Page 38 of One Sultry Summer

I put Emily down and told her we had to run, run as fast as we could. The wind was strong and whipped us around, but I had to keep pushing us forward. I followed her towards the house. It felt like we had been running forever when I heard a screeching of tires and a truck coming to a stop. I turned to see Wyatt jumping out of the truck yelling for us to get in. We opened the door and jumped into the truck as fast as possible, and didn’t even worry about our seat belts.

“How did you know where to find us?”

“I didn’t. Home was the closest place for me when the tornado touched down. Why were you together and where did you girls come from?”

“Daddy, I went to the cemetery, and she came to get me.”

Once he pulled up to the house, he told us to take cover as a tornado had touched down on the outskirts of town. We hightailed it out of the truck as quickly as we could and ran towards the cellar.

However, he was running in the wrong direction and went into the barn. I helped Emily open the cellar door.

“Get inside, I’ll be right back. Don’t leave, sweetie.”

I ran to the barn only to see Wyatt opening the stall doors. “What are you doing?”

“I’m setting them free, so they won’t get hurt. They have a better chance at surviving out there, than in their stalls.”

I ran over to Hubs and opened the gate. I led him out, and he followed the others. The siren wailed again. We both started running to the house when I slipped and fell in the mud. All myweight landed on my left wrist. I didn’t have time to assess the damage.

Wyatt pulled me up with his strong arms and grabbed my right hand. Behind us, I could see a dark funnel cloud looming and it was getting closer by the second. With my adrenaline pumping, I didn’t have time to think about the danger we were in, and I forgot about the pain in my wrist. My only concern was us getting back to Emily. We ran down the steps and into the cellar.

He closed the door behind us, placed a large piece of wood over the door that was secured by heavy-duty metal brackets, and flipped a light switch. I observed the room; it was filled with supplies, and from what I could tell, there were no visible windows. Then I saw Emily crouching down in the corner. When she saw Wyatt, she ran over and jumped into his arms.

The sound of the wind picked up. I’ve been told that the sound of tornadoes is described as a freight train running right by you. But I’ve neverhad firsthand experience on the subject. This is not one of those bucket list items you ever want to check off.

We huddled together away from the door. All we could hear was debris hitting the house. As we waited for the passing of the tornado, we heard another large crashing sound. We didn’t dare to move. The lights flickered, and then we were left in the dark.

Chapter 14

Wyatt Woods

After we heard the large booming sound, my heart raced with adrenaline. The sound of harsh winds dissipated, and all we could hear was the soft tapping of rain against the side of the house. With the strength of the wind and the loud crashes against the house, I was afraid that we might end up trapped down here. My hand searched for the flashlight that should be on the shelf.

When I set up the storm cellar, I tried to keep everything in its place, for emergencies, just like now. As I grasped the handle and flipped the switch to the on position, I let out a sigh of relief. Or at least I did until I attempted to open thedoor. I tried several times, giving everything I could to push the door open.

It was no use, we were trapped. I didn’t want to scare Emily or Valerie, but I had to tell them the door was blocked, and we wouldn’t be getting out anytime soon.

“Ladies, we have a slight problem, so don’t be alarmed.”

“We’re stuck?” Valerie blurted out.

So much for trying to not alarm anyone, “Yes, but it’s only temporary.”

“Should we call 9-1-1?”

“None of us are injured. So, I wouldn’t consider that an emergency. Plus, I don’t have my cell phone. I left it in the truck.”

She pulled her phone out from her back pocket. “I called your mom’s phone number earlier and got a recording. So if the landlines are still down, I can message Devin to inform him about our situation and location.” I nodded, informing her to go ahead and try.

Valerie blinked her eyes. I realized she was trying to gain control of her emotions in the situation we were in. Both girls shivered as they were drenched from head to toe after running in the rain. I stood and began to rustle through storage boxes.

I had several blankets and old clothes that I intended to donate to charity. I gave clothes to both of them so they could change out of their wet garments. I put up two makeshift areas, a dressing room and a bathroom. Once they were changed, we huddled up to keep warm.

When Valerie sat down, I noticed she was holding her wrist against her body. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Come on, let me see.” I knew she slipped and fell, and now I feel like an idiot that I didn’t check on her sooner.

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