Sins In Twisters

by Blonkess

When Lincoln was destined to never have success like his family, after surviving the Royal Woods' Tornado, his future takes him on the path of becoming a renowned storm chaser. But as years pass since that day, his family tries to hold together after freak disasters put a halt to the sisters' lives when Lisa discovers a past family secret that tells Lincoln's time is running out.

16. Down From the Sky

Sins In Twisters

Chapter 16: Down From The Sky

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Note: This chapter contains scenes involving 18-plus actions and more weather technobabble (for the next 13 chapters)

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At the time of this chapter being published, a tornado outbreak is occurring in the afternoon hours of December 9th across parts of Kentucky and Tennessee, with several strong tornadoes inflicting serious damage in the communities of Tylertown, Clarksville, Nashville, Hendersonville and many more expected as the night continues and possibly tomorrow.

These storms are significantly dangerious acts of nature and can cause serious injury or loss of life.

The events depicted in this story are based on fictional events, however, are inspired by what has happened before, what is happening now and what will happen in time.

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As the car with the three Louds slowly drove down the road away from the house, the dark figure of Lucy stood out from the window of Lisa and Lily's room, looking down like a specter she embraced. But today, it was a dim feeling that made her wish to hide—not be part of the darkness but try to make herself unseen by what lurked within it.

Call it a counterpoint to her entire lifestyle up until this point, but she knew when there was something there that was to be avoided at all costs—spells to never speak with meaning, places to never step foot upon, or items to obtain. A decade ago, she wouldn't have been so cautious as an 8-year-old, but in the decade since, she had learned that sometimes, just wearing a style as a mask could be all the safer than letting it flow through the veins.

Years ago, she felt the light of her life go away to far-off places facing down dark forces that need no spell or ritual to unleash hell. A month ago, it felt like she had watched her life become torn apart. This morning, it felt like she had finally seen the path in the darkness that would guide her to the path that led back to the light.

But she didn't have to. Her light came back here by himself out of the morning mists. It felt too much like so many of her dreams. Yet how real it was, between the tank in the back to how different he actually appeared to how she imagined, it defied what she thought would happen. She still pictured the days he would have stepped through that door and swept her off her feet, and at that moment, a new chapter of their lives could begin.

But a dream could become a nightmare in reality.

Too many times, she saw the events play out so differently. From the day all the way back years ago to now, she feared that her light had faded to the point it did not burn like it did before. She would never get to experience its warmth, touch, and comfort. It was the dreams of it returning, knowing that there was always the chance for that feeling to return, that kept her sane enough to wait.

Today was supposed to be that day. She had seen him first. Her instincts told her to move, and in a moment of the universe giving her the time, she saw her light coming home. She was the first of all who was gifted with the chance to see him for the first time.

She didn't know what had led to his arrival; if it was destiny, coincidence, or something else, she didn't care. Yet in her haste, in a moment when she felt her mind accidentally cross two wires, causing a short circuit, her announcement throughout the house had caused them all to miss his arrival and departure.

Watching him through the window, walking away with his back to their home. Climbing inside his truck Lynn ran after him into the fog. It felt like history was taunting her. That this wasn't a dream, but something that was within reach had just slipped away so quickly that there was no time to react. Lynn didn't stop and gave chase; Lisa ran back to track him over the city. What could she do? Sit and wait. Wait and hope that by some sheer luck, one of them would catch him and bring him back.

But after all this? Why would they deserve that kind of luck?

Coming home empty-handed, their father with a cry that spoke deep in his heart and the feeling of regret she hadn't felt in the house since the day that her siblings realized the importance of. It felt like the family was more apart than it ever was.

She had come in here to ask her sister what they should do, but after finding her in the state she was and tending to her in bed, she waited again until she overheard Lynn and Lisa speak outside her door. She could hear how much Lisa had focused on a 'distraction' to help keep their minds off today, and the dutchess of the dark agreed that it was a good idea for a moment. She had retreated to the attic hoping to find such distraction but found nothing.

Now, with the house empty save for her mother and Leni, both locked in their respective rooms, headed down into the quiet living room to collect the items and retreat back upstairs; upon entering the empty bedroom at the end of the hallway and sitting on the bed, Lucy rested her back again the headboard. Pillow to her back with enough space beside her that they could if anyone wished to join her.

But resting on this bed with her legs crossed and a large book in her lap, before the tips of her fingers hooked the edge of the cover to pull it open, the light from the window faded as the clouds outside blocked out the sun like black smears in the sky. Bathing the small empty room in a darkness that felt like a gray blanket at consumed the room.

It felt fitting, in a way, that with everything that had happened today, gray would be the color that would perfectly summarize it all.

As she pulled the cover open, she saw a collage of hand-drawn images and doodles surrounding a neatly made 'Past Memories to Remember' in gold, a brief swarm of memories passed by the front of her mind of when they had started this book. She was just five when this album was started. Lisa had yet to be born, and the twins were just starting to embrace their callings. Lynn had to endure the times that were being the new middle child of the family, but it was a time when everyone was still as loud as ever with so much more to go.

Peeling back the first few pages, photos showing memories of their first days of school, Lori graduating middle school and moving on to high school, some of Lynn's games, a couple of family trips, birthdays like the twins dressed in a medieval theme with Lincoln having a fun time. Yet oddly enough, to some that would look through the book, nothing seemed out of place, but Lucy knew what was.

She herself was barely visible. At most, when it involved family group photos, she was in her usual spot, but from then on, she was truly the unseen ghost she was inspired to be.

Then came the time Lisa was to be born, and everything was being rearranged for the bedrooms so that one could become a nursery again. To do so, Lincoln and Lynn had to be divided as roommates; she would take his place, and he would get his own little room where she now sat. Flipping the page, even one showed Lincoln just after decorating his room, posters of older action movies, the toys on the dresser, and him sitting on the edge of the bed with a big smile like he was presenting the place. 'Lincoln's new crib' written in faded pen at the bottom of it.

And then… there was another one that, for so long in her youth, she loathed at how embarrassing it was. But nowadays, what she would give to be back in that position….

"Huh? Hey, Lucy. Something wrong?" She heard Lincoln's voice, one that she hadn't heard in years since before puberty got to him. He sounded tired, yet he was right beside her in bed. Looking to her right, it was almost like he really was in the bed. Turned to face her, but under his blank in his pajamas and the look in his eyes like he had been awakened at an unorthodox time as he looked over his shoulder.

Standing by the bedside, she saw herself. Just six years old, wearing a black nightshirt that draped across the floor behind herself. But far from her usual look, she stood at the edge with her hands laced together and an uneasy look like she was trying not to be afraid.

"Would… would it be possible to spend the night here?" He turned in place and looked over to see his clock read just after 1 am. She remembered now that this was just sometime after Lincoln had been given his room, and while there were times he'd run back to Lynn for fear of being alone at night, eventually, he was able to tame that fear.

While she didn't mind Lynn as a roommate back then, the comfort her brother brought during the day was unmatched. That night, she sought that comfort, embarrassed about what she was preparing to do and whether he would reject her request…

He sighs before moving himself over. He moves closer to the wall and lifts the blanket up enough so she can climb in. With a soft smile, she quickly climbs up the edge of the bed, kicking some of the blankets over so she can move herself in place. She feels the warmth of the bed where he had once laid. Once she gets comfortable, Lincoln tosses the blanket back over them both.

"*Yawn* Have a good night, Lucy." He said, kissing the top of her head as he snuggled back into his pillow. Falling back to sleep almost instantly, his eyes closed.

Listening to his light and steady breathing and the warmth that surrounded her, it felt like she was resting next to her own source of paradise. But with a little adjustment, she was able to turn just enough to face him directly and rested her head against his chest. Pulling her legs up to almost curl up into his side, he draped an arm over her and let out a small smile.

"Sigh. Good night, Lincoln," she whispered with the most pleasant smile she's ever had. But as some light returned to the room, the memory slowly faded away from the gray.

Yet, looking back down at the photo, she didn't remember if it was her mother or Luan who took it, but in some of her rougher times, it was always one that she looked back on whenever she needed to be reminded of the more incredible things in life.

It was on a weekend when they didn't have school, in the days when they could sleep in more than usual, with the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. The camera was positioned just on the edge of the door as if the user was trying not to open it too far. Looking down at the bed, Lincoln still sounded asleep in the middle but with herself snuggled up to his right side. Head planted into his chest, arms held around his body, and to some, utterly peaceful between the two of them.

Embarrassment upon waking up and being teased and assured by her family made it hard for her to enjoy the aftermath of one of the best nights of sleep she had at the time, but she wouldn't lie that she had done it a few other times back then until the twins, Lisa and Lily eventually came along. As they grew, it was understandable that it wasn't right for her to sneak into his bed like that, but in her heart, he wouldn't mind. It was a moment where it was just him and whoever joined him, feeling their warmth next to each other as they let themselves allow their minds and spirits to drift away from the mortal world to a world of their own making.

It was just one of those kinds of moments when a sibling bond between them shined without the chaos in the world to worry about. Even if someone like Lori, Lisa, or Lola would say they didn't need it, everyone could see how much of a change it helped them when it eventually happened. How much could that help them all right now…

"From darkness, I was born from, into the light, I was raised…" She spoke softly.

"Dark clouds I always saw, but from your sun I always felt."

"You cared for me as I grew, and I felt your love as we aged."

"Our time in this world is limited, but the light will last forever."

"In times of our darkness, where our bonds seemed gone, the light between us still stays strong."

"A future I dreamed to be by your side, but into the eye of the storm you willingly go, into the place where I can not follow."

"From a world that judges, a curse that controls, and nature that cares not, to strive for the day I see you return."

"As I sit in wake or sleep, dreaming of the day you return to me for our hearts will meet…"

Raising her head up, the goth looked off into space, mulling over the words she had spoken. It definitely wasn't one of her best ideas; anything truly romantic wasn't really part of her pallet when writing, even now. It was something that felt fine in the mind but needed some refinement before she could truly say it was complete.

Blowing a piece of loose hair away from her face, she leaned back into the headboard, resting her hands on the book and letting her mind drift to see what inspiration would materialize for her. She would almost see it, feel it… hear it?

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Down the opposite end of the hallway in the older siblings' room, the residential fashionista lay curled up on her bed with her knees as close to her chest as possible. She tried to curl herself up into the smallest possible shape she could make herself into under the covers thrown over her head and let the darkness be all around her.

It was a feeling that all of today she had believed was on its way out. Call it blind optimism, call it her living in a dream, call it her still living with air in the brain like before; it didn't matter at all now. All she could think about now was how her wish had come true and was gone.

Three days ago was her birthday, turning the ripe age of 26 like Lori until her birthday came to be in five months. The gap usually meant that during that time, either of them could joke about who really was the oldest or youngest. One might say that 26 might be a bit old to have a full-on birthday party as she had just turned 16, but the feeling in the air being surrounded by her loving friends and family to celebrate another year's passing was one that she had wished would always be there. She was thankful for her friends who supported her and her family, who stood by even after years of being a little out of the zone and loved her without a doubt.

For the best big sister she couldn't live without and the little sisters that brightened her world. For the brother, she could never ask to have another. For the brother that she remembered falling asleep in her lap, helping her try clothes, teaching her to drive, to show her that while the world was a scary place with scary things (like spiders) if she were ever down and alone, he'd be there by her side. To remember that her little white knight would defend his queen from the forces of the darkness. Sure, he was only four when he said that last part, but for years, she felt it in her heart that even if it were not just for her, he would protect them with his love and care.

The last few years had told her that times change, but always to remember a promise. She had failed as a big sister on the day that was to be her brother's first step into the world. The very world he had helped Lynn, Luan, Luna, Lori, and herself to be ready. They spent years and years of their lives under this roof, and he was there every step of the way for them. For her.

What she would do to go back and change that day…

To hug him, kiss him, to never let him go, knowing it would be the last time she got to hear his voice, see his smile, feel his heartbeat. Had she known where he went, she would have followed for a long-term visit or permanently to help him not be alone as he adjusts to life outside the family house. Accident or not, she worried more and more about him as time passed on. And every birthday, she would wish for nothing else, nothing more, than for him to come back home as even in secret or yelling it to the stars, to come through that door like a soldier coming back from being gone for too long. Everyone knew since that day it was her wish, but it was only a small part of the bigger dream.

Three years ago, down in Texas, three days before she would wish for her dream, Lincoln took a leap into his. Three years later, she got her wish.

Sure, she wasn't a selfish kind of person. She didn't have it in her heart not to share with the ones she loved. She could see all of them would want Lincoln by their side, even if it were from her wish. She wouldn't mind; he was there for all of them, and all was there for him. Yet part of her wouldn't deny wanting him all to herself. Just her and her Lincy building their own little world…

Three days ago, she asked, pleading to whoever would listen for this dream to become true. But she remembered what people said about dreams: be careful what you wish for. She didn't know what that meant until she heard Lisa call and say Lincoln was here in town, moving in their direction.

Even as she piled into the van with her siblings, part of her was too overjoyed to speak, act, and express the feeling of the fire burning inside her like it hadn't been for years.

"My Lincy came home!" Repeated in her mind a hundred times a second. Oh, the possibilities of how this day would transform from just another in the calendar to one to remember for years to come. She knew it'd take time to readjust to things with him home, but that just meant she had more time to prepare. She hadn't even finished his first suit yet!

It didn't click until they pulled into the gas station to see their father on the ground, crying his heart out. That they had just missed Lincoln by moments and had no way of knowing how to get back to him.

When they got home and her dad explained what happened, it felt like the fire inside had exploded. Ash filled the mind, and fire consumed her thoughts. It took two of her sisters to snap her out of a thousand-yard stare until she saw what remained of her dream.

She felt like her heart was beating right through her chest. Her legs felt so weak they might as well not have been there at all to support her. Her mind had become so much of a blur all she could remember the morning after all that was crying into her sister's shirt till she couldn't hold it together anymore. She felt herself being carried up to her room by someone, but she didn't move for hours. Her pillow was drenched, half the sheets still barely holding onto the bed, and her makeup was ruined. She didn't care. The mind asked for her heart to move, but it did with lead-filled weights.

She didn't know what time it was; the sky outside gets darker faster this time of year, so maybe midafternoon? She didn't care. Once she could get herself out of bed and go to the bathroom, she washed away her ruined makeup and looked in the mirror.

Everyone said that as they grew, they developed natural beauty. They would ask why so much makeup was used when the image reflecting back without it looked so pure. She remembered asking her brother this question on multiple occasions or just out of nowhere. He would always know what to say, either to not break her heart or to be truthful to her; it made his light shine all that much brighter in her eyes.

Returning to her room, she tried to scratch up enough motivation to clean up her mess. Make it all nice and organized as it was when she left this morning. It took a mere five minutes, but that was just a blink out of the time of the day that was left till everyone came home. Another two hours before even the twins would be coming home from school at the earliest.

Sitting at the foot of her bed, Leni looked around her room for what could be used to pass the time. She stared at the incomplete suit, still without a head after her previous 'incident' that helped her not think anyone else was in her room. If she didn't stop working, it would be done by the end of the week, but the longer the ideas floated in her mind, the more she felt the lack of motivation to realize them. Right now, her body wanted nothing more than to fall back, slip out of her day clothes, and fall asleep. She wished that this day had just been one that felt too real to be true and that it would be the same day when she woke up tomorrow but better. That sounded nice…

She pulled away from her long-sleeved shirt, fluttering it out before tossing it over to the hamper. Flickering her socks off by the edges of her feet and flinging them over to join it, as she went to lean back and pull her pants off, in a moment of awkward movement, she felt her inner thighs grind against each other and a spark rocket up her spine.

Leni stopped and felt her face heat up. A surge of embarrassment washed over her memories of tending to 'self-service', often because some thoughts took control of her, and her body utterly melted into the feeling it gave. However, three out of five times, those moments were interrupted by someone accidentally or 'accidentally' walking into the room.

When you live in a house with all your siblings as sisters, it will happen one way or another. Privacy is rarer than gold in this house. She had gotten a nice taste of it after Lori moved out the first time, but the loneliness got to her in those days. It didn't stop her from trying to date, but while it was nice to interact with other people, it never really went far until they drifted apart.

But for her, that was okay. Not everyone in the world is bound to always click with the first or second person they meet. Or to go out to date just to say it was crossed off a list of things to do in life. It took her only a few years to realize that she didn't really need anyone else, maybe to help build experience for how guys operated differently or to bid her time when the opportunity came knocking. For more than ten years, she's known the one that she felt her heartbeat to a greater rhythm anytime it could beat next to who it deemed its opposite.

"Lincoln…" she whispered softly as she leaned back on her bed. Plopping against the covers as she felt her mind become a haze like the sunrise across a desert. It didn't help one bit when she brought her legs up to push her up to her pillow did the friction sent another surge that the haze began to form an image.

Part of her knew she shouldn't, part of her deep down in a well so deep man wouldn't dare think a voice said it; parts of the sin it was, but part of her, both body and soul, wanted it. She was as alone as she was most days of the week, if not even more; what was a little self-indulging seemingly so bad? Her body was growing warmer with the idea, and her mind was becoming all the more willing to dive in.

Leni calmed herself, trying not to work herself too much so early as her hand began to descend down the side of her stomach and come across the fabric of her white panties. A simple pair, unlike anyone else, was supposed to see them aside from her siblings on accidents or very special occasions. Like a snake, her hand traveled over the seem of the clothing and down the front face that divided the predator from its prey's den.

Coming to a stop just above where the tip of her finger was, she could feel herself leaking, making the fabric feel a lot more moist like she was seeping with sweat after an intense workout. Applying a slight pressure from her middle finger, she could feel there was a lot more than just a simple dampness. With one finger, she slowly felt around the fabric until she accidentally slid across the top of a little nub shape. She gritted her teeth to try to suppress the spark that went through her and the growing surge as she brought her index and ring fingers together and ran them down the forming wet valley.

"Nhhh..." She slowly drew them back up to the top of the nub, circling it briefly before moving back down till they reached the end. Like a loose wire briefly reconnecting each time, she brought her fingers up again, digging the fabric a bit deeper into the valley as the center became even wetter with each passing stroke,

Her breathing had picked up; she could feel her face heating up and her heart pumping a little faster.

She hooked her pinkie around the side and slowly pulled it across. Hissing, she felt the fabric drag itself across her sensitive lips until it was far enough to stay on the side. Feeling the house's cool air move across the boiler's vent from within her core sent a shiver across her skin. Goosebumps spiked down her legs and arms as her fingers and digits made contact with the sticky but slick skin surrounding her lips. Feeling how wet they were still growing, she slowly began to insert her middle finger—soon joined by her index a moment after as she slid her hand down to bring them in as far as she could.

It wasn't as far or fulfilling as she would hope to reach. Had she had any 'toys' to do the job, she wouldn't mind digging one out, but the feeling of her own fingers inside, slightly curling up to the point her knuckles were pressing themselves against her lips. Moving across the smooth ridges took a second before she felt her body tense up from passing over a specific spot.

'Aah~' She moaned out. She had enough willpower in her mind to open her eyes just enough to see her dive back down in. Her back arched as her fingers grazed the spot again and again. Slowly building up her speed as the shocks became less like waves and more like rapid pulses.

Grabbing a fistful of her bedsheets, a strong surge hit her as she brought her fist up to try not to cry out. Muffling the sounds in the blanket, she accelerated her motion, trying to get deeper into the spot. "L-L-Lincoln~" she moaned into her hand. Picturing it now, he laid just to her side with her pressed up against his chest. One arm wrapped around her to hold her close to him as he dove his own hand into her core. It wasn't the furthest she had dreamed of this going, but sometimes, to get running, you just got to start walking first.

But as her panting increased and moans grew louder, Leni wasn't at all aware that her door was cracked open just enough for one of the only two others left in the house to peer inside with a blush and a look of shock across her face.

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480 miles away…

Racing down Interstate 65 southbound at a steady 70mph, a closely packed convoy of vehicles weaved its way across the Kentucky plains and hills.

Numbering almost 30 strong, from simple sedans and trucks to loaded minivans and SUVs filled with passengers and thousands of dollars of camera and data collection equipment. Mesonet masts on top of several vehicles, from a simple set of wind cups on the back to fully built structures with hail guards and a dozen different sensors measuring the wind and so much more. Their occupants were all in a storm of chatter across the radios and phones, sharing any info they could from other sources watching the storm front. Watching videos and live streams of other chasers on other storms or with idle talk of what they hope or expect to see today, guess how many they can catch, holiday plans after, or just content with leaning back, catching some sleep, or listening to music as the landscape zizzes past.

Though they traveled in line, only moving to past one another or getting beyond a tractor-trailer, a bit further ahead of the fleet to keep the massive amounts of rainwater being kicked up in a misty cloud not to blind anyone behind him. Where some cars would be moving a bit slower with their wipers on max high, Storm Shrieker powered through the heavy rain like the unstoppable titan on ten wheels it was built to be.

For the nearly two-hour-long trip away from the truck stop in Louisville, the skies around the fleet began to become increasingly active by the minute. Numerous radio and TV stations in the area had already focused more on weather coverage as the skies over the city began to grow darker and rain began to fall. Further north, flood watches and warnings were already starting to pop up in mass across the extensive lines of storms stretching from her to Chicago. Chasers further to the north and west even reported signs of possible tornadic development.

Everything was pointing to the signs that the outbreak was well underway.

Lincoln had to keep his nerves down, and mind focused as he drove through the increasing rain and around traffic. He kept a tight grip on the wheel as Shrieker went through a banking turn, easing his speed to stop the tank from fishtailing on the wet and oily asphalt until he was clear to speed up. His laptop was turned so close to him that the keypad could function as an armrest, but his hand and eyes only briefly flickered down to the screen long enough to take in any info he could get without losing road focus. He could hear the radio chatter in his headphones and the news broadcast from the radio. Weather bulletins scroll down the left side of the screen to the other 4/5ths being covered in a radar display from the closest station and the units on the roof. A velocity map slowly changing back and forth and a larger regional map beside it. His GPS on the dashboard announced he was approaching Munfordville, a checkpoint after enough travel to assess current conditions and take a quick breather.

Distractions everywhere. There was so much to focus on at once than years ago; he remembered only having to rely on his phone for radar and mapping his route before moving west. He was thankful that Clyde had decided to come out with him so he wasn't so distracted when just watching the computer or road when trying to film a twister chasing after his tail.

Lincoln respected chasers who could do all that for weeks at a time for years and years. It spoke of their dedication to their passion. After almost six full years under his own belt, he had yet to master it truly. For four years, he usually had someone else by his side, whether it be Clyde, Ronnie, Rex, or anyone else on his growing team; even if they were in a truck following behind him, it was the assurance that it came with that he wasn't going in alone and blind.

Today, he didn't have that kind of safety net. His rash decision-making led him to this mess, and he'd have to figure out any further mess. That itself wasn't a big problem given what he had to use to get out of a situation if it turned ugly really fast, but the fact that with all the people following him, everyone had to understand that their responsibility was in their hands.

Halfway through this trip, he finally realized some irony as he pushed his laptop to the side and grabbed his water jug. Taking a large swig as the reality of looking around made him think of how he had overbuilt Shrieker so much. With the camera previously mounted in the turret, he had no reason to stop, jump in the back to man the camera, and jump back into his front seat to plan a path before rolling again. The remote control meant he could do that all without moving from his spot. The new EDS did in what time it took two people to lock the vehicle down could be done by pulling a single lever now. The radar pods allowed him to guess better where the storm was moving and how strong it was if he could get safely closer. And with maps just announcing directions, he just needed to put in the endpoint.

For someone who worked best when another was by his side, he had built Shrieker to be entirely operated by just one person, with maybe someone to operate a second camera to capture other stuff at most.

He could still picture that November day down in Texas. The first real chance to test the tank with a twister, driving five hours south as he and Clyde got used to the power and handling the truck could do. Once storms fired up, Clyde navigated them into a prime, easily interceptable spot while he dealt with driving and filming. Then Ronnie came in to be his driver, and even when Clyde wasn't with them if it was either himself or Ronnie who was driving or navigating, that comforting feeling helped every day they went out.

Putting his water away and pulling the computer back, Lincoln took a deep breath. Closing his eyes for a second, he flexed his fingers across the wheel cover. "Hold it together, Linc. Today isn't the day for losing it…" But if he had to be honest, he felt he had already lost it and felt the numbing aftereffects.

Although he didn't feel that tired anymore or a bit sick after getting some water in his system to get the medication going, after three hours of driving, his mind kept making him linger his sight on the passenger seat or the mirror to the seats behind him. Any moment he saw a vehicle move out of the way for another's headlights to shine in the back of the cab, his mind filled with a surge of paranoia, thinking that someone was going to be sitting there all of a sudden like they had been there this whole time.

But all of that, Lemy, he spent a chunk of his time thinking where on earth did he see anyone like him in his life. He said he was from Royal Woods, but with his age and a family as big as he says, it was possible he was too young for him to know before he left, but it was impossible not to have heard about a family bigger than his own coming to live in his hometown.

Maybe it was during one of the school events they did presentations at? But since they started, he's met maybe hundreds to thousands of kids, and with so many schools, it was hard for them to return to the same place twice. All the times of meeting people on the side of the road getting gas, helping disaster recovery, or just walking through town. Nowhere he could think of where he would have seen someone like the boy.

But those eyes… They felt too familiar to be some random kid who knew of his actions, but he never considered them. Even in the brief moment, they did make direct contact, it almost felt like he was looking into the eyes of L- ["Tornado warning for the storm to our west and north-northwest."] Someone announced on the radio, ripping his train of thought clean off the rails.

Conversations ceased as a sense of urgency filled the convoy. Easing his speed, Lincoln looked harder at the radar: the storm they were getting ahead of now and the one he originally had planned to chase closer to Elizabethtown.

The conditions were shaping up to be what the forecast expected; the two warned cells were still mostly to the west, but the leading edge was already on top of them. He recalled what Erin said earlier about four cells developing, and he could see it true on the radar. The Elizabeth cell was further ahead of the line, with other storms popping up further towards north Louisville, which was already in the process of forming a second wave behind it. Their storm was the second cell in the line, with a third developing west Russellville. The cell would be moving closer to Bowling Green from what little the future track showed. It was a bit more separated from the current storms, but its proximity left it to be questioned if it could remain isolated or get absorbed into the larger front.

And then further to the south was a mess. Numerous scattered storms rapidly developed between Jackson and Nashville, paralleling Interstate 40. Feeding off the high moisture rates in the region as they got a jump start going severe. The forecast showed that the storms were basically competing for dominance. Some cells die in moments when they get choked out or absorbed by another or just falling apart. Three to four of the more impressive ones were already trying to form a front with severe warnings miles ahead of them to Nashville itself with an even broader tornado watch.

Lincoln knew his battle plan: if his current cell could mature enough to drop something before it crossed 65, he'd still be in a prime position to catch the cells to his south one by one. He might miss the first line going through Tennessee, but he would still have the opportunity to catch anything that forms behind the first wave. Dashing north for the second Kentucky wave could allow him to minimize travel time, but the issue would stem from clustered HP storms in fading daylight. At least by going the extra mile towards Nashville, he'd be able to see separate cells with some daylight left.

Looking at the general maps, he felt it within him to get off the highway and onto more manageable roads. Trying to intercept something this fast on a major interstate by himself was one decision he didn't want to undertake.

"Alright, question." He spoke into his mic, waiting to see if anyone heard him over the radio, given he hadn't spoken much at all this time.

["What's up, Shrieker?"] someone answered.

"Looking at this now, anyone savvy to take a walk through the mountains to get a better look?" he asked as the convoy went past the Horse Cave Rest Area. Beyond it lay the rising hills that formed the northeastern parts of the Mammoth Cave National Park. "Figure it'll be much better seeing what's coming over the mountains before it's already over us."

There was a murmur through the radio. Even if no one was going to follow, he didn't mind. It was more of a suggestion to anyone who did follow him. Coming down the Cave City exit, a small portion of the convoy side slowed down and pulled up behind him, with about 3/5th continuing down the highway away from them. A few vehicles in the group went even further, heading towards town itself.

The rain was beginning to ease up, and the main core of the storm was well to their northwest and would pass by with little issue to them. The radar, reflectivity, and velocity all pointed out that their area of interest was still 35 miles to the west. Once they got through the forest, that gap would be down to a mere 10 miles if the roads let them. Turning onto Road 70, the group of now seven vehicles approached the park. Passing tourist attractions, RV parks, campgrounds, and some resorts, the road began to wind its way through the forest and hills.

Be mindful that there could be downed trees, landslides, or washouts along the road. Had he been just for a drive and it not been raining, Lincoln wouldn't mind popping the doors open to get a breeze and snap some photos here and there. Rain or shine, this was the kind of place he enjoyed visiting when he didn't have the urge to go after danger. The beauty and peace of the environment, the sound of the land, and the feeling of nature at rest helped so many to take a seat on a damp stump, breathe in the air, and feel it all around.

But there was a different feeling in his veins right now. Coming around a banking turn into a clearing with a divide in the road, the reality of the nature above them contrasted heavily with what was around them. Even with all the trees and lack of sunlight, the towering blob of the mesocyclone shrouded in grays and greens stood tall above all else.

Had a radar truck been with them, getting an accurate reading of the storm with all the trees blocking the signal would have been nearly impossible. Even so close, the set on Shrieker pointed upward would be useless because of range. The higher they climbed the hills, the closer they got to the belly of the beast as they approached the community of Arthur. Radar might help look inside, but the sight before them spoke of a growing storm.

Taking a left turn down Arthur Road, flanked by little drainage ditches, fields on either side with the mountains to the east and power lines ten feet to their west, it felt more like somewhere in Kansas or Nebraska. Rolling hills that gave a view for miles into the distance, fields of faded greens, and trees of various browns, yellows, and reds of leaves yet to fall.

And a disgusting-looking wall cloud hovering close to the ground.

---

It was just after 2 P.m. at Royal Woods Elementary, and the party was in full swing at the sounds of dozens of kids running around the field and playground as teachers and parents stood off to the side conversing while keeping an eye on things. Because of the good weather, the school had thought and agreed that having it outside on the playground might be a nice way to have enough room for the students to have freedom of movement while some of the staff and even parents of the kids joined in like for a giant game of kickball.

But for Lily, her time among her peers outdoors had been spent mostly with her being parked on one of the benches up against the wall of classrooms facing the main playground. It provided her with enough shade and light to continue her drawing. Yet, for the life of her, she couldn't focus. Every second she tried to put pencil to paper, feeling the various blobs of unnamable shapes in her mind slowly begin to take shape, color, texture, details that were as vivid as life itself; it was like her mind and hand couldn't connect to create that image into reality.

It was starting to grind her gears. So much so that she had already lost one of her coloring pencils in a fit of frustration and couldn't find it; she spilled her books off her lap across the ground and scraped her hand when trying to pick them up before the wind got them.

With a sigh, she checked her watch; a little advice Luna explained to her was that because phones weren't allowed in class, having a watch helped her think of the time instead of staring off into space, not looking like she was listening to the teacher. From what she saw, she had been out here since after lunch when her sister finally arrived with her supplies when the school was setting up two tents for people to tend underneath. Her friend and the birthday girl, in particular, were somewhere among the playground with others enjoying the extended recess. To avoid conflicts, her parents and the school agreed to a school-wide day instead of just her class.

And while she would be all for hanging out with her friends, since Luan arrived, something had felt off in the air like smog stuck in a valley.

Since she arrived, Lily's class was the first to come outside early to help in whatever form of preparation was needed. Most of the kids just took to playing, but she stayed by her sister's side, helping carry supplies and set up equipment. She could see that Luan was thankful for her help; even a little smile she would get from Luan made that part of her soul smile back, and just a simple little action was a way to help brighten someone's day. But it was like trying to keep the sun powered with an AA battery.

Something was casting a shadow over her sister, who had always found some reason to laugh and smile. When she was dropped off at school, that feeling wasn't there; four hours later, it was. She checked the group chat and all that it had regarding new messages from Lola and Luna. She tried getting something, but the chat was basically dead, even if the others read it.

She could see it in Luan's eyes, in her voice, and how she was more focused on trying to distract herself than trying to have a fun time. She tried to ask and get her to sit down for a second to see what was causing her turmoil, but Luan wouldn't budge. It annoyed Lily that her sister, pretty much all her sisters except the twins, wasn't telling them something. She lived two years of her life with them, having the life gone from their eyes, and now she saw it again.

And it was like the world was showing her just that. The sky above them wasn't like what it was before, even an hour ago. As the morning slowly went into the later hours, the day was shaping up to become something that everyone could enjoy despite the time of year.

Now, it was like nature had remembered what it was and flipped the spectrum hard over. The sun could barely break through in some patches, but the dark gray clouds above the town felt like they were just there to make everyone pause and wonder where the peace had gone. When she had the time to check her phone, the weather did call for the chance of rain, but it was so focused on stuff happening out of state that it was lost to the web.

But sitting here on the bench, looking up to the sky that was moving so fast, growing, expanding, acting like it really was alive. It's a creature bigger than anything you'd see in any Godzilla or alien movie that wasn't created by some higher power of man's negligence. It could happen anywhere in the world, and today it chose to be over her town.

Even at the briefest of winds, it made her skin crawl so much she felt a swarm of bugs was all over her. She didn't hate storms like Lincoln spoke about on the show and even showed it; they had a kind of unmatched beauty with the chaotic power you just couldn't stop staring at in awe. She wouldn't deny that whenever a summer storm came in with towering clouds, it didn't give her some inspiration for her art. Sitting out on the porch listening to the rain was just one of those sounds that felt like even if the family was having a party inside, it was peaceful where she was. At night it was different, but during the day, it was the opposite.

Today didn't feel like that…

This weather, this storm hanging above them, didn't feel right. She remembered how Lucy used to talk about their situation months ago, how it was like something was blocking out the light to reach them. You'd see glimpses, but never the sun.

It made her feel sick. The sick you get walking on a wire above a black pit, even with a safety harness on. You think it's safe until you start feeling the wire start to slacken… She didn't want to think of this anymore. Grabbing her backpack off the ground, she hastily placed her books and supplies back inside before pushing off the bench.

Giving a little stretch, she made her way to the party tents, mostly occupied by some parents and school staff standing by the edge or sitting among some of the tables. Weaving in-between, she looked up to a makeshift stage, mostly out of whatever the school could provide, where her comedian sister was putting on a show for a group of around 20 kids from the lower grades with their parents sitting around the back.

On top of her usual get-up, she had on a purple vest covered with brightly covered flowers and her ever so trusty pair of funny glasses. Holding the might in one hand and a cream pie that looked like it was ready to explode in the other. Through a microphone and a small speaker sitting at the front, Lily came up to the side just as Luan had finished a punch line as the pie seemingly grew six times its size, shaking in her hand before- POOF. It erupted in a cloud of confetti as it deflated and sprinkled over the crowd as they laughed and clapped at the display.

It made Lily happy to see her family in their element. But years had taught her to see between the lines. Luan was enjoying her time, but Lily could see that she wasn't running at 100 percent. Even as the kids cheered and the parents all looked on, amused or a bit impressed by the display, it was enough that Luan would break out in a bright smile and do something crazy next.

But instead, as she reached back and deposited the blown pie on a small table off to her left, along with several other props, the crowd began to disperse. Kids either ran to their parents to talk about the show or went off to the playground to join their classmates.

Spinning around, she was a bit surprised to see her little sister standing by the edge of the stage, propping a leg up, "Something wrong, Lils?" the 23-year-old asked as she pulled off her glasses and wiped away any confetti on her.

She shook her head. "Nothing for me," she said, leaning back with her grip on the pack straps, making it to where she was leaning forward at the same time. "Although…" she looked up into Luan's eyes for her to catch her drift. Despite everything today, she got it again, much to her displeasure and Lily's growing curiosity.

With a tired sigh, Luan stepped down from the stage but just enough to where she could sit down and be roughly at eye level. "Lily, it's nothing. Like I said, it's… just been a rough morning…."

"... you know, every time you say that, the lie fades even more," Lily said with a growing tone of annoyance. "And I won't stop even when we get home about it." That wasn't a lie, and Luan knew she would keep to her word until she got it out of her or any of their sisters about what happened.

With a sigh, combing her hair, and plucking some stuck confetti out, Luan felt the urge to try to push it further down the line with what they all agreed to. But it was becoming impossible not to look into Lily's eyes and see something she hadn't seen in years. Ten years ago, she wouldn't have imagined this, yet be it her mind or her heart doing it, the past two years alone had only strengthened it.

"Lily, I'm not trying to be rude or mean or anything… really. It's just that… this morning-" Her words would be silenced as a loud boom of thunder echoed from above.

Surprising them both and everyone around, the two looked over to the tent's edges to see the sky had grown several shades darker as they rolled overhead. Across the playground, several teachers were to quickly call out and gather the kids to either head back inside or scramble towards the tent. A little drizzle had begun to fall, but within moments, it became more like an actual shower that only gave everyone more motivation to run for cover.

Looking at the growing mess, Luan felt a little peeved that the weather couldn't keep itself together for another hour. She planned a whole skit that would have led to them bringing out the cake and then a follow-up afterward. If it started raining after then, it wouldn't have affected much except for the clean up, given how close it was time for school to let out by then.

As a sea murmur of groans and apologies came from people rubbing shoulders together, trying to stay out of the rain, Luan shook her head, looking up to the sky, "Talk about raining on our parade…"

Right as she was about to stand back up, an administrator presented her ear; the man quietly gestured towards the crowd. "We're gonna sing real quick, then take it inside. Probably back to the gym or cafeteria."

Understanding his reasoning, Luan nodded, "Gotcha." she said quietly. Looking back at her sister, Lily's eyes spoke with the words that she would get her to talk before the day was out. Walking away from the stage to mingle more with the crowd in the focus of finding her friend, Luan stepped back up on the stage, grabbing the mic. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I guess good old cranky mother nature doesn't wanna wait any longer for some of that delicious cake! So how about we all gather around and give the one we're all here for a big happy birthday!"

A wave of cheers rang out, "So where is our birthday princess?" Luan asked, looking over the crowd, squinting like she was trying to see over the horizon. Some people looked around, trying to find the birthday girl, until two sets of hands shot into the air among the students.

"Here she is!" Lily announced, holding her friend's hand up. The girl in question, dressed in a dark blue Princess Pony shirt and pink shorts, felt unable to stop blushing as Lily helped direct her towards the tables.

With so many people, it was a bit awkward trying to shift around and give some free space as the crowd slowly moved over into the next tent. Near the center, the girl's parents were making the final touches to the cake, which was decorated with little frosted red roses along the edges and a printout of the same picture on the girl's shirt.

As she was led to her seat in front of her cake as the parents lit 10 candles, Luan came around from the back of her pocket, produced a small folded tiara, an idea she got from Lola, and carefully placed it upon the birthday girl's head as she looked up giggling as she was crowned.

But just as Luan let go, looking past the crowd, she was surprised and thankful that the rain had practically gone away as fast as it had appeared, with some sunlight coming back out. "Well, everyone," she said out loud, "I guess Mother Nature wants to make this moment a bit more special!" Her words made several people look around to see the weather was breaking and glance up at the clouds from the tent's edge.

"Come on, everyone, together!" She crouched down beside the girl as Lily took the seat next to her. "Happy birthday to you!" She started singing, watching as everyone's faces lit up with smiles as they couldn't resist the effects of singing along.

"Happy birthday to you," they said together. The girl was inching a little closer to her cake, ready to unleash her force upon the candles.

"Happy Birthday, dear-"

*THAM*

The good mood was instantly shattered when everyone jumped at the sound of something smashing into one of the cars parked by the bus lanes. Shards of glass spilled into the cab, with more flying in the air, covering parts of the hood and ground with the sound of its alarm going off. Dumbfounded by what had just happened, a few people stepped out to get a better look and asked about who's car was now a wreck.

Squeezing past the crowd, Luan's good mood practically evaporated as fast as her windshield disintegrated. Dashing across the wet field, fishing her car keys out to silence it, upon reaching the fence line, she saw the extent of the damage. From her view, it wasn't just the windshield that was obliterated; part of the top portion of the roof had a fist-sized dent, with parts of her dashboard now jagged plastic.

In her surprised state, she didn't see that a few others had run over to join her. Being among them, Lily came up to the fence, grabbing the top so she could see the car more clearly.

"What happened?" she asked, looking up at her big sister and wondering what could have caused this.

"I… I don't know…" Luan answered, looking down at her for a second before moving towards the fence gate. Moving around the corner, the closer she got to her car, the more and more she felt herself wanting to sit down and try not to imagine the cost of getting something like this fixed.

But curiosity was bleeding its way into her mind. She could think of a thousand and ten things that could result in a random object falling out of the sky and smashing your windshield. Either it is a mortar fired off course, a brick thrown in anger, or someone's potato that was launched from afar. The closer she got and looked over the side, the more she could see the crater that called her dashboard home.

Sitting there with shards of glass sat a giant chunk of jagged hail. But not like your little quarter or pea-sized stones, this thing was borderline on the verge of being labeled a frozen baseball. Possibly a softball if it didn't have chunks broken off from the impact. Though curious to reach in and grab it, common sense won out in avoiding sticking her hand into something with glass shards.

Turning to tell her sister and the crowd, Luan had to do a double-take to ensure it was what she thought it was. "Its… hail-"

*THAM*

Everyone jumped when a spout of dirt and grass erupted out just a few yards behind them, nearly making some close by staggering backward from the surprise.

*THAM*

Another stone shattered across the sidewalk.

Almost like the sign that three was all that would be given, any light that the sun was able to provide was rapidly replaced by a dark greenish-blue hue as the clouds overhead began to grow as dark as an ungodly smoke and fog. Trees began to sway in a growing breeze, sending anything not anchored down quickly being swept away as many people started turning back towards the school.

Then, like an approaching train with no horn or bell, a deafening sound rapidly approaching them was a large towering mass. Falling out from the clouds above, stretching out for miles, consuming house after house on every street between it and them. The rain that could be considered a drizzle was nothing compared to what, within seconds, was a downpour that instantly made anyone watching immediately turn and run for shelter. Some tried going for tents or canopies that were barely holding up in the wind. But then came a different sound.

If they were any smaller, something like a Smurf would have considered this a meteor shower raining icy hell upon them. For anyone still outside, cries of pain came from all across as people held their shoulders and backs, and an endless bombardment of ice came down upon anyone unfortunate to be standing in the open. Stones came down in the thousands, forming craters all over the field, shredding through the tents, smashing into the roofs of houses and cars. Parents and teachers alike are trying to use their bodies to shield children from the impacts only to feel the force of a tiny speck of dirt wrapped in three inches of ice come at them at over 100 mph.

"INSIDE!" One of the teachers shouted by the doors back into the building, "EVERYONE INSIDE NOW!"

Anyone still outside made a beeline for the door, long forgetting anything that was the party being consumed by the storm. The rain was going down so hard now Luan could feel it soaking her clothes to the point that any little bit more and they would be waterlogged. But with more stones crashing down, she didn't wait for that any longer. Grabbing Lily's hand, the two dashes across the wet grass as a strong gust of wind ripped through the area. Feeling the rain almost become painful to the skin, the comedian quickly pulled her little sister ahead of her, trying to bodyblock the wind.

The two of them would be one of the last ones to make it inside as the world outside disappeared in a maelstrom, almost blowing horizontally with the ground. One teacher trying to close the doors found the task nearly impossible as the winds streamed into the building. Two more quickly ran up to try to close them, but even that was a struggle as they pulled them shut.

The second the wind stopped hitting them, Luan slowly felt her bearings come back together as she felt a shiver rocket down her soaked spine. When she felt her hand suddenly become empty, she looked down to see her sister taking a few shaky steps backward till she was stopped by the wall. Not for a moment, she tore her eyes away from the windows, getting battered by the storm as even she could hear a faint whistling from the wind pushing through the cracks.

"Lily," Luan called as she kneeled down. Grabbing onto her shaking hands, trying to get her mind away from outside. "Lily, it's going to be okay. We're okay here inside, alright?"

It took a lot of willpower for the young Loud to break her trance and focus on her voice. But as soon as her eyes met Luan's, they and everyone's attention was taken from the sound of the intercoms coming to life. "Attention, students and staff," the voice of the principal echoed throughout the school. We are currently under a severe thunderstorm warning. Please make your way to the designated safe areas until further notice."

Like the hivemind of a panicking herd, everyone started to scramble down the hallways. Anyone in classrooms started pouring into the crowds; teachers began shouting, pointing to various intersections, and trying to direct people to the shelter areas. Cries of fear and pain filled the school as adults tried their best to comfort hundreds of crying children being filtered to safety.

It was chaos.

Usually, she was used to chaos on this scale, but not to this situation. Luan could remember several times in the past when something like a bad storm would send everyone into a panic, but after some growing up, it was just one of those feelings you locked down and put on a brave face when others were in desperate need of reassurance other than a laugh.

"Luan?" Lily asked, grabbing her sister's hand. Glancing down, Luan felt something within her be plucked when she saw the dark hallow look in her sister's eyes. She knew of her nightmares during night storms, but during the day, she was okay. Not here. She could see it clear as day, and instincts were kicking into high gear.

Freeing her hand, the comedian quickly scoped her sister up. Holding her tightly to her chest, Lily wrapped her arms around Luan's neck as tight as she could without hurting her, as Luan held on just as if not even tighter. "Come on, let's go find a nice shady spot." She said, holding a hand behind Lily's head to keep it low and close to her shoulder as she half-jogged into the crowd.

Down either hallway, she looked. There were dozens trying to line the floors or scrambling to find another place. Luan remembered the old tornado drills that schools made them practice over time, but it had been a good five years since she had done them. Looking back and forth, she picked the one hall where a steady stream of people quickly made their way deeper into the building. She got just past the doorway's threshold when all the light around them was lost.

---

Halfway off the edge of a single-lane road in the middle of southern Kentucky, the two panels that formed the front window and viewport to the turret slid open to the sides with a hydraulic hiss. The 300-pound steel dome slowly rotates to its right side with the whirl of motors underneath its bearing ring. Easing to a stop, another motor rang out as the attached camera mount slowly tilted backward, pointing the device up toward the sky to help give a leveled few as the tank sat lopsided in the grass.

Watching the center monitors as with the soft flicks of the joystick, giving the gyroscope a moment to adjust properly, Lincoln nodded in satisfaction at his camera shot of the landscape and storm. Pitched further in that it focuses more on the mesocyclone above them. Had this storm had less rain and better light, he felt it would make for a nice time-lapse as a bolt of lightning struck behind a hill from the wall cloud. The convoy was lined up along the stretch of road from Arthur to the next farmhouse ahead, not wanting to impede anyone's view as they set up camera pods or turned their cars enough to point east.

It was a perfect position. They had a west-to-east option back the way they came, a north-and-south route via 259/101 just two miles down the road. They had a clear view of the base and wall cloud; the rain was approaching from the northwest side of the hook but still some time away, with plenty of light to film and with all the colors of the field, trees, and sky presented a beautiful scene to film. Leaning back in his seat, Lincoln sighed deeply as he relaxed to the sound of rain trickling down the windshield with a swipe of the wipers.

Pulling his headphones down around his neck and unbuckling from his seat, he reached up, unlocked the roof hatch, and swung it open. Stepping on his seat to pull himself through, he felt a blast of wind and rain hit him in the face as he moved enough to sit on the hatch itself with his legs dangling in the cab.

For the first time all day, maybe for the past week, maybe months now, he felt his body finally feel itself start to relax. If he had the turret spun around and closed, he could lean back on it like a recliner, not caring if his pants were soaked from the wet metal roof or if he was on top of a 9-ton lightning rod. With his feet propped up on the light bar, hands in his lap, he just felt the warm air being blown by a cool, wet breeze as he lay there and watched. Seeing the sky change and boil before his very eyes. The twisting motion held more raw power than any man-made device could possibly achieve. It was like a 20-kiloton nuclear bomb going off seven miles in the sky across chunks of whole states. So much raw power that had it be unleashed at once would be unfathomable to anyone. Yet released over several miles for hours, it didn't give the same punch but still told of the strength held within.

It did remind him of the old times back at home. Coming home after a day of spending time with friends, stepping through the front door, and witnessing chaos. Sometimes getting sucked in; other times, he's crashing through crowded halls, dodging girls like ping pong balls to get to the bathroom on time…

"In the loud house, in the loud house… duck, dodge, push and shove…" he quietly sang to himself, imagining what kind of music would be with it playing over all the chaos he would experience just after waking up. I felt something like pop-rock, where it would be really booming when the chorus came in.

"It's always an amazing race. Can I find my place in the world? Always permanently in the crowd…" His amusement began to peak as he pictured how things would go with the words. And to his displeasure, it was all of the time. It really was just him in the crowd looking up to whatever extravagant event was unfolding for his sister of the time. He remembered how things were back before their trip to Scotland, and even after that, there were days when the family left the house more and more; it felt all too much the same.

But that was in the past. He had accepted that years ago, like many other things he couldn't change now. Only prepare for what lies ahead and make it to the end. His family was tough; they survived crazy stuff for generations, and even in a year like this, they all made it out.

"In the loud house, duck, dodge, push and shove…" A crack of lightning streaked out from the clouds. Slowly crawling through the storm, it webbed out before flashing away as a thunderous boom rumbled across the valley.

"Hey, Lincoln!" someone called out, drawing him away from his return to peace. Keeping his legs straight, he leaned back further over the driver's side of the roof. He stopped once his shoes hit the inside of the cab as he saw Branden and his brother coming up the road.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think she's going to do it here?" Branden asked as his brother took several steps back to snap some photos.

"Maybe-" Another crash of thunder boomed overhead. Making some of those present outside crouch down as the three of them looked upward. Listening as another rumble echoed deeper in the storm, Lincoln looked back, continuing, "Maybe. Inflow doesn't feel all that impressive."

It was a feeling they could all feel. The warm wet air gets sucked into the notch of the storm by the updraft helping to fuel the rotation. The terrain helped because the hills and plains made it concentrated but sometimes broadened. The wall cloud wasn't the most impressive one ever seen, but the rotation was still strong. With today's conditions ten minutes ago, they would have seen a tornado forming by now.

"Think it's getting choked off?" His brother Brady asked.

Curious himself, Lincoln took one last look at the sky before folding himself back into the tank. He squatted down enough to use the computer as he watched the most recent update from minutes ago cycle on repeat. The storm was still growing, and the rotation was visible, but heavy rain was flanking around the backside. Moisture and surface temperature were still high, but there was a thought that maybe the storm was struggling because of its southern counterpart. It was entirely possible the next cell was feeding off more energy and stripping their storm away from a stronger supply. Both had the signature of maturing storms, but theirs refused to cooperate.

It was the kind of decision any chaser hates to make if they even had the choice. A mature supercell not willing to produce could mean it does die out or needs some more time to cook, and at best, you'd need to get further ahead of it again. To abandon it for the new cell coming up behind it that presented the same opportunity meant risking leaving right when it was finally dropping. The data spoke of what was happening further up in the storm. Any widely known information was from people like them who were currently reporting or streaming it out.

Lincoln remembered this kind of situation many times before, but what was in front of him was like playing a game of poker against a ghost. You had no idea if you were playing with Casper or Beetlejuice and if their cards were game-ending or complete crap.

"I… honestly can't say." he admitted, "Everything is there, it's just being too shy to do it."

"Think we should move ahead?"

Lincoln thought hard for a moment. Debating if they should go back some the way they came or go ahead and get in position for the next storm. Cells like these had plenty of opportunity to be cyclic into nightfall. But his gut feeling was telling him his chance to start the next part of his plan was right before him.

Tornado or not, the radar was getting data, and every camera on board was recording. It wouldn't be much reward, but it'd be a start for the future. "I'm going to hang here for a bit." Lincoln said, leaning back and twisting to face the brothers, "See what she does before I move out. If you guys want to go somewhere, by all means." He gestured down the road. The brothers faced each other and debated on the choice. Looking back, Lincoln could see the other chasers packing back or moving away from their location.

But after a minute, the two of them headed back to their truck. Lincoln was willing to bet Brandon was a bit disappointed they'd have to break off here, but that was how the chase goes. Soon, the rest of the vehicles started rolling back onto the road. Brandon's truck parked right behind him, coming up to the side as the man himself gave a farewell wave.

"Stay safe!" Lincoln shouted back as they rolled past. Honking their horns until he watched the line of tail lights get further and further away. And soon, it was just the three of them: himself, his tank, and Mother Nature.

Alone in the middle of a field, he felt his sense of peace of mind slowly returning, but it wasn't as full as he had hoped. In this waiting game, you tend to try to think of anything to pass the time till something happens at all. Usually, he'd be doing prep work on the camera, but it was loaded. On trips, he'd think about all the various future events and plans coming soon or long ways out and how to prepare them best. With just his thoughts, he figured the storm would be nice enough to listen.

"Alright…" he rubbed his hands like he was preparing to make a guilty confession, "... let's go over everything so far. I've been awake for the better part of the last two days with little sleep and haven't eaten much of anything. Surprisingly, I'm feeling okay with the meds. Was able to cover the first leg of the trip in good time, though Clyde discovered it a bit earlier than had hoped…. Shrieker has been holding up for all this out-of-season driving, so test so far for the new engine, though the injectors have yet to be. I managed to get Hailrunner to Great Lake and to Bobby. Hopefully, he's gotten the dolly at a dealership by now." A chuckle came out as he shook his head. Thinking about that, Bobby was probably experiencing a kind of day he didn't think to wake up to.

"Ronnie Anne… okay, Royal Woods. Almost crashing into Chandler, of all people, wasn't at all on the list. I'm pretty sure if he did hit me, I could claim on the insurance he was at complete fault, but oh well. Liam seemed to take the plan pretty well. He probably told everyone in the network by now. And giving dad the… the…"

He dropped his head into his hands. Sighing as he tried to think of the positives, "Didn't go as planned… task failed successfully, I guess? They'll know it's for the best for everyone. But the girls… they have to understand. We all have to make sacrifices at times so everyone can live in a bit more peace for the future. No more worrying about if they can't afford to cover their medical or put food on the table for their families. Mom and Dad can retire in peace, and everything can move on. Fulfill their dreams like they want it to be…"

He let out another long sigh. Trying to get a smile in a situation that was for the greater good at the expense of one was something superheroes would often try to find an alternative or accept as fact. If something came forward to change that fact, then that was the path their part of the world would take.

"Cuz in the loud house, everybody wants to shine. Chaos with eleven kids, that's just the way it is. One boy, ten girls, wouldn't trade it for the world. Duck, dodge, push, and shove...That's how we show our love…. I should write that down. Might be a neat little idea for later…" he shrugged at the idea. He was ready to go back into debate until he felt his phone ringing.

It was Clyde again. "Hey, Clyde," he answered, trying not to sound so out of it again.

"Hey, Buddy. Wanted to check up on you. The weather's been getting really active over there."

"Yeah, she is. But she's struggling to put down anything more than just rain."

"It has a decent hook on it. Velocity couplet is tight; there should be something there."

"Well, I'm about three miles ahead of it, and there isn't…" Looking up, Lincoln felt his words die in his throat. "Oh crap."

"Lincoln? What's wrong?" Clyde asked, hearing the tone of what that 'oh crap' meant.

Lincoln didn't answer. He felt his arm lose its strength as with his phone, it fell to the side. Straightening up, he tried to support himself as he stared up in the storm. He watched as the leading edge of the wall cloud practically lunged out over him and doubled in size. Rain began to wrap rapidly around the western and southern sides. The warm inflow he felt suddenly went westward to straight north as he brought an arm up when the wind drove precipitation and chunks of hail at him.

"Clyde, I gotta go. It's coming down right on top of me!" he yelled over the wind as he twisted to get back inside.

"What? Lincoln wai-" The call ended as Lincoln shoved his phone back into his pocket. Grabbing the handle to the hatch, he looked up to the base to see the darkening shape of a beefy funnel cloud condensing over him. Slapping the hatch shut as the wind tried to keep it open, he shoved the lock back in place and jumped back into the driver's seat.

"This is Storm Shrieker to anyone within range," He quickly yelled out as he pulled his headphones back on, "Tornado is coming down! I repeat, tornado is coming down!" With a few twists and flicks of switches, the swipers increased their speed, the camera was placed into auto-track, and the exterior lights flashed to life as the floodlights illuminated the road ahead as amber and orange flashes all around the vehicle.

Shifting into drive, his sneaker slammed down the gas pedal. The passenger side of the rear wheels sent a volley of mud and grass high in the air, with the other side burning rubber until the tank launched forward. Roaring down the road as he passed a farmhouse, he lost sight of the funnel in the rain. He passed through a curve flanked by trees blocking his western view. The rain had become horizontal with the road at this point, flying through a tight curve as the truck leaned hard on its right side, with Lincoln trying to keep the wheel turned; everything had become a white-yellowish haze as the rain started to condense higher in the air with the wind. Even with the high beams and floodlights, the road ahead became even harder to see.

Ahead of him, some warehouse or storage building had chunks of its roof getting ripped to shreds as sheets of metal and wood flew across the road. Getting pulled higher into the air behind him as parts of the building itself started to give away. But the flying debris was barely his focus, to his right, out in the field where he could barely make out the dark shape of the tree line. An even darker blob, almost black in color, stood like a hidden giant emerging from the forest and charging straight at him.

The winds around him began to arch further away, being pulled in the direction he was going as he entered another curve. The dark mass had grown thicker, and a swarm of dirt and debris flying around the outer edge of a narrow stovepipe became increasingly visible above him as he tried gunning it through another turn surrounded by trees on all sides. Branches and leaves began to get ripped apart all around him as he gunned it down the road, which could barely handle a vehicle of Shrieker's size.

Just as he crested the top of the hill before going down, Lincoln watched the road disappear in front of him in a violent fogbank of timber and dirt. Whole chunks of trees being lofted as a powerline to his right began entangled in falling branches. He was half conscious enough to drive straight through it all, but as he descended the decline, both his feet slammed onto the brakes as a massive tree started coming down.

"SHIT!" He screamed, turning the wheel hard over right to keep the truck from smashing straight into the damage. He felt the rear corner smash up against the hillside, violently jolting the tank as it screeched to a stop.

Pushing himself as far back into his seat as possible with the wheel as leverage, Lincoln braced himself as debris pelted the vehicle. But it didn't last long, going so fast; the tornado went over the area in a matter of seconds as the winds changed away from him debris falling from the backside started to rain down. The ungodly nose gradually faded as the storm moved away, but all Lincoln could hear his heart beating a hundred miles a second from the rain and truck.

It was the first time since Kingman he had seen a twister. It was the first time he had even been this close since that day. It wasn't a direct hit, but with how wide it was at the ground, he had to have been in the inner layer of the outer circulation. Driving straight into the north side of a tornado is usually not the smartest but usually means you have winds spinning away from the direction in which the vortex is moving: a whole mess involving the planet, friction, airflow, and so much more.

But what happened made him dumbfounded. The storm was going east-northeast. By any means of logic where the wall cloud was meant, if it did touch down, then it would have tracked roughly the same. Yet this thing decided to be like El Reno and come flying out of the gate going southeast. If he had stayed put, it would have completely missed him as he lost it in the rain. Right now, that doesn't matter much. All he did was try to take deep breaths to calm himself down from feeling his nerves be like he had just been doused in ice.

He closed his eyes, thinking of anything to focus on to take his mind away from the now. He did remember that his doctors did explain that this could happen; Rex even talked about how some people can get PTSD after what happened with Kingman and how sometimes it's hard to try and face down the cause of the fear.

If anything, it made him pissed and a bit more alive. After everything he's seen and done, after everything the last ten years has built up with, becoming afraid of something he practically lives for feels like an insult to life. But in his bones and veins, he could feel that fire get one helluva splash of gas and rapidly combust.

It was the very feeling he remembered from the days before Shrieker wasn't ready or from Sulphur Springs years ago when he really could get so close to reaching out and actually touching it. These things demanded respect, and he got a taste of what happens when you forget it.

Taking one more deep breath and holding it, letting the sound of the rain be all he heard around him, he exhaled as he let himself relax. "Okay… okay, okay, we're okay…" he said to himself, rubbing his hands over his face into his soaked hair.

Glancing over the passenger seat and seeing everything that was thrown from his abrupt stop, he could see the still giant of timber that sat across the road with its roots in the air. Chunks of trees wouldn't do much against the tank; it was built and upgraded to handle a lot of debris impacts. But against an entire tree, falling straight down on top of him would be enough to stop any vehicle after being crushed. Maybe, at best, destroying the suspension.

Shaking his head, he felt the adrenaline starting to fade, and exhaustion was setting in. Part of him said this was a good time to maybe stop for the day. He drove almost 2000 miles, had several near-miss heart attacks, and got his wish to bank another twister this year. If Kingman didn't count as his 17th intercept, this one did. And part of him was happy that he did manage to break and set a new record even if he didn't intend for it to happen like this.

He felt his phone ringing again and already knew his friend was probably panicking on the other end of the line. He didn't bother saying anything as he swiped the answer key.

"Lincoln, what the hell happened?!" Clyde 'calmly' asked like he hadn't thought of all the worst possible scenarios that could have happened in the short 3 minutes from the last call.

"Eh… Long story short, I just intercepted." 'Might as well just rip the bandaid off.'

"WHAT!?" the audio crackled from the scream, "Lincoln, we talked about this!"

"I know, I know." Lincoln said, rubbing his temple, "Rain came in right when it was forming over me. I tried to race south, but I guess it decided it didn't like that. Got in as far as the north side, but I got a giant tree blocking the road. Didn't have the radar running, so I didn't get a wind reading. A lot of tree damage, so maybe about 100? High F0, low F1? I got a giant one blocking the road in front of me. But Clyde?"

"What?..." he asked like he was suddenly exhausted.

"Number 17." Lincoln smiled as he spoke the number. It took Clyde a second, but he could hear his friend grinning through the phone. "Even if we count that crapfest back in June, it's still a new record."

"Lincoln, you're the only person I know that's crazy enough to be so focused on breaking a record like that after everything."

"I'm a Loud. We're built to be stubborn like this." He shrugged and let out a little laugh. Then he heard a beeping coming from his phone. Looking, he saw another call coming in, "It's Erin."

"Alright. I'll call back in a moment after she's done."

"Alright. Talk to you in a bit." He said, ending the call and answering Erin's, "How's-"

"Where are you right now?" She said in a more stressed, commanding tone than requested. Behind her voice, the background sounded like a war room in panic.

"About half an hour north of Bowling Green by Arthur." He said, turning the computer back towards him.

"Okay, great. Start going to Nashville immediately," she urgently said as she feverishly typed something.

"Why? What happened?" Going to Nashville was part of his plan. Depending on how today turned out, he'd go down there to rest for the night before taking Interstate 40 all the way back to Oklahoma City. The Day Two outlook said there was a chance of severe weather out further east later tomorrow, but the tornado threat was low to nonexistent, and he really didn't feel like driving that far back home.

He figured her voice's urgency was mainly due to her worrying about him intercepting without wind data. But the focus on Nashville had him sit a bit straighter in the seat and focus on what was said next, "They're calling for a 62 percent tornado risk with a 37 percent chance of violent tornadoes. The index is 4.4 to 11.2. There's a storm forming out in the tail of the second line that's splitting, and the models are pointing it to track straight over the area."

"Okay, high tornado threat, but why do you need me there specifically? I thought you guys were trying to keep me away from the danger."

"Lincoln, half the city is without power. The two cells that had just been tracked over it collapsed and became outflow dominant. Some reports are coming out saying there was maybe a tornado in the northern cell that hit the airport, but God knows how much wind damage there is all over the area. All the stations took a massive hit, and the NWS is asking for any storm spotters to get to the area to help relay the warnings. Figure Shrieker's siren is going to be needed."

Well, she wasn't wrong. Part of the focus of having stuff to be a first response unit, however limited it was, involved trying to avoid having anyone get hurt. While the sight of the tank and horn was one way to get attention, having a mass of pulsing color lights and sound speakers helped to make Shrieker into a mobile tornado siren. Useful for rural areas that lack the systems or in the case of early warning ahead of a storm if the main town's units don't sound in time.

It was part of the reason why whenever a massive or destructive tornado ripped straight through a town or city, their focus would be on staying ahead in the expected damage path and avoiding direct intercepting. The main idea is, "If you can see the lights get brighter and hear the sound getting louder, you better take cover." He remembers the twins comparing it to Paul Revere's Midnight Ride of Storm Chasing.

"Yeah... Yeah, I can get down there. It'll take me a moment to get through this debris but-"

"Good. Great. Tell me once you get across the border." Lincoln waited for Erin to say more, but checking his phone told him that she had already ended the call.

With a roll of his eyes, as usual, he dumped his phone in the cupholder and reached back to grab his jacket. Pulling back the lock and shoving the door open while trying to get the garment on wasn't the bright of ideas. When it almost fell back on him, he was instantly bombarded by the heavy rain as he tossed the hood up and went around to the back.

With how the rear of the truck was built, having the last two feet have more of what resembles a traditional truckbed, two side compartments behind the tail lights served as storage for extra supplies that didn't have immediate space in the cab. Though they still had two more inside for where they kept their personal belongings and first aid kit, the former held tools like crowbars, tow straps, tire repair kit, and more, surrounded by an inch of composite and steel.

Pulling open the passenger side panel, he pulled out a pair of thick work gloves, a build of tow straps, and a small battery-powered chainsaw. It itself wouldn't be able to get through this size of a tree in a few cuts; mainly, it was meant to cut away smaller parts to allow easier passage through blocked paths or cut through debris itself. The lack of space and the bad idea of carrying a container of gas in and out of twisters was why they kept those with the Knights when it was easier to recharge off the truck's batteries.

Looking over the tree as he pulled the gloves on, he looked around to where he could make do. He knew that cutting enough of what was tangled with the side of the road would work, but he'd have to drag it out of the way effectively. A look back towards the hill gave him enough space that if he towed it towards the hill and at him, he could pull it over the side of the hill and nudge it off.

After cracking the rear door enough, he reached around inside to snag one of the batteries and smack it into the port. "Alright," he flipped it on and gave it an obligatory double revve. Let's get to work."

Powerwalking to where the top was, he immediately started slicing away anything that he could to free up dead weight. Anything blocking his way to the main trunk. Stepping back, it suddenly shifted when he chopped through one of the thicker branches till a good chunk of the side was cleared. Looping the strap around the part that wouldn't let it slip out, he thanked himself for how close Shrieker was already parked so that he didn't need much to tie the strap to the front hooks.

Dashing back around, he tossed the saw back in storage and locked up the rear. He ran back around to the driver's seat and glanced over how much space he had ahead—carefully easing the truck forward to get it out from the hillside and turn it as tight as possible. Once he was straight enough to back up, he slowly eased further back when he watched and felt the strap tense up.

Shrieker itself wasn't exactly built for this kind of application, but having a new 10-ton winch meant that if it ever had to tow a stuck car or even itself out of a sticky spot, it still had the power to do so. Creeping at a measly three miles, the tree shook and groaned as it was dragged across the road, with the roots leaving a muddy trail and branches snapping off everywhere-

*BAM*

"Jesus!" Lincoln yelled, bringing his arms up as he heard the loud snap. Taking a moment to ensure he was okay, he looked out his open door to see the tree having rolled down the embankment further than expected, with most of the tow strap now in two pieces and most of it now tangled within its limbs.

"Dammit… there goes a good strap…" he groaned but didn't go any further as he shut the door. "Alright. How far away am I…" He yanked the laptop towards him and pulled up the maps. Moving down to the city, he could deal with more specific routes when he got there. Right now, all he needed was the fastest route to get there.

" …hour and a half?" He said to himself. He repeatedly looked at the time and distance as he ripped his seatbelt across and said, "I bet I can do that in half."

Tightening the lap strap, he yanked the shifter down and turned the steering hard over. Giving the pedal a bit more power than it needed, the tank lurked forward, crushing any of the branches that were still strewn about the road. Crushing them as the lights around the vehicle shifted away from flashes to a steady yellow pulse into the growing rain.

---

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

A little fun fact; the name of the chapter was directly based on the song of the same name used by the Roblox game Twisted for their 1.20 update. In a unironic twist, the idea of incorporating the TLH theme song (the extended version as reference) was on offshoot idea I had while writing Lincoln's second segment as something I can imagine him doing as making a theme for his family from his focus.

Originally I didn't intend to release this SO EARLY but events during the day out in the world spoke to me by saying that this was the day for it.

So, at the time of writing this part of the statement, (11/29/23), I had just redone part of Lucy's section to include the little poem at the end, as its something that most stories like these need for her to express. Though for the matter that I'm not much into poetry and mainly basing it off of how many others have written her writing/speaking rough versions for later down the line, I felt this would be a little bit of my own trial run. At the time of this, I had officially started writing Leni's section just after this and at the rate I was able to write Lucy's and Lisa's segments so quickly, I figured it wouldn't be that hard to get it done before the week was out.

As someone might point out, at this point, the mindset of how the sisters are should be apparent to everyone. If not, don't worry; we have plenty more to build with.

Lincoln's segment was iffy on if I wanted to have it first or near last, or possibly be a double piece (and decided the latter to build into the next chapter right away) and present more of the actual storm-chasing element I haven't gotten to really touch on since Chapter 10. Only this time, being solely focused on Lincoln himself in this situation going forward.

To things that might be confusing such as the weather; things can change and they can change stupidly fast. For the party, it was the case of a fast-moving developing storm that had time to 'cook' but was practically boiling. A brief bout of rain from convection ahead of the cold front intercepting the warm air but not having time to properly freeze. The brief lull is the point divided by the sinking cold air that comes with sudden heavy downpours that can appear like a wall was moving across the ground. And as such, large hail being constantly lofted back up into the storm as it gets heavier, falls, melts, gets thrown back up, freezes, and keeps doing it until it reaches the point the storm can't hold it and falls to earth with a much greater mass at higher speeds. Often being seen as signs of a very strong updraft inside the storm itself.

The second involving different storms that weren't touched up in Chapter 10 mainly comes down to the fact that, in most cases, storms don't like touching each other, and merging can often cause them to kill each other by disturbing the delicate process going on inside them. The thing with the 'intercept' was the storm breaking down and letting loose what it had before being too unstable to maintain rotation.

An example to visualize this problem in why you'll rarely ever see two tornadoes (like actual separate twins, not parent and satellite) is because their rotations when so close would also disrupt their flow. A good visual of this is the Arkon, Colorado Twin Tornadoes from earlier this year back on June 21st.

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