“I was looking on the map at work earlier,” Travis said. “If we go to Clarksville, then maybe we should consider going north into Kentucky instead of south to Mississippi. And you could pawn the jewelry in Clarksville instead of waiting. They probably have several pawnshops since it’s a military base town, right?”
Here they stood, poised to leave in the dead of night, and didn’t even have a solid plan of attack. Weariness blew over Eve, despite the fact she’d just slept for a few hours.
“I think you’re right, Trav. What you say makes sense. And the farther north we go, the cooler it will be at least. Mississippi in the dead of summer can’t be all that wonderful.”
They weren’t used to the heat and humidity in the South. They were accustomed to a much cooler climate with far less humidity than here. Cammie had suffered even before falling ill.
“Maybe I can even find work in Clarksville just for a day or two before we move on,” Travis suggested. “It couldn’t hurt to pad our cash a little.”
“We’ll see,” Eve said. “For now, let’s just head that way and we’ll cross the other bridges when we get there.”
Cammie slipped her hand into Eve’s and squeezed. Tears burned Eve’s eyelids as she gazed down at the sweet little girl who was offering Eve reassurance. It should be Eve comforting her siblings, and instead they were trying to reassure her.
Eve squeezed back and smiled. “Shall we start our next big adventure?”
Travis took the backpack from Eve and curled his hand around the handle of one of the suitcases. Eve lifted Cammie’s hand and then reached for the other suitcase as they opened the door and stepped into the night.
A stiff breeze immediately blew over Eve’s face, startling her with its ferocity. There were bites of rain mixed in the wind, and it pelted her skin, eliciting a shiver. Damn it. She’d thought the rain was over.
“Should we wait it out?” Travis asked in a concerned voice.
Eve stepped farther out into the yard, turning her face up to look at the sky. There was an eerie howl that unsettled her. The quiet that had bothered her earlier was reinforced.
“No, let’s go now,” Eve said. “It will be morning soon, and I want to be off the main roadways before it gets light.”
Travis nodded and shut the door behind him.
“Ready?” Eve asked Cammie in a light tone.
“Ready,” Cammie said resolutely.
They started across the yard toward the road. The deep ditch in front of the trailer gurgled with runoff. Water ran through the big culvert that served as their driveway and swirled its way farther downstream.
They were to the road when the wind suddenly picked up and nearly blew Eve over. Her grip tightened around Cammie’s hand just as a roar sounded.
Fear tightened Eve’s gut and she hesitated, glancing back at the trailer, which shook with the force of the wind.
“Maybe we should . . .”
She never got to finish the thought.
Debris began pelting them. Dime-sized hail began hitting the ground—and them—and the roaring became so loud that it nearly deafened Eve.
Cammie screamed when the force of the wind nearly tore her hand from Eve’s grasp.
“We have to take cover!” Travis yelled. “I think it’s a tornado!”
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. The trailer was no shelter from a tornado. It was the very last place they should be.