Sigh ... I wish this were mine, but alas it is not. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
To answer a few questions in the first chapter's reviews ... this story is loosely based on Into the Storm. Granted, I made some changes to the plot, improving it as it were. Adding romance (citrus!) and finding out what happened after the tornado.
Funnel clouds usually last less than 10 minutes before dissipating, and many only last several seconds. On rare occasion, cyclones can last for over an hour.
Thursday, May 27th, 2021
12:04pm
Downtown Elgin, Oklahoma
Edward was driving the van and he was trying to contain his grin, despite the situation. His hypothesis had proved to be true and they'd tracked at least two different tornadoes through Elgin, Oklahoma. Things had calmed down a bit, but the weather was still highly unstable. There was a break in the super cells and they were trying to get onto open highway. Paul was leading the caravan of vehicles through the abandoned town.
"Whoa, look at that SUV. It's moving awfully erratically," Seth said from behind his camera. It came to an abrupt stop.
"They've got a flat tire," Edward said, pulling up to the SUV. He hopped out of the van, checking on the driver. "Hey, you need to get inside. The weather is really bad."
A woman looked up at him, her brown eyes wild and her hands shaking. She was dressed professionally, but her clothes were damp. "Do you have a car? I need to get to the paper mill. My son ..."
"He's right next to you," Edward said.
"My other son," the woman snapped, tears welling in her eyes. "We were at the high school at the commencement ceremony and we got hit by a tornado. My older son is at the old paper mill, filled with equipment that could kill my child. I can't get there. I got a flat and I can't change the tire. I'm not strong enough ..." Her eyes watered, tears splashing on to her cheeks and she clenched her hands on the steering wheel. "Can you get me there? I'll do anything. Please?"
"No, we can't," Jacob said coldly from his spot behind the wheel of the Titan. He leaned out of the window; his nose wrinkled. "We're here to film the tornadoes, not rescue damsels in distress. Get inside, lady. We just drove past the paper mill and it was leveled. Besides, it's the opposite direction of where we need to go."
"Jacob, you can go and we'll catch up with you," Edward said. "I'll help ..." He blinked to the woman, who was in tears, crying hysterically. "What's your name?"
"I'm Bella Whitlock. This is my son, Riley," she muttered as she tried to calm down, picking up her phone and purse. "Thank you so much."
"I'm Edward and this is Seth," Edward grinned as the air grew still.
"Riley, were you filming when the tornado hit?" Jacob asked, gesturing to the camera in Riley's hand.
"Really, Jacob?" Edward snarled.
"We need the footage," Jacob shrugged. "Come with me, kid."
"No, we're not going to be separated," Bella said, shaking her head. "Riley, you're staying with me."
The sirens went off and then there were three tornados that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Fuck!" Jacob snarled. "Everyone, in the Titan!"
"It's too close. We need to get inside," Edward commanded, taking Bella's hand and tugging her out of her car. He started to lead her toward a nearby bank.
"The Titan is fucking tank," Jacob snapped back, gesturing to the vehicle.
"He's going to get killed," Bella said, blinking to the three tornadoes, destroying the downtown area of Elgin. There was an updraft and Bella, who was pretty small, was easily lifted off the ground. Edward caught her arm, wrapping his other arm around a lamp post. She was screaming, clinging to Edward's hand. "Help! Oh, GOD! Please! Please! Don't let go."
