The storm:

Sammy leaned her head against the back seat and stared out the window. Dust was driving now and she had given up the front passenger seat to her little brother. He had been talking non-stop to Dust for the past couple of hours.

Her gaze briefly flickered to the front and she locked eyes with Dust’s in the mirror. A small smile twisted her lips when she saw the questioning look in his gaze. A moment later he broke the contact to focus on the road in front of them.

“Sammy, can I have another snack cake?” Todd asked, glancing over the seat with a hopeful look.

“Just one more,” Sammy murmured. “I don’t want you getting sick to your stomach.”

“I won’t,” Todd promised, turning back around to dig into the bag.

They had gone through the store one more time looking for things they could use while Dust had siphoned gas from the underground tanks. They had talked for a little while when she came back from using the bathroom. She was thankful that she had Todd for the past year. Dust had been all alone. She couldn’t imagine not having someone else there to talk to. Sure, Todd was young, but he had given her a purpose to keep going.

“What’s that?” Todd asked, sitting up in the seat.

Sammy sat up and peered between the seats. A low curse escaped her when she saw the dark, rolling clouds and flashes of lightning. This wasn’t your typical storm. It was a mega-storm. Since the comet, the weather had been extremely unpredictable. The nights changing from warm to freezing within minutes and the days were not much better.

“We need to find cover,” Dust muttered under his breath. “Are there any towns nearby on the map?”

“I’ll look,” Sammy whispered, grabbing the map next to her and opening it up. She stared down at it. Running her finger from the last town they went through, she traced her finger along the road. They had to detour a few times because of the main interstate being impassable in a few sections. Right now, they were on a back road. “I don’t see anything,” Sammy said with a frown.

“Look at that!” Todd exclaimed, pointing out the front window.

Sammy’s head jerked up in time to see a line of lightning running in a long pattern along the ground. Swallowing, she watched as the ground exploded upward where it struck. She couldn’t imagine there being any place safe from such a force.

“Dust,” Sammy murmured, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

“I know,” Dust muttered, turning left when another road came into sight.

“Where are you going?” Todd asked, looking out of his side of the window at the approaching storm.

“I’m going to see if I can find an overpass, bridge, or one of those huge culverts,” Dust bit out through gritted teeth as the high winds began pushing on the car.

Sammy flinched when she saw marble size bits of ice hit the window next to her. She reached over and touched Todd’s shoulder. She wanted him away from that side of the car in case the ice broke the window.

“Come back here and buckle up, Todd,” she ordered, undoing his seat belt.

“Okay,” Todd replied in a slightly quivering voice.

Sammy helped Todd over the console between the seats and quickly buckled him up. Picking up the blanket that was on the floorboard, she opened it up and spread it over his lap. She winced when the hail grew stronger. She could hear it bouncing off the gas cans on the roof.

“Dust, we need to find shelter,” she shouted above the growing storm.

“I know,” Dust replied, jerking the wheel to the side to avoid some flying debris. “We can’t stay out in this.”

“Sammy!” Todd whimpered in terror when a bolt of lightning hit close to the road.

Sammy reached over and covered Todd’s head as dirt and rocks pelted the front and side of the car. She felt Dust struggling to keep the car on the narrow, two-lane road. The tires kicked up dirt when the car ran off onto the soft shoulder. He swerved back and forth for a moment as he tried not to over-correct it. He had just straightened the car out when another explosion sounded behind them. Sammy twisted in time to see a portion of the road disintegrate behind them.

“Hang on,” Dust yelled as he turned again, this time onto an old dirt road.

Sammy used one hand to hold onto the back of the seat and the other one she wrapped around Todd in an effort to keep from being thrown around despite the seat belt she had across her shoulder and waist. Dust accelerated as more hail and lightning flashed. Sammy swore she could feel the back of the car start to lift up off the ground before Dust pulled away in a cloud of dirt.

She didn’t know where he was going, she just hoped he found some place soon that would protect them from the elements. A low cry escaped her when he fishtailed on a curve in the road and she felt her hold on Todd loosen. She was thrown sideways against the window. Pain exploded through her head when it hit with a sharp thump. Turning her head, she wished she had kept it straight when she saw the huge tornado bearing down on them.

“Dust,” she whispered in horror.

“I know, Sammy,” Dust replied in a grim tone. “I see it.”

Sammy didn’t say anything, she kept her eyes glued to the twister even as Dust turned the wheel again. This time, she held on to the seat in front of her with both hands. She was slowly counting, trying to measure the distance between them and the dark, swirling cloud.

“We’re not going to make it,” she whispered, her eyes growing bigger as the tornado expanded.

“Yes, we will,” Dust replied, spying what he was looking for. “Hold on!”

In the corner of her eye, Sammy saw Todd reach out to grab the back of Dust’s seat. A scream formed in her throat when she felt the car suddenly take a nose-dive. Forcing her eyes around to the front, she saw that Dust had left the road and was going down into a deep gully. Her eyes widened when she saw what he was aiming for, a huge culvert under the road. Overhead, large deposits of rocks, soil, and ice pounded on the car, leaving deep dents in the top. The front windshield suddenly cracked as several large chunks struck it. Just as the sound of the tornado grew to a deafening roar, everything went black as the car skidded into the large, concrete cylinder beneath the road.

*.*.*.

The dark shadows of the devil dogs emerged like ghostly shapes later that afternoon. Their sides moved rapidly in and out as they drew in panting breaths. The female had driven the remaining pack hard. She wanted to catch up with those she was hunting. One of the pack had fallen behind. She knew if she let it live the others would soon follow. She had killed and eaten it with a viciousness that warned the rest of the pack what their fate would be if they didn’t keep up.

The Alpha paused as she smelled the approaching storm long before she saw it. Her pack could sense something, but they did not have the same awareness that she did. With a snarl, she drew to a halt outside of the dilapidated store. She had been following the faint scent of the metal beast that had carried the creatures off. With a snap of her jaws, her pack sought shelter in the remains of the building.

She would seek shelter, but not yet. Even with the growing wind, she could smell the one she sought, the one whose powers she wanted. Pressing her nose to the ground, she trotted back and forth until she found where he had gone. He had spent time at the other metal machines before moving off into the desert. Following the path of his footprints, she soon came to the pile of black plastic bags.

Her gaze rose to the growing storm before returning to the bags. Stepping forward, she tore the first one open with her front claws. The remains of bone, dried flesh, and clothing pierced her senses. She reached forward and sank her teeth into the bone. Pulling it out, she quickly tore the material away from the remains and devoured what the tough, dried out flesh.

A deep snarl escaped her when the growing wind sent a rain of sharp sand against her side. Her gaze returned to the growing storm. The hair on her nape rose at the electricity in the air. In the distance, bolts of lightning struck the ground. Realizing she wouldn’t have time to finish feasting on the remains, she quickly dug a hole and buried the bags. She would eat afterwards.

She was just finishing when the first stinging blows of ice began to fall. Turning back toward her pack, she soon realized that she had misjudged the speed of the storm. Fighting against the wind, she noticed an outcropping of rocks. She focused, hating to use the limited amount of energy that she had, but knowing she had no choice. Dissolving, she breathed a sigh when the pain from the sharp ice and sand passed through her instead. Within minutes, she was cocooned inside a recess between the rocks. Reforming, she watched the storm with an appreciation for its intensity and power.

Power, she thought with a jerky, sudden awareness. Yes, power. The… boy, he has power. Power that I want. The… others will give me the strength I need to defeat him. He… cares for them, she realized with satisfaction. That will be his weakness. He will not like it when I kill them.

She scooted back further and closed her eyes against the stinging wind. She would rest. Her dissolving had taken more out of her than she realized. She had never dissolved for so long before. She would definitely need to feed after the storm.

I will eat, she thought as sleep pulled at her. Then, I will hunt.