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Hurricane

Mike Berger

    Siren screamed out their ominous warnings. The trees around my little shop stood perfectly still. It was the calm before the storm. Plywood covered the windows of my little tackle store. I was ready for the most severe storm. I had been down the road before. The walls of the shop where reinforced with steel beams.
    Retreating to the back of the store where I had made in addition. Built entirely of steel reinforced cinder block, it would withstand hurricane 5 winds. My only concern was the roof that might be blown away and end up in a neighbors yard.
    There were no subtle precursors to the violent wind. It rattled the plywood on the windows, and I could hear shingles being ripped away. The roar was a banshee screaming as it blew down the alley next to the shop. Peeking out of crack between the wall and plywood, I watched a tree being ripped from its moorings. My eye was caught by motion. There across the street was the figure of a woman. She was leaning desperately into the wind. A stiff knocked her to the ground.
    Clicking open the deadbolt on the front door, I bolted out into the storm. The wind was at my back and I had to run full blast to keep from being blown over. Dropping to my knees at her side she was unconscious. Her matted hair was covered with blood. I brushed it from her face. Knocked from her feet, she had banged her head. Oozing blood, she had an acre of road rash on her cheek and a deep gash on her forehead. Struggling to find my cell phone, I dialed 911. I had to dial a dozen times before the call went through. I explained the situation and gave the location. The dispatcher said it would be sometime before help could arrive.
    Knowing I couldn’t carry her to the shop facing the howling wind, I laid down beside her on the bitter cold concrete stretching my hand over her face, snuggling up I gave her what warmth I could. My back took the brunt of the debris that was blowing all around us. Small rocks and shingles pelted my back. A stabbing pain ricocheted through my body as a shard of broken glass stabbed into my shoulder. I knew better than to pull it out as I would bleed like a stuck pig. A wave of nausea washed over me but I caught it in my throat.
    Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. Dime sized hail began to pound; it left red welts where the bit into raw flesh. I tried my best to cover the woman’s body as she began to convulse. Her body shook from head to toe as hail pelted on her. There was nothing more I could do. Suddenly, brilliant white light lit the skies as two telephone wires arced together. Sparks became fireflies dancing all around us.
    I began wondering if help would ever arrive. The sidewalk around us had turned white with piles of hail. I began to shake as the bitter cold set in. My teeth chattered but I managed to brush they hail from her face. As I was about to lose consciousness, I heard sirens coming our way. Before I knew what had happened, two paramedics were kneeling beside me. I choked out that I was okay. They didn’t bother to check her vitals but loaded her in the ambulance. They helped me to my feet and put me in the cab. It was a wild ride to the hospital as the wind blew our high profile vehicle all over the road.

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