"Brace for impact!"
They moved to the center as the winds picked up, tarps slapping violently, and then the air came alive with tiny, stinging bits of sand that filled every inch of the rolled-in camp.
"Damn!"
"Look at that!" Kenn pointed excitedly to a shed, faded red and breaking apart, rolling by in the thick grit, and just missing the end truck. The winds increased; dust burning its way through their masks, and men began to cough.
"Bandana's too! Use your shirts!"
Adrian pulled his turtleneck up over the bottom of his mask, struggling to stay on his feet as the storm engulfed them. The wind was awful, whipping, slapping at them, pulling violently, and the air around the area and trucked-off camp was alive with flying debris of every shape and size.
Caruunncch! "
What the…"
Bang! Rriippp!
Baammmm!
The men closest to the actual Mess truck stumbled at the impact as the rig was hit, pushed forward on its side. Only the two trucks on the end kept it from going further.
Dust flew up in monstrous clouds, filling the area with a blinding whirl of dark sand they could hardly see through.
"Get those edges closed! It'll rip us apart!"
Men rushed to grab the ends of the snapping plastic, tying it back to the poles. It immediately became easier to breath, the dust sinking down to their knees.
Adrian nodded, keyed his mic. "Check-in. One, clear."
"Two, clear."
"Three, all good here."
"Four, no problems."
There were a lot of trucks, and noises in the background of each that made Adrian wince. Crying kids, voices on the edge of panic, arguments, and as soon as the last one checked in, he hit the button again. "Turn your radios up, Eagles. Let them hear me."
Adrian lit a smoke, knowing his herd needed good words and calm tones. "We're watching the storm from about ten feet away. It's unbelievable, scary. We can't see anything outside the Mess, but we're hearing it, same as you. Lots of stuff flying through the air, slamming into the trucks. That's the noise you hear, but so far, everything's good here. I repeat. We are five-by, and so are you."
Adrian turned to watch a huge sheet of wood go tumbling around the edge of the far truck, barely missing it. He fought to keep that close-call out of his tones. "We'll do bathroom breaks now, groups of four from each truck, women and kids first, as usual." He paused, eyes growing hazy as he sang to his herd, pushed his calming magic over them. "I'll be by each truck in the next few minutes, and I know I'll see card games and people spending time together, not working themselves and others into a panic. This is nothing we can't handle." His voice deepened, "Nothing I can't handle."