Page 24 of Day of the Storm

As Mike pulled her to her feet, Daryn looked around.And realized just how lucky they had been.

Realized this was just the beginning of the nightmare.People out there were going to need help. And lots of it.

“Come on. We need to go look for survivors.” Mike held out a hand for her.

Daryn took it, feeling something change between them in that instant. She looked around, seeing the destruction. Horror had her almost sick. She held on to the contents of her stomach with all the resolve she had.

“Daryn!”

She turned. And then the tears came.

4

Someone came running toward them.Mike turned. He recognized the tall man as the doc’s older brother. Darrell Mabry was soaked to the skin, and there was blood on his forehead.But he was in one piece.

“Daryn!” He hugged his sister quickly. “You ok?”

“Just bruises. Debris fell on us. Mike hurt his leg.”

It was the first time she’d ever said his given name. Apparently, she liked him now. He’d remember that. For after.

For now, someone had to get started. They had people trapped in there.

His own sister was probably one of them. Mike shoved away his own panic.

There wasn’t much left of the forensics annex now. And that was where A.J. was supposed to be.

“People are trapped. We need to get started,” Mike said. He wasn’t going anywhere until everyone in the building had been found.

Including his sister and his partner, Sean.

“I got gear in my truck we can use. If we can find my damned truck,” Darrell said. He was going to be the one incharge of this. The man had a damned search and rescue t-shirt on.Darrell headed up the extremely small search-and-rescue division. Thank God he hadn’t been trapped. They were going to need Darrell now.

That had to have been divine intervention or something.Mike fought panic as he looked at what remained of the TSP.

His baby sister was in that rubble. “I need to find A.J.”

“First, we need to set up a triage area,” Darrell said.“Daryn, do what you can. We’ve got people coming out the back entrance behind the patrol cars. That part of the building was only partially destroyed. Get people to help you. You’ll know what to do.”

There were people digging their way out of the damaged buildings Mike could see surrounding the TSP.The buildings to the east and west of the TSP building were gone, too.

With people inside.

They would need help.They would think the TSP could provide it. The enormity of what they were facing sank in. Fast.

He shoved fear for his sister and his friends and all the other people that he cared about aside for the moment. Priority of life had to be the number one thing he remembered.

He’d help people as he came to them and hope to heaven that it was his sister he got to next. Every time.

Panic saved no one. “Mabry, what do we do first?”

“It displaced some cars a bit in the side parking lot. My truck should be there. I have equipment there that we’re going to need.”

Mike tried to walk, but his leg buckled.Fire shot through it, just around the knee. He’d hurt it worse than he realized.

Darrell caught him and put him on his feet again. “Daryn, you’re going to have to head triage. Bind Mike’s leg for now. You good to walk on it?”

Mike nodded.