Miss Texas: A Twisters Story

7. Twister!

Everyone's phones started beeping from a weather alert. I stood up and then the announcer came on the speaker. "We need to evacuate this arena right now! A tornado has touched down near the area everyone needs to get out of here now!" 

I sucked in a breath as the sirens began to blare. Tyler stood up too. We made our way out of the bleachers and watched as the people around us panicked. The wind was picking up speed. Tyler was right behind me, "Just keep walking Caroline." I did what he said. 

Lightning flashed and I looked up. The tornado was less than a mile away, and it was huge. A horse ran past me and knocked a woman down, I rushed over to help her up. "You're okay, it's okay." She got up and ran off. 

I turned around to see Tyler. "Head for the motel!" We began to run towards the motel. Cars were hitting each other as they tried to escape. Tyler put a hand on my back as a car rushed towards us, "Stop!" Thankfully, they did, and we were able to get to the motel. Once we made it I saw a woman getting into her car. "No! Get out of the car, come on!" Tyler noticed and went to get her and her daughter. 

I rushed into the motel, "Do you have a storm shelter here?" The man at the front desk was dealing with a customer complaining about electricity. There was a woman behind him fanning herself. "Sir there is a tornado out there do you have a shelter?" I was being ignored so I ran around him and tried to look for a basement or shelter. 

I came back with no luck, "There's no shelter Tyler!" I ran to the other side of the motel and opened the doors. Debris were flying everywhere, but that's when I saw it. I ran back to the front desk, "Everyone follow me!" 

Tyler ushered the people out of the room just as the tornado sirens flew into the window. We all headed towards the dry pool. Tyler and I helped the mother and her daughter. The man from the front desk was next but then I saw the couple from inside head to a truck. I blinked. For a second, it was me and Savanah; the truck looked exactly like the one we drove. 

"No don't go in there!" I ran towards the truck. "Savanah," I shouted as they drove off. I clapped my hand over my mouth as I realized what I just said. The truck was sucked into the tornado and crashed into the motel sign. There was no way they made it. Tyler glanced at me curiously before he yelled, "We gotta go, right now Caroline." I nodded and Tyler helped me down the pool ladder. 

I found a spot for the mother and daughter to hunker down. "Cover her eyes and hold on tight!" I headed back to Tyler. "Tyler!" I reached my hand out to him. The front desk receptionist jumped into the pool and started crying for help. Tyler turned around to get him, and I planned to help but he turned back to me, "No, stay with them Caroline!" 

I moved back over to the mother and daughter. I watched as Tyler tried to calm the man down and keep him low. The man was panicking and stood up, only to get sucked up by the tornado. I kept ahold of the pipe at the end of the pool and stretched my hand out to Tyler, "Come on!" He was reaching for me when I saw something flying towards him. "Tyler watch out!" 

A horse trailer landed right where he just was as he rolled out of the way. I grabbed his hand, and I pulled him over to the pipe as the trailer blew over us. Tyler was shielding me with his body, and I was repeating, "I'm okay, I'm okay," over and over again. 

It felt like eternity until the storm blew over. I turned to look at Tyler and he got up. The mother's voice was shaky behind us, "Is it over?" I turned to her and nodded, "Are y'all okay?" She nodded and thanked me before I got up to survey the damage with Tyler. There was nothing left. Everything was destroyed. 

Tyler helped me out of the pool, and I stood close to him. I couldn't stop shaking. I felt his hand on my arm, "You alright?" I wasn't sure how to answer that, but thankfully his team pulled up and rushed over. "Are y'all okay?" Tyler glanced at me, but nodded and answered the groups questions. 

Not long after that I heard Javi yell my name. He and the crew had arrived along with some first responders. Other cars were flooding in too. I didn't think they looked like emergency vehicles.

I turned to Tyler and gave him a halfhearted smile before walking over to Javi. He embraced me as soon as I was in arms reach. "When I saw it on the radar and heard where it was headed I got so worried." I gave his arm a squeeze, "I'm okay Javi." He nodded and we were interrupted by Scott. 

"Javi most of these properties were family owned, no insurance, so I'll start working on those numbers. Riggs will want them first thing in the morning." Javi nodded at him, "Yeah, I'll catch up with you later." He turned back to me, and I couldn't help myself, "Javi what is Riggs getting out of all this?" 

He looked confused, "What do you mean?" I sighed, "Is profiting off of people's tragedy part of your business plan?" I knew I had caught him by the look on his face. He started to say something, but I stopped him, "Why are you doing this?" 

Javi was defensive, "Hold on, Riggs is offering these people a way to move on with their lives." I shook my head, "He's swooping in and taking advantage of people who've just lost everything. You have no idea what's that like!" Javi's face went hard. "I don't know what that's like? How about losing my girlfriend, the woman I thought I was going to marry and spend the rest of my life with! I lost her so you could prove a theory to win money from Miss Texas." 

I was stunned. I knew Javi was upset, but he always told me he never blamed me. Javi sounded just like my dad right now, and every day I had to tell myself that my dad was wrong, that it wasn't my fault, but Javi just hit that belief with a devastating blow.

Tears began to prick my eyes. I dug the truck keys out of my pocket and dropped them at Javi's feet. "Caroline I didn't mean that." I turned around and began to walk away. "Caroline wait!" 

I was looking at the ground, picking up my pace as tears threatened to spill from my eyes. Javi kept calling for me, but I kept moving until I heard something that froze my soul.