Chapter Eighteen

Thunder crashes woke me. The windows rattled from the howling wind. Rain battered the roof. I turned toward the window and saw nothing but smudges of water lapping the glass. The clock across the room displayed two AM. 

The memories of the previous day's events flooded my mind. Sadness gripped my chest. I pulled the blanket over my head, but there was no falling right back to sleep. Wave after wave of lightning and thunder exploded. With a groan, I rolled out of bed.

The kitchen tiles sucked any warmth from my feet. I flicked the teapot on and heard the familiar tinkling of the water filling it. After another flash, I spotted the new pile of books that I gathered on my last trip to the Trading Post. After grabbing the one from the top, I pulled the blanket draped over the couch and wrapped it around my body. 

Treasure hunters collected books among the items from the abandoned cities. Many library archives still shut off from the world and their treasures waited to be discovered.

The teapot chimed. With my steaming cup, I slipped onto the couch. Smells of ginger reached my nose. I realized I had left the tea I made for Ari in the pot. A deep breath didn't ease the dull aching which returned in force. I opened the book to clear my mind. Immersed in the details of the Reformation until the storm subsided and I could head out to the training center for my morning routine.

***

When I arrived at the cargo area, the workers were already sweeping up the leaves and debris from the night's storm. I grabbed the keys and did my daily inventory rounds. At the final warehouse, my heart dropped.

An enormous oak tree had split and laid on the roof. I opened the door and the branches had broken through. The metal shelves tipped over and caused a domino effect across the warehouse. Boxes which once held carefully separated pills and bottles of liquid, intermixed and scattered across the floor.

My knees weakened. I needed to sit down. The clipboard and keys tumbled to the ground and I slid down the wall, pulling my knees into my chest. A frigid breeze blew through the door and whipped across my face. I barely felt it. 

It all had to be accounted for. How long would that take? The next day was the scheduled pickup for the pharmacies. Could I finish by then? Those lazy drunks were not going to help. They would probably love to report that I failed to ensure the pharmacy delivery was on time.

I stared at the utter disarray before me. Bitter cold crept through my body. Footsteps approached but I didn't look. In moments, Nate came into my field of view.

"Some storm last night. That tree's been leaning this way for some time," he said with his hands on his hips. He picked up the clipboard and handed it to me. "We freed up space over in 88 not too long ago. I think everything will fit in there. I never understood why they stored this here anyway."

I lifted my head and gaped at him. "Do you understand how long that is going to take?" My voice was hardly more than a hoarse whisper.

"If you fetch the inventory transfer form in the office, we'll get to work. None of us want to go into that office if possible. I'll meet you in 88 in 20 minutes." He held out his other hand to help me up. "You don't need to do it all alone."

His offer slowly sank in. I took his hand and he yanked me to my feet. We headed back toward the central area.

Nate disappeared into warehouse 57 and a sharp whistle resounded within. Without stopping, I trudged to the office.

Inside, I avoided eye contact with the other officers, who looked like they just shown up. Blood pounded in my head as the snickers emanated from the back room. I pulled open each filing cabinet drawer quietly, to try to prevent them from coming over. Just as I thought they would see me, I found what I was looking for and ducked out of there.

I arrived before the first forklifts showed up. Box by box, the cargo transfer completed with amazing efficiency. It was as if they had done it a hundred times. We didn't stop for lunch and finished by the time it was dark.