Peril at Palm Shores (Kristi Cameron Book 7)

by Cynthia Griffith

  ___________

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ___________

  Stranded!

  “It was those creeps! The ones who did all the vandalism here at the zoo!” Skeeter said. “I know it was!”

  “You’re probably right, Skeeter,” his dad said. “What’s the matter Kristi?”

  Kristi has started to shake, and then to cry. “I wish I had never seen those guys!” she said, turning to cry on her mother’s shoulder. “If I hadn’t seen them, they wouldn’t be bothering us like this. They did this to warn us—to warn me!”

  Her mother hugged her tightly. “It’s going to be okay, Kristi. They’re not going to get to you again. And no matter what, God is greater than they are, and you are His child—and the Father will protect His child.” Rachel’s faith was strong, but still she couldn’t help being upset, as well, about this new turn of events. Anything that threatened her little girl and made her cry got her mama bear instincts up!

  Elizabeth was upset, too. “I almost wish I hadn’t invited you all here, either. First you have to worry about a hurricane, and now this!”

  “Now, Mother,” Steve said, putting his arm around his mother-in-law’s shoulder and giving her a squeeze. “In the first place, we’re not worrying, and secondly, the Lord has a reason for bringing us here at this time. Let’s just trust Him, do what we can to prepare, but then leave the rest up to Him! Besides, you know going through all this with our sweet, little smiling faces all around you will make it easier for you, don’t you?” He made a silly face at her and got her to laugh.

  “What a goof you are! Now I see where Skeeter gets it!” she chuckled.

  They all stood there looking at the wrecked van for a moment until finally Steve said, “Well, we may as well go back into the zoo, and see if we can borrow one of the trucks to get us back to the house. We need to get over there and get things taken care of before it gets dark. Rachel, I need you to start calling around and see if we can rent another van somewhere to get us to Tallahassee. We can’t all fit in a pickup for a trip that far, especially with a storm on the way. If we don’t find something right away we may have to stay in Palm Shores after all and ride out the storm here.”

  Robyn and Anna were looking anxious. The stresses of the week were starting to get to them, and now the prospect of finding themselves in the middle of a hurricane suddenly seemed overwhelming.

  “Hey!” Pete said softly to the girls. “It’s gonna be okay! Just think of it as one more adventure we’re going through with the Camerons. You know something is bound to happen when we go away with them!”

  Skeeter overheard him. “You mean something always happens to us when we bring you with us!” he teased with a grin.

  “Whatever!” Robyn said, rolling her eyes. The tension was broken, though, and now the young people all started talking excitedly at once.

  Gretchen was surprised to see them when she opened the door to them. She was even more shocked when she saw their van. “Here—take my car,” she said, handing her keys over to Steve. “Let me call Tammy and see if you can take her car, too. You won’t all fit in one vehicle.” Once more they had to call in the police to report the vandalism, but at last they were finally on their way to Elizabeth’s house.

  Everyone got busy. Steve and Skeeter, and Dan and Pete boarded the windows with the panels Grandma kept in her garage for that very purpose. Rachel got on the phone and started calling every rental agency she could find for another van. Grandma and the girls brought in the patio chairs and table, potted plants, and everything else that was lying around outside.

  Rachel got off the phone and went out to the back of the house where Steve and Skeeter were working. “Well, no luck, Steve. There’s not a van to be had within fifty miles of here. And even if there was, I doubt if we could pick it up and get to Tallahassee in time, anyhow. I’ve had the television on, and they are saying all the major streets and highways are totally jammed already with people trying to evacuate.”

  Skeeter looked at his dad. He had wanted to stay in Palm Shores and experience the hurricane earlier, but now that it seemed that his wish was about to come true, he wasn’t sure if that was what he really wanted after all.

  Steve didn’t say anything for a moment but then, “Well, once we have the house ready we’ll gather some supplies and wait a bit to see if the roads clear up or not. Gretchen and Tammy both said to take their cars to Tallahassee if we have to, since they’re staying at the zoo tonight, but I don’t want to take a chance on getting caught out on the highway in the storm if it gets too late. Let’s sit tight for a bit and see what happens.”

  The fellows went on boarding up the windows and Rachel went inside to help her mother and the girls. “We’re a couple blocks away from the beach, so I don’t expect to get any flooding,” Grandma was saying, “but just to be on the safe side let’s move what we can up off the floor.” She put all the family photos and albums that were sitting around into boxes and asked Kristi to stack them on a closet shelf.

  With the windows covered with boards it would have been pitch black inside, if it had not been for the lights. “I hope we don’t lose the electricity,” Anna said nervously.

  “We probably will, Sweetie,” Elizabeth said, “but I have plenty of candles and flashlights, and I always keep a drawerful of batteries on hand. Of course, the worst thing is losing the refrigerator and freezer. I’m always afraid I’ll lose all the food before the electricity comes back on. And I don’t much like being without the television when I’m alone, either, but I have a battery operated radio, so I can keep up on the news reports.”

  It was getting darker outside, as well, as the clouds gathered and night fell. They ate supper in front of the television. All the stations were carrying one story—the coming hurricane and the efforts of people to prepare for it and move out of its path. The video from the news helicopters still showed enormous traffic jams everywhere. Steve shook his head. “It’s almost seven o’clock now. I had hoped to leave an hour ago. Well, we’ll give it one more hour, but if the roads don’t clear up by eight, I’m thinking we’ll have to stay here. They’re saying Hurricane Jenna is moving faster than it was this afternoon. It’s going to make landfall before midnight now.”

  The teens each packed a small bag with a few things they would need in case they were able to evacuate after all. “Did you remember clean underwear, Skeeter?” his mother asked when they were all back in the living room once again.

  His face turned red. “Mom!” he hissed. “Not in front of the girls!” Robyn and Kristi giggled.

  “Well, did you?”

  “Yes!”

  “How about your toothbrush?”

  “Mom!”

  “Well?”

  “Yes! And my blankie and my teddy bear, too!”

  “Skeeter! Be respectful to your mother!” Steve got onto him.

  “Sorry, Mom. Yes, I’ve packed everything, I think. Grandma, did you pack some snacks?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

  “I sure did, Honey, and I did better than that! I’ve got several days worth of food and water for us, too, in those boxes over by the door.”

  Steve stood up. “Well, let’s get going. The roads are still jammed, but at least the traffic is starting to move again. Everyone use the bathroom one last time because once we’re on the road we won’t be able to stop. We’re leaving in ten minutes!”

  There was a sense of relief as they hustled around, putting on their shoes and gathering their bags and boxes. Grandma went around turning out lights and unplugging appliances. Kristi saw her wipe away a tear, and she suddenly realized just how hard evacuating must be for her grandmother. She had no way of knowing if this would be the last time she saw her pleasant little home. Would it be badly damaged in the hurricane? Would it be standing at all when they returned?

  At last they were ready to go. “Stay close behind me,” Steve instructed Rachel. “Call me on your cell phone if you have any problems.” He opened the
door and for the first time they got an idea of how bad the storm was already. They had heard the pounding of the rain through the boarded up windows, but had been unable to look out. Now the rain came pouring through the open door, drenching them before they could even start for the cars.

  They made a dash for it. Elizabeth and the three guys were riding with Rachel, while the girls went with Steve. Steve and the boys had the boxes of supplies, and by the time they had stowed them in the trunks of the cars they were soaked. There was no time to worry about that, though. They backed out of the driveway and started down Elizabeth’s street.

  Everything went fine—for the first block. Once they’d turned out onto the main street, though, they knew they had a problem. Hundreds of vehicles had turned off the jammed highway that bypassed Palm Shores, hoping to find a shortcut through the little beach town—only to create a bigger mess. The Camerons’ cars were swallowed up in the sea of vehicles, and once in the midst of it, they could find no way out.

  They crept along, unable to turn around and go back, or even to turn off onto a side road. The minutes ticked by and it seemed with every passing moment the rain fell a little harder and the wind blew a little stronger. “We’re never going to get far enough away by the time the storm hits,” Steve muttered under his breath.

  The girls looked at one another. They felt like they’d been holding their breath ever since they’d turned onto this road, and peering intensely through the sheets of rain that flooded over the windshield. The pounding of the rain and the frantic beating of the windshield wipers was deafening, though there was not a sound from any of the passengers in the car. Suddenly the ringing of Steve’s cell phone pierced through their tense silence. Kristi jumped.

  She could hear her mother’s voice when Steve answered the phone. “Steve,” Rachel said, “Mom says the next street up leads to the back entrance of the zoo. You know—the gate where the trucks make their deliveries. It’s just a block away. She thinks we should try to turn there and take shelter at the zoo.”

  “Okay,” Steve said. “If we’re able to make it through, have her call Jimmy at the zoo and ask him to open the gates for us when we get there. We’ll drive in and all the way up to the doors of the nursery.” He hung up and the girls started praying. Being stranded in Palm Shores in a hurricane would be bad, but being stranded in the car would be even worse!

  It took another five minutes to go that one block, but once they managed to turn off the main street they were surprised to see the way clear before them. The reason was obvious. Everyone else was trying to move away from the shore—and here they were going right back toward it!

  Jimmy was waiting at the gate for them. He jumped out of the truck and let them in. They slowly followed him back to the nursery over a pathway that was already a running stream. Gretchen was at the door, ready to hold it open for them as they grabbed their things and made a run for it. Her husband Bill ran out to help Steve move the cars to the maintenance shed. The rest of them stepped over the sandbags in front of the doorway and gratefully entered their only shelter from the storm.

  They were dripping water all over the place as they stood in the entry, shivering and miserable. Tammy and Gretchen brought an armload of towels from the back laundry room and they dried off as best they could. “Well, we’re back!” Elizabeth finally said. “I guess we’ll be braving the storm here with you after all.”

  “Come in, all of you,” Gretchen said. “Elizabeth, you’re still shivering and your lips are blue. I want you to lie down on one of these cots right now and cover up. We have to get you warm. I’m sorry we only have five cots here, and there aren’t very many places to sit, other than the floor, but we’ll all make the best of it, won’t we? The important thing is that this building is nice and sturdy, and I think we’ll be as protected here as we would be anywhere in Palm Shores.”

  “What happened out there?” Jimmy asked. “We thought you’d be almost to Tallahassee by now.”

  Steve told them about the mess out on the roads. “I thought if we waited until eight o’clock the traffic would be moving and we’d make it in time, but we couldn’t even get out of town. I made a big mistake. We should have stayed put at Elizabeth’s house, after all. I’m sorry you had to take us in like this. We’re really crowding you.”

  “Are you kidding? After all you’ve done for us this week, it’s the very least we can do for you,” Gretchen replied.

  The teens had moved further into the nursery and now were crouched before the cages and pens of the baby animals. It was obvious the little creatures were nervous at the sounds of the wind and rain outside. The twin chimps were huddled together in their glassed-in enclosure. They could hear the parrot screeching from the hospital side of the building.

  “These little guys could use some comforting,” Tammy said. “Would you guys like to hold them and pet them? They’ll feel safer, maybe, if they have a substitute mom cuddling them through the storm.” She didn’t say it, but she knew it would bring some comfort to the teens themselves, as well.

  Skeeter sat on the floor next to Robyn as Tammy handed them each a chimp. The babies seemed to recognize them and clung to them tightly. Skeeter talked softly to the little one in his lap. The chimp had one arm wrapped around his neck, and was clutching his shirt with the other hand. He awkwardly patted the baby on the back and rocked a bit.

  “What a good ‘mommy’ you are, Skeeter!” Robyn teased.

  For once Skeeter didn’t object. “I remember when I was really little. I didn’t like storms then, either—and I never had to go through a hurricane,” he said simply.

  Kristi sat cross-legged in the pen in the middle of the room with both the little antelope and the goat kid in her lap. They lay their heads down on her knees and went to sleep as she stroked their tiny heads and scratched behind their ears.

  Pete and Dan were doing the same for the bear cubs. The wooly little guys for once were not roughhousing, but looked like what they were—two scared little babies. It seemed strange to see the big, athletic teenage guys cuddling the babies, but they were doing a fine job of it. Soon the bear cubs were asleep, as well.

  Anna had the leather pouch in her lap. Only the joey’s head was poking out, but soon he curled up in a ball and settled down for the long night, as well.

  “Let’s move the animals from the hospital into here, too,” Tammy said. “I’d rather have us all together in one place.” Randy and Jimmy went with her to bring the birds, coyote and lemur over to the nursery side of the building.

  They listened as the wind picked up and the rain continued to beat on the building. Jimmy, Randy, Bill and Steve were gathered around the small TV they had brought in, and were watching the continuing coverage of the storm. Rachel, Gretchen and Tammy had joined Elizabeth on the cots and were chatting quietly. The teens talked softly amongst themselves, no one saying it, but each wondering how long until the full force of the hurricane would be upon them. They didn’t have long to wonder.

  ___________

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ___________

  The Wrath of Jenna

  The lights flickered and then went out for good around ten o’clock. The television went black. Jimmy snapped on a couple of flashlights, and they sat in the semidarkness, listening to the howling wind. It was almost a roar now, and the building would shake every time a particularly hard gust would hit it. It was almost impossible to talk above the noise, so they sat silently, clutching the little animals and praying. Kristi found herself with her head ducked, as if waiting for the roof to cave in or something to crash down upon her.

  “Father,” Steve prayed out loud, “You are in control of this storm and our lives. We ask you to keep us safe throughout the storm, and to calm our hearts. We pray for every creature here in this zoo, that you would protect lives and keep the damage small, if it is Your will, and that you would protect the thousands around us who are going through this hurricane right now, as well. May this be the time that many would tur
n to You, and that some would even call upon Your name for salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His name we pray, Amen.”

  Water was trickling in now through the sandbags and under the door. It snaked its way toward the center of the room. Gretchen got up and stuffed some towels at the bottom of the door. They could hear banging, coming from somewhere, against the building. The wind sounded like a freight train. Suddenly a crash shook the building and they all looked up fearfully at the ceiling. It was still there, thankfully, but Jimmy and Randy jumped up and went to investigate. They disappeared through the door leading to the office and hospital beyond.

  They were back a few minutes later. “It looks like a tree fell on the south side of the building. Rain is coming in through the roof. It’s not too bad yet, but if the wind catches hold of it, we could lose part of the roof, too. It’s a good thing we moved the animals to this side. It was right over where the coyote’s kennel had been standing,” Jimmy reported. He closed the doors leading into the hospital and office and some of the noise decreased.

  Jenna raged on. Sometime after midnight the wind finally began to die down and the rain slowed to a sprinkle. “Is it over?” Kristi asked, lifting her head. She had curled up next to the little antelope and goat and dozed, but every crash and creak of the building had made her jump. Now she looked around wearily in the dim glow of the flashlights.

  Her father shook his head. “This is just the eye of the storm, Kristi. The center of the hurricane is passing over us right now. We’ll have a few minutes—maybe fifteen or so—of this calm, but then the storm will start all over again as the second half passes over.”

  “Can we go outside and look around until it starts up again?” Dan asked.

  “Let Randy and me go out first and make sure there aren’t any electric lines down,” Jimmy suggested. “I want to see if I can tell how much damage that fallen tree did—and take a quick look at the animal habitats if I can.” He pulled back the soaked towels and opened the door. Jimmy and Randy stepped over the sandbags and went out. They scanned the area with their spotlights. The others crowded in the entrance and peered out at a soggy, torn up mess.