Twist of Fate

by Parker, Syd

  “Yeah, I…I…th…think…s…so.” Peter’s teeth were chattering. The shock was making him cold and she needed to get him calmed down.

  “Hey, Peter, can you take a couple of deep breaths?” She rubbed his arms vigorously trying to get him warm. “Just think about someplace warm, okay?”

  Peter managed to shake his head up and down.

  Remy found several small pieces of wood and using strips she made out of her sweatshirt, she gently bound his leg, stabilizing it against further movement. “All set, Peter. Think you can hang out here for a bit while I check things out.”

  Another shake of the head and a small smile and Remy was off. She headed around what would have been the back of the house where she’d seen Carmen head earlier. “C? C? Where are you?”

  “Help!”

  A chill ran up Remy’s spine. She’d heard those pleas before. “Hang on, I’m coming!” She tried to locate the voice. “Where are you?”

  “Here! Here!” A muffled voice came from a pile of rubble two houses down.

  Remy jumped around debris, following the voice. “Hello?”

  “I’m here, please help me.”

  Remy’s eyes searched what was left of the house. She spotted a mattress with a large tree branch lying on top of it. She started climbing over the rubble, throwing pieces of it aside as she made her way to the mound where she’d heard the voice. She bent over and saw a hand reaching out from beneath the tattered fabric. “Hey, hey. I’m here. You okay?”

  “I’m okay, but please my daughter’s under here and she’s not moving. Please help her!”

  Remy felt her heart drop. It was happening all over again. Here she was facing death again.

  “Please, get us out of here.”

  Remy gulped. “I’m coming, I’m coming. I’m going to get you out.” She eyed the massive branch and knew from the circumference that she wasn’t moving it on her own. “C! C! Where are you?” She waited, praying for her to respond.

  “Yo, Rem. Over here.” Carmen came around a tall pile carrying a small dog, who was huddled against her body. “Whatchu got?”

  Remy nodded towards the mattress. “Got at least two in there. Mother and daughter. We have to get them out.” She leaned towards Carmen and spoke softly. “Mom says her daughter is not moving.”

  “Oh shit.” Carmen set the puppy down on a patch of bare grass and pushed her sleeves up. “Then we better get the fucking thing off.” She looked around, scanning for something to help move the tree. Not seeing anything, she wiped her brow in exasperation.

  “Please hurry.” The voice pleaded again. “You have to get my daughter out.”

  Remy shook her head. “We’ve got to figure something out. We gotta get her out.”

  She knelt down and peaked under the mattress. “Ma’am, here’s the situation. You’ve got a large tree sitting on top of you. I’m not sure we can get it off without help. What we’re going to try to do for now is get your daughter out from under there so we can get her taken care of. We’re gonna need your help if you can manage.”

  “Yes anything. I’ll do anything.” She said quickly. Her voice was shaking and her breath was coming in loud, ragged gasps.

  “Ma’am, my name’s Remy and we’re gonna get through this. What’s your name?” Remy knew she needed to keep her calm if she had any hopes of getting them both out alive. “Christine.”

  “Christine, what’s your daughter’s name?”

  “Sarah, her name’s Sarah.”

  Remy’s heart jumped. She didn’t believe in coincidences. Something had brought her here today, and to this exact spot, because she was meant to save this little girl. More resolute now, she was wholly focused on the small little girl who desperately needed her help. “Okay, Christine, we’re gonna get Sarah out. She’s gonna be okay, I promise. I need you to tell me if you can feel her. Is she close to you?”

  “I can feel her hand, that’s all.” Christine said quickly.

  “Okay, that’s good. Has she moved since the mattress fell on you?”

  “No, no, she hasn’t. Please, get her out. She’s all I have.”

  Remy looked at Carmen, fear in her eyes. Carmen nodded at her, silently telling her it would be okay. She would be fine. “Christine, where is she in relation to you?”

  “She’s by my leg.”

  Remy slid her arm under the mattress. “Can you touch my hand?”

  She felt ice cold fingers graze hers. “Okay, is that your right hand or left?”

  “My left.”

  “Is Sarah on your right or your left?”

  “My…my right.”

  Remy frowned. Sarah’s position in relation to Christine’s body meant she was under the side of the mattress where the heavier part of the branch rested. She prayed the little girl was all right. She had to be, she had promised her mother she would be okay.

  Remy looked up at Carmen. “I need a really strong board, narrow if possible and some smaller, thicker boards that we can wedge underneath it. Ones without sharp edges if possible.”

  Carmen nodded and started searching the piles around them.

  “Okay, Christine, here’s what we are going to do.” Remy outlined her plan, the entire time praying that it worked.

  Carmen started bringing boards back and stacking them at Remy’s feet. “’Kay, tell me what to do?”

  “I’m going to slide this long one in. Christine, you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m going to slide the first board in. Christine, I need you to place it as close to Sarah as you can. We’ll start using the smaller boards and wedge them under the first one. Hopefully, we will get enough space in there that you can slide Sarah to me.” Remy rubbed her hands together nervously. “Everybody ready?”

  Christine said yes almost before she asked the question.

  “Okay, let’s do this.” Remy slid the first board under the mattress, meeting resistance almost immediately. She grunted loudly, trying to shove it under, not wanting to hit Christine. “Hey, Christine, can you put your hand on the edge of the board and kind of guide it in?”

  “I don’t know. My arm’s pinned.”

  “Shit!” Remy swore softly. “This is going to be harder than I thought. C, we’re going to have to start wedging the boards under there further out and hope we can slide them under this one enough to lift the mattress up.”

  Carmen glanced at Remy and pointed at her watch. “This needs to happen fast. She’s been under there at least fifteen minutes.” Carmen whispered so as not to scare Christine.

  Remy nodded. “Okay, Christine. We’re going with Plan B. It’s going to be a little more uncomfortable for you, but it should work.”

  “O…okay.” Christine’s voice shook. “Anything, just please get Sarah out.”

  Remy pulled the board up and nodded at Carmen. “Start sticking them under here. We’ll work our way back to Sarah.”

  “Si.” Carmen pushed the first piece of wood in with a loud grunt.

  “That’s it, keep them coming.” Remy strained against the weight on top of the board. Carmen shoved another piece of wood under the board, followed by three more in succession. She could finally see Christine’s arm under the mattress and she felt the first glimmer of hope. “That’s it. It’s working.”

  Carmen brought more pieces and shoved them under quickly. “I think it’s working, Chica.”

  “Me too.” Remy said excitedly. “Christine, how’s it feeling? Can you breathe a little more?”

  “Yes, yes, it’s better. Hurry!”

  Remy’s arms shook violently with exhaustion. She’d been holding the board now for what seemed like an eternity. She wasn’t sure where the strength was coming from, but she imagined the adrenaline pumping through her veins had something to do with it. She could make out Christine’s shoulder now. She saw dried blood caked on her arm and hoped the cuts weren’t bad. “How’s the pain, Christine?”

  “Feels like I got run over by a tornado.” Christine said wi
th a nervous chuckle.

  Remy smiled, her sense of humor was still intact. That was a good sign. “You should see the other guy, right?”

  Remy felt a surge of energy. “Come on, girls. Let’s finish this.” She peered under the mattress. “Christine, can you move enough to pull Sarah out?”

  Christine grunted loudly. “I…I think so.”

  Remy waited for what seemed like an eternity when she felt a small hand brush hers. “I’ve got her. I’ve got her!” She eased the small body out and leaned over her quickly. She grabbed her wrist and felt for a pulse. Finally, she felt a weak tremor and she cried out hysterically. “She’s okay, she’s okay! She’s just unconscious. I can’t tell for sure if she’s got any broken bones, but she’s okay.”

  “Oh my god, thank you!” Christine whispered quietly.

  Remy’s eyes covered Sarah’s body, looking for signs of bruising or internal bleeding. There was a possibility that Sarah had a concussion and she would need to be checked by a doctor, but otherwise she seemed no worse for wear.

  “Hhh-hmmm.” Christine wriggled her hand. “Do you think you could get me out? My bladder’s about to burst.”

  Remy laughed out loud. Her fear gave way to relief, and she felt a rush of emotions flood her body. “I think that can be arranged.”

  It took them another twenty minutes to create a big enough space to pull Christine out. When she wriggled free, she crawled towards Sarah’s body and hugged her tightly. “You’re okay, baby, we’re going to be okay. Mommy’s got you now.”

  She pushed herself off the ground and threw her arms around Remy and Carmen. “Thank you so much. You saved our lives.”

  Remy blushed. “We were just in the right place at the right time.”

  “God sent you here. We are forever in your debt.”

  “Back here!”

  Remy turned and saw several first responders rounding what was left of the houses behind them. She squeezed Christine’s arm. “They need to check Sarah out, make sure the concussion isn’t serious.”

  She started to walk away with Carmen when Christine’s hand pulled her back. “Thank you, Remy. I’ll never forget what you did for us.”

  Remy smiled and waved, stepping aside as the paramedics swarmed around Christine and her daughter. They were safe now and that was all that mattered.

  Chapter 17

  Sarah brought the car to a screeching halt on the outskirts of Birmingham. “Shit!” She could see large pieces of debris flying around the base of the massive wedge tornado, now almost two and a half miles wide. It was so massive that unless they stayed several miles away, they wouldn’t have even been able to tell it was a tornado.

  They had followed this same storm on the radar from before it touched down outside of Tuscaloosa. “There’s no way, there’s just no way. That thing’s been on the ground for over eighty miles. That’s impossible.”

  “Nothing’s impossible today. Four EF5 tornadoes already. You said yourself that never happens.”

  Sarah shook her head at Parker. “It doesn’t happen. Maybe one a year. That’s it.” She kept the camera pointed at the tornado as it cut a large swath into the heart of Birmingham. “God help them.”

  They had heard other spotters talking about the devastation in Tuscaloosa and it looked as though Birmingham was going to suffer the same fate. The loss of life today would be a sobering reminder to all that humans aren’t as invincible as we believe we are. Against massive tornadoes, we are merely playthings. All the more reason, spotters like Sarah and Remy continued to chase. The more information they gathered in the fight against the weather, the more advances would be made towards finding and engineering warning systems that would sound not just minutes before, but maybe hours.

  Unlike hurricanes that could be monitored and tracked days in advance, tornadoes gave no indication of when they would drop and the storms around them made them all the more dangerous. Today’s massive tornado event was made exponentially more dangerous due to the storms that preceded this round, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people and with that, taking away the ability to warn them of the impending danger.

  Sarah’s hand shook as she kept the camera trained on the tornado as it ripped through the city, shredding trees and buildings with little more effort than blowing grains of sand out of her hand, and with no more regard for life than a stealthy killer. Her breath came in quick gasps, the air punctuated with audible, yet unintelligible words muttered between breaths.

  After what seemed an eternity, the winds mellowed to a disconcerting stillness. The thundering roar now a muffled rumble muted by an indeterminable distance. Sarah laid the camera on the seat next to her and rubbed her temples. She was tense and on edge and almost afraid to drive into the city, not sure what awaited them and even more unsure that she was prepared to face it.

  She put her hand over Parker’s and searched her eyes. “We need to help.”

  Parker nodded. “I’m ready.”

  Sarah followed Highway 31 into the city. The tornado had devastated a large strip on the north side of Birmingham. Sarah drove slowly, unable to believe this used to be a neighborhood with homes and buildings. The only things visible now were huge mounds of debris. Cars flipped on top of what were only minutes before homes. Stunned faces walked the littered streets and she could see from the despondent tears that the storm had taken its toll in the worst way possible.

  She slowed the car and grabbed her camera. The footage she gathered was for more than her documentary. She filmed as a way for the world to know what this town had suffered. For those on the outside, it would be a visual remembrance of the hurt their brethren had endured, and hopefully foster in them a longing to render aid. Without help, the town would be lost, another victim of a senseless storm. Sarah had seen that too many times and this was her way of bringing the pain to the world outside Birmingham and bringing help from the outside world to Birmingham.

  “There!” Parker shouted, pointing at what could only have been a house.

  A woman was wandering around with blood streaming from a cut on her forehead. Her eyes were unfocused and Sarah could tell she was in shock. She shut the engine off and jumped out, grabbing a bottle of water and Parker’s doo—rag. “Ma’am? Ma’am?”

  Her voice never even phased the woman. She wandered aimlessly, stumbling over pieces of debris in the yard. Sarah touched her arm softly, not wanting to startle her. “Ma’am?”

  The woman finally turned and her unseeing eyes slowly focused on Sarah’s face. “Yes?”

  “Are you okay?” Sarah guided her to the edge of the yard and helped her sit down on the sidewalk. “Your head? It’s cut pretty bad.”

  The woman looked at her, confusion in her eyes. “What?”

  “Your head is bleeding. Let me help you get it cleaned up.”

  “Oh alright, dear.” Her voice shook softly.

  Sarah soaked the doo—rag and gently dabbed the area around the cut. She used the opportunity to study the woman’s face. Her eyes were crystal blue surrounded by years of laugh lines. Gray hair framed an oval face and somewhere in her storied past, she’d gotten a scar that ran the length of her left cheek. Sarah shook her head, knowing the large gash on her forehead would be yet another scar.

  “I’m sorry if I hurt you.” Sarah said softly, searching the woman’s face for signs of pain.

  “What dear?” The woman blinked and her eyes settled on the wet rag. “Oh no, dear, I’m fine.”

  She wasn’t fine, but Sarah didn’t see any reason to dispute her statement. “I’m going to leave you here for a few minutes.” She nodded towards the pile behind them. “Is this your house behind us?”

  The woman glanced over her shoulder. “Oh yes, dear. That’s mine and Charlie’s house. That’s my husband, Charlie.”

  “Charlie?” Sarah’s brow furrowed. “Where’s Charlie now? Is he still alive?”

  “Oh my heavens, no. Charlie’s been gone almost ten years now.” A look of sadness flashe
d across her face and then her mouth smiled. “Charlie built our house with his own hands. He was wonderful.”

  “Mom! Mom!”

  Sarah looked up and saw a middle—aged woman running towards them.

  “Mom! Are you okay?”

  “Oh yes, honey. I’m fine.” She patted Sarah’s hand. “This young lady took good care of me.”

  The newcomer knelt down in front of her mother and surveyed her face. Somewhat appeased by her mother’s calm demeanor, she stood and smiled at Sarah. “Thank you.”

  Sarah put her hand up, dismissing the thank you. “It was nothing. I’m just glad you’re here to get her out of this mess.”

  The woman nodded, her eyes silently telegraphing her thanks. She helped her mother off the curb and slipped her arm through her mother’s. Sarah watched them until the car drove around a corner, thankful that she was okay and even more thankful that this stranger whom she’d never met, had survived the tragedy.

  “Sarah.” Parker’s voice broke through her ruminations. “Sarah, come over here quick.”

  She turned and followed the voice, skidding to a stop next to Parker. Her eyes followed Parker’s finger and she gasped out loud when she saw an arm peeking out from underneath a large piece of wood. She immediately started pulling pieces of wood and metal away from the body.

  When she finally uncovered the body, she felt her stomach roil violently. His face was pale and his skin had taken on the gray palour of death. Sarah’s mind went back fifteen years and she saw her brother lying there, his life ebbing away.

  “Is he…” Parker’s voice cracked, and she put her hand over her mouth willing the contents of her stomach back down.

  “I don’t know.” Sarah kneeled beside him and felt his neck for a pulse. “Oh my God!”

  “Oh shit.” Parker breath stuck in her throat.

  “No, no. Maybe it’s not too late.” Sarah ran her fingers along his stomach until she located his zyphoid process at the bottom of his sternum. She put the heel of her hand just above her fingers, and interlocked her right hand on top of her left hand. “I’m going to need your help.”