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𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒
june 14th
THE PREVIOUS NIGHT DAMAGE was made visible through the Outer Banks once the sun began to rise. Little by little, the local population on both ends faced a reality they were hoping was much different.
In the Walton household, Chelsea wasn't quite aware of the rummaging happening downstairs until she stepped foot in the kitchen. There — still rubbing her eyes to get acquainted with the morning brightness —, the young girl came face to face with dozens of strangers entering the division and exiting through the backyard door in a rush.
With not a single face in sight, her mother nor brother's, Chelsea walked outside the back porch still barefoot trying to get a grip of what this was all about, when she noticed the overturned tree log in front of her.
"Hey, what happened?" She grabbed a random man's arm, who was walking by.
"It was the storm, ma'am."
"No way..."
"If you think this is bad, you should check things down at the Cut."
Her widened eyes and shock soon clicked at the man's words when she remembered things over the other side of the Banks were far more fragile than they were here. Which soon turned her into the panicking, storming in and out of divisions person — trying to find part of her family she could speak to.
An urge of emergency settled for the young girl upon looking into the damage that was being handled in the dirt road leading to the front of the house and surroundings. So when she spotted her mother outside, leading some of the helpers around to further contain the damage that had been left around her house, Chelsea knew her help wasn't as needed here as it could be elsewhere.
Putting on a quick change of clothes, she stormed out her house with her brother's Jeep keys in hand trying to reach it before anyone could stop her.
She was sure no one would advise her or allow her to drive around in these sort of conditions, but years of studies also allowed her to know the day after a storm is a much calmer environment after it at settles down.
- ⋆ -
After a short panicked phone call with Pope, Chelsea informed him she was on her way towards him, much to his displease and insistence that she'd be safer at home.
Deep down, he still knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind. Let alone after driving past the connecting bridge and immediately being hit with a horrendous view of the home wreckage of the local population, that tried their best to fix the damage by hand.
Some were distraught, others tried helping their neighbors since their houses were nearly left in dust.
That is why, Pope knew nothing could have stopped the girl from driving herself over. He thought about lying to protect her, protect her reality. But he couldn't, so now she was storming inside Heyward's to meet him.
