location: downtown

Nothing about this was ideal. The evacuation implemented that stretched the highway towards Charlotte stifled by the pile up hadn’t left those remaining within their cars, uncertain of what lay ahead with much choice. As paramount as getting everyone out of their vehicles might have been, the pressing matter of the hurricane and the people still out here in the open had led Jackson to leading as many people as he could to the shelter back in town. Irony painted itself black within his veins, with the reminder that he found his calm within the chaos, almost unfazed by the concern over those he cared about - knowing the majority would stand, as he did, as the last people on the front line of disaster. After circling back, pointing his truck towards the highway again, he took barely a moment to watch the flood waters of the river spill out across the road, the unmistakable spark of light that didn’t belong among such gloom.  Pulling up, the force of the water edging higher almost pulling his legs out from beneath him as he found the road, murky beneath the surface. The live wire sparking as the wind caught it against the car, pressed up against the side of the building, washed from the road in the overflow. Movement within the car, and outside of it drew him closer, wading through the water until he could press a cold palm against the trunk of the car. “How many?” He called out over the heavy falling rain, recognition of one of his own men coming moments later, “Simon, how many people are ins..--- Move.” Like the lightning above, Jackson reached to curl a steady palm around the others arm, pulling him through the water as the live wire reared it’s head like a venomous snake, sending sparks into the water rushing by their feet. “The windshield --” It was the furthest opening from the wire lashing in the wind, “They’ve gotta’ kick it out..-- now.”