THE BATTLEFIELD OF LOVE
Part 53's. I Will Be Back For You.
You're so unlucky if a tornado hits you. The term is, so many paths on a vast land. But he chose to pass through your place. Now I'm that unlucky fellow.
How do tornadoes sound? I didn't know before, but now I hear it myself.
Imagine standing next to a freight train that travels 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). Imagine that kind of loud noise from a few inches away, so close that you can reach out and touch it. That's how it sounds. The wind sounded terrible.
We're on a tornado track. Damnit damnit! This experience will never be forgotten in my life. While the power was cut off, the sign was somehow certain that our power plant network had already suffered a malfunction. Dark octopus, I docked to my nearest person, James, while closing my ears firmly.
"We're safe here, don't be afraid," I faintly heard him speak.
I felt one hand holding me, while one hand was covering my head, while I kept hearing the debris hitting the top of the shelter. I imagine somehow a big truck hit our shelter like in tornado movies. But at least it's not happening now.
I kept my ears closed tight. But pop-pop sounds were heard in my ears due to the rapidly changing pressure around us. Everyone was scared in that dark atmosphere. The blow of the debris and the howling of the wind seemed to go on great in a few minutes, which felt like the longest minute of our lives, but then suddenly became quiet.
"Is it done?" One of the people behind me asked when the sound of the voice became silent and we could see nothing but blinding darkness.
"Wait for the commanding officer's order." One of the captains tried to calm the situation and asked us to stay calm.
The strength of this storm can vary, some survive just across the land in under ten minutes or some can form a large tornado system that can survive to tear apart land for up to an hour.
"The horn is gone you can get out." Finally the main radio command told us to get out.
The shelter door was opened, and the tornado made the air around us smell like mowed grass or cut down trees.
We see the damage caused by the forces of nature. Somehow the big wires and bolts that were installed held the container there. But all the electrical wires that protected us were broken somehow. Debris scattered, glass containers broken, tents that have not been tidied up flying somewhere, building materials scattered, trees uprooted and uprooted. Some nesting in containers, messed up. Now this area is without adequate defense.
And apparently five hundred meters beside us is the main track. We were lucky not to really be on his track. If we feel in its trajectory our container will not likely still be in place. Tornadoes have the power to destroy a flat house to its foundation.
While the command building which was the office of the dam's electrical installation survived, although many windows were broken, but the building reinforced concrete and reinforced steel was still there.
"Partially check for damage, partially clear the triage and prepare to receive the patient." James immediately gave the order of what we should do.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, a lot to be fixed before dark. We rushed over, doing our duty, while some of the injured started coming, the doctors and officers were trying to make the triage usable at least.
And some people directly handle electrical disturbances.
"We don't have a security perimeter tonight, everyone has to be very careful until the damage is slowly repaired." James came from the command center, fortunately before dark our electricity could be on.
This area should be clean. If there was a threat, it should be just one or two zombies. Except zombies that can think like the one in Springdale infiltrated here. That would be terrible.
What matters is that we survived. Sudan is enough.
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A lot of people were injured by tornadoes, all night we mostly worked sewing tears, pulling broken glass, some physical injuries from outside the area prescribed painkillers. While the air gets cold in January this morning sometimes slit below 10°C , we survive without heating just a thick jacket.
As if that wasn't enough, there's more bad news.
"The camp at West Siloam Spring was completely contaminated overnight, there was an infected explosion, tens of thousands of people may have been victims. A few hundred or thousands of survivors might be headed this way."
"Total contamination? How can ..." Susan and I were both thinking how a camp so big could fall. It was the same camp that Andrew had dealt with the crisis a while ago.
"It is unmistakably possible contamination of water sources. From now on the commander ordered all the water to be boiled, even if it was bottled. Drinking water is sterilized in one place. We must take the boiled water."
This camp has a few well-drills. And somehow their groundwater might be contaminated. I remember Andrew saying they shot hundreds of people yesterday.
"Tens of thousands. Northern Oklahoma fell back into the black zone overnight."
There was an unusual rush later that afternoon. Hundreds of soldiers will leave. Someone said they were pulled to clean Siloam Springs until Springdale. But a military truck also arrived there. Andrew and his team are back from Atlanta. Susan immediately welcomed and hugged D'Angelo.
"Thank God you're okay. I heard there's a tornado near here. I'm worried about you getting hurt." He immediately came down and came to see me into the triage. I was a little touched by how much he worried about me.
"Can I speak privately for a moment." He pulled my hand and led me into an empty action room. Now I'm astonished.
"I have to go again. I'll lead the team from this camp to clean Siloam Springs all the way to Springdale. Take care of yourself here." I saw it in his eyes.
"Yes, I'll be fine. Take care. Thanks Andrew..." Maybe somehow our months togetherness kept him a special feeling. But he knows I'm still waiting for Fred.
"I'm leaving." Suddenly he held me in his arms. "Maybe this sounds too fast but I want to say I've been thinking about you lately. I'm worried about you. I'll be back, be careful so be safe here."
I can't talk right now. Somehow respond to this.
"I didn't expect you to accept me." I'm just saying my heart to me, if I somehow die on the battlefield. I have no regrets. I'll come back to you..." A short kiss touched me and she turned away then just like that.
"I'll be back." She smiled at me and left me in the room alone.