Page 5 of Burn Point

It took another thirty minutes of navigating debris and picking my way around downed power lines to finally get close enough to really see the house, which was mostly buried under a massive tree.

Fuck.

The tree had collapsed most of the exterior wall, and most of the roof was torn off. If anyone was alive in there, it would be a miracle.

“Hello!” I called, then waited.

“Hello! Is anyone in here?” I stepped onto the porch, testing the boards as I inched forward. The tree groaned and popped. The building shuddered under my feet. I paused to assess which route to take, realization dawning that this house was about to fully collapse.

“Hello!” I shouted a last time, then listened intently.

A rhythmic noise caught my attention, followed by a muffled, “Here.”

Adrenaline raced through my system as I picked my way into the unstable structure.

“Keep talking to me. I’m trying to get to you,” I ordered, scanning a flashlight across the area, looking for the best path. Who could survive this destruction?

“I’m here,” came a shaky voice, a little louder this time. It was high-pitched, exhausted, definitely female.

“Ok, I hear you. Keep talking, sweetheart. I’m on my way.” My response was unprofessional, but who cared.

I braced myself on a beam, treading carefully through the remnants of a hallway. My pulse raced, my muscles hurt, and my lungs heaved, but by God, I was getting this woman out of here.

“Can you walk?” Maybe I could talk her into meeting me.

“I don’t know. I’m sort of —”

I rounded the doorway, the beam of my flashlight landing on a slight figure buried under a large branch. Her arm rose to cover her eyes.

“— trapped,” she finished.

I shined the light over her, trying to see where she was pinned. On one end, she might be able to crawl through.

“Are you injured, or just buried under this mess?” With any luck, she’d be able to assist me in getting her out. But since she was still here, hours after the tornado had been through, I’d probably need to pull her free.

“Well, my leg hurts pretty bad,” she said with a shaky voice.

I crept closer, shoving debris out of my way. The walls and floor of the house creaked with each movement. Fuck, we needed to hurry.

When I got close enough to reach her, I dropped my bag and offered my hand. “Take my hand. I’m going to pull you this way. Can you do that?”

“I’ll try.”

She took my hand, but with my tug she let out a piercing cry.

“Stop! My leg is caught.”

I stopped pulling and leaned back, studying the situation. The tree groaned and popped around us.

I leaned over her to find a two-by-four fragment protruding from the quilt covering her, blood staining the edge of impingement.

It was going to hurt like a bitch to move her. And I didn’t have enough time to truly assess the situation and stabilize her.

I needed to get her free because we had to move.

Now.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” I had to keep her talking while we did this. Maybe if I distracted her enough, I could tug her out.

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