Free dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames by susan illene Page B

backpack full of supplies he’d slung over his shoulder. He appeared ready for anything.
    “Let’s go.”
    The campus grounds were a mess when we stepped outside. Trees had lost their limbs and the flowers were stripped of their petals. Looking up, I saw a few of the library windows had been blown out and patches of the façade had been chipped away, but that was about it.
    We took the sidewalk going north where the worst of the damage appeared to be. The tornado had skimmed past the twelve-story physical sciences building, causing only cosmetic damage, but the smaller structures next to it were a pile of rubble. My jaw dropped at the destruction.
    “Damn,” Conrad said, shaking his head. “I had a class in one of these buildings.”
    I felt a lump rise up my throat. “I did, too.”
    It was tough to see that kind of devastation under any circumstances, but especially when the place was familiar. How much more would I have to see in the coming days and weeks? I didn’t even want to consider it.
    We spent twenty minutes walking around calling out in case anyone was trapped, but no one responded. The tornado’s path came from the neighborhood to the west and continued east over to the North Oval. It had been narrow, probably not more than a couple hundred feet wide, but the winds must have been extremely high.
    Miles called us together. “Group one, check out the rest of the damage on campus and search for survivors. Group two, we’re going to head into the neighborhood and see if anyone needs our help.”
    Conrad, myself, and another young guy from our group followed Miles across Elm Avenue. The health center was along the destruction path, but it looked like only the roof had been torn off. The tornado must have lifted for a moment for it to be still standing. A few people milled around outside the building, staring at the damage. I glanced up the street and was glad to find the parking garage still intact—barely. I’d have to check on my truck later to make sure it fared okay.
    Miles walked up to the people in front of the clinic. “Need any help?”
    An older man shook his head. “The place isn’t usable anymore. We sent the wounded out to the hospital already.”
    “What about the medicine and other supplies?” Miles asked.
    “Some of it is still usable.” The man glanced back at the building with a resigned expression. “I was going to send it on to the hospital, too, but we can share with your group if you’re willing to take a few refugees in.”
    “We can do that.” Conrad turned to the fourth guy in our group. “Stay here and help them. We’ll meet you back at the library later.”
    We crossed a couple more blocks before reaching houses that had been mostly flattened. I didn’t think there was much hope of anyone surviving in those, but we called out numerous times as we made our way around the debris just in case. We got nothing but silence in return. I told myself the people living in them had been away on vacation or fled the area already. It helped—a little.
    We continued through the neighborhood, heading in a west-southwest direction. I caught the sound of faint cries coming from a house where the left side had caved in and the other half didn’t look like it would hold up for much longer.
    “Over there,” I said, pointing toward it.
    The cries got louder as we hurried toward the house.
    “Is everyone okay?” Miles called out when we reached it. “How many of you are there?”
    “Just me and my daughter,” came a woman’s muffled reply. She was somewhere in the middle of the house, close to the area where the roof had collapsed by the sound of it.
    Conrad examined the structure. “If we’re not careful, we could bring the rest of the house down on them.”
    “Two of us will go in while the other waits out here,” Miles replied. “That window will make a good point of entry.”
    There was no sign of the front door, but the glass on a tall window had been blown