Page 127 of This Time Around
My gaze stayed glue on the doors, dented.Covered.
As soon as the storm was done, as soon as he could, Jordan would get to me.He’d know exactly where to look.
I shoved aside the small bed as another pounding sound, this one worse, whipped into the air above me.Screeching.Crashing.Pounding and thundering, and my whole body trembled with fear as I curled into a ball and pulled the mattress over me.
Then, I closed my eyes and I prayed for every single person I knew, hundreds I’d never met and probably never would.But for the first time in almost a year, I closed my eyes and I prayed to a God I was certain had deserted me, that he’d hear my cries and he’d keep every single one of us completely safe.
Thump.
“Rebecca!”
Thump.
“Rebecca!”
Thump.
My eyes opened and I was covered in dark.Weight pressed down on me, but I quickly remembered where I was and shoved the mattress off me.
“Oh my God.”I groaned, stretched my legs.Pain shot up my shoulder and my fingers were numb.
I’d fallen asleep, finally, while storms careened over me.
Thump.
Voices.More than one echoed through the metal door.
I scrambled to my feet, shaking off the numbness from my hands while I ran the length of the shelter, up the small stairs.My palm slapped the metal doors.“Hello?”
“Rebecca!”
Jordan.Thank God.“I’m here!”
“Hold on, honey.We’ll get you out.You’ve got a tree on the doors.We’re getting ready to saw!”
“Okay!”I shouted back and headed down the stairs.My fingers tangled together and I stepped back.Waited.
The buzz of a saw echoed through the door.It lasted forever until finally,finally, the doors were peeled open.Men’s grunts filtered down and then bright sun shone through, illuminating everything.
I covered my eyes from the bright light, carefully walking up.
But Jordan was there, rushing down.“Hey there.”He pulled me into his arms, hugged me so tightly.His voice quaked.
“I’m okay.I’m okay.”
“Holy shit, I was so damn scared for you.Cell towers are down all over and I couldn’t leave the resort last night.We lost power and I had to stay, but fuck it killed me to not know what happened here.”
“I’m fine.It’s okay.See?”I stepped back and raised my arms.“I’m safe.But I’m ready to get out of here.How bad is it up there?”
He flinched.Jordan never flinched.“What is it?”I asked, already trying to push by him but my brother wasn’t only tall and large, he was strong.
“Wait.”
“Why?What happened.”
“Rebecca.”His hand went to my shoulder and he squeezed.And, if I saw it correctly, his chin trembled.Jordan wasn’t just strong physically, but emotionally.He held me up through so much, what I saw on his face terrified me.
“Jordan?”
