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“No!” Eva tugged harder on her father’s grasp. She had to get to them.
“No, Eva. There’s no time.”
Her mother bounded down the stairs. Something was in her hand. She looked to Eva, and as if reading her mind, she picked Tom up off the floor and joined them at the closet.
“Cutting it close,” her father said as he closed the door behind them.
The noise outside was almost deafening now. The weather was on top of them, shattering the windows, demolishing the roof, shaking the walls...
After they sank down onto the floor of the tiny space, her mom placed her arm around Eva’s shoulders and handed her Tom. Eva buried her head in him and began to cry.
“Evangeline, hang in there. We’re gonna make it.” Her mother rubbed her arm with a comforting touch. “Look what I got.” Eva looked up. It was dark, but she could make out what her mother held. A picture in a frame, one she’d seen a million times. A photo of them. “We can rebuild. All these things are replaceable. Except the people in this picture. We are lucky to be together.”
Eva threw herself into her mother’s arms as a crash sounded right outside the door. Something big had just been forced through the house.
“Mommy!” Eva screamed.
Her father wrapped his arms around them both.
“We’re okay. We’re okay.” Did her mother’s voice hold a slight tremble?
She gripped her parents and Tom tighter as her mom’s voice filled the air, singing the song “You Are My Sunshine.”
The monster storm became deafening, and she couldn’t hear the song. Then the ceiling ripped off the closet. A dark sky swirled above them, and cold wind whipped her face. She screamed...
“Evangeline, wake up, you’re having a nightmare.”
Her eyes peeled opened as she sat up with a jerk, sweat trickling down her neck as she took in her surroundings. She was safe—well, safe as could be in a lean-to. The wind whipped outside, but dawn was upon them.
Her heaving breaths slowed, and she said, “I’m okay.”
Krieger rubbed her back. “Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Well, if you do, I’m a good listener.”
She shrugged off his touch. “You should have woken me sooner, you’ve hardly slept.”
He threw up his hands in defense. “I thought you needed the rest.”
“What I need is to go home and make sure my crew does too.” Her voice was laced with venom.
She hated being this girl. Hated these damn memories that plagued her. Hated that she wanted him—needed him...
“Angel, it doesn’t have to be this way.” His words were tender, soft. “You can talk to me.”
A fire coursed through her veins. “Talk to you and tell you what exactly?” She was on her feet, pacing the small space. “That I can’t shake the memories of the past, of my mom, the earth falling apart, or killing...”
She couldn’t finish that sentence. Being on the road again, with comforting arms, had just made the night terrors worse. The past had slammed to the forefront of her mind, and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it.
“Talking about it, Krieger, won’t change what already is. I—” Her voice broke, and tears pooled in her eyes. “I’ve done things that I can’t change, so I wouldn’t...” Can’t lose anyone else.
She dropped to her knees and started packing their belongings. They had rested long enough, they needed to start their way back to Everwood today.
Her breaths were coming fast as she began to roll up the pelt. She could hear his footsteps as he closed the distance between them and knelt behind her. She tried to ignore his presence but then his strong hand rested on her shoulder. Warmth and comfort washed over her. She slowed her movements, then stopped them altogether before leaning back against his chest.
He engulfed her in his large frame, and she let him. He made her feel like nothing would ever hurt her again. That the past couldn’t harm her here, in his embrace.
