Chapter 15 — The Storm
The night had been quiet.
Too quiet.
The big campfire had died down to glowing embers. The Sahara sky stretched endlessly above them, full of cold stars. The air had turned sharp and freezing after midnight.
Inside the tents, everyone had finally fallen asleep after the exhausting days.
For a while…
Everything was peaceful.
Until—
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH
A violent wind tore across the desert.
The fire sparks scattered into the air.
The sand began to move.
Inside the girls' tent, Care's eyes suddenly opened.
Something felt wrong.
The wind wasn't normal.
It was building.
The tent walls shook violently.
The ropes outside strained.
Care sat up immediately.
"Lyra…"
Lyra groaned sleepily.
"What…?"
Another huge gust hit the tent.
THUD
The tent poles shook hard.
Ash sat up instantly.
"That wind is not normal."
Outside, the wind howled like an animal.
Sand started hitting the tent fabric rapidly.
TATATATATAT
Care stood up quickly.
"Everyone wake up."
Gorya blinked awake.
"What happened?"
Mia whispered nervously,
"Storm…?"
Another gust hit.
WHOOOOOOOOSH
The entire tent tilted slightly.
Now everyone inside was awake.
Freya pushed herself up.
"Oh no."
Allison looked toward the tent entrance.
"We should get out."
Care nodded immediately.
"Now."
Outside the boys' tent—
Cole was already awake.
The wind had woken him minutes ago.
He stepped out of the tent and immediately felt the force of the storm building.
Sand blasted across the ground.
Alex came out behind him.
"What the—"
The wind hit again.
Stronger.
Keifer stepped outside too.
"Oh this is bad."
Zein looked toward the sky.
"Sandstorm."
Matt swore under his breath.
Race looked toward the girls' tent.
"Wake them up."
Cole already started walking toward it.
But before he could reach—
The wind roared.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH
A massive gust slammed into the camp.
The fire pit scattered sand everywhere.
The tent ropes snapped violently.
And suddenly—
CRAAAAAAACK
The girls' tent pole bent.
Inside the tent—
Everything went chaotic.
The entire structure shook violently.
Lyra shouted,
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Ash grabbed one of the poles.
"It's collapsing!"
The heavy canvas roof started folding inward.
Sand poured through the openings.
Gorya screamed,
"GET OUT!"
Care grabbed Mia's arm.
"Move!"
Some girls rushed toward the entrance.
But the wind slammed the tent sideways.
The heavy canvas roof dropped suddenly.
BOOOOM
The entire tent collapsed.
Girls screamed.
Outside—
Everyone heard it.
Cole froze.
Then shouted,
"THE TENT!"
Alex spun around.
"Oh hell no."
Keifer immediately ran forward.
"GO!"
The wind was now roaring across the dunes.
Sand stung their faces.
But the boys ran straight toward the collapsed tent.
The huge heavy canvas was pinned to the ground by sand and broken poles.
Inside—
Panicked voices.
"HELP!"
"I CAN'T MOVE!"
"I'M STUCK!"
Cole reached the tent first.
"Care!"
Inside the fabric—
Care's voice answered,
"We're here!"
Cole grabbed the heavy canvas and tried to lift it.
It barely moved.
Alex rushed beside him.
"Pull!"
Keifer grabbed another side.
Endrix and Percy ran to the back.
Matt and Ace grabbed a pole.
Zein shouted over the wind,
"Lift together!"
The wind screamed around them.
Sand blasted into their eyes.
The tent fabric was soaked with sand and weighed like a rock.
Cole shouted,
"ONE—TWO—PULL!"
They lifted part of the canvas.
Inside—
Care crawled out first.
Her hair full of sand.
Face tense.
"Cole!"
Cole grabbed her arm and pulled her out.
"Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine!"
Care immediately turned back.
"Others are still inside!"
Cole looked inside the dark collapsed structure.
Several girls were still trapped.
Gorya was trying to push a broken pole away.
Lyra was coughing from sand.
Freya's leg was pinned.
Mia was half buried under canvas.
The wind roared even louder.
The storm was getting worse.
Alex shouted,
"WE NEED MORE LIGHT!"
Thyme ran back to grab a torch from the fire pit.
Ren helped him shield it from the wind.
Zein quickly started organizing.
"Remove the poles first!"
Ace and Race grabbed one broken support beam.
Percy and Endrix lifted another.
Keifer shouted toward inside the tent,
"Freya! Can you move?"
Freya winced.
"My leg is stuck!"
Care crawled back inside immediately.
Cole grabbed her arm.
"No!"
Care glared.
"Let go!"
She crawled inside anyway.
Lyra coughed.
"Care—"
Care pushed the canvas upward from inside.
"Lift higher!"
Outside—
Cole and Alex lifted the edge again.
Sand kept pouring down.
The wind howled like a monster around them.
Inside—
Care reached Freya.
Her leg was trapped under a broken pole.
Ash was trying to move it.
"It won't budge!"
Care grabbed the pole.
"Push together!"
Outside—
Cole shouted,
"We're lifting!"
Keifer yelled,
"NOW!"
Everyone lifted the tent canvas again.
Inside—
Care and Ash pushed the pole sideways.
Freya cried out.
Then suddenly—
The pole moved.
Freya was free.
Care grabbed her arm.
"Crawl out!"
Lyra helped pull Freya toward the opening.
Outside—
Cole grabbed Freya and pulled her out.
Ren helped carry her away from the collapsing tent.
But inside—
More voices.
Gorya shouted,
"Mia is still under!"
The storm roared again.
The tent shifted dangerously.
Zein shouted over the wind,
"We need to move fast!"
Cole looked toward the dark collapsed mass.
Still people inside.
The storm only getting worse.
Sand swirling everywhere.
This rescue…
Was far from over.
And the desert night had turned into a battlefield.
To be continued…