“This is Vortex. I’ve a survivor. She’s alert and coherent, and she’s lost her friend. Can any person come to my flare? Popping it now,” I reported. I sent the coloured smoke into the air.
Onyx radioed a reply. “Think I’m closest to you. On my way.”
Onyx appeared moments later, looming out of the smoke and making Amy flinch back. Onyx immediately tried to shrink his bulk down and appear non-threatening.
“Shall I take her or you?” Onyx asked.
“Please let me go with him!” Amy cried, latching onto my arm.
“No probs,” Onyx replied.
“Natasha is here somewhere. We were eating when the floor fell out. There were explosions, she might be hurt,” Amy babbled and gave Onyx Natasha’s description.
“Honey, I’ll look for her,” Onyx promised, and I began leading Amy away.
The poor woman kept looking around her in shock and horror. When something exploded close by, she dropped to the ground and covered her head. It took me minutes to get her moving again.
The emotions Amy felt were easy to understand. The chilly night turned amber and yellow as the hot flames from the zeppelin climbed into the sky. There was an orange glow lighting the field, and it was so bright we didn’t really need the lights we’d brought. The air stank of burning rubber, flesh, oil, and cotton. The wreckage cast spooky shadows that even had me jumping in fear.
It was a nightmarish situation, and I tried to remember where the bodies were so I could avoid them for Amy’s sake. But we still stumbled across two, and each time Amy gazed upon them in horror. When she realised they weren’t her friends, guilty relief crossed her face. The wind blew embers from the fire, creating dozens of smaller ones that needed putting out. Men were carrying extinguishers and tackling them, and I guessed they were other MCs.
Slowly, Amy and I made our way to the triage tent, my arm wrapped firmly around her waist to protect her. I was unaware of how much time had passed, but I saw Axel from Rage MC in the operation tent, standing with Jailbait from the Devil’s Damned Disciples MC.
The command centre had expanded. Multiple fire engines were here or screaming towards us. Four ambulances had arrived, and more would arrive soon. The triage tent was also larger, as another tent had been added. I was shocked to see Tiger, President of Satan’s Warriors, in there with an EMT wrapping his arm.
“Hey, I’ve got a survivor,” I stated as I entered.
“Over here,” a paramedic called, and I walked Amy to a gurney. The paramedic had her climb up, and I tried to move aside.
Amy grabbed my hand. “Don’t leave me, please don’t go,” she begged.
Shit, I didn’t want to refuse Amy, but I was needed out there.
“The allied MCs are on scene. Local search and rescue teams are also piling in. They don’t need you, Vortex,” Tiger stated from two spaces away.
“Please,” Amy whispered as silent tears began making tracks down her dirty face.
“I’ll stay, honey, don’t worry,” I murmured.
“You did your duty. Vortex, you brought her out safe,” Tiger said and frowned.
“What happened to you?”
“Exploding fuckin’ metal got me,” Tiger complained.
“Who’s in charge?”
“Doc Paul for triage and Drew in the command tent,” Tiger replied. “Other law enforcement officers are arriving, but Drew is Merritt’s sheriff and in control. He’s handling it well.”
We looked up as two men approached. It was King from my MC; Drake was helping him along.
“What happened?” I demanded as Drake dumped King on his ass on a stretcher between Tiger and Amy.
“King fell into a pothole and twisted his ankle,” Drake stated.
“I did find another survivor,” King argued, and Drake agreed.
“That he did,” Drake nodded to where his own VP carried in a woman.
