Chapter 3
April 10, 2022 at 5:00 pm
"BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr." The tornado siren went off alerting all those not already underground to get there. Robbie turned off the TV as they had lost the signal. Now everyone huddled around the radio.
"Updating you to the current situation, the tornado has ripped through FunTown and is increasing speed as it heads toward LazyTown. It is estimated…" The radio fuzzed out. Sportacus shook it but couldn't get the signal back. Amanda fumbled around in the box of emergency supplies and grabbed some new D-cell batteries. Stephanie threw the old ones away and the new ones were inserted.
5:05 pm
However, this made no difference. The radio continued its silence. Lights all around the ex-lair began to flicker and finally they went out. The two families were now completely in the dark without any news from the outside, with the exception of the howling siren.
Soon they heard something bouncing off the metal tube that stuck above ground. PING! PING! It sounded like golf balls but in all actuality it was golf ball sized hail. Rain began to pound the ground. A noise like no other covered up all the other sounds.
At first it sounded like an incredibly loud vacuum cleaner but as the intensity grew it sounded more like a freight train. The tube rattled and it sounded like it was going to get ripped out of the ground. Samantha began to cry and Joshua pulled her close. There was nothing to do but wait.
5:10 pm
An eerie silence followed. Then Sportacus' crystal beeped. There was some hesitation on his part but then he got up and headed for the side entrance.
Joshua wanted to follow his father but he couldn't leave Samantha. She had calmed down quite a bit but it still was a terrifying experience. Robbie got up and walked toward the side entrance carrying a flashlight since he didn't have a crystal to light his way.
Sportacus was pushing on the dented door but it refused to budge. So the above average hero turned and headed for the only other exit. Robbie stopped him.
"Are you sure you need to do this?" The ex-villain asked.
"People need me. I have no choice. I don't have the luxury of being afraid." Sportacus told his friend. Quickly, the above average hero raced to the upright tube and made his way up it.
Towards the top, light began to shine through holes in the door. The hail had gone right through the metal. As Sportacus got closer, he noticed that the tube seemed to be getting smaller. He squeezed through the smaller opening and forced the lid off.
The above average hero was now able to see what had caused the damage. One of the wooden supports for the billboard had been hurled against the tube and pushed it in. The billboard itself lay on the ground in pieces.
Trees had been uprooted and snapped, some of the houses were missing their roofs, and a mailbox was lying over a downed telephone pole. His crystal reminded him that someone needed help and he raced off in the direction he was needed.
Back inside Robbie and Amanda's house everyone was trying to get themselves collected. The power was still out and so was the radio. So the decision was made that the only way to find out was to go topside.
To Be Continued…