Force of Nature Read online

  “Maybe he’ll come out if you call his name,” Erin begged. “It’s Earl Grey. Maybe he’s hurt or scared, and just hiding.”

  Gable wanted to get the woman out of there. It went against her better judgment to spend time worrying over a cat, but something about Erin’s plea touched her deeply. So she hollered Earl’s name and kept an eye out for him as she dug through the wreckage, searching for the entrance to the basement. She came across a snowshoe. A green and white Michigan State University baseball cap. A diving mask and snorkel. Lots of mementos of Erin Richards’s life, but no door.

  “Erin, we need to concentrate on getting you out, then we can both look for your cat, okay?”

  “All right. I understand.”

  “It will help me if you can direct me to exactly where the door is,” Gable shouted. “It’s covered up.”

  “It’s outside the bathroom window.”

  Gable frowned. “That doesn’t help. Erin, I’m afraid your house is pretty much gone. It took a direct hit. There are no windows and no bathroom left.”

  There was a lengthy silence.

  “Erin? You still with me?”

  “The house is gone? Everything’s gone?”

  “Yes, I'm sorry. Try not to think about that now. Help me find you.”

  “Isn’t there anything at all I can save?”

  Gable looked around. “Maybe. It’s hard to tell—everything is all piled up. Erin, you can’t worry about that now. You gotta concentrate on helping me find you.”

  After another brief silence Erin hollered back. “The door is a couple of feet outside the house. About a third of the way down from the corner nearest the driveway.”

  “That’s great. Hang in there.”

  The area Erin described was covered by a large pile of wreckage, topped off by the stove. Gable cleared what she could, then put her back to the appliance to shove it out of the way.

  “Is more help coming?” Erin shouted.

  “As soon as they can.” Gable gave the stove another push, putting her long legs into it. A jagged edge tore her jeans, cutting into the flesh of her thigh. It wasn’t deep. She ignored it.

  The stove toppled off to one side. She dug through the rubble beneath it, spotted the edge of the big metal storm door, and cleared a space around it. The door was dented in and wouldn’t budge, despite her best efforts. She had to run back to the Jeep for her tire iron to get the job done.

  Several steps led downward, out of the rain. Following them, Gable found herself in a concrete basement about fifteen feet wide and thirty feet long. One wall was lined with shelves containing home-canned goods—peaches and pears and tomatoes in jars, undisturbed. Cardboard boxes and large plastic storage containers were stacked high along the opposite wall, each one carefully labeled—“Old dishes,” “Winter clothes,” “Christmas ornaments,” and the like.

  Two-thirds of the room was untouched by the tornado. Farther in, much of the ceiling had given way, toppling onto a desk and file cabinet. It caved in right over the only door. It had to be the bathroom. She knew she couldn’t move the enormous beam that blocked her way, and even if she could, doing so might bring the rest of the house down on top of both of them. It would take more than human hands to get the woman out of there.

  Picking her way through the rubble, she got as close to the door as possible. Creaks and groans from over her head were frequent, as though the remaining wreckage would collapse upon her at any moment. It was a scary, precarious situation. Her mouth was dry.

  you hear me, Erin?”

  “Thank God.” A muffled response filtered from the other side of the wall. “I’m here. In here.”

  “How you doing?” Gable glanced upward. A bit of sky was visible through a three-foot-wide hole above her and she felt a mist of rain against her face.

  “All right, I guess. I’ll be fine as soon as I’m out of here.”

  “The door is blocked on this side,” Gable said. “It’ll take heavy equipment to move everything out of the way safely, so you’ll have to be patient. It may be a while before anybody can get to you.”

  There was another long silence.

  “Erin? Keep talking to me. How you holding up?”

  “How much longer do you think it’ll be?”

  “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  Gable stepped back into the untouched half of the basement. She had turned her radio down, but she’d heard no letup in the turmoil of voices and static. Unclipping it from her belt, she increased the volume to listen to what was happening.

  Another tornado had touched down. Three homes were destroyed and six people were injured. Resources were stretched thin. When there was a break in the voices, she radioed in with an update.

  The dispatcher told her it would likely be morning before the required manpower and equipment could be spared to her location. But she wasn’t needed elsewhere at the moment, so she was free to stay and do what she could for Erin, at least for the time being.

  Amid more groans and creaks from overhead, she made her way back to the bathroom door and called, “Erin? You’re gonna have to be patient. We probably won’t be able to get to you until morning.”

  “Morning? You have to get me out of here! I can’t wait until morning!” There was a manic desperation to Erin’s voice.

  “Look, I know you’re scared. But you should try to stay calm.”

  “You don’t understand! I have claustrophobia! Really bad claustrophobia, know what I mean? I have to get out of here!”

  Oh great. What do I do now? Gable thought for a moment. Oddly enough, having Erin’s discomfort to focus on dispelled some of her own unease.

  “And there’s another problem,” Erin said, in a much more subdued voice.

  A chill ran over Gable and her arms puckered with goose bumps. Something about Erin’s tone told her this would not be good.

  “I’m terrified of the dark. It’s worse even than my claustrophobia.”

  Oh crap. “Well, that’s just a bit more of a challenge, that’s all.” Gable tried to keep her voice even and reassuring. She angled her head to see through the hole above her. Rain pelted her in the face. It was already early twilight. It would be dark in less than half an hour. “So…you still have some light to see by over there? Can you see the sky?”

  “There’s a hole in the ceiling near me. It’s been letting light in,” Erin said.

  “How big a hole?”

  “Couple of feet across, I guess.”

  Gable tried to picture where they were in the house in relation to the wreckage above. “Got anything you can stick up through the hole? A towel bar, a piece of wood or something?”

  She could hear sounds coming from the other side of the wall as Erin shifted things around. Before she could open her mouth to warn Erin, there was a loud crash as a piece of ceiling gave way above the bathroom.

  Hearing a sharp cry, Gable put her ear to the wall. “Erin? You okay?”

  “Damn! I pulled on the wrong piece of wood and the ceiling caved in. Well, part of it did, anyway. I have even less room to move around now, and I cut my arm.”

  “How bad is it? Do you have first aid supplies in there?”

  “It’s a pretty deep cut,” Erin said. “It’s not very big, but it’s bleeding quite a bit. I have a towel wrapped around it. I can’t get to my medicine cabinet.”

  “Is the hole in the ceiling above you big enough that I could maybe get some supplies through it to you?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “I’m going upstairs. See if you can find something to stick up through the hole to help me find you. But be careful!”

  “I’ve got a piece of wood that will reach,” Erin said.

  “Good.” Gable started toward the storm door but Erin’s voice stopped her.

  “Gable?”

  “Yeah, Erin?”

  “Would you have another look around for Earl Grey while you’re up there? Please?”

  “Sure.”

  On her
way back through the basement, Gable glanced again at the boxes. It was getting decidedly cooler out, and she felt a bit chilled in her soaked clothing. She imagined Erin might be feeling the same.

  “I see you have a box marked winter clothes out here," she called. "Are you warm enough or do you want me to try to get something to you?”

  “Yes! Some sweats would be great. Thanks.”

  Emerging through the storm door with the clothes, Gable discovered the wind had picked up considerably, but the rain had diminished to a steady patter. The sky was getting darker by the second.

  She opened the back of the Jeep and reached for the daypack SAR had issued her. She emptied it out and sorted through the contents, selecting a flashlight and extra batteries, three candles and matches, a bottle of water and two power bars. These went back into the pack along with the sweats and several items from her first aid kit. Antibiotic ointment. Gauze. Tape. An Ace bandage. The flashlight she kept in the glove compartment of the Jeep went into her back pocket. After tying one end of a twenty-five-foot length of thin nylon rope to the pack, she returned with it to the house.

  “Erin!” Her voice was getting hoarse from yelling. “Show me where you are!”

  Near the middle of the wreckage, a long strip of wood waved back and forth. The hole it came out of was a bit larger than a basketball hoop. Gable couldn’t get nearer than ten or fifteen feet. Too much debris was in the way, and the flooring around the hole was too uncertain. She didn’t want to bring more of it down on Erin’s head.

  Standing as close as she dared, she instructed, “Okay. Back away from the hole.”

  “Go ahead!”

  It took two tries to get the pack to Erin. After another quick look around for the cat, Gable headed back to the basement. The light was fading fast and she had to use her flashlight to find the bathroom door.

  “Erin? How you doing?”

  “Better. Warmer. I got a candle going and took care of my arm. It’s stopped bleeding.”

  “Good. Hey, you mind if I borrow some sweats? I got soaked through.”

  “Of course. Help yourself.”

  Gable found a lone large sweatshirt amid the preponderance of mediums, and managed to get on a pair of Erin’s sweatpants. They were tight and several inches too short, but she felt worlds better. As she changed, she listened to the radio traffic. It sounded as though things were finally beginning to quiet down. She returned to the door.

  “I’m back.”

  “Gable, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for everything you’re doing,” Erin said. “Especially for staying with me.”

  “I’m just sorry you’re stuck there till morning.” As soon as she'd spoken, Gable immediately regretted it. Why remind her she’s trapped, idiot? You need to be taking her mind off it.

  She found a spot near the door where she could sit comfortably out of the rain. Though she’d rather have been in the undamaged portion of the basement, the rain was really coming down again, and if she got farther away she and Erin would have to shout so loud to hear each other they’d be hoarse in no time. Even sitting just a few feet from the door, Gable had to raise her voice to be heard over the frequent downbursts.

  “I’d rather be anywhere else, that’s for sure,” Erin said. “I want to be out looking for Earl Grey. I keep hoping he’s just scared, and holed up somewhere.”

  “Well, if I’m not called away, I’ll go up at first light and have another look-see,” Gable promised.

  “Do you think you might be called away?”

  “Ya never know. It’s been a really wild, busy day. But I checked in not long ago and it sounds like things are quieting down. There haven’t been any tornados in a while. Not since it’s cooled off.”

  “I hope you can stay,” Erin said. “But I certainly will understand if you have to go help someone else who needs you worse than I do. You know, I was amazed at how fast you got here, by the way. I couldn’t believe it when I heard your voice. The tornado had just hit the house. Did you see it?”

  “I sure did. It was coming right at me. I had to dive into a storm pipe.”

  “Were you scared?”

  “Terrified. Absolutely terrified. You?”

  “I didn’t have time to be,” Erin answered. “I turned on the TV and saw we were under a tornado warning but I couldn’t find Earl Grey. I was down here looking for him when the house blew apart. It happened so fast I hardly had a chance to register what was happening. Not until it was over did it really hit me. I still don’t think it’s really sunk in fully yet. Probably won’t until I get out of here and see what’s left of my house.”

  “This half of the basement wasn’t badly hit. Everything in your bins down here is okay. And you might be able to salvage some things from upstairs. I saw a bookcase and some clothing.”

  There was a loud groan as debris above them shifted. Gable ducked just as a portion of the ceiling near her fell a foot and then inexplicably stopped. She held her breath, waiting for it to fall farther. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. You shouldn’t be sitting here. It’s too dangerous. But she felt compelled to stay within earshot of Erin. “How you doing over there?”

  “Could be better.” Erin’s voice seemed to get a bit higher whenever the ceiling shifted.

  “Let’s try to take your mind off where you are,” Gable suggested. “First, get as comfortable as you can. How much room you got? Can you lie down?”

  “More or less.”

  “Got a towel or something you can use as a pillow?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. Now I want you to close your eyes and try to relax. Concentrate on your breathing. Nice deep breaths. In and out. Pretend you’re someplace nice and peaceful.”

  “Okay.”

  “Good. Now describe where you are to me. Really be there. What do you see? Smell? Hear?” Gable cleared a path in the debris around her so she could stretch out her legs.

  “Hmm, let’s see…I’m lying on a beach. And that isn’t rain I’m hearing, it’s…the sound of the surf. The air smells like salt.”

  “Very good. Now I want you to try to relax. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Start anywhere. Whatever you want to share.”

  Chapter Two

  “Well, let’s see. I’m thirty-nine. Single. I teach music at the elementary and middle schools in Pine River. This is my first house—I bought it last summer after I moved here.”

  “So you’re new to the area?”

  “Yeah, you?”

  “I’ve been here just over a year. I live probably seven or eight miles north, about halfway between Pine River and Meriwether. Where did you move from?” Gable asked.

  “I was born in Petoskey, and lived there until I went to Kalamazoo to go to Western. After I got my teaching certificate, I wanted to move back up here somewhere but there were no jobs at all. I’ve been downstate—first in Mason for a couple of years, then in Grand Rapids, and most recently in Saint Joe. My job there was axed by budget cuts. Fortunately, I found this opening right after that. I love it up here.” Erin paused. “I also give piano lessons. Or at least I did. Any sign of my piano?”

  “Nope. Sorry.” Gable turned her flashlight off, conserving the battery. She could see a dim glow of light above her and through a tiny crack in the wall that separated her from Erin.

  “Oh well. I can get a new one.” Erin sighed. “It’s not like I had an emotional attachment to it.” There was another brief silence. “I sure hope Earl Grey shows up.”

  “I wish I could do more to find him.” Gable had never had a cat, believing them to be generally unsociable creatures that clawed the furniture. But it was obvious that Erin loved her pet, so she was genuinely sorry that Earl Grey had gone missing and was probably dead.

  “He’s a sweetheart.” Erin's voice was husky with emotion. “He sleeps tucked up against my neck every night.”

  Gable didn’t know what to say. “Erin, do you hav
e a place to stay after this?”

  It was strange, she felt oddly protective of this woman, though she barely knew her. She felt as though she had a personal stake in Erin’s future, and that realization surprised her. Is it because we’re surviving this together? Because we’ve had this shared, life-altering experience? She’d heard of that happening. Bonding from sharing adversity. That’s what makes friends for life.

  “I hadn’t thought of that. I’m homeless! Jesus. That’s a reality check. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  “The Red Cross will be sending people in,” Gable said. “I can put you in touch with them. Or if there’s anything I can do…” What were you just about to volunteer? You were going to invite her to stay with you, weren’t you? You don’t even know her. The impulse disconcerted her. A very private person, Gable rarely welcomed overnight guests who weren’t members of her immediate family.

  “Thanks, but that’s not necessary. I’ll figure something out. I could go stay with my mother,” Erin considered aloud. “But I’ll want to be nearby while I go through everything—see what I can salvage. And figure out what I’m going to do. Maybe I’ll stay at the Blue Moose for a while.”

  Gable was familiar with the place. It was a motel on the outskirts of Pine River that consisted of neat log cabin units, set off by themselves in the woods. “Erin, I don’t mean to get too personal. If you don’t want to answer this I’ll certainly understand. But…are you insured? You going to be okay?”

  “I do have insurance, and it’ll cover everything, I hope. I should be able to rebuild.”

  Gable found herself unexpectedly pleased to hear that Erin would remain in the area. “I’m glad you’re not going to let this chase you away.”

  “Oh, it couldn’t do that. I have a great job, and I love it up here with all the trees and animals.”

  “Me too.”

  “Besides, what are the chances that tornadoes would hit the same place twice?”

  Gable found herself smiling. “That’s a good way to look it at.”

  “Well, my mother always told me…when things look bad, take a deep breath and count your blessings. Try to look on the bright side. Then forge ahead! I guess the bright side of this is that I can design my new house to be exactly the way I want it. No more ratty carpet. No more drafty patio door. And I can finally get a bathtub and some storage space.”