Whirlwind Hearts

Chapter Three: Into The Storm

Chapter 3: Into the Storm

Lena was deep in a dream when the shrill ringing of her phone jarred her awake. She groaned, fumbling for the device on her nightstand, squinting at the harsh glow of the screen in the dark. 5:00 AM. Who could possibly be calling at this hour?

"Hello?" she croaked, her voice thick with sleep.

"Lena, get up! We've got a big one coming!" Izzy's voice was bright, almost breathless with excitement.

"What?" Lena blinked, trying to shake off the fog of sleep. "What are you talking about?"

"The biggest storm of the season is brewing, and we need to get out there now!" Izzy said, her words rushing together. "Get dressed and meet me at the office in twenty. We've got work to do!"

Before Lena could process what was happening, Izzy hung up, leaving her staring at the phone in disbelief. She sat up, her mind racing. Big storm? Already? It was barely dawn, and she hadn't even had her coffee yet.

But Izzy's urgency was infectious. Adrenaline began to course through her veins, pushing aside the last remnants of sleep. Lena jumped out of bed, quickly pulling on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and her trusty windbreaker. She grabbed her backpack, double-checking that all her gear was inside, and hurried out the door.

The drive to SARC was eerily quiet, the city still wrapped in darkness, with only the occasional car passing by. Lena's thoughts were a jumble of excitement and nerves. This was what she had trained for, what she had been waiting for. But it was also her first real storm chase with SARC, and the pressure was overwhelming.

She arrived at the office in record time, her heart pounding as she parked her car and rushed inside. The building was already buzzing with activity. Despite the early hour, several of her colleagues were gathered in the lobby, huddled around monitors displaying weather data. Lena spotted Pete and Mariah, both looking more awake than she felt, and made her way over to them.

"Morning," Pete greeted her with a nod, his eyes glued to the screen in front of him. "You ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Lena replied, trying to mask her nervousness with a smile.

"This one's gonna be a monster," Mariah said, her tone both serious and excited. "We're looking at a supercell forming about an hour south of here. Tornado potential is off the charts."

Lena swallowed hard, her pulse quickening. This was the real deal. "Where's Izzy?"

"Right here!" Izzy's voice called from behind her. Lena turned to see her friend striding toward them, her face lit up with anticipation. "We need to head out now if we're going to catch this thing."

Lena nodded, glancing at Pete and Mariah. "You guys coming too?"

"We're staying here to monitor the data," Mariah said, gesturing to the screens. "But we'll be in touch the whole time. You and Izzy be careful out there."

"Always," Izzy said with a grin. "Let's go, Lena."

They hurried out of the building to the SARC vehicles parked in the lot. Lena took the driver's seat of one of the SUVs, while Izzy hopped into the passenger seat, immediately pulling up radar images on her tablet.

As they pulled out onto the highway, heading south toward the brewing storm, the early morning light began to creep over the horizon, casting the world in shades of pink and gold. The sky was still calm, but there was an ominous weight to the air, a tension that hinted at the chaos to come.

For a while, they drove in silence, the road stretching out before them like a ribbon through the rolling plains. Izzy was engrossed in her tablet, her eyes flicking over the data as she murmured to herself. Lena kept her focus on the road, her thoughts swirling with anticipation.