It seemed apt that The Diner, such a place of safety and relief for Willow and Lucas as teenagers, would provide such a perfect shelter at this time. Willow had regained her strength a little and now busied herself, guiding more townsfolk, who had been affected by the landslide, through the door and helping those struggling with injuries. The wind continued to barrel against her, as she fought desperately to stay on her feet. She couldn’t even speak, as every word was snatched away with each angry blast.
Behind her, Lucas was taking command, telling people to sit away from the windows and to keep as low down as possible. He only had one first aid kit and was using it sparingly, moving from person to person to check what they needed. Mia had found some flashlights and was positioning them on tables to try and cast more light around the place, but it was still eerily dark with shadows stretching across the gloom. Everyone moved in strange silence, glad that someone at last seemed to be seizing control of the situation. But there was still a creeping undertone of fear that rippled through the room like a second icy current.
Once the last person was safely inside, Willow triedto close the door against the storm, but the wind was too strong. She cried out as it flung back against her, striking her arm hard. It was the same arm she had hurt at Eric’s house, so it was still very tender.
Lucas was there in seconds. He took her arm in his and peered at it in the poor light. His touch was tender.
‘Are you OK?’ he whispered.
Willow shrugged him away, ignoring the pain that drilled beneath her skin. She didn’t want him to worry about her when there was so much to do. ‘I’m fine. Honestly. We need to get this door closed.’
Lucas nodded and then moved forward, forcing the door away from him. She could see the strain on his muscles as he tried to push it back. The wind continued to howl, and the rain thrashed against them. She planted herself beside him, refusing to acknowledge the pain in her arm, and began to push too. Slowly, gradually, the door groaned back into position. Lucas threw his weight behind it, his dark hair now wet against his face. His skin glowed.
‘Quick, drag that table over.’ he ordered.
Willow ran over to the table he was pointing at and tugged at it. It was heavier than it looked and her back stung with the strain, but she shrugged it off, managing to move it into position in front of the door.
‘I don’t think the windows will hold out much longer,’ Lucas said. ‘And the basement is damp, I’m not sure that would be much better.’
‘Some of the injured can barely walk,’ Willow replied. ‘Let’s keep them here together, in this space. Help should arrive soon.’
Lucas nodded; he swiped his wet hair away from his eyes. ‘I never thought …’
His voice was shaking, and he wobbled briefly on the spot. Willow grabbed his arm. ‘What, Lucas?’
‘I just never thought I’d see anything like this in Honey Springs,’ he choked out finally. ‘It’s terrifying. And seeing everyone so vulnerable. And then thinking that you—’
‘We’ll be OK.’ She forced a smile. ‘This is The Diner after all. It’s survived some serious drama, hasn’t it?’
Lucas locked his eyes on her. Even in this fading light, she could make out the brightness there, and something else. Something far more vulnerable. A feeling of need rippled through her body, but she quickly released his arm.
‘We need to check on the injured,’ she whispered. ‘We might not have much time.’
‘Yes. Yes, OK.’
But Willow noticed that as she moved away, Lucas stood rooted to the spot for a few minutes, almost as if he were frozen in place.
They spent the next hour or so checking on the most badly injured. Eric was the worst affected; he had a nasty head injury and although he had come round, he seemed stunned. Janice was with him, talking to him softly, trying to keep him calm. Adam also had a bad ankle injury; Mia had him sitting in the far corner, sipping a warm, sugary drink. Willow could tell by the frown etched on her face how worried she was for him. On the other side of The Diner Macguire was struggling to move his arm – Willow suspected he may have dislocated his elbow. They had torn up one of the spare aprons and used it to bind his arm against his body for protection.
Another person of concern was Ava, who had a deep gash in her side. Apparently, she had rushed outside The Diner just before the landslide in an attempt to find her cats.The wound had bled a lot already and Rachel had done her best to pack it with the few bandages they had. Ava was comfortable for now, but time was ticking; she was going to need help soon, as was Eric.
Aside from that, most of the townsfolk were suffering with shock and superficial injuries. The best cure for that, Lucas had declared, was warm drinks. Willow watched as Lucas suddenly snapped into action – serving coffee for those that needed it and rustling up food for others. He worked diligently and carefully, checking on everyone – making sure they had everything they required. When that was done, Lucas kept moving.
‘We need to take our minds off the situation outside,’ he said brightly. ‘Let’s do what we can to lighten the mood.’
Willow felt unsure. Outside, the wind was still screaming and protesting, battering against the building and demanding to be let in. All she could think of was the soon descending night and the risk the dark and cold would bring to the already vulnerable among them. Would help even reach them in time? Lucas, seeming to sense her mood, leaned in beside her.
‘We need to keep morale up,’ he whispered. ‘And we need to keep people awake, at least until the first responders get here.’
Willow nodded. Of course. It all made sense. She just wished she could wear a happy mask as brightly as Lucas could.
She watched as he disappeared into the backroom and then reappeared clutching a battered guitar.
‘I’m not great at this,’ he announced. ‘But I can bang out a decent tune and I know someone here who has a pretty good voice.’
Mia’s cheeks bloomed red, as she crouched down next to her brother. Slowly and softly, she began to sing against Lucas’s calm strumming. Her voice was sweet and rich, and it filled the building, and even though it wasn’t particularly loud, it somehow overpowered the sound of the storm.
Willow felt as if she was being lulled into a wonderful place – somewhere safe and beautiful. She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them again, she realized she had been crying.
