Hell Happened by Terry Stenzelbarton, Jordan Stenzelbarton

before Monica had the back door open while Kellie opened Eddie’s door and hugged him.
    Mike opened the driver’s door behind Jerry to help Monica with Tony while Jerry walked around the other side to help. Before he could ask, Kellie told him Randy was on the antenna making sure no one had followed them at a distance.
    Jerry told her the bad news. “Terrill didn’t make it,” he said as gently as he could. “I’ll tell you about it after we get Tony settled.
    “Eddie, how ‘bout you take the truck down to the barn and clean it out for me, while I help here.”
    “Okay, boss,” he said, but not with the lightness he usually had. Jerry figured the young man could use some time to himself. Maybe in a little while he’d send Randy down and the two could talk without the adults around.
    Mike had gone into the shelter and brought out the long folding table to use as a stretcher. Jerry kicked himself for not thinking ahead. He and Mike helped Monica get Tony onto the makeshift stretcher and then the both of them grabbed each end while the women made sure he didn’t fall off as they took him inside. As they were carrying him, Jerry saw Tony’s foot and was now sure the ankle was broken.
    Kellie opened the door to the shelter and Jerry was glad that he’d put in the double doors instead of just the single 36-inch door. They were able to get Tony through the door and onto the saw horses the table usually sat on.
    Jerry was again out of his element. He knew how to sew up cuts, stop bloody noses, cure headaches, sore muscles and bruises, but he’d never set a broken bone except for fingers and noses. He didn’t know any of these people well enough to know if they did either.
    He thought it would be Kellie, who had been a teacher, who would have stepped forward and taken over, but instead it was Monica who was shoving people out of the way. “I need the first aid kit, some bandages, hot water, ice packs and some quiet,” she said pushing Mike out of the way and looking into Tony’s eyes. “He threw up in the truck and there was blood in it,” was all Jerry could think to add.
    Kellie and Mike went to get the supplies Monica wanted.
    Looking up at Jerry she said in a tone that was not the drama queen attention whore he’d come to know. “Stop standing there. You’re making me nervous. Go find me a flashlight. And if you have them, two small funnels and a plastic hose about this long,” she said holding her hands about 15 inches apart.
    Jerry went to find what she’d asked for, having no idea why she wanted them. The flashlight he had in the cellar, as well as a couple of the cheap plastic funnels he had left over from when he tried reloading bullets. He went down the steps and overheard Monica asking Kellie if she had any rubbing alcohol.
    In the cellar he found the flashlight and the funnels. The only hose he could find was an old garden hose he used to drain the hot water heater. He used his knife to cut off a piece about as long as Monica asked.
    By the time he got back up stairs, Monica had Tony’s shirt off and was gently probing him for injuries. Kellie had gotten ice packs made and Mike had hot water and a blanket ready.
    “Oh good,” she said taking the flashlight from Jerry. “Now everyone get out of here until I call you. I have a lot to remember.”
    Jerry, Mike and Kellie went into the living room and sat, not talking and trying not to watch Monica. She looked in Tony’s eyes with the flashlight, then in his ears with a child’s plastic magnifying glass someone had found. She also looked up Tony’s nose then opened Tony’s mouth as gently as she could.
    She turned the flashlight off and picked up the two funnels. She forced the hose on the small end of each and used it as a make-shift stethoscope. Where she’d learned that little trick, Jerry hoped to learn some day, but it seemed she knew what she was doing.
    The ingenuity of the girl sparked some words from Jerry. “There’s a lot about