Polaroid

Chapter 6: Tornado

The power had gone out hours ago, but I didn't notice because I was laying in my bed confused. I rolled over to check the time on my phone. 10:59. 9 minutes away from 11:08. Small pieces of hail were pinging off every window. The wind was whipping and howling so loudly that I couldn't even hear myself think anymore. What if that letter was real, and my mom was going to die in 10 minutes? I thought as I shook all over. Goosebumps were covering my arms and I wasn't even cold. A weather alert flashed on my phone right after it automatically shut off. It said that there was a tornado watch in my area. Oh my god. It's happening, I thought while trying to not break into tears. I called my mom at exactly 11:02; when the letter said she had gotten out of work.

"Mom?" I greeted.

"Hi honey. Sorry I'm not home yet. I ran into an old friend and just am getting out of work now. You wouldn't believe how windy and stormy it is out! Anyways, what's up?" she responded.

"You should probably stay inside Cumby's until the weather dies down," I suggested.

"Honey I'll be fine. I should really get going so I can get home. I'll see you soon. The weather report is coming on, and it might be important. Bye honey," explained my mom.

"Wait mom..." I whispered. The phone cut off. The storm must've affected the cell phone tower. I looked at the top of my phone screen and it said no service. She didn't know of the tornado watch yet because she had a flip phone.

I started to panic as I heard a loud roaring noise off in the distance. It sounded like 1,000 freight trains passing through the area. I checked my phone again. It was 11:07. One minute before my mother's death according to the letter. The roaring was getting louder.

"Tornado! Everybody head down to the basement immediately!" my dad hollered.

"What?" I yelled. I couldn't hear him over the roaring.

"Tornado!" my dad screamed.

I started hyperventilating and screaming as I grabbed my phone, the letter, and the Polaroid photo. Eli, Vaughan, our dad, and I all ran downstairs to the basement in hysterics. We sat all curled up together in a corner, like a bundle of puppies right after birth. Emergency sirens were blaring. I swear I heard a cracking noise coming from the concrete walls, but nothing was falling down. Everything appeared to still be standing in our basement. All of a sudden, it was completely silent except for a slight breeze. The phone service came back. A notification on my phone popped up saying that there was a tornado, and that one person was killed. It said that it occurred on the road that my mom had to pull out of Cumby's onto. Oh no, I thought. I quickly called my mom's number and it answered with a recorded message saying this number has been disconnected. I glanced down at the Polaroid picture. My mom was completely gone.