"Dammit, that one is near the people." Said Captain Nash as we watched the second tornado rip through the city.
"There's no way we could make it to the school, especially with his leg." I say to Angie.
She tried to cover up his wound the best she could with what we have, and we don't really have anything. A sudden rumble of thunder rolled over the dark gloomy skies.
"I could make it back." Desmond replied trying to stand.
"No you can't, don't move for now." Angie says to him. "We don't have anything to properly close your wound, so it could take the smallest movement to open it more."
What Angie isn't telling him is since we can't close the wound, he's at risk of bleeding out.
"We have to try and find the others." Captain Nash stated.
"Well dad we can't carry him with us." Angie replied. "Also we can't leave him alone."
"Then me and Francis will go ahead."
"So you choose to leave me with him? What if another tornado forms, or worst. What if infected find us. I can't carry him and have nothing to protect him with."
"So what, you want to come with me instead?"
"Definitely not, we can't leave Ejay with him."
"And why not?" Nash asked getting frustrated.
"Ejay has an injured hand and also just came back from a searcher mission. He's most likely fatigued and if something happens he may not be able to protect the both of them."
"So then what, we sit here and wait for help to find us?"
"I didn't say that, me and Ejay could go look for the others while you watch Desmond. It's the only logical pairing, we could search for a mile that way and if we don't find them we'll come back."
Nash sighed and thought for a second. Come to think if it, this was the first real interaction I've seen them have.
"Sure." He finally responded.
"Thanks, Ejay let's go."
"But only one mile, don't go any further. If you don't find them come back."
"Yessir." I replied.
Me and Angie walked off into the half demolished neighborhood. A light rain shower started to descend onto the city.
"This lil bit of drizzle is what's gonna make me sick yanno." I exclaimed.
"You chose to rip off your shirt." She replied.
"I was just tryna flex, I didn't expect rain to fall."
"Flex what? Not that fat belly though?" She replied with a grin.
"Fat? Don't disrespect me like that." I responded laughing.
She laughed too. There was silence for a second as the wind began to pick up a little. It's actually feeling a bit cold.
"You know my hand isn't that badly injured, I could've stayed with Desmond."
"Yeah but I didn't want to be alone with my old man." She replied.
"You two relationship seems pretty one sided." I stated.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"He obviously cares about you, but most of the time you seem uninterested with him."
"Don't worry about it." She replied.
I looked over to her for a second before replying "Ok." We both went quiet again but it was different this time. There's a difference between silence and absence, and she was definitely absent at that point.
We carried on walking for a few minutes with no signs of the other group.
"How far could they have gotten." I asked. "Wait... you hear that?"
"Sounds like a car." She replied listening to the sound.
She was right, well kind of. Another bus drove around the corner and stopped in front of us. Mali stuck her head out the window and said...
"We were starting to think you guys got caught by the tornado."
"Where did you get a bus from?" Angie asked.
"Victor, Regine and the other guards at the west gate were sent to check on us, and they found us walking several blocks away. Where's Captain Nash?"
"Him and Desmond are back down that way. We came looking for you guys." I responded.
"Well then let's go."
We rushed onto the bus and there was everyone who went ahead of us. Angie sat next to Mali and I sat behind them next to Lici.
"Psss, you look better with the shirt off." Mali whispered back to me.
"Girl look forward." Angie said while pulling her.
All I could do is smile. We drove back to where we left Captain Nash and Desmond and picked them up. Then we started our route to the school.
"Hey Lici, you think the storm is dying yet?" I asked.
"I don't know it's hard to tell. The clouds aren't breaking up and there seems to be a constant updraft."
Let's pretend like I know what that means.
"What happened to your hand?" She asked.
"Tornado debris broke a window and I got sliced with a shard."
"Battle scar, nice." She replied.
"I'm lying, I sliced myself on accident with my knife."
She laughed and I joined in with her. Our laugh was brief though as the bus came over a hill we received a devastating view of the city.
"Good God." Nash said as we drove over.
Everyone else was silent and tried to take it all in.
"There has been a reported 4 tornadoes sir." Said the driver. "All of which fell between F2 and F4 with the largest almost completely leveling the far east side of town."
The center of the city was mostly in good condition and had hardly been touched. There was also two fires that I could see ravaging the east side. The rest of the ride to the school was silent. We made it there fairly quickly and found that majority of people also fled to this place for shelter.
"Let's move inside." Nash said as we began to exit the bus.
As where walking inside a voice called out to us.
"Heyyyy!"
We turned around to see Alyssa and the rest of the other group. How come they're just reaching the school?
"The bus crashed and we had to bunker down from a twister sir." Rodney reported to Nash.
"Any casualties?" He asked.
"Sadly we did have one." Rodney replied.
"Okay... let's get everyone inside."
"How you holding up?" I asked to Lj.
"By the looks of things, I'm doing better than you." He replied.
"Angie could I trust you to ensure that Desmond and Ejay get to the medical department?" Nash asked to her.
"Of course." She replied.
"Alright." He said as he turned and walked in the school with Rodney.
Me and Lj supported Desmond and helped him inside. On entry the atmosphere was very gloomy. People sat in the halls quiet...scared.
"I was wondering when you guys would reach." Said Khiara as she walked up to us.
"Yeah this day has been longer than it should be." I replied.
"Y'all children too brave, being out there in a time like this." Shea said as her and Nesha also approached us.
"Everything alright Meer?" Nesha asked.
"Yeah, I'm good." He said lightly as he hugged her.
"Let's find a room upstairs for ourselves, down here is a bit crowded." Angie suggested.
"We'll find you guys after we get Desmond to medical." I stated.
"I'm coming with you guys." Khiara said.
We traversed the bottom floor halls to the med department. Classes filled with kids and adults, and they even spilled into the halls.
"Your mom was worried about you guys." Khiara said to us.
"She's here?" I asked.
"Yeah I saw her last on the bathroom line." She replied.
A light grew inside of me knowing my mother was safe. A smile formed in my face for a second.
We turned the corner to where the med department was and that light instantly left my body. People bloody, bruised and broken. So many the two rooms couldn't even hold everyone.
"You guys need assistance?" A nurse asked who was waiting at the corner.
"Um, he was stabbed in his leg and might still be losing blood." I replied.
"Take him right into the second room please. What about your hand?" She asked.
"Oh no it's nothing, it's just a scratch." I told her.
My insignificant cut would just be taking attention away from someone who needs it more. We delivered Desmond into the room and left.
"Let's go and find the others." I stated.
We moved upstairs and found that there wasn't nearly as much people as there were downstairs. The office door is closed so I assume Captain and the other adults were in there.
"Hey guys we're in here." Regine said to us from a room behind us. "Look who we found."
We entered the room and found our entire group including Miguel. Although on crutches he seemed to be recovering nicely.
"Wind outside blowing so strong it blew in a cripple." Said Liam as we entered.
"I'd slap you yanno, you is a next one that don't know what to say." Lyssa replied as everyone laughed.
"Good to see your out the hospital." I said as I also laughed.
"Thanks, I was out from yesterday but I stayed home the entire day." He replied.
"You hobbled your way all the way to this school?" Asked Lj.
"Well I live right down the street so I didn't have to walk far."
"Imagine Miguel getting blown over by a strong gust of wind and rolling like a tumbleweed 'cause he can't get up." Liam exclaimed.
"See, come hold this." Lyssa says walking over to him with her arm extended.
The rest of us laughed as Liam ran from her, pushing away everything in his path. Everyone quickly paused as the room door swung open. Rodney stepped in and looked around at everyone.
"I just wanted to see who all was in here." He said.
Our upbeat spirit was drained from our bodies when the tornado siren started to wail again. It sounds a lot more haunting from up close. I was standing next to a window and was able to glance the newly forming vortex. I walked up to the window and peered out of it as Rodney and Alyssa joined by my side. A few others came up behind us.
"Come in Danville." Rodney said over his radio.
"Yessir I'm here." He replied. "A new cyclone is sprouting downwards in the western area. This one is looking considerably larger than the others. However it doesn't seem any stronger yet."
We watched the tornado touch down and grew with every passing second. Thankfully it isn't moving in our direction, but I can't imagine people out there escaping that.
"Wait do you guys see that?" Regine asked pointing out the window.
"Sir, there seems to be another major tornado forming not that far from the active one." Private Danville stated.
"Two of them could spawn in the same area at the same time?" Victor asked.
"Sergeant there is..." Zhaire says running in and realizing that we're all aware of what's happening outside.
"The two, twin tornadoes are strengthening and moving closer together." Says Danville. "This doesn't look good."
We stared on in amazement as the two tornadoes began to merge together. Magnificent and horrifying simultaneously. Once they came together, it became the scariest thing I have ever laid my eyes on. A behemoth shrouded in a suffocating sound of wind.
"Sir... they've merged." Said Danville. "Estimated winds are... 360 miles per hour. Estimated size is a mile and three quarters wide."
"Oh my God." Were the only words Rodney could've muttered out.
"The new cyclone has seemed to taken a new moving direction and..."
"What happened, which way is it going." I frantically asked.
"Sir. Can I please talk to my daughter?" Danville asked.
"Of course." He replied
Sergeant handed her the radio and walked to the side of Zhaire.
"Hello?" She said while shaking.
"Hey sweetie, how you holding up?"
"Are you at the office?" She asked starting to tear up.
He went quiet for a few seconds before responding.
"Don't worry about me ok."
"No no you have time to get out of there, please dad."
"I don't have enough time Lyssa just listen to me. And please stop crying."
"I'm not even crying." She replied while wiping her eyes.
"I could hear you sniffling. Don't worry about me ok. The only thing that made me happy in this world was you, and I'm beyond proud of the woman you've become."
At this point she couldn't help but to let the tears fall. Not only her but Mali and some of the others as well.
"At least now I could finally see your mother again. Do me a favor and take your time before you come to join us."
"Ok. Tell mom I said hi."
"Will do sweetie."
The office sat about three miles away from the school and in the direct line of the tornado. We watched on as the tornado completely engulfed the building in seconds. Lici held Lyssa as she closed her eyes and turned away. I think it's become clear that this building might not hold up against that thing.
"We have to get everyone out of here."