[2.1] THE BRIGHTEST LIGHTNING, tyler owens

Even On The Darkest Night

Jaymes' eyes tore away from the sky as she looked at Tyler. "Are you tracking cells this far?"

His silence was enough answer for her as they looked back to the sky. They ran back to the arena and stopped. "The air feels heavy." James said, "This isn't good." Tyler continued.

They all look down at their phones as tornado sightings near the area had been reported. The tornado drill sounded on the speakers as people started to scream and rush out.

Tyler reached for Jaymes' hand but spun around when he didn't feel her, behind him or see her. Panic flooded his features and veins as he started pushing back through the rushing crowd. He yelled her name over and over each time not hearing her call back. He looked around frantically, but never caught a glimpse of her.

He looked around over and over again until he saw it, long, dark brown hair and a white and brown Carhartt sweatshirt. She was running with a little boy in her arms when someone met her in the middle, a man, as he took the little boy out of her arms and thanked her.

Now it was Jaymes' turn to panic, she had no idea where she was or where Tyler went. So, with no other choice, she started yelling his name; just as he did with her.

"Jaymes! Jaymes!" She spun around when Tyler's hand locked onto her wrist. "C'mon, we gotta go!"

They ran through traffic, their sites set on a motel in the distance. Jaymes just about opened the door when Tyler ran off to her left, only to come back seconds later, carrying a little girl while a mother carried her son.

James whipped the door open and ran to the front desk, "Do you have a storm shelter?"

The court ignored her and continued to listen to the man in front of him complaining about the cable.

Tyler went on the other side of the man, "How about a basement?"

The other man looked at Tyler. "Hey, there's a line here buddy."

"We need to get these people underground, right now." Tyler insisted.

"There's no tornado," a girl who sat in the waiting room said as she fanned herself. "Nine times out of 10 it's a false alarm."

The lights went out as the man groaned, "Great, now the power is out."

James rolled her eyes and looked around. "We need to find a shelter, now!"

She ran around the building, opening random doors to see if she could find a basement. She swung a door open to be greeted by the wind, that's when she saw it, an empty pool a ways away. She stuck her head back in, "Come with me!"

"All right, follow her, follow her!" Tyler said as he helped shuffle people out.

Jaymes grabbed the hand of the little boy while they all ran to the empty pool, everyone except the man and woman in the waiting room earlier.

She opened the gate and helped everyone inside, then running in herself after the clerk got in.

She turned around to see the man and woman trying to drive off. "No! No!"

Tyler's hands wrapped around her waist as he pulled her away. "We got to go! We got to go!" He helped her down before following himself.

Jaymes rushed everyone into a back corner filled with pipes. Everyone was there, everyone except Tyler and clerk.

She started to crawl towards him when his hand flew back, making her stop in her tracks. "Stay back!" She hesitantly retreated slowly back to the pipes as she saw the clerk go flying into the air.

Just then, a truck came and landed bumper-up while Tyler was still at the head of the pool. "Tyler!" She screamed as he hurriedly, but steadily crawled to her. She reached her hand out and he took it, she grunted, using all her might to pull him close.

Her eyes wide and as the truck started to tip over. With one more pull, she tugged on Tyler, feeling a little comfort as his left hand gripped around her waist. Jaymes closed her eyes and held on for dear life; but her breathing started to pick up when she heard the mother telling her kids that it would be okay. The same words her best friend had said to her before he died.

She felt Tyler's hand loosen as she looked back up at him. "You okay?" She nodded as he placed a brief kiss to her head.

"Is it over?" The mother asked while looking up at the sky.

Jaymes and Tyler walked out and looked around them. The tornado had destroyed everything.

---

Later when the EMTs arrived and when the family was cared for, Tyler and James stood with them while the mother called her husband.

Jaymes turned around when she heard her name being called. She saw Javi sprinting towards her and began jogging over to him as she opened her arms, welcoming the tight hug he gave her.

Javi ramble before she cut him off, "I'm alright, I'm alright."

Tyler watch their encounter from afar, a tinge of jealousy flowing through him.

"Where did you stick it out?"

She pointed to the empty pool, "Right there."

Javi looked and furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Tyler. "You were with Owens the whole time?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Javi, apparently this family lost their home, so I'm going to start getting some numbers put together. Riggs will want those first thing." Scott said he walked up to Javi.

"Okay man, I'll catch up with you later." And with that, Scott walked away.

"Javi, what is Riggs getting out of all your data collection?"

"W-Whats it matter?"

"Is profiting off of people's tragedy part of your business plan?"

Javi turned pale at the news which gave Jaymes her answer.

"Why, Javi, Why?"

"Hold on, Riggs is offering these people away to move on with their lives."

"He's swooping in and taking advantage of people who have just lost everything." She said anger rising through her. "You have no idea what that's like."

Javi looked at her, stunned. "I don't know what that's like? No I didn't go through what you did, but how about losing three of my best friends because you were trying to land a big, fat Grand on your science project?"

She stood there, shocked. She nodded before walking away.

"Hey, Jaymie, I didn't mean that. Jaymes, Jaymes!"

She slowed down and she stopped by a Storm Par truck.

"Jaymes, wait, don't leave like this. Look-Jaymes! Where are you going?"

She drove off without a word to Javi. He didn't know the pain she went through when she was so young.

Tyler watch the whole thing on food from afar. Anger rising in him, threatening to boil over at the thought of Javi hurting Jaymes.

He didn't know where she was going, but he'd find out, and he'd follow her, even on the darkest night.

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Chapter 7 done! Hope you enjoy!
Word Count: 1180