The Storm


     “Looks like a storm heading this way,” said Derek Blaine as he slowly steered the medium-sized Winnebago around a curve in the state road.  “Actually, this’ll be the first patch of bad weather since we left Jersey.”
     “Maybe we should put the radio on and see what the forecast is,” said Katie, his newlywed wife..  “It might be a bad storm.  The sky is really turning black.”
     “Nah.  It’s just a thunderstorm.  I’d rather listen to our cds. The rock keeps me awake.” 
     “Maybe I should call Aunt Margaret and tell her we might be late,” Katie said.
     “Don’t bother yet. Only do it if we get stuck...She’s probably used to storms out here in Iowa.  You worry too much. We’ll be fine. Trust me." “Oo wow!” Katie broke in. “Did you see that bolt of lightening?  Went right to the ground..  Don’t see THAT much in Jersey.”   
     “That’s because there are so few hills and trees around here.  We’re out in the middle of nowhere right now.  Nothing but cornfields and fences.”
      Rain started to hit the windshield.  “I guess we’re heading right into it.  If it pours we can pull over,” said Derek.  The rain came down more heavily.  “Funny, it seems like the traffic is disappearing.  It was much busier before.  Where did everybody go?”
     “I don’t know.  It’s kind of weird, isn’t it? Maybe they had sense enough to go home in a bad storm.  I don’t like thunderstorms.  I’ve been scared of them for all of my 27 years.”
     “Don’t you worry, my little sweetie, hubby Derek will take good care of you. Don’t you stress your pretty self.”
     “I don’t like it when you talk like that,” Katie said.  Derek grinned.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The rain started to create sheets on the windshield.  The wipers at full speed could not keep up. “I guess I have to pull over,” said Derek.  “I can’t see.  Thank goodness there’s a shoulder.”  The RV came slowly to a halt.  Katie retrieved the cell phone from her purse.  She opened it and started to dial.
      “Don’t bother to call yet. We’ll just be here a few minutes probably.  Don’t worry Aunt Margaret.   Just relax.  This will pass over soon.  Then you can be your happy little self again.”
     “I don’t think you worry enough sometimes,” she said.
     “That’s the male and female of it.  Women just naturally worry more.  Trust me. Looks like the rain is letting up a little,” said Derek, but before he could say anything else, the RV was filled with the sound of a loud clatter.  “Oh my God!  Hailstones!” he cried.  “Look at the size of them.  They’re golf balls, and they’re going to wreck the roof!  Where the hell can we go?  There’s nothing around here!”
     “Maybe we can park under that tree over there,” Katie said, pointing at a solitary tree standing by the roadside a few hundred feet ahead.  “It’s a little scrawny but it should help a little.  And look!  An old house way over there past that wire fence.”
     “Maybe we shouldn’t get under a tree in the storm.  We could get hit by lightening,”
said Derek. “It’s a target.”
     “No, no.  You’re safe if you’re in a car.  That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. I think now is the time to call Aunt Margaret.”  Katie pulled the cell phone from her purse and started to dial.  “Oh no.  Something’s wrong.  It’s not working.  Didn’t you say you were going to recharge it yesterday?’
     “Damn!”  Derek exclaimed.  “I forgot! How could I forget before a trip?”
     As the hail continued, the sky became blacker and blacker.  The clouds thickened and darkened until it was like night.  Vivid forks of lightening shot down to earth in all directions around the RV amid deafening crashes of thunder.
      Katie slid across the seat and pressed against her husband.  “Those clouds are scary looking.  Look at them.  Some of them are real black and those over there are green.  I’ve never seen green clouds before, have you?”  Derek shook his head.  “Let’s put the radio on,” she suggested.   The radio crackled with static as they turned the dial to find a voice. 
     “…warning.  Take shelter below ground immediately.  Three tornadoes have been sighted and have touched down in the vicinity of Johnson City and are traveling due east  in a line close to state highway 60.  They are directly behind the severe thunderstorm moving through the area.”
     “Oh my God, Katie! That’s us! This is 60!  I saw a sign for Johnson City! What’ll we do? We’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
     “Well one thing is for sure,” said Katie.  “We have to get out of here.  This RV will blow over.  We gotta find shelter.  Those green clouds are moving in a funny way and it’s getting windier.  Stuff is blowing around.”  Derek’s eyes darted nervously in all directions.
       The RV shook. “Let’s head for the house,” said Katie.  “Grab the blankets and hold them over your head and run!”  They jumped out of the RV and ran across the field as the hail continued. .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    “   “Don’t touch the fence,” called Katie..  “Lightening may hit it somewhere and you’ll
get electrocuted.”   They raced across the weed-choked lawn and through the gate which
had fallen away. . “Let’s bang on the front door,” she said, panting.  “It’s all dark in there,” said Derek loudly as they pounded.  “They might all be in the basement.”
       “Just break in,’ said Katie.  Derek took several steps backward, turned and threw his weight against the door.  It split and crashed to the floor as he attempted to regain his balance.  “Nobody’s here.  This place was abandoned a long time ago.  Let’s find the basement. These walls won’t hold up.”
     They tore through each room, pulling closet doors open.  “Where the hell are the cellar stairs? And what the hell is that noise?” cried Katie, turning toward the front window.  “Oh my God!” she said, staring out..  The clouds had pulled away from the horizon revealing a swath of bright sunlight, upon which were silhouetted the forms of three funnel clouds extending downward from the blackness.  The sound of an approaching freight train could be heard.  “They’re coming!  Three of them.  One is heading right at us!”  Derek froze. 
     “Let’s look outside for the cellar stairs.  They’re not in here,” said Katie, as she bolted toward the front entrance.  She stopped and turned around. The sound of the tornadoes had grown louder.
     “Derek!” Katie screamed.  “Come on!  We gotta find the cellar.  Move!” Derek moved slowly toward the door, shaking.  Katie grabbed his hand and led him around the perimeter of the house.  No stairs were found.
    
      “Where do we go?” Derek cried, holding his ears.
     “We have to get under something inside,” said Katie as she pulled him back toward the front entrance. The darkness was broken every few seconds by continual lightening.
     “Bathtub! I’ve heard people get in bathtubs!  There’s one in there,” she said, pointing to the bathroom.  “We gotta get in it.   We need something to put over us!” Derek was visibly shaking and silent, his eyes wide and vacant.  “Derek!”  She screamed at the top of her lungs, “Get that ripped up old mattress in the hall.  Get it, Derek!” He slowly focused his eyes on his wife, then the mattress
      He dragged it into the bathroom.  “You get on the bottom,” he said.  “I’ll lie on top of you and drag up the mattress.” Derek tugged several times from inside the tub.  With a final heave he pulled it up and over the side. The roar grew louder.  The sound of splintering wood could be heard.  “Pray,” said Katie, as Derek struggled to cover them both.  The noise grew deafening and the tub began to shake.   
    With a deafening crash the roof and sides the house were blown apart, wood collapsing on the mattress and clattering about on the floor around them.  As soon as it began, it ended.  Derek pushed the mattress up and saw blue sky overhead.
    “Are you okay?” whispered Katie.
    “Yeah.  You?” Derek climbed slowly out of the tub. He pushed against the mattress again and boards tumbled to the floor. He offered Katie his hand to assist her.
     “Thank you, God,” she said softly.
     “Thank you, Katie,” he said as softly.    
   
     They climbed out and felt the warm sun on their faces.  Lumber was strewn in all directions.  The bathtub was still firmly attached by its pipe to the ground. 
     “Oh Lord, look over there,” said Derek.  “The Winnebago is destroyed.”  It had landed on its roof across the highway, dented on all sides, windows smashed.
    Derek and Katie held each other tightly.

                                                       The End