Chapter 30 Leaving Home

• Logan stepped to the left, his foot falling through one of the boards. He groaned, Olivia screamed and Serena gasped. “I’m okay,” Logan called out. He got back on steady footing and retrieved Olivia from Serena’s arms. “I’ll follow you,” Serena said. Logan nodded, carefully bringing Olivia out of the bathroom. Oliver was seated on the floor, rocking back and forth, but holding the flashlight out just as Logan had asked. “Good job, buddy,” Logan said, setting Olivia down on the floor beside her brother. “Let me go help your mother.”
• The sky was clearing. It was still early enough that the sun was up, bringing new light on the destruction of the house. Logan headed back to the bathroom. He held a hand out for Serena. She took it, and he carefully led her out of the dangerous room. He brought her to where the kids were.
• “This can’t be as bad as it looks,” Serena said, looking at the damage from the tree. “We’ll get a better look when we get outside,” Logan assured. They each grabbed one of the kids. The stairs were still intact, so getting downstairs wasn’t too difficult. Logan was still careful in case there was structural damage. The walls were smeared with dirt and smooshed bark, water dripped from the hole in the roof, and there were still branches to navigate around. Getting outside wasn’t difficult, but it was precarious. Logan set Oliver down on the ground when he got outside. He looked at the damage from the outside. It didn’t look that horrible, but it would still take a lot to repair the damage. It wasn’t going to be an easy, overnight fix. “I should call my mother, make sure she got home safe,” Logan said when Serena joined him in the front. She nodded; her eyes nervous as she assessed the damage for herself.