The Protectors Series: Book One - The Beginning

The Protectors Chapter 14

Chapter 14

          Tobey slept in until 2 the next afternoon, both physically and emotionally exhausted.

            He stood up just as his stomach rumbled, and he remembered he had not eaten anything since lunch the previous day.

            The house was empty, his brother was at school and his father had taken the day off to be there for Tobey, but he was probably out shopping or something.

            Tobey opened the fridge and found some leftover pasta. He stuck it in the microwave and pressed the power button.

            A moment later there was a knock on the door. Tobey opened it and looked into the face of Geoffrey and Lisa’s father.

            “Hey Tobey, how are you holding up?” he asked, a small smile on his face.

            “I’m ok, thanks. You want to come in?” Tobey took a step back and opened the door wider.

            “No, its ok, I just stopped by to see how you were doing. Geoffrey said you have not been answering your cell phone.”

            He had completely forgotten about his phone, “Oh yeah, I have no idea what happened to it. I think I lost it in the crash or something.”

            “I’m really sorry about Jade, Lisa is heartbroken. She hasn’t come out of her room since she found out. She said you two were really good friends.”

            Tobey nodded; he didn’t really know how to respond.

            “Are you going to her memorial service on Friday?”

            “Uh, I had no idea there was one but I guess I should probably go.

            “All right, ill let Lisa and Geoff know, I better go,” He turned around and walked down a step before turning around, “Oh, and Tobey, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call, and once again, I’m sorry about Jade.”

            A half smile appeared on Tobey’s lips, “Thanks, I will, See you later.”

            Tobey closed the door and walked back into the kitchen towards the microwave. He brought the bowl of pasta over to the couch and took a bite. He realized how hungry he was, and ate the rest of the pasta in minutes.

            Just as he was putting his dishes in the dishwasher the front door opened and his dad walked in, carrying a large box of groceries.

            “Hey Tobey, how are you doing?”

            “A bit better.” He walked over to the box of stuff and looked inside, “what is all this for?”

            “Stocking up, there is supposed to be a nasty storm coming through tonight. It came out of nowhere, and it’s supposed to be bad, I bought a bunch of stuff, the rest is in the car.”

            “You need any help?” Tobey followed his father out to his car and peered into the trunk, and picked up a box of batteries, “Who needs 50 double A batteries?”

            “We might, you never know.” His father said as he picked up the second last box. Tobey grabbed the other and then he shut the trunk.

            They unpacked most of it on the kitchen counter. Tobey stood back and looked at the large amount of food and supplies, “Ok how bad is this storm going to be?”

            “Check the weather channel and see for yourself,” his father grabbed an armful of food and began putting it into the pantry.

            Tobey walked over to the living room and turned on the TV, he flipped through the channels until he found the right one. Across the top of the screen there was a large red bar notifying viewers of the upcoming storm.

            He sat down and turned up the volume, “The storm has done serious damage across the south eastern states,” the weather lady began, “power outages, fallen trees, floods and high winds have been reported. The death toll still remains at 8 people, with hundreds in critical condition all across the southern states. Stay tuned for more information and how you should prepare yourself for the storm.

            The screen changed to a map of the United States. All across the middle of the eastern part of the country was under severe storm warnings, and it was moving towards the north eastern states quickly. He looked out the window, the sky was slightly cloudy but the sun was still shining.

            The screen changed back to the weather lady, “This storm is similar to a thunderstorm, just on a much larger scale. Expect high winds, rain, hail and plenty of thunder and lightning. Up next is the list of supplies you should have in case of an emergency, followed by safety precautions you should follow.” the screen cut to a commercial and Tobey turned off the TV.

            He had no doubt that everything his father had just purchased was on that list.

            Tobey walked back into the kitchen to give his father a hand with putting everything away. He handed him a case of water, “It is just like a normal thunderstorm, just much bigger in area.”

            His father shrugged, “I still don’t like them.” He took the case of water from Tobey and put it on the bottom shelf.

            “Jade loved thunderstorms.” Tobey said, blindly sorting through cans of food, “She would have loved this one.”

            “Instead of being on the ground, she gets to watch from above, and she will have a much better view.” His father was a strong believer in god, but he had never seen the point.

            Tobey sighed and played with the cans until the front door opened. His brother walked through the front door.

            “Hey Tobey!” Josh said and smiled at his brother, “How are you feeling?”

            “A bit better, uh why are you home so early?”

            Josh set his bag down on the floor and walked into the kitchen, “Principal let us out early, all the teachers are freaked for the storm, even though it’s not hitting until tonight,” he glanced around the kitchen, “what the heck is all this stuff?”

            Tobey could help but laugh a little, “Dad’s all freaked out so he went and cleared out the grocery store.”

            “Hey! I wasn’t the only one there buying stuff, the store was packed with people!” His father called from the laundry room, where they kept extra stuff.

            “Packed with guys or girls?” Josh asked, smiling.

            James poked his head around the corner, “Mostly women but that’s not the point. Someone around here has to worry about safety.”

            “Yeah, but not like an old lady,” Josh said and Tobey laughed for the first time since he woke up.

            “I bought pop tarts,” James said with all seriousness as he looked at his sons.

            Josh’s face was serious now, “You are now allowed to worry. Please carry on.”

            Tobey smiled, his little brother would agree to anything as long as food was involved.

            Josh walked down the hall and yelled, “This is going to be so cool!”