Abandoned Barn, Arcadia Bay Oregon, October 11th, 2013, 9:33 AM
The two walked through the opened hatch and into the barn proper, outside the rain fell even harder now, the wind blowing it into the barn and soaking parts of the hay covered floor "Holy shit! The storm is real. I need to find Warren..." Max said in a panic at the sight before pulling out her cellphone before dialing Graham's number.
James walked away to give her some silence to make her call, instead of walking out of the barn through their makeshift entrance from yesterday. He pulled out his phone and went to his contact list dialing Alex's number. it took a couple of seconds for him to pick up, causing James to worry if he couldn't make any call during this storm. When Alex answered the call his end was almost inaudible due to the static "James where th- are you?" Alex asked
"Alex, I'm fine, don't worry about me" James started "where the hell are you right now?"
"I'm at -wo Whales Din- Why?" James could barely make out the sentence
"The Dinner? alright, stay there and don't move. This storm is bad, real bad. I'm sure the road from Blackwell to there was hell. I'll head over there as soon as I can" James instructed his roommate
"The hell you are Sher- the roads ARE hell and this thing looks like it's getting worse, War-en just said he's expecting the ocean to turn red! just stay whe-ver you are and wait for this thi- to blow over" Alex said through all the white noise
"Not gonna happen, I'm heading over there with Max and I'm going to make sure you're all safe" James shook his head which caused some rain to fall from his soaked head
"James! wai-" Alex started but then James ended the call heading back inside
"Any luck reaching Warren?" James asked Caulfield
"Yes, he's at the Diner, we're heading there now." Max said before unlocking Jefferson's car and getting in the driver's seat, James nodded and got into the passenger seat and the car drove off away from the Barn.
Pope Road, Arcadia Bay Oregon, October 11th, 2013, 9:38 AM
The two sat in the car quietly navigating the roads as best as they could, James occasionally giving Caulfield a direction to go for a quicker route, the entire time rain slammed against the windshield, the wipers doing their best to clear the screen of the liquid curtain. Jefferson had left the radio on and now it was tuned to some evangelist's talk show "I told you. I, Truss Limpbow, have been warning you people for years that our culture of sin and entitlement would lead to God striking us down! And I'm the one trapped in this fucking radio station. Somebody get me the hell out of here now! Now, goddamn it! What do I pay all those taxes for?" James shut it off mainly because it annoyed him
"If I wanted to hear that shit, I'd go to church right now... " he muttered to himself. Max's phone buzzed and James picked it up as to not distract the driver. he clicked on the notification, an automated message started talking, James set the phone to speaker mode so both people could hear
"You have one new message. Message received yesterday at 9 PM." The robotic voice said before a different, more familiar voice started speaking
"Max, it's...it's Nathan." Nathan Prescott sounded different, James was used to hearing the young man make threats and yell at the top of his lungs, here he sounded like he was choking back tears and most uncharacteristically for Nathan. He sounded scared "I...I just wanted to say...I'm sorry. I didn't wanna hurt Kate, or Rachel, or—or...didn't wanna hurt anybody. Everybody...used me!" Nathan's voice then broke down into sobs between words "Mr. Jefferson...is coming for ME now. All this shit will be over soon. Watch out, Max... Warn James. He wants to hurt you guys next. Sorry." Then the message cut out.
The silence that filled the car was deafening, James was a loss for words. He had heard the last words of a young man he had spent so much of the week ready to fight with, a young man that he had detested for so long, a young man that represented everything James was not. And now he couldn't help but feel pity for him, he thought back to the last words he ever exchanged with him
"If you don't change the way you go about life, you are going to end up in a shallow fucking grave with nary a soul to say a eulogy for you"
James wished he had realized it at the time, but he was unaware that would be the last time he would see Nathan Prescott alive ever again. And he also realized that all those messages he had received afterward wasn't from Nathan, but the twisted puppet master behind him.
Arcadia Bay Oregon, October 11th, 2013, 9:41 AM
The car came to a halt close to the Diner, there was debris literally blocking the road down many people were running wildly attempting to find shelter and protect loved ones. James was horrified at the sight, he had never seen anything this bad, and it was happening right in his own town
"Dear God..." he said under his breath
"I don't want to die here! Please somebody... anybody... Help me! Hey... is anybody out there?" someone called out, both students turned around looking seeing a man trapped under some debris. James rushed over with Caulfield behind him, the young man lifted the rubble with almost inhuman strength while Max hooked her hands under the man's shoulders and trying to pull him out. Once his legs were mostly free, James let go of the debris exhausted and drained of the adrenaline he had seconds ago, "
Oh Lordy... Thanks." The man said between breaths relieved to have been saved
You alright?" James asked
"Will be, Once I get the hell out of here..." the man responded "I been hauling loads for way too long in this shithole town." he muttered under his breath
"Right, we need to go." James looked over to Max "You should go too" he then turned forward to face the man
"I ain't never coming back here... You two need a lift?" the man asked shaking his head
"No, we have to find some friends" Max shook her head, Caulfield then turned around to head off towards the Diner. James did the same giving the man his signature two-fingered salute before turning around to follow.
"Right into the eye of the storm!" Evan Harris took as many pictures of this storm as could, completely enraptured by the force of nature out near the coast, not even noticing the piece of rubble from a nearby building collapsing over him, the last thing he heard was the sound of James Makintosh's voice yelling out to him, before it completely slammed into him.
"Evan! God dammit NO!" James called out just as the debris struck the young man "Caulfield, rewind. I'm not letting anyone here die today!" the turned over to his partner giving an order, Max nodded and proceeded to do as instructed
Max ran over to Harris with James followed closely right behind her "Evan, do you see that tornado? Get the hell out of here!" She said warning the young man
"There's no way I can pass up these images! Just look at it!" Evan shook his head gesturing to the tornado out by the coast
"You can't take a picture when you're dead! Now move your ass!" James yelled out attempting to try and get through to him
"Okay, if you two insist" Evan said moving closer to the two right as a piece of a nearby building collapsed and fell right here he was once standing
"Whoa, Max! You do know things! I'm such an idiot." Evan said starring at the debris
"Yes. You are. Now get the fuck out of here and find shelter" James said pointing behind him
"Now I better listen to the real 'Everyday Heros' ... Come with me!" Evan nodded
"We have to check up on people, just get the hell out of here!" James said again pointing behind him, Evan shook his head and ran off for any nearby shelter. With another life saved the two of them began heading towards the Diner again.
"Somebody help me!" someone called out, the call caught both of the Blackwell students attention
"Was that Alyssa?" James asked looking around before triangulating the voice's location, rushing over to what was a few days ago an ongoing construction that had been recently finished, the second floor of the house was completely exposed with many of the walls having collapsed into debris with Alyssa Anderson standing solitary by the edge
"Alyssa, are you okay? Let me help you down!" Max called out walking towards the ruin
"Yes, yes, please! I don't want to die like this! Find something to get me down!" She said with a slight quaver in her voice. James looked around searching for anything to use as a way to bring her down to solid ground, finding a plank of bare wood left over from the construction and grabbing it
"Caulfield! help me lift this!" he called out to his partner. Max rushed over, aiding in lifting the board over to the building and lifting it up to the exposed second landing. Alyssa walked slowly over and extended out her hand to be able to get fully back onto the ground "Come on! Take my hand!" James called out reaching out his hand to meet hers. Their digits met and James pulled back to bring her closer to him
"You did it!" Alyssa said giving Makintosh a massive bear hug that crushed him
"Are you okay?" Max asked
"Now I am! We need to get out of here!" Alyssa nodded letting James go and allow him to correct the knot formed in his back
"Alyssa, you get as far out of town as you can, find a damn car. We have to help other people" James said looking back behind himself.
James was going to say something else but the sound of buckling steel caught his attention and he turned to find a billboard had begun to collapse "Oh SHIT!" James yelled out
"Watch out!" Alyssa said pulling both Caulfield and Makintosh back, just a few feet from where the billboard landed. If he had not been moved, James would have likely been crushed to death, He took a second to catch his breath
"Fuck me that was close... Thank you.." James said turning around to the rescuee turned rescuer
"Now we're even Max. You two be careful out there!" Alyssa smiled before running off down the street. James looked over to Max, wondering what that last comment was about
"Something I should know about?" He asked
"Long story, no time!" Caulfield shook her head before heading through another ruined building,
"Fair enough! " Makintosh shrugged and ran off after her.
Entering inside, the two saw one of the towns local fishermen trapped on the other side of the building by flames, Max rushed over to a nearby fuse box, turning it on. The power sprung the sprinkler system to life, spraying water over the fire, but also causing a stray wire to short-circuit. The fisherman yelled as sparked shot everywhere, falling to the ground, The two rushed over to the man "He's dead..." James shook his head "Do what you have to do", Caulfield nodded and put her hand out rewinding the scene
Entering inside, James saw one of the towns local fishermen trapped, alongside Max on the other side of the building by flames, He went for the fuse box but the girl's voice stopped him
"Don't you'll electrocute us!" James froze in his tracks and moved away from the box
"Come on, you have to get out of here right now." Max said to the man, offering him a hand up
"I need to breathe… I… I need air…" The man said to himself, accepting her gesture and allow her to pull him up
"Turn the sprinklers on!" She called out to her partner,
James nodded and headed back to the fuse box and turned it on. The power sprung the sprinkler system to life, spraying water over the fire, but also causing a stray wire to short-circuit, sparks flying where the man was once standing, James walked over, making sure to avoid the live wire "You should get out of here!" James said to the man, he nodded and began running out of the building
"The whole town is dying…" he said as he dashed away. "Diner's just up ahead, C'mon!" Makintosh said climbing through a shattered window.