Finding Kate

Chapter Twenty Three: Hurricane Anthony

Too many words

Too many lies
I cant quite see the truth
when I look into your eyes

Evermore - Running

The sky was dark and overcast, the remaining storm clouds looming over Miami ominously. The whole atmosphere was bleak. The wind was still ferocious, whipping the hair around my face as I stepped out of the Hummer. The road was littered with branches and belongings from people homes.

There were civilians lingering outside in the street, watching as rescue workers cut through trees that had fallen into the road that they had once hemmed.

When we'd driven along the freeway I'd seen the height of those waves crashing against the shore, the power behind that water was tremendous and deadly. People with houseboats stood no chance.

The Hurricane had torn apart Miami leaving a disruptive mess in its wake. National Geographic had recorded winds up to 145mph I'd heard on the news. Emergency management had suggested shelters in order to avoid the gridlock. Wind and rain had blanketed the city so no one had been able to see a thing, not to mention the flooding it had caused. Initial reports estimated that twenty thousand homes had been destroyed and many more damaged, and the Hurricane was only a Category Two.

My boot crunched on glass as I slammed the door to the Hummer. Horatio nodded at the Rescue crew in the bright orange jackets. Everyone was pitching in and helping out, disasters brought out the best in most people. It was all hand on deck in a situation like this, hence why I was here.

It had been ten months since the fall, three since I'd gotten back home. I'd been working the last two weeks in the Crime Lab, I'd basically become an over paid tech. I ran the tests on the equipment, wrote up reports and helped wherever needed me. No case was my own; I never saw the families and the only victims I'd seen were in Crime Scene photographs. I knew Horatio was easing me back, despite the fact my Doctor had already cleared me to be in the field.

"How's your place holding up?" Yelina asked me, appearing at my side, presumably from across the street.

"According to Tim some of the shutters blew off otherwise we were damn lucky. You and Ray Jnr ok?" I asked leaning on the front of the Hummer while Horatio talked to Alexx.

"Horatio took us to his friend's place, it was very comfortable." Yelina replied.

"Ladies, would you mind taking a look around there?" Horatio asked, pointing towards the house we'd parked the Hummer outside of.

"Sure." Yelina replied before the two of us took off towards the house in question.

The streets were chaos now Speed noted, but there was organisation in the chaos. People working together towards a cause, you could see that in the way they helped each other. It astounded him how humanity could still work side by side after a disaster like this. Twigs were cracking under foot as him and Delko strode down the street towards their destination.

His place had been destroyed by the Hurricane, one of the windows had shattered and caused gale force winds to tear through the place destroying everything in its path, and flooding it with rain. It would take days for the wreckage to be cleared, but that didn't bother him. He'd already cleared the bungalow of everything of personal value long before the Hurricane had come along. He had enough clothes and belongings at Kate's to be able to survive there for a few more weeks.

He'd been too busy securing her windows and making sure she got to a shelter before he helped with the Evacuees to remember that his old place needed the same treatment. He barely visited the Bungalow anymore, with the exception to pick up something he needed.