Twenty three year old Tommy Reagan was at work when the alert came over his phone. He had just finished checking out a customer when he heard the notification. Not from just from his phone but from the four customers phones as well.
He and the young Asian woman who had long hair black hair and brown eyes quickly pulled out their phones to see what the notification was.
Tommy was expecting to be an amber alert notifitying him of a missing child in the DelMarVA and DC area. That was normally the alert he recieved.
Or the rare silver alert.
He looked at the screen and discovered much to his dismay it was not an Amber or a silver. A cool chill ran up his spine as he read the message on his screen.
He then looked up from his phone at the woman who stood across the counter from him. Both sharing the same stunned look in their eyes.
She quickly gathered her bags and headed out of the door. She was followed put another customer who had left her basket of items behind her.
He was currently the only employee in the store. His coworker JoAnna was on her lunch break and the next shift was not expected in until five.
Tommy looked back at the screen rereading the message. On screen were the words Hurricane Ingrid a category five storm en route towards the Chesapeake bay. Governor Stanton has ordered the evacuation of Solomon City and surrounding areas.
This can't be real he thought as a feeling of horror washed over him. Hurricane Ingrid was expected to hit the eastern shore area not the bay.
He felt his throat begin to tighten as panic rose inside of him. Memories of hurricane Abner raced through his mind and the devastation it wreaked upon Solomon City and couple of years ago. And Abner was only a class three.
There was no way they were going to survive a class five.
"Excuse me." A customer with a rather said in a rather shrill tone pulling his attention away from his phone. "I would like to check out now." The forty something year old woman said as she glowered at him.
She was a regular customer who worked at the local public elementary school and seemed to have a perpetual frown across her face. Tommy was not sure he had seen the woman smile one time in the last three months he had been working there.
Tommy quickly slid the phone back into his pocket as he apologetically said "Sorry."
"You should be." The gray haired woman with brown plastic frame glasses snapped at him. He started to ring up her product which consisted of several translucent blue and gray 2.5 litre containers. The brand name Fantastic Helpful Things was on the front. "You know it's rude to be on your phone at work." She chided as her gaze continued to bore right through him.
"Yes, ma'am." He said as he placed a container into the bag. On the bag was the name of the store Sonny's Container store written in red. "I was just looking at the..."
"I don't care what you were looking at." The woman snapped. "You shouldn't have been on your phone."
"Yes ma'am." He said in congenial tone trying to maintain a professional attitude while a maelstrom of emotions tore through him.
I have to get out of here. I have to get home and get out of town before Ingrid hits. I gotta close the store when I am finished with these customers.
Tommy looked at the other customer who was still walking around the store looking at their selection of one hundred forty litre boxes that were displayed along the far wall.
What is he doing the sales clerk thought. I saw him look at his phone. I know he saw the alert. He knows that a hurricane is going to slam into us the next five hours. How can he continue to meander around the store without a care in the world.
