Tornado Warning (21 page)

“I’ve heard some crazy tornado stories about them blowing away one house and leaving the one next door untouched. And that urban legend about the bible in the church being turned to Genesis. But this is all new to me. It’s like Harper Springs never existed. The cement slab below us is the only hint.”

Ryan motioned toward Steve and introduced the two men. “This is Steve. He’s new to the area. He’s helped me out a lot getting here.”

“Oh yeah, I know you. We met about a month ago. You were looking into buying some goats from me.”

“That’s right! I don’t reckon you have any left,” Steve said, laughing.

“Couldn’t answer that. Some animals are making their way back. Some are still missing. I figure most didn’t survive, just like people. I’m helping on the rescue team. Every day, I swear the ratio is five to one on the dead people we bring in.”

“As soon as I get my son here, I’ll help with that, but I’m sort of a one-man rescue squad myself, with the help of Steve here.”

“Your son is missing?” A genuine look of concern flashed across Tommy’s face.

“No. He’s back at my place with my dad. He got hurt during that first round that came through. I came to town to get help and find Cecilia. Now I need to get back to him. We came across a car down by the river, but it’s flooded, so I’m trying to find anything I can to patch it up and get it running long enough to make it out there. It’s too far to bring him on foot.”

“No, don’t do that.” Tommy shook his head. “We’ve got a couple of horses over at the church. They were part of the livestock I was talking about that randomly showed back up. You know, they say to watch a horse when the weather is getting bad. They have the best instincts about what is coming.”

“How many horses do you have?”

“Three so far. Take one! You’ll have better luck than wasting more time trying to fix a car. I know you’re a damn fine mechanic but get that boy back here. Get him back with his mama.”

“I wouldn’t be imposing on the rescue team?”

“Hell no! We’re taking a break anyhow. Don’t make me tell you again. Take one!”

Ryan didn’t have to be told twice. It wouldn’t be as fast as a car, but it would definitely be better than walking. And with about a day’s hike back to Mrs. McElroy’s car, and more time to fix it, taking a horse was the smartest choice he could make at that moment.

Chief Rayburn saddled up a paint horse and said, “She’s the fastest one we have. If we don’t see you by tomorrow evening, we’ll head that way. Be careful, Ryan. I don’t have to tell you how dangerous it is out there.”

“No sir. And thank you for letting me do this.”

“Get going. Can’t wait to see that boy of yours.”

Ryan hopped on the horse and pulled on the reins, pointing her south of town. His thigh burned, but it was the last thing on his mind. Lightning flashed in the distance. Tommy was right – a horse had great instincts when it came to weather. He’d keep one eye on the sky and one eye on her behavior. Soon, he’d get Ty help. Soon, his family would be together again.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ryan gripped the reins tight as he galloped away from Harper Springs. It was hard leaving Cecilia there. She wanted to go, and he wanted to stay, never wanting to let her out of his sight again, but he had to save Ty. With as long as he had been away from him and his father, he feared the worst – what if they ran out of food and water? What if a looter got them? A lot could happen in the time apart, and with the fates riding against them, Ryan couldn’t underestimate any possibility of something going wrong.

“You didn’t have to come with me.” Ryan looked over at Steve, who was becoming a good pal that he appreciated. Without his company and help, finding Cecilia and getting that far never would have been possible.

“What else would I be doing? Sitting around the storm shelter, twiddling my thumbs? Forget about it, Ryan. And when we make it back with all of your family accounted for, I’ll help the rescue team go out and get others. No sense in wasting time.”

“You’re a good man, Steve. Going out of your way for people you don’t even know. That’s a trait not too many people harbor anymore.”

“I may not be here from here, but I come from a place that has similar values to Harper Springs.  Everyone here is family now. I’ll do what I can to help.”

Ryan nodded and watched the sun move behind some thick clouds on the horizon. Keeping Tommy’s advice in mind, he kept an eye on his horse, looking out for any erratic behavior that would tip him off to changing weather. Right now, the clouds weren’t too ominous to worry about, but with as fast as things had changed, he wouldn’t take it lightly.

There was also a slight dip in temperature, which was a refreshing change. Instead of going back and forth between the river and the highway, Ryan took a more direct route to his house. It would cut off a few miles, but it meant riding through more un-level ground and wooded areas, which were not as thick as they had been before the shift in the weather pattern. Steve seemed to be handling the horse well, and the chances of having to run them at full speed were likely.

“You up for a change in snacks?” Ryan pointed ahead of them, his mouth watering at the thought.

“Is that a vineyard?”

“Damn right it is. Now, if we can actually find some grapes that aren’t all smashed up and ruined from the storm, that will be a miracle.” Ryan sped up the horse and jumped off at the edge of the rows of grapes.

As predicted, most had been torn up from the weather. Old, rotted grapes were on the ground at their feet, and Ryan lifted the leaves and plants to see if there was anything to scrounge up. He’d love to gather up just enough for Ty – the boy could eat a whole bag of grapes for himself. It might help his mood if he could.

“I forgot this is a big grape area,” Steve said, plucking a withered one from the stem.

“Yeah. These aren’t really to eat. They’re more for wine. But hell, I’ll take it if I can find any that aren’t ruined.”

As they moved in closer to the middle of the vineyard, Ryan found a cluster worth gathering, and he ate a few, savoring the juice as it trickled down his chin. It was a nice sugar boost, giving him energy he wasn’t expecting. It was funny how his body was responding differently to the nutrients he was putting in – now he understood how hunters and gatherers felt many years ago when this was the only way of life.

He put a few in a plastic bag and kept it separate from the rest of his stuff. The grapes were already fragile and he didn’t want to smash them. He ate a few more and saved the rest for Ty. It was something different to eat and a morale booster, and once he and Steve were satisfied, they mounted up and continued south toward his land.

With the clouds back building in the distance, he quickened their pace. On horseback, the ride shouldn’t take long. With each step they took, it was like everything was moving away from him. The anticipation was killing him. He couldn’t wait to get Ty back to town and get some medical attention. He also couldn’t wait for Cecilia to be reunited with her son. The look of fear and worry on her face was like a punch to the gut, and getting them all back together would be a push in the right direction in the midst of all of the chaos their life was turning into.

“My place is right up there.” Ryan nudged his boot into the side of the horse, and each time his hooves hit the ground below, it made his thigh scream out in pain, but he pushed it aside. He was half a mile from seeing his son again, and no form of discomfort was going to slow him down.

Steve was behind him, easily keeping up. Ryan slid off the horse and attempted to run to the cellar, but his body wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he walked as fast as he could, swung open the homemade metal door he had concocted, and his heart sank when he saw that no one was inside.

“Dad? Ty?”

The wind blew around them, and distant thunder rumbled. Swiping his cheek with his shoulder, he pushed some sweat off of his skin and glanced back at Steve, and then into the dark cellar. “Dad?”

“Maybe they went to town,” Steve suggested, but Ryan ignored him.

“I hope that’s the case. I hope someone didn’t get them!” Ryan looked around the pasture. His dad had been busy tying together branches for rope, and he did a decent job of rebuilding steps for the cellar, but past that, there was no sign that they had been there.

Grabbing his flashlight from his bag, he turned it on and went down into the storm shelter. There was no food or supplies there. It was as if it had vanished.

Sighing, he looked up at Steve. “I guess that’s a good sign. Maybe my dad took it all with them.  But where did they go?” He thought about his own question for a second. He tried hard not to jump to the worst case scenario. “Maybe we should go back to the river. If I know my dad, he’ll follow it to town so they’re by water. I’m not sure what else we could do.”

“I think that’s a good plan, Ryan. He probably got tired of waiting and decided to try and get some help on his own.”

Ryan scoffed and shook his head. “That definitely sounds like him. He’s more impatient than me, and I never thought that would be possible.”

~~

Darryl almost regretted leaving the cellar. With the clouds building behind them, he knew they had to hurry. They weren’t too far from their safe haven, and if they backtracked, they could take cover before the weather hit. Ty was struggling, and now with Doug along for the ride, it felt like an anchor was weighing them down.

He stopped often, allowing time for Ty to adjust, giving him water and snacks. He stayed by the river, so the worry of running out of dehydration had faded. Their food supply was decent, but what Ty really needed was protein, and if he could catch a fish, he’d build a fire and cook it. But with the impending weather that was likely to head their way, he didn’t have time to stop and think, much less breathe.

“I told you we’d be dead before we reached town,” Doug said, pointing behind them. “Unless some miracle comes along in the next hour, we’re dead.”

Darryl looked down at Ty, hating that his grandson could hear all of the negativity. “Who says it’ll come this way?”

“It’s completely to the south of us. It’s moving north. I’m no meteorologist, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

“The storms have been unpredictable. You never know.”

“If you don’t want to die, old man, you should probably go back to your cellar and let me go.”

Darryl shook his head and stopped, watching the swirling clouds, hoping they’d give him some indication of a shift southward. “I’m not letting you go, Doug. And we’re not going to die.” He nudged Ty and smiled, hoping to reassure the child. “Besides, I can’t have you running around loose. I’ve already seen what you’re capable of.”

“Nah.” Doug let out a sarcastic laugh. “I’m just going to stand out in an open field and let the twister suck me right up. Like I said earlier – put us all out of our damn misery!”

“The anchor on top of the thunderhead is pointing east. It’s going to miss us to the south. So keep walking. The next one that comes through might be on top of us.” Darryl was pretty certain that his observation was correct, but with as unpredictable as everything had been, he didn’t want to stick around and make sure.

“How much farther, Grandpa?” Ty sighed as they walked.

“A little ways, but we’re getting closer with each step.”

“You gotta be shitting me,” Doug replied, laughing again.

Darryl didn’t bother to press the matter. Doug’s snarky attitude was annoying, and if he didn’t give him attention, they would fall back to being quiet. He could tolerate that over Ty being exposed to Doug’s opinions.

A small rain shower came through, which heightened Darryl’s nerves. Something as simple as sprinkles could quickly amplify within seconds, leaving them right in the middle of a death trap. He couldn’t fail Ryan. He promised he’d take care of Ty. He also couldn’t fail Ty. He still had his whole life to live, and hopefully, things would get back to normal once they reached other human beings. This could easily be an isolated event, or it could be spread farther than anyone could comprehend. It was a worry Darryl couldn’t think about. Short term goals were the name of the game, and getting Ty some medical attention was the front-runner on his to-do list.

“Call me crazy, but am I seeing someone on a horse?” Doug asked, shielding his eyes from the sun.

Darryl didn’t take it seriously at first. Doug had cried wolf before, and he couldn’t stomach falling for it again. But when he looked up, he did a double take. Was that Ryan? If it was, who had tagged along?

“Call
me
crazy, Doug, but I think this might be that miracle you were talking about just a few minutes ago.”

~~

Ryan couldn’t believe he was playing ‘hunt down the family member’ again. He couldn’t blame his dad for leaving – he had lost track of how long he had been gone, but he probably would have grown impatient as well. Time worked against them, and with each second that past, hope trickled away with it.

He munched on a few more grapes, making sure to save enough for Ty. Hopefully, they’d still be good once he found them…
if
they found them. Staying positive was always hard for him, but even worse now. Finding Cecilia had helped, but now that his father and child were missing, he reverted right back to hating the world again.

“I see some people up near the grove of trees on the edge of the forest.” Steve patted him on the shoulder, pulling him from his daydream. “Two men and a kid, it looks like.”

Ryan squinted, guiding the horse with one hand as he tried to get a good look. “Two men? It should be just my dad and Ty. This might not be them.” He approached with caution. He didn’t want to step in the crossfire of another looter situation, especially since one would be after him for revenge.

As they got closer, there was no doubt it was Ty and his father. He ran the horse until he approached them, his heart racing when he got a good look at them. Dismounting, he pulled Ty in for a hug, the same emotions flooding him that happened when he finally found Cecilia. He didn’t even bother to look at the stranger who was tagging along.

Ryan smoothed the hair on Ty’s forehead. The kid needed a haircut and a bath. He was paler than when he had left, and the light behind his eyes was gone. No wonder his dad had made the decision to leave. Ty was suffering.

“I guess he’s not going to acknowledge me.”

Ryan looked over at the tag along, finally realizing who it was. “What the...” Jerking his head toward his dad, he pointed with his thumb. “Why in the hell is he here?”

“He came looking for you. I shot him in the shin. Now I’m taking him into town. That’s the cliff notes version. His name is Doug, and I wasn’t going to leave him behind.”

Ryan darted his eyes back and forth between the two. “I suppose you have your reasons. Just like you have your reasons for taking Ty away from the cellar.”

“As you can see, we need help. I couldn’t wait any longer, Ryan. I guess you can do the same and introduce me to your friend.”

“This is Steve. I met him when I ran across this guy.” He pointed at the looter. “He’s been helping me ever since.”

“I have a name. It’s Doug.”

Ryan ignored him and cradled Ty in his arms. “We should probably get going. I don’t like the look of the sky, and Cecilia is waiting back in Harper Springs. The longer I’m gone, the more worried she’ll be. And Ty needs his mom.”

“You found her?” Darryl asked, scooting toward the horse. “I also see you got good transportation. This will cut down on travel time significantly.”

“I would’ve brought a car, but this was quicker. And probably a good thing since you guys are vulnerable.” He mounted up with Ty in front of him, and Darryl climbed in behind. “Doug can hop on with Steve.”

“My arm hurts, Daddy. And I’m tired.”

Ryan kissed the top of his head. “You ready to see Mommy?” He pulled out the bag of grapes and Ty devoured them like he used to eat candy.

“I am!” There was a small flash of energy inside a small child who was fighting.

“Then let’s get to town. You’ll feel better soon.”

Ryan hoped he wasn’t lying.

They’d be together again soon and hopefully, they’d have a clearer picture of what had happened. It would be a time of rebuilding and getting back to normal. Or it could be continued chaos. Ryan had no idea what to expect.