says the tornado has come as far as Fisher’s Mill Highway.” Chaz glanced at Abigail and added, “That place you ladies held her party last night is out there.”
Abigail swallowed and nodded.
“It’s nearly at Old Town now,” Chaz said. They all sighed, at a loss for words. “I’m not sure that this is the best place for us to be . . .”
Justin glanced around. “I know. But we don’t really have time to move now.”
Desh covered the mouthpiece of his phone and said, “The QIG main office is requesting a head count from each of our local stores. Can everyone please come gather here, at the counter?” The three people, two men and a woman, who stood watching TV, turned to comply, as did the young woman and her children. Abigail guessed that the man who wore a white shirt and tie was some kind of businessman, just getting off work. The woman was middle-aged and her basket was loaded with batteries and canned goods. The second man was older, and looked as if he hadn’t bathed in several weeks. Homeless, Abigail deduced.
Desh was getting a headcount when the power went out. Silence fell and they were plunged into darkness for a second before lightning illuminated a man standing in the doorway. People squealed at the ghostly apparition and one of the children began to shriek. Haruo Nakamura, normally a very reserved and quiet-spoken man, stood, his hair blowing in the wind, his arms beckoning and shouting at the top of his lungs. “Come on! I have big walk-in refrigerator, no window! Reinforced steel! There is still time!”
“No!” the young mother cried and gathered her babies to her knees.
“Don’t go!”
“Ma’am,” Justin said, and strode toward her, Chaz on his heels. “We don’t have time to argue. If what you say is true, you’re better off with us. Let’s go.” He picked up one of her wailing kids and Chaz went for the other.
“Now!”
he shouted over his shoulder and she jumped to follow. Abigail helped Jen to her feet and they, too, plunged into the storm.
6:55 p.m.
Selma Louise Tully had lived through one of these monsters before. Barely. But, she’d learned a few things about preparedness. Unfortunately, she’d become complacent in the last four or five decades. She’d begun to ignore the siren’s warnings. Forgotten a lot of the terror. Birthed and raised a family and gotten old and a little addled. And so,
she
was prepared, because Clyde had insisted, after the last big one back in ’66.
And, Guadalupe was with her; so that made one more body safe and sound.
But Abigail and Elsa and many of her other friends and neighbors were God only knew where, right now. Like Clyde had
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