Читать книгу The Barkuu - Lauren Wright - Страница 19

"Hurry Sam, we have to go," Jenna said.

"I know we do, dear; I'm almost done," Sam replied from under the RV.

"Don't rush him, Mom. Let him concentrate," Onyana chimed in.

About an hour from the shelter, they had a tire blow. Sam had repaired it, inflated it, and was now attempting to reinstall the tire.

They had been there several hours, and the Cloud was about an hour and a half away. It took another fifteen minutes to tighten the lugs and pack everything up.

He hopped in the RV, and they took off, trying to make up time. If they hurried, they could get there just before the Cloud hit. If any more problems arose, they would be left out in the open.

They were driving for about ten minutes when they saw a woman carrying a small child. She was making her way to the road, waving at them and screaming. They came to a screeching halt and jumped out of the RV to help her.

"Hurry, Sweetie; we have to go. Come now." Jenna put her arm around her and coaxed her to the RV.

"There's more," Kelly said.

"How many?" Sam asked, "And where are they?"

"I don't know, just…"

"I don't see them, Sam. We don't have time," Jenna said worriedly. "If we stay, we'll die."

Sam looked back the forest; he couldn't see anyone close, "Get in the RV. We have to go, now. I'm sorry about your friends."

Kelly sat down in the RV and said, "Not my friends... not my freiin.." and she passed out.

Jenna laid her down and helped Mika off her lap. Kelly's head was bleeding, and Mika sounded worried as she asked, "Is she going to be okay?"

Sam punched the gas and got them back on the road.

Mika looked up and for the first time, realized that she was face to face with Onyana, her idol. The look in Onyana's eyes was of sympathy, and it reminded her of Kelly's condition.

But even then, Mika was stunned by her beauty. Onyana took Mika into her arms and squeezed her. "I'm so sorry, sweetie, but she's going to be just fine. Don't worry; she's just resting."

Sam was driving crazy, and they were getting tossed around, but Onyana did her best to compensate.

"How much further?" Jenna asked, bracing herself on the dash and armrest.

"Only about twenty minutes." And with that, they both looked to the sky to see it turn black with birds fleeing the Cloud.

"Watch out!" Jenna yelled. Sam looked down to see all kinds of animals fleeing and crossing the road.

Sam slammed on the breaks, sending them into a skid.

"You can't stop! You have to keep going; just don't hit them," Jenna proded. He proceeded much more slowly, but up ahead a herd of deer was crossing the road. Sam skidded to a stop. Hitting a deer could disable the RV. He was laying on the horn, but the deer kept coming.

Plumes of pink started appearing in the distance, spanning the horizon. "GO, SAM!" Jenna screamed. Sam gunned the RV and slammed into the first of the deer that were in front of the vehicle, pushing one out of the way and running over the hind end of another one.

The deer elicited a blood-curdling scream that ended in a sickening gurgle as they rolled over it. The rest darted out of the way at the last second, and they plowed forward, honking continuously to scare the animals out of the road.

The Cloud drew near ever faster; the ground beneath grew dark and glowed iridescent purple with flashes of lightning. Fires blazed in the distance. They had anticipated this, and their shelter was in a clearing, nothing around to burn for several acres if they could only reach it.

"There, just ahead, the edge of the forest, just a couple miles ahead. Punch it!" Jenna wasn't typically a backseat driver, but tensions were high. Sam concentrated on the road.

Kelly was still unconscious but seemed to be stable. Onnie was sitting next to her holding Mika, who clung to her for dear life.

"Shhh, little baby, don't say a word," Onnie whispered to Mika, stroking her hair. Jenna had turned around to check on them to see Onnie comforting the child. Onnie would make such a wonderful mother, she thought, and oh how she would love to be a grandmother.

Her eyes watered, and she smiled at the thought. Then a look of resolve crossed her face. It was the spark of resolve that drives people to give every scrap of their being to make it through the peril. She turned around and glared at the Cloud.

The Cloud filled the horizon and dominated everything you could see. It rolled through with its deceivingly beautiful plumes and bright lightning — all under-lit with forest fires.

It was getting darker now; the Cloud was moving just ahead of dusk, creating a powerful effect. Jenna had gone quiet and was in awe. "I hope you're getting pictures at least," Sam said half-heartedly.

Jenna looked at him with a puzzled look. "What?"

Sam grabbed her hand and said, "We're gonna make it out of this, and I want pictures of that." Sam forced a smile, and Jenna got out her camera.

She was taking a video; the Cloud was close. The lightning flashed like malicious Christmas lights in the not so distant horizon. "There!" Sam yelled and pointed to a road a quarter mile ahead on the right.

He slowed down as little as possible and veered onto the dirt road, causing the RV to skip and bounce around. Sam pulled through it like a champ; he had put a lot of miles on this RV.

In the back, Onnie held Mika tightly to her with one hand and secured Kelly with the other. As they turned right and slid around the corner, the Cloud commanded their entire view.

Mika looked up and gasped. Onnie put her hand over her eyes with her other hand and tucked in her head. "Don't look, child, we'll be fine." She stroked Mika's hair and whispered, "And if that diamond ring don't shine..."

"We're almost there, girls, just a little bit more," Jenna assured them and turned around. The Cloud was so close that the lightning strikes were visible on the ground, and the thunder was constant.

Jenna had the camera still rolling, "I think we're gonna make it, Sam. It's just up ahead," she was assuring them both.

"There!" Sam blurted out. "There it is, less than half a mile. We won't be able to unload anything, but we can beat the Cloud, I think." Sam gave it more gas, causing the RV to skid to the side.

He was already pushing it on the dirt road; there would be no chance of reacting to something. Fingers crossed that no more animals kamikazed their vehicle.

Sam pushed harder and the RV fishtailed, but he got it under control. Onyana was in the back, watching the whole thing. She was impressed with her father's driving. They were going to make it, after all. She found herself smiling when she saw the object shoot straight down and impact their shelter. Sam let off the gas.

The next few seconds seemed to take an eternity to play out. The object hit the ground with such force, such finality, that for a second it seemed like there would be no response.

Sam, Jenna, and Onnie just stared forward in disbelief. They had come so far, everything leading up to this. And they weren't going to make it.

An invisible wave flattened the landscape and was followed by a wave of earth and fire. Trees and bushes seemed to blur as the wave reached it, having been obscured by the dust.

Mobilized objects peaked through the wall as it approached them. Sam and Jenna reached out for one another and looked back to Onnie, they both smiled. Onnie, sitting in the back holding Mika, lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Pretty girl," she said as she kissed her head.

The shock wave raised the road in front of them like a ripple in a flag. It reached the RV and blew out the windows with extreme force and a bright light.