Tornado Warning Read Online Free PDF

that caliber again.
    Sipping on the beer, he finished it and tossed the bottle into the yard. Thinking about how lucky he had been, he felt his lips curl into a smile. Every man on the fire department with him had been accounted for, each one making it home safe and sound. There was no word on the storm chasers he had talked to, and there had been no mention of them on TV. No news was good news. They’d probably get media attention if they were missing or had been killed.
    When he closed his eyes, all he could see was the storm coming right at him. It was like it was alive, and the thunder was its loud growl, ready to devour him. The rotation was a black hole with one purpose – to suck him up and make him disappear. There were reports of people constantly going missing during tornadoes, and it was true – had those chasers not warned him about the shift in direction, he was a dead man.
    The whole time he was attempting to outrun it, he thought about Cecilia and Ty. They were his whole inspiration to keep going, to push the pickup past its limit. It was nothing short of a miracle that the thing had survived long enough to get him home, barely making it down the highway, crippled, limping, and on the verge of falling apart right in the middle of the road.
    He wondered how long it’d take for him to not see the tornadic supercell every time he closed his eyes. Call it PTSD, call it being a wimp, call it whatever you want – he was not going to let it intimidate him. If the same thing happened tomorrow, he’d be ready to do his duty and protect his family. He’d go storm spot for the department if it meant getting people to safety before the storm came bearing down on them.
    Walking toward the cellar, he lifted the door and went down the wobbly steps. The musty scent from before was even stronger, and he pulled the chain on the light, brightening the small hole in the ground. The bags of groceries they had bought earlier were in the same spot, and he went through each one, organizing them.
    Maybe they wouldn’t need to worry about it. Maybe this was the big one, as Cecilia had asked, and it’d be several more years before the weather patterned back.
    Clutching a can of peaches, he peeled the label. “Mother nature, you’re a mean bitch.”
    He laughed and put the can back with the others. Closing the cellar, he still wasn’t tired, so he went to his truck, his heart sinking at the sight of it. They didn’t have the money to get a new vehicle, and since he was storm chasing, insurance would never cover the damage. Working on cars was what he knew better than anything else, but even the task of getting it drivable again seemed impossible.
    He lifted the hood and with help from the full moon, he was able to get a good view of the engine. It wasn’t in good shape, but the frame and bodywork was where the biggest challenge would be. Fidgeting with a few things, he ran his hands down the side of his shirt and closed the hood.
    Sitting on the first step of the front porch, he looked up at the sky again. The brunt of the bad stuff was over. It had to be. Lightning never struck in the same place twice.
     
    ~~
     
    “I kinda like you giving me a ride to work.” Ryan leaned over the console and kissed Cecilia. “It gives us a few more minutes together. Wanna meet for lunch?”
    “I’ve gotta go to the school and eat with Ty. They’re having some program where they want all the moms to come in. I think he brought the letter home about it last week. I promised him I’d do it.”
    Patting her thigh, he got out of the car. “I’ll call you when I’m about done. Love you.” He nodded toward Mrs. McElroy but he couldn’t get caught up chatting with her today. She’d probably have a lot to say about the storms, and by the looks of the garage, lots of people were lining up to get estimates on hail damage.
    “Good morning, Ryan!”
    “Morning, Mrs. McElroy. We’ll come by here in a bit and get some coffee!” Hoping