Page 58 of Shadow

The air was thick, making it hard to breathe as I heard a rumble of thunder off in the distance. Lightning struck moments later, illuminating the night sky as dark voluminous clouds raced across the night sky. The hot wind whipped around me as a drop of rain hit my face.

“Wow, it’s hot out here,” I muttered, standing as the storm fast approached.

“I’m staying here tonight. This place has a storm shelter. I suggest you do the same, Joan. That storm looks bad.”

I was about to reply when the beat-up old truck pulled into the parking lot. Holding tight to my bags, I smiled at Conner. “Go home. It’s just a storm.”

Running for the truck, I quickly got in and fastened my seatbelt just as the sky opened up and the rain started to fall.

“Good timing,” I muttered, as Shadow pulled out of the parking lot.

“Sorry I was late. Were you waiting long?”

“Nope,” I said, leaning forward to look out the windshield. “I just walked outside. Man, would you look at that lightning?”

“Yeah, you’re not afraid of storms, are you?”

I chuckled. “No. Just fascinated by them. Growing up, being a meteorologist was one of my top five choices.”

“Top five?”

“Yeah. You know, like awesome careers to have. Meteorologist was my number three choice.”

Shadow smirked. “Afraid to ask, but what were the other four?”

“Trapeze artist, doctor, archeologist and chef.”

Shadow laughed. “That’s an eclectic group you’ve got there. So why didn’t you do any of those things?”

“Well, I’m afraid of heights, so the circus was out. Blood makes me queasy. Nobody wants a doctor who faints at the sight of blood. I was never good at the math and science thing, so becoming a meteorologist was out and I hate getting dirty, so there went archeology.”

“What about becoming a chef?”

“I like to cook, and I think I’m good at it, but it just seemed so farfetched. Plus, with my family history, I couldn’t leave my siblings. They needed me more.”

“You a good cook?”

Slowly turning my head, I narrowed my eyes. “I know you’re not suggesting I remove Hope from the kitchen. That girl loves cooking. She just needs some practice. She isn’t that bad.”

Shadow laughed loudly. “Liar. She’s horrible and you know it. My sister can make anything taste like shoe leather. She burns water, Joan. Water! Who does that?”

Lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.

“Wow,” I whispered, looking out the window as hail hit the windshield. “Um, maybe we should pull over until the storm passes.”

“I think you’re right,” Shadow agreed, turning on the emergency lights as he slowly brought the truck to a stop. Turning off the engine, the wind howled around the truck, moving it from side to side as the storm picked up speed.

Watching the horizon as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, I gasped, reaching for Shadow’s hand.

“Oh shit,” Shadow cursed. “Is that what I think it is?”

“A tornado,” I murmured, just as lightning hit so close, it damn near blinded me. Jumping in my seat, I removed my seatbelt. “We need to get out of this truck!”

“Agreed,” Shadow yelled, opening the driver’s side door as I climbed out my side. The howling wind pelted the rain at my face, stinging me like tiny bees. Using my arm to shield myself, I screamed. “We need a place to hide!”

The roar of the wind hurt my ears as I looked around for any place that would protect us. Squinting my eyes, I peered around the open land for anything that would protect us from the coming tornado. Seeing shadows off in the distance, I grabbed Shadow’s hand and started running into the field as the roar of the storm increased. Rain and hail pelted my back painfully as I tried to cover my head with my arm.

Finally reaching the tree line, I stopped and looked around when I spotted what I was looking for. “This way!”

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