Page 103 of Escaping Our Reality

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She can’t hide the scowl on her face. “Trash, it’s Ella Hill.”

She squeezes her eyes closed, fighting her anger. Like me, she’s probably grown to hate the sound of his voice in general. But… he’s still my brother. Nice to know he’s still alive.

“No. I’m just calling to make sure you weren’t physically injured by the tornado. And Larry and Cindy?”

…

“No, he’s with me. Town is a complete mess. We are trying to help where needed.”

She doesn’t mention Ray and Teresa. Smart move.

“Don’t start with me.” Her tone scares even me. “I’ll let him know you’re all safe.” She hangs up the phone and just gives me a simple nod.

She’s so damn remarkable.

I turn onto the small access road. I can barely function enough to lower the window, to talk to the officer. I give him our names, and he tells us where to pull in. “That’s as far as you’ll be able to drive. Clemson said you have a chainsaw and some axes?”

I clear my throat, trying to talk. I can’t so I just nod. “Take them with you. Anything that can help.”

I reach across the console, wrapping my hand around Lulu’s. She’s shaking like a leaf.

And as we approach what used to be the neighborhood that her aunt and uncle lived in, she gasps.

War zone doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Chapter 42

CRUTCH

My shoulders ache.

I’m carrying the chainsaw on one shoulder and the two axes on the other shoulder. And Lulu actually took the belt from my jeans, slid it through the handle of the gasoline tank, and wrapped it caddy-corner around my body, like I’m some girl, carrying a purse.

She’s hauling the tarp and flashlights. We’ve stopped here and there on our trek to the middle of the neighborhood to Ray and Teresa’s house. Lulu gave away one of the tarps to someone whose roof was entirely missing from their living room. Apparently, the lady had antique furniture from her great-grandmother and she was terrified it would ruin in the elements. So many other people could use the other tarp, but Lulu refuses to let it go in case Ray and Teresa need it. I’ve already used the chainsaw and axes more in the past hour than I ever have in my entire life.

We’ve seen houses completely blown off their foundation, like someone picked it up and dropped it down, fifteen feet to the left. We’ve seen houses completely split in two from trees. One house even had a car in its bathroom, sitting right on top of the bathtub.

We turn onto Ray and Teresa’s street, and Lulu immediately starts running. The sun is starting to set, casting everything in the glow of twilight, and she has a hard time seeing anything with all of the branches and limbs scattered everywhere. She stumbles a few times, the heavy weight of the tarp pulling herforward. I jog as fast as I can, but the sloshing gasoline makes me go slower. “Lulu, slow down!”

It’s a moot point. Telling Lulu what to do on a day like today is like trying to tell the sun not to shine.

I can’t believe my eyes when I get to the middle of the street. Standing there, like a flower among the weeds, are three houses, completely and totally unscathed from the damage and destruction. One of them is Ray and Teresa’s house. I mean, it doesn’t even look like one single shingle is missing. They have a few small twigs and leaves scattered across the groomed yard, but that’s it.

Teresa has Lulu wrapped in a death grip when I finally make it up the driveway. I’ve barely put the chainsaw and axes down on the ground when Teresa flings her arms around me, enveloping me in a hug. Once again, I’m reminded of the family I should’ve had. And it makes me miss my grandpa and grandma.

“I’m so glad you kids are okay. I was terrified for you.” She wipes the tears from her eyes. “For everyone.”

“Raylee?”

Teresa turns to Lulu, holding her cell phone in the air. “I just talked to her about fifteen minutes ago. Service has been terrible for everyone in the neighborhood since the storm came though.”

“I can’t believe your house didn’t get hit,” I say.

She shrugs in disbelief. “It’s unexplainable.” She coughs, choking back emotion. She points to the house on the left. “The Conways are fine.” She switches to the house on the right. “And Mrs. Tucker too. She’s widowed. We actually had her with us when the tornado came through.”

“Where’s Uncle Ray and Holt? Ridge?” Lulu looks around, searching.

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