Page 59 of Waves of Fury

I motion for Dan to hand me one of the extra coats we brought with us and then pull another one off the loop of my backpack. We’d held on to the extras in case we needed them for warmth. Once I have both the coats, I hand them over to Mallory. She and Katie quickly pull them on, zip them up, and don the hoods before revealing any information.

“My dad told us to stay in our dorm rooms. That it would be safe,” Mallory says, sniffling. “But then there were earthquakes. Bad ones. We barely made it off campus with the clothes on our backs.”

“Where are you headed?” I ask. “Are there any FEMA camps anywhere? The military?”

“Our phones stopped working,” Katie says. “So other than what we could hear on one local station on the radio, we’re not sure.”

“What did the radio station say?” Kellen asks.

“That we’re fucked,” Mallory bites out bitterly. “The whole world is crumbling and going to hell. Granny may’ve been a moonie, but she was right, God bless her soul.”

I bristle at the mention of a fellow moon maniac. Whenever I think of those crazies, I can’t help but get sucked into thoughts of my parents. Now is certainly not the time to think about them.

“Can you elaborate?” Kellen questions with impressive patience.

“Texas and Ohio are gone,” Katie croaks out. “Both the entire eastern and western seaboards are gone. They said all of Europe and South America are gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” I ask, glancing over at Kellen, whose features have tightened as though he’s in pain.

“Sunk into the earth, underwater, or a blazing inferno,” Mallory says. “That’s why we’re trying to hurry to Oklahoma where we’re from. It might be safe.”

Might.

“Where is the station broadcasting from?” Dan asks.

“Stove Pipe Wells,” Mallory replies. “It’s a tiny blip on the map from what we can see, but the man on the radio said they have shelter, medical personnel, and food. We figured we’d stop on our way to Oklahoma. Neither of us has eaten all day or even slept, for that matter.”

Kellen slowly approaches. Both girls eye him warily but don’t move away. “Let us change the tire. You can rest and eat with us and then can we please send our friend Elise with you? She’s been burned and in agony. The rest of us can catch up to you at Stove Pipe Wells, but in the meantime, she’ll have access to the medical staff.”

The two girls exchange a look and then Mallory speaks. “Okay, we’ll take your friend.”

I let out a breath of relief. Kellen shoots me a small smile before he waves Wayne over. Kellen takes Elise from Wayne, who then offers to change the tire.

“Let’s set up camp,” Kellen says to our group. “Start a fire and get some food in our bellies. The sooner we can all crash, the sooner we can then get Elise some help.”

Everyone snaps into action while Wayne tends to the car. Once Hope and Aaron manage to erect one of the tents, we get Elise settled inside. Kellen tries to make a fire after we’ve gathered enough sticks and kindling. As soon as the first flame flickers to life, I feel a thousand times better already. Minutes later, it’s roaring and everyone, including the newcomers, are standing as close as possible to the much-needed heat.

Judy and Hailey share some of the food from their backpacks with the girls while I set to putting up the tent I plan on sharing with Kellen. I’d meant it that I wanted to snuggle with him to stay warm. But now that the worst feels as though it’s behind us, I’m curious if he’d do more.

The chemistry between us, though completely inconvenient, is palpable. Having a night of privacy in our own tent sounds like bliss to me.

I don’t stick around to find out where everyone else is bedding down for the night, instead choosing to follow Kellen into the tent. It’s illuminated by the fire outside, so there’s no need for using the battery-operated lantern or flashlights. We share a quick dinner of pistachios, protein bars, and bottled water. He’s somber and quiet despite the excitement of having a ride for Elise.

“Everything okay?” I ask as I pull off one of my boots.

Kellen grunts. “My brother and dad are in Texas, you know? I don’t know their fate. Did they make it out alive? Are they looking for me?” His voice cracks at the end. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be a buzzkill.”

I wait until he stretches out on the open bedroll and then ease down next to him. He pulls the bed covering over both of us and zips it up to bundle us inside.

“You’re not being a buzzkill,” I tell him once I’m no longer shivering and inhaling his musky masculine scent that he’d been embarrassed about just yesterday. “You’re worried about your family. I get it.”

He sighs heavily. “I’m not on the best terms with my brother and refuse to speak to my father, but…”

“But you still love them.”

“Yeah. I do.”

I splay my palm over his chest. He covers it with his own hand, squeezing it.

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