Sins in Twisters

Chapter 20: Scattered

Standing outside the front door to the store, Bobby scratched at his beard for a second before combing his hand through his hair. Feeling the subtle difference that the cool breeze brought, fluttering his apron to the warm, humid air that stuck to his skin just enough to feel it.

Business had been slow today for the family market tucked away in Great Lake City. A few cars passed by on the rain-slicked roads milling about, and many more people wondered about feeling the surprisingly warm air all around them after the storm to take the rain jackets off or open them up to feel the sun's rays. Some may catch a glimpse of a rainbow out in the distance where storm clouds fade over the horizon.

It had rained for a couple of hours, starting before noon if he remembered after a rather busy morning. Once it came down, it was like the whole city shifted into a lower gear. It gave him enough time on his lunch break to run up to the apartment to check on his family and grab a bite. Ronnie was lying on the couch watching TV with Gracia tucked up against her stomach, asleep. With how quiet the TV was with the windows cracked, the apartment was so eerie still minus the sound of the rain falling and the occasional car.

Ronnie looked so peaceful at the time he stepped in he was afraid he woke her up from a nap or something. But she said she was listening to the sky. Saying a little asmr of rain and television helped when it was a dull day without much expectation later.

He felt it was something she picked up back from Oklahoma. He wouldn't argue that sometimes just sitting by a window or in a car during a rough time didn't help ease the mind so much you were fighting the urge to sleep rather than fight demons.

It didn't help his mind to go back down the track that looped back to this morning.

He didn't know exactly what direction to face: towards the storm clouds marching their way from him or the direction he felt was towards the south beyond the limits of the city and state. The burst in business and quiet isolation helped keep his mind occupied with the usual daily tasks, but having some freed-up time and still no business after all the work left him pondering what else to think about.

His eyes lingered over to the bridge alley where his newly acquired ride still sat on the trailer. Poorly hidden under a tarp he found in storage so no one would notice the out-of-place car just sitting there for hours. If anyone recognized or even noticed it he would guess they didn't care to go further than look, think, and keep on going.

Part of him was a bit excited to have his own car that was built to take a beating. He missed his old red truck from years ago, but around the city and with a baby on the way, it wasn't meant to be anymore. The new one might almost be a decade old already with a lot of country miles on the meter, but it was a huge upgrade compared to what he had before and didn't cost him a penny.

But that still laid the source of his current troubles. By now he didn't doubt Lincoln was up to something. He remembered checking his phone earlier to see a smorgasbord of pictures of his tank around Detroit from this morning. It made him wonder how things went in Royal Woods.

He didn't hear anything from Louds about if they possibly ran into him. No one on the network said he was even in town except for Liam saying he had stopped by his farm to talk about important business and seemed to be a bit shaken up. He asked the farmer why that was, but Liam said Lincoln acted like he just wanted to get things over and done with before flying back on the road.

It painted a few puzzle pieces to what could have happened, but none made a solid picture. If he did avoid his family, he didn't want to call the family and accidentally spill the beans, but rational thinking at the time meant that the moment to make a difference had come and gone.

Where Lincoln was now, Bobby hoped for the best for him. Things in his life hadn't been smooth sailing on either end of his spectrum for a while, but he had hoped his little bro in name was alright.

He helped him through a tough time in life. He wished there was a way to help in return. The envelopes containing all the papers and the check sat under the front counter since he opened up shop. He didn't want to take them upstairs for Ronnie to discover them suddenly. He didn't have a solid plan for how he was going to break the news to his little sis. He thought maybe after dinner or putting Gracia to bed, he didn't know.

When he saw the side door pull open, he didn't expect to see his sister step out with a baby in her arms—dressed in a big version of her old purple hoodie in some black sweatpants. She looked a lot like her younger self wanting to go back to bed with some of her hair frizzled in the humidity. It was a look he had seen for a while now, but a glance at her eyes suddenly spoke something very different than what he had seen earlier.

There was that auror of urgency emitting from her; the kind that spoke the words that something came up and needed to be spoken about. How it came to people varied in the situation, but he was more on guard than he used to be for the girls. The fact that she had Gracia made a code yellow alarm blast on his mind that something was wrong with his daughter or Ronnie had something too important to leave her out of sight.

"Sis? What's-"

"Inside. Now." She sternly said, charging past and latching onto his arm without pause.

"What- Ronnie, what are-okay." He surrendered as he was pulled into the store. The place was slightly colder than outside, like a fan was running on high that wasn't needed, but it helped spread the fresh, clean smell that lingered in the air after his free time. Everything was stocked, straightened, organized, and ready, as he liked to keep it.

Before he could speak, Ronnie let go of his arm and made a beeline to the office, "Lock the door."

Following orders, Bobby reached behind and fiddled with the knob until he heard the lock bar flip up. Reaching a bit further to a switch, he flipped off the open signage to closed. Whatever Ronnie had to say, she wanted it away from any of their neighbors and to have it somewhere they wouldn't be directly bothered—a rare occasion but one that warranted him to be at the ready.

In a few moments, Ronnie emerged from around the corner without Gracia. Pulling the door shut behind her as she came straight towards him, he wouldn't deny that with how she had grown in the last ten years, she was a force to be reckoned with, and her damaged eye only added to that intimidation that made his lips suddenly feel dry.

Seeing the nervousness from her brother, Ronnie sucked in a deep breath to try and tamper down the firestorm brewing within. Closing her eyes and exhaling, she didn't look back at her brother when she asked, "Why was he here?"

"What?"

"Why was he here?" She demanded upon looking straight into his eyes, not wanting to deal with the stupid game.

He was going to ask what she meant by 'he,' but Bobby understood that acting oblivious to the obvious was a stupid game to play and was a game he didn't want to play today.

He sighed, "How did you know?"

"It's a bit hard not to recognize the sound of a tank I drove for two years and hear it at five in the morning." She remarked, "Heard you guys when I want to check on Gracia. Saw Storm Shrieker come out from the alley and drop you off before he drove off."

"So why now?" Bobby asked, earning a confused look from her, "Why didn't you come down even after he left? Heck, I tried to convince him to come inside or stall him long enough to get him out so that you could see each other. God knows he needed it after the last two days, and it would help you both do some good."

"And how would you know that?"

"Because you live under my roof, and I'm your brother," Bobby stressed, "I've seen how you were before, during, and after all this. Any time something even remotely related to him comes up, you shy away from it. Why? I don't know. The sister I knew before was so thick-headed she willingly took the job of driving into tornadoes and did it with someone I saw as her balance in life to him. After all that, neither of you were the same. I get that it was bad out there, but there's no reason to shy away from what you guys built."

"It doesn't involve that…"

"Ronnie, you have no idea how much he loves you." He marched towards the front counter. He was reaching over as far as he could until he was looking upside down through the shelves until he spotted what he needed. Popping back up and reaching the stack over to her. "Even now, he's trying to ensure you're alright."

Hesitant, Ronnie looked between the papers and her brother before slowly reaching out to take them. Bobby did not change his demeanor as she skimmed through until she came upon the open blank envelope. From the corner of her good eye, she could see a flash of change on his face, telling her that what was in there was something in lines of importance.

"He gave us his car." Bobby slowly started, "Said he was going to sell or trade it but thought it'd be more useful for someone else. I asked why, and he said he was… trying to tie up loose ends."

Ronnie felt her legs start wobbling at the last sentence. Bobby was by her side in moments, wrapping his arms around her in case she did fall. She began to go, but he held her firm and looked down to see the number of twenty thousand picking over.

Slowly, he began to bend down to his knees, easing both of them down to the floor to let her not worry about something else. It might have been an awkward scene of two grown siblings in an embrace, sitting on the floor in the middle of a market, holding an open letter. Anyone peering inside might get a confused idea of what was going on. But for Bobby, he was letting the physical touch of family blood do the talking. Letting his little sis know that he was here for her and to let go of anything she was holding.

He didn't mean it quite literally when the papers slipped from her trembling hands and scattered around them. Her hands went from holding empty air to quickly latching on to his arm, pulling it in close.

"Dammit, lame-o…" he heard her whisper, "Can't stop trying to play the hero once in a while, can you…"

Bobby could feel his arm getting a bit wet as Ronnie rested her cheek against it. Adjusting so that most of her weight was on him with her leaning against him, he used his free arm to slowly crese some of her wild hairs back down.

"I'm sorry for that little rant. I kind of had that on my mind since this morning. One of those things was rolling around trying to mentally prepare for when it happens." he said quietly.

"It's fine." She waved off as she wiped her eyes, "I kinda figured it'd happen sooner or later."

"But like I said, why now?"

"Clyde called a few minutes ago," she answered. Taking a second to gather her memory, "He said Lincoln was missing this morning, and no one could find him until they called him around noon. Said Lincoln was chasing solo again and that 'by accident' he's already gotten two intercepts in the last hour." The last bit made her tighten her grip.

That was understandable, but Bobby figured Clyde would have called sooner or at least him. How far along Lincoln was in his plan when it took Clyde to realize he was missing was a mind-scratcher he wouldn't know the answer to. Why he would call him was another; he didn't fully understand why he would. If he thought Lincoln would stop by here, then maybe.

But she was honestly right about him. He believed in Lincoln, no doubt, but there were too many times he kept pressing forward when there wasn't a need to. He let his success practically run away from him and get stuck in a ditch he was still driving in. There were times when he really was someone's hero, but others, when he helped, didn't feel like it was right. He could attest that to both their families for the past year. He was there to help with Gracia, but when Lynn went down, he offered a letter and money.

It rubbed him the wrong way. Lincoln talked about how heroes would be there in times of need for the ones closest to them, not just handing out rain checks. His going out there alone was like someone saying they would stop a war with just a pistol when the enemy had all the tanks. He was diving headlong into things he knew about from before but wasn't prepared for now. He stressed that chasing alone loses a lot of safety in numbers and lack of second opinions and complained a lot about even going as an entire team further East.

The fact he had gotten two storms in just an hour divided him between admiring his commitment and being concerned about his obsession. The latter he felt, was winning more ground.

"He did call earlier." She said, "He left a voice message saying there was a tornado threat today, but we'd just get rain. Said for us to stay safe and to give us a heads-up. I guess he lied about talking to you on the phone."

Bobby let out a little smile at that. His earlier thoughts bubbled up again that no matter how far he was or what he was doing, Link still would have it in him to check in despite the circumstances.

The sound of a phone going off seemed to agree.

It took the siblings a moment to untangle themselves and check to see who it was. Bobby didn't feel him on his person, but Ronnie fished hers out from the hoodie pocket. There was a mixed thought that she was getting another call from Clyde, or to Bobby's hopes and prayers, was Lincoln; she was greeted by the caller ID of one E. Smith

"It's Erin." She said, a bit surprised. Looking at her brother, who shrugged, she swiped her phone to answer.

"Er-"

"Royal Woods got hit."

The clock had just ticked past 1:30 when Lola looked at her phone again for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes.

"Anything?" Lana leaned over trying to get a look.

Lola pulled the top of her phone screen down, refreshing the page, and after a long second of watching the buffer wheel, the screen flashed to a different page but with most of the contents from before just arranged in a different way.

"Nothing…" She answered dolefully. Sharing a sad gaze into a similar pair of blue eyes that gave back the feeling of worry that transmitted between them.

The last hour had been a hot mess of being part of the rowdy crowd of high schoolers trying and waiting for the day to end faster. Who would want to be in school on a Monday? So many would sell their souls if it meant turning Monday into the new Sunday so they could have a three-day weekend.

Word had spread fast about the chance of bad weather in the afternoon. A lot of the buzz during lunch was people trying to point out the window and their phones saying that it was going to be a big one like a hurricane was coming off the lakes, and others dismissing it as not going to happen at all. Lot of people pointed towards the fact that there were tornadoes and flooding happening to the south and joked about why that wasn't here to get them out of school.

It seemed God heard them.

By the end of the fifth period, the principal came on the speakers, saying they were under a severe thunderstorm warning. A few people were worried or unhappy it was going to rain at all; most were sitting at the edge of their seats, just waiting for those sweet words for an early breakout. Then the hail and winds came. There was another surge of excitement watching little balls of ice fall and burst against the ground and pile up. Some of the older guys complained that their cars were becoming covered in bomb craters and destroying the bodywork.

It was a pretty nasty storm. Once some of the bigger hail started dropping, they told everyone to go to their safe areas until the storm had passed. Not what they wanted, but it was a reason not to have any class so long as it lasted.

Lola had managed to sneak her way out from her class to finger Lana, who was busy with some of the other students gearing up for damage clean up and repair. Telling her with a big smile that the amount of money she was about to make after this was going to be enough for her to get her own car once she turned sixteen. Her class hadn't broken up to go to their places yet, so she had stayed with Lana in the shop for the time scrolling through her phone. With her initial prep work done, her twin had joined her in sitting on a bench by the room entrance with a few others just waiting,

There were tornadoes out there. Dozens spinning down from the sky across Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. Being captured on camera by people standing on their porches, in their cars, or from a news chopper watching things of all different shapes and sizes drill into the ground and destroy anything in their way.

She didn't know if this was the reason for her gut feeling earlier. The reveal that Lincoln was in town this morning seemingly quelched the fire, but the ambers were still smoldering. She had spent some time searching any page she could find about storm chasers to see if she could find him. There wasn't much, but some photos were of him parked at a gas station somewhere in Kentucky with a few little clips of him driving with an army of other chasers going south after a storm.

He was out there doing what he does. What he's found he does best at and loves the most. Why he thought there was a reason to come all the way up here when it was practically a waste of time was something that was going to bug her all day until she could corner one of the others to explain.

Was she angry? A little bit. At any second, her phone would melt into mush like the Heatmiser at the very chance to grab Lincoln by the collar and tie him to the heaviest piece of nearby furniture until he explained himself. The only problem now was he was hundreds of miles away again when he was just a few hours ago.

Lana had thought a little differently. Through all the photos and videos she saw of his tank, she pointed out how there was a lot of new and unfinished stuff all over it. Compared to an older photo, it looked like he had torn it in half and built an almost new vehicle.

Lola asked in what capacity was that relevant, but her twin explained that it was like how after such a huge event like what the show told them, he was basically out of commission, like if she was to have lost her hair during a pageant. It took him time to build it back up and he was now trying to play catch up after losing all that time from in between when there were still things to be won and done.

It didn't mean anything less than what Lana felt about it. Had she managed to get a hold of him and not let go, she wasn't sure if she would ever let him go until he understood how much she missed and loved him or go bonkers over the chance for them to actually spend time one-on-one together going over how much they had the bug for building some insane ideas. Maybe even take it out for a little joyride…

But that looped back to where they started—kept in the dark on something this big? They would have immediately announced something like one of them was pregnant or dead, and true, that would be massively joyful or painful to hear; at least they were told upfront about it.

Maybe once they got home, if things got heated, she could threaten to throw her wrench at one of them if they started dancing around the topic. She could blame Lynn for teaching her how to throw objects more like in baseball, and her tomboy strength was just really up there.

Since the start of today, before the little reveal, Lana hadn't really felt that much of what to do except wait for the next bells until they got on the bus. Any projects started earlier in the school year that were advanced enough for fewer people to finish were already underway, but being so close to the holidays, the teachers felt it was pointless to start up another. Instead just opting to prepare supplies and stock and just clean up the place until they could go full steam ahead.

Most of her morning, she was just trying to wake up. When Irene finally got to school around 9 A.m. in her truck, it was like she got a sip of some extreme expresso when she didn't give the girl a moment to let a single slip of memory of what she saw on the highway fade away. She wanted to know where, when, why, and how; it was on their way to her dad's construction business, and they were scrambling around to get ready for any possible calls when the storms rolled in later. She had been just staring out the window until the tank was rolling right beside them, somehow going a bit faster before they got separated going different paths.

There were more photos than what was sent; only two had anything that gave her a glimpse of her brother's silhouette in the cab the rest of the tank gradually gapping them until it was too far away. Since then most of her time between being one of the dozen students in the current class getting stuff ready for the weather was spent talking shop and discussing how Lincoln had gone on to build his tank.

She couldn't help it. While she would do anything to have what the truck looked like before as her own car, the engineering side spoke to her. Her family was creative, no doubt on anyone from their parents and older to youngest siblings, with Lincoln being smack in the middle. Sometimes they were so crude a trailer park junkie would say it was trash to being so stupid it was utterly genius.

She had said it before and would gladly say it; she was happy for her brother. True, a lot of problems stemmed from how things were around the house; she was one of the few who were still there watching the time tick by until it was his time. But in those times following right after he first went out to chase storms, he came to her with some questions and ideas.

For what she didn't know at the time, she could now say that their bond was growing in those moments he sought her for advice on something he didn't know what to do starting out, and for years before and just after, he helped her grow through the troubles of life that she couldn't fully grip at the time. Thinking back to all those times, she could see it was part of him trying to get something out of her while building up his own future empire. But in those moments, there wasn't some malicious intent or ulterior motive (to a degree), just two siblings that, with only five years between, were bonding in ways Lana had always dreamed about.

It wasn't just that point. So many other times she wondered where in life she would end up going, like an extreme animal handler or maybe being a driver for some big racing sport. There was some of the tamer stuff, like starting her own business and being her own boss to make her own name. Leni was probably the closest out of them all for being the one closest to literally having her own business, but Lincoln was making his name bold and loud.

Starting with the bare basics of a car and phone camera to being a master of danger, he was probably closer to her mindset now than anyone else in the family. Time outdoors, fascinated by mother nature in its beautiful and deadly forms, creative with his hands, and not afraid to get dirty. Lana knew she was one of the three sisters that had they have been born as a boy, then maybe their bond with Lincoln would be a whole lot more different in some circumstances, but as it was, she saw her big brother as a role model, and he saw her as a little sister that understood him.

Maybe when she was a little older and had just a little more freedom, she could see what Lincoln's new life was all about. She could see it now; behind the wheel of that metal beast with her brother by her side, laughing and cheering as they watched the countryside roll past the windows like a little movie in their lives. Tinkering with what their minds could cook up and enjoying the times their hearts would beat to the wonders of…

Today had become a day that little dream was being put into heavy question if it was what she wanted to do. She wasn't as active on the internet as her twin, but like the others curiosity had gotten the better of her at times about her brother, and that sometimes led down other paths to things she didn't know or heard about before. A lot of times, she remembered hearing about other storm chasers. Sometimes, it was a massive benefit not having to go so far from home to chase storms. Leave in the morning and be home in the afternoon by dinner, that was almost on par with having a dream job of working at home.

It was a nightmare when it was their town, their home, and their livelihood were on the firing line for possible destruction, and no matter where they were and what they did, all they could do was watch and pray that it would all go away.

Once the hail started falling, they started preparing. A few of them even risked dashing out into the parking lot to scoop up any of the biggest ones they could find before being lobbed on the head by one, even with a hard hat on. Wind-driven stones this big, she didn't want to imagine any poor suckers that thought it would be a great idea to go outside now. With the storm over the whole town, it was going to be a hell of a mess to fix up.

A cold feeling felt like someone had surrounded her with a blanket kept in a deep freezer. The kind that your body was still moving enough to fight against but was losing the battle the more and more you felt that chill seep into your skin.

The sudden alert from everyone's phones and the school intercom that a tornado warning was issued for Royal Woods, and that a confirmed large and destructive tornado was already captured, showing the destruction of another school complex had done the job of spreading that chill throughout the building. Cheers that they would be let out to go home early were snuffed out when more and more reports, photos, and videos started coming in.

One video had made them both try to sit as close as they could, like their body heat would fend off the inner cold. The storm crossed over the highway as cars disappeared in the haze, and a new neighborhood of homes became the next meal to be consumed. Just how close it was by the names of the streets people were reporting from and guested where it was on top of at the time

It was close. Too close.

People panic when there's one just in the general region of somewhere. Trying to get in contact with anyone close there that was on the ground and coming. Both of them had tried calling anyone at the house. Lola was practically going armageddon on the group chat, tagging everyone a hundred times with texts being typed faster than the hailstones falling outside. No one answered. Lana tried it herself, even calling the restaurant when ten calls between them failed to reach their sister or dad.

There was a nulling feeling in their minds for the past ten minutes. One shared by thousands around them who knew what was in the path.

What would be, and who would be left?

When they got out, would there still be a house standing to call home, but they would be the only ones left? If there was no longer a place to call home but a family to return to? Would the storm miss it all, or would it just come for them only? Half of those scenarios they prayed were true. But the lack of communication from anyone got on their nerves the longer the clock ticked on.

They sat in a somewhat dark place from the overhead lights being out from the lack of power, but the light coming through the windows was enough for everyone to carry on with what tasks they could—waiting for the go-ahead to leave their safe spots and be let out. It felt infuriating, basically being trapped in here for

["Attention all staff and students."] the intercoms crackled to life, catching all's attention and silencing any actions. ["We will be ending the weather lockdown in a few moments. Please remain in your safe areas until instructed to retrieve personal belongings. To any seniors or abled students or staff, the Royal Woods emergency service is requesting anyone willing to volunteer to help in the search and rescue efforts or with vehicles to transport supplies and injured. Again, this is a request by the emergency service to anyone willing to aid in search and recovery. Teachers, if any student present wishes to volunteer, you may release them now."]

There was like an electric it sent through the building the second the intercoms switched off. Like an army in waiting, the signal to mobilize had been given. Students gathering supplies in preparation for such a call quickly collected all they could grab with their items and made a beeline for the garage door. Two students rapidly pulling on the chains to pull it open weren't fast enough as others ducked underneath and dashed towards the parking lot in the heavy rain.

The two twins looked at each other in confusion. Standing up to the side as their classmates either rushed into the workshop or raced down the hall to somewhere else in the school.

Just what the hell happened that required that kind of request? What happened out there was so bad that it needed the emergency service; the very people meant to go out and rescue other people were calling for high schoolers to help.

They tried not to dwell on it. Whatever the reasoning was, it meant that they needed to find the others faster.

Neither joined the scramble to get their bags; in this day and age, they carried it all on hand that wasn't deemed vitally important. Instead, they joined the tide of people pouring out the door into the parking lot. Lana slightly detoured to snatch one of the few remaining tool bags. What she intended to use it for, Lola didn't know until she grabbed one of the sledgehammers. Some ideas came to mind, but she didn't think much about it.

Stepping out of the school for the first time since this morning, it was such a stark contrast from this morning; it didn't feel like the same day. The fog was gone, but in its place was the thick haze the heavy rain made that felt like it never went away. There was no feeling of the Monday blues but panic, a sense of 'hurry up and get moving' that was fueling and motivating for everyone.

Lola quickly tucked her hair in as she pulled up her hoodie. Lana took the rain straight to the face, feeling it was a bit cold for her taste but refreshing. The two turned away from the parking lot that looked more like the school was rushing to either assemble or clean up an event with how fast everyone was trying to load their cars.

"So what's the plan?" Lola asked, annoyed, already feeling her hoodie getting soaked through.

"No point waiting for the bus. I'd say we'd walk it unless we can hitch a-"

"LOOK!" Someone nearly shouted out.

Who it was, no one knew under all the noise, where they were gesturing, no one understood either, but there was the hive moment when everyone knew to stop and 'look' in the direction the voice spoke of.

The storm seemingly understood what they were attempting to do, and in the briefest period, the dark clouds above parted enough to give a small part of the land light again during the darkness. Though the heavy rain made it hazy, it wasn't hard for everyone to see what they had to be looking for.

How the person seen it before, no one questioned, to what Lana could tell was their southeast; there was maybe three miles and more between them all and the unbelievable mass of twisting clouds above them. The storm vanished beyond sight, but the gray blob on the ground, especially its left edge, was seen by all.

The storm looked so much different than what they had seen from the shared videos. A giant ring of debris still spun around the outside, but the funnel was much smaller. Gone was its half-mile girth, and now standing in its place was what looked like a baseball bat, with the top becoming narrower with a little flare.

It wobbled back and forth, becoming tighter and tighter as the top seemed to pull away from the bottom. Becoming even more stretched, like its lower half was stuck in place despite its other half still moving. For a moment, its second half seemed to get the memo to follow, but in its rush to catch up, its middle point seemed to bend inwards literally. Like trying to break a dry stick with some strength left, the funnel faded away. Nothing appeared to touch the ground, and the little cone became more like a string noodle surrounded by what it could hold onto.

But knowing its time here on Earth was up, the funnel withered away completely. And just like a performer after a big grand finale before its audience, rain curtains quickly swooped in to cover the remains from prying eyes.

It took the sudden force of the rain coming down harder with the wind picking up to put everyone into a higher gear, some looking back over their shoulder every six seconds or unable to look away where the storm had hidden its creation's death. It was hard for some to think, witnessing the fact that all the videos, stories, and pictures they had seen and joked about were real. Some see history repeat again, that there was now a new giant scar carved through the place they called home after nearly a decade of seeing or hearing about it in their childhood. Others were in a mental debate on whether what they just witnessed was real or their mind was playing tricks on them and witnessing something so rare that tens of millions of people would go their whole lives without ever seeing one or only seeing one and nothing more.

It took the twins a moment to feel the touch of a rather unforgiving day. Trying to get in the bunker, hearing how close the roar was, trying to get out with a tree on top of them, and seeing how close to complete disaster their family had come to. At six years old, it would be an event that would invoke nightmares for a long time, but it was pushed to second place by something worse that day.

Today felt like they just watched the end of one of those nightmares coming true.

"We need to get home," Lola said, feeling a pit in her stomach. Her sister agreed. Quickly looking around the lot, she abandoned her earlier plan and tried looking for anyone they could get some weeks from. When an old red Chevy pickup started pulling away, the handywoman could see who the driver was.

"Irene!" Lana shouted with the power of her name. Dashing after her friend before the pick-up got too far.

The Chevy stopped abruptly when the girl saw her friend running towards her, waving her down. Once the window rolled down, Lana nearly ran into the door, "Can you give us a lift?" Lana asked but practically pleaded.

"In the back." She didn't hesitate in saying. Lana patted the door in gratitude as the twins dashed around the front and opened the passenger door.

With it being an older truck with an extended cab, the second Lana ripped the passenger door open, she shoved whatever was on the set to the floor, with Irene picking some to toss behind her as she pulled the passenger seat forward. Though the mess in the back was a sight Lola wouldn't dare share the same seat with, she didn't hesitate at that moment to grab the handle and edge to hoist herself inside with Lana helping to help if needed.

"Watch your legs." The mechanic said as she pulled the seat back and jumped inside. Slamming the door, the two barely had a second to reach for their seatbelts before Irene slammed on the gas.

Trying to get a ride was easy; trying to get out of the parking lot had become a mess. With school practically over and more pressing matters, a lot of the staff and student body that walked or drove was trying to get themselves out as cars and buses came to pick up students that stayed behind. The street was becoming a slow gridlock, the driver didn't hesitate to steer her truck towards one of the lots and drive over the curb.

Rocking back and forth with stuff flying about, the Chevy was joined by a few others who drove anything that could get past the edge without destroying their wheels and made their tracks through the soaked grass—almost riding on the sidewalk for a couple of yards until Irene got them closer to the intersection and back on the main road, much to others' annoyance as they were cut off when the pickup sped away.

Lori slumped into her chair feeling more exhausted than she had been in months. Mental exhaustion had managed to reach a new bar today in the last four hours, but in the previous thirty minutes, her body ached with sore muscles from moving so much so quickly.

She wasn't old. It wasn't from her bones deciding that they wanted to act like their 40s today even after all the workouts she did in the summer to get back in shape from before her injury. She was sick, which made her body struggle to multitask different objectives, overlapping her usual daily and bodily routine (though she did feel a bit flushed.)

No, she was just well and truly feeling the after-effects of being overwhelmed by something she wasn't at all prepared for physically or mentally. Sitting in her dark office, the only source of light now was from her phone lying flat on her desk with the flashlight mode beaming up at the ceiling. Doing a good job at setting the mood in the office enough for her to want to pass out.

This wasn't at all what she had hoped today would have been, and now she was the physical representation of it. Stripped down to her basic uniform and a pair of spare dress pants, her 'old' suit lay in a jumbled mess by her side and soaked with the blood of some two dozen different people who were now populating the main dining room of the restaurant.

They were built and supplied to serve food, not act like a first-response clinic. She was sure the whole place would need an unholy bleaching once this was over. Chairs, tables, and the entire carpet are to be tossed out and need replacement. The whole restaurant would need some long-term work to fix the damage, but she couldn't care less about it right now.

Mustering any ounce of power she could get through to her feet, she pushed away from the desk lightly kicking the pile as she grabbed her phone on her way out. Stepping out into the hallway, she didn't have to look far to see the results of the storm.

A path had formed worming its way from the front door towards the kitchen with its doors wide open to let the staff pass through without hitting anyone. Chairs lined up to act as makeshift beds, booths loaded with families not here to enjoy a meal but to try to comfort those hurt in their arms. Scattered across the floor taking up every inch possible to where you were having to tiptoe to not step on anyone, bodies laid still. Some are trying to rest, and some are being tended to by whatever anyone can give. Have a loved one use their lap to cradle their heads, trying to keep them awake with small quiet talk or try their best to ease the pain.

The sight, the sound, the smell, the feeling in the air that threatened to crush your mind to make it beg to get away from it. This wasn't where she was meant to be. She wasn't a doctor, she knew the bare bones of first aid, and people were coming in with things that needed surgery. Anyone who had any meaningful experience was already struggling to make do with what they had.

Just beyond the front doors, people filtered in and out carrying supplies and people. Through the windows, she could see the flashing lights of what few emergency vehicles had found their way here. In moments, the lights became brighter as a fire engine slowly rolled its way past, with a police car followed closely behind. Just beyond that, the sounds of shouting, power equipment, and more sirens echoed from the street.

Sirens…

For the last hour, they had been screaming their warnings all over town since the hail had briefly stopped when this all started. Once the power went out, it felt more like the build-up to a disaster movie They didn't let up until there was what sounded like a massive boom somewhere and they were abruptly silenced. Not slowing down like you flipped a switch, but destroying the source so that it could continue if it wanted. The wind and rain had become so strong that people inside were doing human chains out the door, trying to get anyone still out on the street inside and staying close to the kitchen area, away from the windows, as debris flew by.

What was going on out there, she had no idea. Plenty of times before they had bad storms, on a once-a-year chance, they would sound the sirens if it was expected to or getting worse. Her phone had said they had a thunderstorm warning, but it had been stuck in that sense they lost service. With the wind mostly gone but the rain coming down hard, she figured that the worst had finally passed.

A chill made her shiver in place. Lori could feel the hairs rising with goosebumps from the cold breeze passing through the building or her body reacting to a thought. Her mind ran through an obstacle course trying to figure out where that had come from, and parts that were popping up felt too much like the day from years ago.

No, she didn't want to let that swallow her up. She was already on the verge of a mental derailment with a wheel already off the track, so she didn't need to be reminded of such events.

She spun on her head and headed towards the back. Lori marched down the hall, looking for her father. Finding the main kitchen, store room, and locker rooms empty, she went to find his little office until she noticed the back door was left ajar with a piece of brick stuck in between the doorway.

Feeling the cold breeze rushing through the crack sent another chill over her skin like she was standing in front of an open freezer. Ducking back into the locker room, she dug around to fish out a dark blue and green hoodie. Not the greatest of options, but she gladly took the extra warmth and layers when she stepped back out into the wind.

Pushing the door wide open, she flicked her hat up just in time to feel the rain instantly start bombarding her like she was standing too close to a car wash.

The parking lot was more of a mess than it was the last time she stepped out. Cars were beaten with dents and smashed glass with hail scattered about or piled up on the front windshield. Branches from nearby trees and roof shingles littered the ground in such mass there was enough to retile half a roof somewhere that had lost it. Up the street, a utility and fire truck stood in the middle of the road, trying to get the fallen power lines off the now-empty red SUV. Where the driver was she didn't bother to guess.

Shifting her focus back, she watched her dad, dressed in a faded green raincoat, tending to the damage done to the family van and trying to use a fist full of clear garbage bags and duct tape to cover up the shattered windows, stretching over the roof to keep some of the newly acquired sunroofs from letting more water inside.

The Loud patriarch stepped back from what he saw as an old family friend who was a toe tip away from the grave. It could be fixed, but at such cost and effort, he knew this was just one step closer to that junkyard in the sky. With a sigh, he leaned forward, resting his head on the wet support between the driver's door. Closing his eyes, he tapped his fist against the roof's edge like he was trying to reassure his friend.

"Dad?"

Lynn lifted his head up at the sound of his name, "Oh, hey, kiddo." he said with a forced smile. While it was nice and a bit awkward to hear the little nickname used since she was in her 20s, Lori could briefly see the little spark in his eyes when he said it.

But, like her, it seemed that her father had aged so much in such a short span of a day she was surprised he was still standing on his own two feet. With what knowledge he shared about Lincoln and their discovery of him back at the gas station, she still had never seen her father this out of it since his own father had passed away. At least with that, he made peace that it was inevitable and shared their moments together when they could. He probably felt like that moment for him and his own son was no longer possible and it pained her to see her dad be stuck in this mentality.

This morning might have started rough, but he was as full of light as the sun was after the fog. Now it was like he was showing how he felt about the current weather. He was ready to turn his back and drop to the ground, ready to call it quits for the day. Neither work nor home had helped his aged mind and seeing what could possibly be people dying in the place he had spent years crafting into his dream was something anyone would have a tough time swallowing that kind of pill.

"Something wrong?" he asked with a shadow of urgency.

Lori shook her head, "No. Nothing at the moment, I hope." she said, slowly stepping out further, and approaching the van. Grimacing at how much more beaten up with was compared to this morning like the rest of them. "Just glad the storm is mostly over…"

Lynn nodded slowly, "Yep. I heard from some of the firemen over there that the worst is passed. They said it's a mess everywhere else, it's not as bad around here." He gestured to where the clean-up was taking place. "Though... I do wonder what we're gonna do about the old girl here…" He patted the van like a sick animal. "Maybe this will be the last year for the old girl… Can't keep her running like this anymore."

While part of Lori wanted to cheer for the fact her dad was finally considering getting rid of the rust on wheels, she bit her tongue knowing full well now wasn't the time for it. Maybe after they got home and tried to relax, then maybe they could start planning something big like that.

However, it did help act as a distraction for the future. It'd be a shot till the restaurant was back in business, but in that time, she could focus on possibly making her dad's idea a reality. Vanzilla sure as hell wasn't going to make it on a cross-country trip any time in the future, no matter how much they fixed it. They had just grown beyond the capabilities the old van could supply anymore. A trip for twelve would be a challenge in just getting organized if they were driving or flying out. But that led to the center's focus on their brother would be there willing to take them in or to come back up here for the sake of it.

She'd seen what he'd done in the last few years, and her dad was right; Lincoln was a busy man. He might have been quiet up until today, but she didn't doubt that little brain of his wasn't planning ten steps ahead of everything, and today was just part of it. God knows he could have done this back in May instead of the letter he came here himself.

Maybe this could serve as a late and early birthday present to Leni and the twins. And a belated gift for Luna, and Luan… and all of them.

There was no point in debating if it would happen. They'll go there if they can't get him to come here. They'll wait for a day or track him down like he chases storms if he isn't there. They will find him and bring him back, even if it means tying him to the roof of the van.

"Christ, did you get a look at the size of that thing?" she heard a male's voice out loud behind her.

Feeling like something wasn't right, she spun around, ready to berate whoever had just said that, until she saw two police officers talking to each other, looking over the street. Having to speak a bit louder than normal to hear each other over the sounds of vehicles and equipment.

His comrade nodded briefly, then made a so-so with his hand, "I heard on the radio it was too dark to see. So much rain and debris getting sucked up. Never thought I'd see another one, let alone something that big."

Curiosity getting the better of her, Lori stepped a little closer and called out, "Excuse me," She got their and her dad's attention, "Do you guys know what happened?"

"The huge tornado took out the south side of town." He stated that it was regular news, not realizing the utter shock that the Louds had on their faces. "You guys were all lucky just to get grazed by the west side. Everyone said it was coming towards the shopping district, but it turned and went through Madison Heights."

Lori felt her breath get lumped in her throat, "W-what…" she blinked twice, rubbing her eyes like the exhaustion within her had just been burned away. Even Lynn pushed himself off his van to stand by her side.

"W-what do you mean took out the south side? How close was it to here?" Lynn said, feeling his throat running dry.

The man stopped to look down in thought, "A mile? Maybe half a mile? Places like four blocks from here are just wrecked. Reminds me a lot of what happened back in 2016, but damn, it's a lot worse." he shook his head. "We don't know how bad it is, we got as far as Eleven Mile Road before we were told to hang back and let it pass."

Lynn felt like he wanted to vomit right then and there. Grabbing onto Lori's arm to hold on as he brought a hand to his mouth to keep whatever he had still down. Like the static of an old broken TV, he saw the brief flashes of memories that lasted mere seconds now that lasted for too long back then.

"Why didn't they tell us?" Lori asked, "Like, I know they blew those sirens for other things and all, but all they sent was literally just the thunderstorm thing."

"I wouldn't doubt it. Cell service is practically dead all over town." He said, reaching down into his pocket and pulling out his own phone; he seemed to be searching for something. Lori took a moment to pull out her phone to check how he seemingly had a signal when she didn't. But in a minute, he selected something and turned the phone around to show the Louds.

There was a sickly green and black darkness that hanged the town. Cracked into pieces as bright bolts of blue and white lightning with the sunlight far out into the horizon, the video looked like it was shot from the inside of a car with how the perspective kept getting messed up each time the operator moved.

But the real star moved into the frame. The leading edge, such a contract that it blocked out the light the more it moved across the screen like a monster. Wiping around and changing its shape from a solid whitish-gray mass to sprouting little tenders reaching out from or just within the edge, disappearing into the rain that followed right behind, shrouding the rest of its size.

No matter how close the camera was or its quality, nothing was doing it justice with how big it appeared as it stalked closer and closer, trees around the outside swaying more radically as curtains of rain began to be pulled from above with anything that was as loose as paper. If it was just the front edge and rain or something two-plus miles wide, they had no clue. Only the closer it got, the more and more detailed the funnel became, and dark sharps began appearing near the bottom above the buildings and trees. There was barely any sound; not even the cameraman's breathing was heard over the rain's pounding becoming stronger as the sirens blaring in the background were silenced.

It was Lori's turn to feel like she was ready to lose her stomach and collapse. It took a load of strength just to keep herself upright when she found herself stepping back from the phone like at any moment, it would lung forward and grab her, or she would be pulled into the screen to be standing before the very monster suddenly they didn't know was so close-

She didn't get a second more to let her thoughts drift into a hysteric panic. A brief word from the man in front of her made her eyes nearly bulge out when a thought came to the forefront of her mind. One that made her blood run almost to a dead stop and made the rain's chill feel like a warm bath. "Wait." She slowly looked up towards the officer, "Where… where did you say that was?"

"This isn't mine," the man admitted, "My partner was driving. Don't know where he is around this mess, but if we had to stop just by Eleven Mile on North Campbell Street. It was maybe less than half a mile away from us, and a lot of stuff was falling out of the sky. The wind started kicking up, so we bailed from that spot to relocate."

Lori looked at the ground in deep thought. She raced through every pinch of brain muscle that stored the last twenty years of memories to piece together what she remembered. Campbell Street literally cut straight through Franklin Avenue, it was the main road they took to get to the mall instead of having to deal with the highway. The 'Mile' roads didn't stack with each other in order like five, six, seven, etc.; dozens of other streets filled the gap between them. The miles just acted like the 'main roads' for the town.

From all the times riding up and down Campbell to the mall, schools, visiting friends, or just coming to work, it was usually just a turn and straight shot from- "Dad." She breathed. Becoming still like the ice had finally achieved freezing her solid. "That's just three blocks away from our house."

The tone in her voice was enough to make Senior almost freeze up the same. It had become 'that tone' whenever something had happened that the family was about to experience another nightmare of a situation. It was worse to him than any cry or scream. So many times before, he would get a call or someone running into his arms crying that someone else had gotten badly hurt. The dreams that kept him up at night for days were filled with so many of those very voices it was like ghosts were haunting his mind.

He dreaded going to sleep tonight. The day might have been halfway through, but what he would do to jump to the next morning so that he didn't have to close his eyes to hope that all he saw was just an empty void to be left to his thoughts.

But the look his oldest daughter was giving him now, like a true ghost from the past, he wished something would come out of nowhere and knock him out cold to wake up later to see it was all just a dream. That all this was just his mind suffering from his age reaching the point that he couldn't keep going. Maybe retiring for a couple of years to see how he was, if he was one of those who relaxed to the end or couldn't waste their time without being productive. That maybe this was the time for it.

How he wished this was the time for it…

Yet, in a flash, his panicked mind shifted gears. From where there was an aging man drained of his daily life now stood someone realizing that the situation at hand was not the time or place for such a person. The last time this all happened, the biggest crack in his family they thought they could just smug over broke in half. Now, there stood someone who, for the last better part of a decade, knew that cowardly or panicking wasn't going to help.

He needed to get home. He needed to find a way to find out his wife and children were safe. "GRANT!" The aging Loud screamed, startling several around as he ran into the restaurant. Hearing his name, Lynn's cook poked his head out of the kitchen, watching his boss ransack the locker room, "Hold the fort! I got a family emergency!" He said as he frantically searched for Vanzilla's keys.

"It's fine, Lynn." He said assuringly, "Not like there's much we can do here anymore…" He glanced back towards the dining hall.

Looking at all the people, Lynn stopped his search the moment his fingers graced the keyring, and he snatched the keys. But looking back, some people still looking in his direction with confusion or pain from not wanting to be here. God knows what they had been doing, but an hour ago, before all this started, they went about their daily lives and did not think that they would end up as a bloody mess in a restaurant an hour later.

He felt like one of those commanders in war movies, staring at his wounded platoon after a grueling battle that they weren't prepared for and were suffering more casualties than their supplies could support. This was his restaurant; it was in every right and responsibility for him to be here and watch over and assist in any way he could.

But Grant was right; what more could they do? What could he do?

The power was out; half the kitchen appliances didn't work. A vast portion of their bowls were being used for some to use cleaning rags to try to clean off or soak up blood, all that would have to be thrown away. The entire building was practically at total capacity, and beyond that was its own mess. Why people had decided to go to his place instead of the many other open businesses around, he didn't know who to ask. Paramedics were steadily arriving and tending to those they didn't take out to go to the hospital. Some who came here for shelter either lingered about or decided to venture outside to their next destination.

He looked back to Grant, unsure exactly if he should. But the man nodded again, assuring him that what he had was understandable. They had been through this kind of song and dance for the last two years; it's inevitable to happen again at times.

Lynn steeled his nerves and nodded back. Silently thanking Grant as he ran back outside.

"Lori, get in." He quickly unlocked the driver's door and jumped in. Switching on the van, the motor sputtered for a moment, but the tightening grip by the man spoke the command that right now, he would agree to have it scrapped if it didn't work today.

The aged machine got the message and somehow went from a struggling support to a roaring beast ready for the track.

Lori gave the two officers a sheepish thank you before running around to the other side. Lynn held on the brake when shifting into drive as Lori scrambled into the passenger seat. The moment her door closed, Lynn turned the wheel hard over. When her seat belt clicked in place, his shoe slammed on the accelerator.

A bit amused and skeptical about the whole scene, the second the van started rolling over shattered glass and crumbling hailstones, did his thoughts clicked. "Hey, wait!" He called out, breaking out into a light sprint to try and catch up or for them to notice, "Those roads are impass-!"

But the sound of squealing tires hitting the street and watching the vehicle, probably older than his grandfather, speeding away killed any hope of them hearing him. The officer stopped his little pursuit when the van disappeared from sight.

(Note: These AN notes are written before, during, and afterhand to convey my thinking. Not based on what's changed, reviews, etc., and is borderline me ranting out loud my way of thinking.)

Part of me was in heavy debate on doing a Chapter 18 Part 3 so much, with how larger it was getting I reorganized it into just the two parts mainly focused in their respective areas. Part 3 was questionable depending on how far I wrote the two but upon later thinking (Feb 5th after laying out this chapter) in what it would be. Basically, all this would have been the third halves of Part 1 and 2, with Ronnie's part originally being the part to mirror Clyde's little segment, but I opted to bridge that to here (and I felt that adding another 10k to each chapter would be best suited as its own. Took practically all of February (though I started 6 days in) so that I had a moment to pick up on Chapter 21 during early March.

However, in an odd twist, in trying to keep a tame word count, this chapter became bigger than expected; the first three segments doubled and, in some cases, tripled in size, and with that trend, I figured it would be best to divide this chapter into two parts as well, for the sakes of preventing overload. Though there was some parts cut out, such as either the twins or Lori and Lynn Sr. coming upon the damage path sooner. (At the time of this little chunk being written, I've decided that this chapter might actually be split in parts as well with the word count breaking over 22k from its original 15k.)

In some context, the previous three chapters were meant to convey just how much could happen in such a short amount of time. While there will be people reading all this expectting huge tornado drama that does last multiple chapters, one must remember; a storm could last for hours, a tornado for minutes, and the moments that it impacts and affects someone's life in seconds. No matter how big or small the funnel, a lot can happen in a short amount of time, and the aftermath could feel like an eternity.

As such, this chapter was actually split apart. The original concept would have pushed well into 30k words with all parties involved. To try and break this down more, I decided to cut the first half of this chapter (almost 12k words) and make it more center focused on the 'Chase Group' of the sisters coming back home. The next part (basically Aftermath Part 2, but I wont call it that) will be the original first half along with the continuation of this chapter.

And to explain again, this story is going in a bigger direction than I thought, and I really am surprised. By the time this little arch (cant really say little, its 10 chapters more than originally planned) is done, it'll probably be chapter 25. Most of the stories I used to make would average about 30 chapters and maybe 160k words total, but this is already reaching new milestones for me and goes to show what will be in the future.

So at the time that part of the note is being written/edited (Feb12 at 3am) the trailer for the sequel Twister, Twisters, came out during the middle of the Super Bowl. Took 28 years but here we come.

Personally, I'm on the fence about it. It's a definite visual upgrade from the original, but it's more of a remake sequel than a legacy sequel. Parts that erk me mainly are down to the intro with them trying to take shelter under a bridge (a deadly idea) and the hero truck of the 'Tornado Wrangler' using augers to anchor into the ground and intercept with what is basically a literal normal truck with a roll cage. It has its callbacks, but we'll have to see once July comes around.

By then I expect to be in the upper twenties or into the thirties for the chapters, well into the second part of this story that focuses on the Loud Family in Oklahoma and the insanity that would bring. I have a rough guess on events, though as time is growing closer I'm picturing more and more to actually build up time with the family as a separate entity then when it comes to storm chasing.

Like I've said in past notes, this story takes heavy ques from other media with the main being the original Twister and Into the Storm along with real-life events and some other fictional media. It's highly probable I'll take some scenes or events from the new movie as inspiration to varying levels once the time comes for them.

(Note: These AN notes are written before, during, and afterhand to convey my thinking. Not based on what's changed, reviews, etc., and is borderline me ranting out loud my way of thinking.)