Oasis in Ohio

Chapter Sixteen

Looking at them more I realized they were soaking wet.

"Is it pouring outside?" I questioned.

"Worse than pouring. It's coming down so bad I think it could flood in here."

"What?!" Mom and I synchronized.

"That's not all." Dad started again, his breathing finally having returned to normal. "It looks like a big gang is coming through this way."

"We have to get going then!" I said, about to push myself up.

"Xavier, sit back down, we can leave after I fix your arm up." Mom told me.

Sitting back down I watched as Bella loosely packed our stuff up while Dad packed up his and Mom's. When Bella said she was done Dad walked over and fixed up her bag, packing everything a little bit better into it.

"Wait a minute," The adrenaline in my vines had finally started to decrease, letting me think logically. "Wouldn't there be some sort of drain system to keep floods from happening?"

"There is but it won't stop the amount of rain coming down right now."

Wait, if that's true why would a gang come through here?

Voicing my thoughts aloud I got a bone-chilling answer.

"Most likely to use what's left of anyone to survive."

"Oh."

Well that's dark. My face was that "hmm" or better described as "umm" face as I thought this.

"Babe, do you think you could hurry it up?"

"Yeah I just have to wrap the gaze around the padding here and then we're good to go."

I was so engrossed in my thoughts and what I had just been informed that I didn't even notice Mom as she finished up with my arm. Moving my arm around a bit to test how I could move I sat and watched as Dad helped Mom pack up the medical supplies.

Once everything was packed I pushed myself up and slipped on one of the backpacks, helping Bella slip on the other as Mom and Dad got themselves ready to get moving.

I had been staring ahead at the opening of the tunnel, thinking about what could happen. My mind brought me to horrible places. From the gang getting to us and doing, well, whatever terrible thing they wanted to us drowning in a flooded version of the tunnel.

These horrible visions flashed through my head before a tug at my shirt hem pulled me away. After blinking rapidly to clear my head I looked down at Bella. Her normally bright eyes seemed darker with fear and anxiety as she looked at me, her little hand keeping a firm grip on my shirt.

"Xavy, I'm scared. I don't want anything to happen, especially to Mom, Dad, or you." Her voice coming out in a squeak, her chin trembling slightly as similar thoughts to the ones she pulled me out of flashed through her head.

"Nothing will happen Bella, I promise. Nothing."

She gave me a weak nod before she herself turned to look outside.

We stood like that for another moment, listening to the whipping wind, the rain pelting the broken pavement and entrance to the tunnel, the leaves swaying angrily in the wind as the tree particularly bent on half. The wind started to blown raindrops in, splashing me and Bella with some mist.

Dad walked up next to us, letting out a low and long whistle as he took in the sight outside.

"Coming down pretty hard out there now." He said.

Mom had walked up behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

The five- Honey included- of us stayed like that for at least another minute or two, Honey meowing whenever she got hit by water.

"We should get going if we want to beat all of that." Mom said, Honey yelling out a chorus of agreeing meows.

"Yeah, we should." Dad said, obviously lost in the splattering of the rain, his voice monotone and chilling.

With a gulp my stomach twisted in tension, my arm still tingling from earlier. I stayed staring at the falling rain outside as I heard three sets of footsteps walk away from me and into the darkness.

Taking a deep breath, trying to calm my anxious thoughts, I turned and followed them, taking a final look over my shoulder.