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.
Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 pm and 9 pm, but can occur at any time.
Thursday, May 27th, 2021
1:21pm
Elgin High School Gymnasium
"Where have you been, Mrs. Whitlock?" hissed Dr. Abraham angrily. He saw her disheveled appearance and arm strapped to her chest, but thought little of it. "We needed you!"
"And my sons needed me more," Bella argued. "But, that's irrelevant at the moment. There's a huge tornado heading this way ..."
"We'd hear the sirens," said one of the board members.
"The alarm system is down," Edward explained. "This tornado is bigger than anything ever registered. The most intense tornado was an EF-5 with sustained winds at greater than 200 miles per hour. According to the radar returns, the winds are registering at greater than 300 miles per hour with the width of the base being over two miles wide."
"The high school is a tornado shelter," Dr. Abraham argued.
"Not for this," Edward replied. "This high school is in the direct path of the destruction and will not survive this tornado. If you stay here, all these people will die. I saw buses. If we load everyone up, we can evacuate."
"I don't know," Dr. Abraham frowned.
"The longer we sit in here, the more than likely everyone will die," Bella said. "Come with me, Edward." She tugged on his hand, running down the hallway. She used her keys to open the transportation office. She swiped the bus keys and arched a brow. "I can't drive one of those things, but ..."
"Right," Edward nodded. He took the keys, and they ran back to the gym.
Bella grabbed the bullhorn they used for PE and held it up. "Everyone, can I have your attention please?" she said. People were milling around, still having conversations. Bella couldn't handle their bullshit, so she shouted, "LISTEN UP!" The crowd stopped. With a smirk, she handed the bullhorn to Edward. "Explain, please."
"I'm a scientist, not a public speaker," he blanched. Bella gave him a look and he took the bullhorn. "There's an extremely dangerous and deadly tornado heading in this direction with winds exceeding 300 miles per hour. The warning system is broken and if you stay here, you will die. We need to load up on the buses outside and get out of here. It's your best option for survival."
"If you have a commercial driver's license, come see me for a set of keys and everyone head out the back entrance of the gym," Bella shouted. "The bus number is on the key chain."
"You need to head south, away from the high school and toward downtown. The tornado is traveling in the opposite direction, coming from the airport," Edward said, looking at his tablet, tracking the storm system.
Twenty people came up to Bella and she handed out every set of keys, save for one. The people left the gym and about forty people remained, including the superintendent and board members. Bella took Edward's hand, feeling incredibly safe with him. They made their way to the remaining bus. Edward slid into the driver's seat. He didn't have a commercial driver's license, but he doubted that any of the board members would step up to the plate.
"I'm shocked that Jacob is sticking around," Seth said, getting film of the approaching super tornado. "Fuck, that thing is ginormous!"
Alec and Jane were sitting in the seat just behind Edward, staring in abject horror. Riley was next to Seth, looking green. Bella was trying not to cry and needing some form of comfort. Edward saw her fear, reaching back to her and taking her hand. "We'll beat this, Bella," he murmured, squeezing her hand. "Here, take my tablet. Track the storm, okay? We're going in the opposite direction. It's going to be okay. I promise."
