Tornado Warning ("Disaster Strikes" Series)

Chapter 5: Brace For Impact

I decided to include a Trigger Warning for this chapter, just in case anyone is sensitive to reading about injuries. I tried not to make it too explicit, but you never know if anyone may be affected by this! Enjoy!

In the seconds before the storm hit, Sarah knelt down in front of the students, spreading her arms as wide as possible as if to envelop them all in a giant hug. They were all hunched down and crowded together, with books covering their heads, necks, and shoulders.

Her back was to the bathroom door and she faced all of them, looking into their eyes and seeing their terror reflected back at her. Sarah wracked her brain to think of anything she could do to calm them in the seconds before the tornado hit.

Then, a metaphorical lightbulb turned on and she began to improvise.

"All right, I need y'all to trust me on this. Here's what we're going to do: I want everyone to hold hands." The students all linked hands, ignoring the fact that the girls were holding hands with boys, and vice versa. At this point, their closeness was a source of comfort, not awkwardness. "Now, close your eyes. Keep them closed tight, okay? Good job. I want y'all to do something for me. Find a way to keep yourselves calm. Pray, hum, sing, think about your favorite book or movie or video game or whatever and pretend that you are there. Pretend that you're best friends with Junie. B. Jones or Spongebob, or Jack and Annie from the Magic Treehouse. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it helps you stay calm. We'll all be fine, do you understand? Just trust me and focus on what I'm saying."

While Sarah was giving them instructions, she could hear the roar of the tornado getting louder. She grabbed her walkie-talkie and held it to her lips as she whispered, "Good luck to both of you. God bless us all." In return, Sarah heard the teachers' mumbled replies of "you too, dear." Sarah re-clipped the radio to her waist, and as soon as she finished, the windows of the classroom shattered.

The students all screamed and Sarah shouted over the noise, "Here we go!" Lord help us, she muttered to herself.

Anyone who was listening to them would have thought that they were all insane as some of the kids began to sing over the noise. Sarah could hear bits and pieces of country, pop, and even Disney songs. But Sarah knew that if she kept them occupied, she could keep them sort of calm.

And that's how the little group went on. The storm destroyed the classroom around them and Sarah could hear the screams of the students in the conference room over the sound of the storm and over the shouts of her charges. It broke her heart, but she needed to remain strong for her kids.

Without warning, a piece of the ceiling broke off. Sarah, with lightning-fast reactions that she didn't even know she had, reached out and grabbed Jada and pulled the girl underneath her. But Sarah wasn't able to pull her own arm out of the way in time and debris fell right on top of it. Even over the roar of the twister, she still managed to hear the snap! as her right arm broke. She tucked the injured limb against her chest, so as to avoid it getting even more hurt. Biting her lip until it started to bleed, Sarah managed to hold in a scream. If she freaked out, the kids would lose it. Keep it together. We're going to be okay. Breathe. In and out. In and out.

In all the panic, she somehow managed to keep her head. She almost laughed out loud as a ridiculous thought came into her head. At least it wasn't my left arm! Then I'd be in trouble! How would I be able to write or do anything else?! Shaking her head to regain her focus, Sarah could feel Jada's sobs shaking her little body. She huddled over the child and whispered in her ear, "Relax, it's okay. Super Sarah is here for you. Don't worry."