Kathy slammed on the brakes, causing the car to slide sideways. As it came to a stop, her eyes searched the sky for any signs of a tornado. She found it pretty quickly because it was tearing up everything in its path. She watched as it tore through one house after another on its way to where she and her children were sitting. It looked like it always did on the news and in the movies—but worse somehow! It was big and looked as though it was getting bigger, if that was even possible, and was terrifying.
Kathy’s heart began to race! She didn’t have time to think; she knew the tornado was too close to try to outrun, and frankly, she was too distraught to try. The thought of going in a different direction never crossed her mind. All she could think was that they had to get out of the car and find a safe place! She threw the car into park and jumped out. Turning, she yanked open Lily’s door as fast as she could. She was moving on pure instinct to protect her children and herself.
The tornado was getting closer every second, and before she knew it, the wind had picked up even more, and debris was starting to fly around the car. This wasn’t even the tornado yet! It was just the wind going crazy! A trashcan went hurtling across the front of the car, its previous contents swirling in the air around her: leftover food, wadded-up paper, bottles, you name it.
A candy wrapper briefly landed in her rain-soaked hair before being picked back up by the wind and twisting away, and by this point, Kathy’s hair was blowing in her face so hard she could barely see. It didn’t help that the rain kept getting in her eyes, as well, making them sting. A lawn chair banged into Melanie’s side of the car as it hurtled past.
For a brief second, Kathy was frozen in place. She was convinced that her fear would get the best of her, but then Melanie let out a piercing scream that brought her back to her senses enough to focus on getting them out of the car.
“It’s okay. We'll be okay. Don’t worry, it’s going to be okay,” Kathy said repeatedly, trying to calm herself and her children down. She didn’t think it was working, but she didn’t know what else to say.
To make matters worse, Lily’s car seat straps were stuck! No matter how hard Kathy pushed the button, it wouldn’t open. She could feel the panic rising up inside her again as she fought with the straps. It was worse than she had ever felt before. Her eyes began to burn from the tears, and her heart started racing faster. It felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest!
She had to fight to stay focused on getting her children out of the car. She took a deep breath and forced herself to let it out slowly. The tornado was getting closer; she knew they were running out of time! In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help thinking, ‘What if I can’t get her out of the car?’ There was no way she could leave Lily, but she had to think of Melanie, too. What if she had to choose? How could she make that choice and live with herself?
Kathy’s heart was pounding, but her mind was racing faster. She was trying to find a solution that would save all three of them, but she was coming up short. She felt so lost and alone and was afraid for their lives. We should have stayed home! We should have stayed home! Why did I bring us here? Why did the weather have to change? Question after question ran through her mind as she fought to get her daughters out of the car.
Just as she was about to give in to her panic, she heard a dog bark and a man yell something she couldn't make out from somewhere close by. She wasn’t sure where the sounds were coming from, and at this point, she wasn’t sure she even cared; she just hoped he was coming to help. She had to get her babies out of the car before it was too late! The tornado was getting closer still; it sounded like a train heading straight for them.
Her ears were starting to hurt from the sound. Thankfully, she saw someone run up to the other side of the car and yank Melanie’s door open just as she finally managed to get Lily’s straps apart. She pulled her daughter free from her seat, and hugging her tightly to her chest, Kathy ran around to Melanie’s side of the car. She had to dodge another trash can as it went flying past her. The car started to move slightly, and the man bumped his head.
“Crap!”
“Melanie!” Kathy screamed at the same time, almost drowning him out, as her panic intensified.
He cursed again in frustration, and instead of trying to get Melanie out of her car seat, he pulled a knife out of his back pocket and cut the belt—removing Melanie, car seat and all. Hugging the car seat to his chest, he grabbed Kathy by the arm and began to pull her toward one of the houses across the street.
The tornado was almost on them now, and as she glanced back, she saw the rental car being lifted into the air. All around it was destruction, and she didn’t think they were going to make it to safety in time. They could barely stand, let alone run for the shelter of a house. Their time was almost out.
Something hit Kathy in the back, causing her to stumble and almost fall to the ground. The man tightened his grip on her arm and started to run faster. He was practically dragging poor Kathy behind him, not that she minded. She just wanted to get inside somewhere—anywhere.
As they neared the door to the house, a second man ran out to meet them. “It’s here! Where the hell did it come from?” he tried to shout over the noise of the storm and the children’s crying.
“You think? I don’t know!” The man who had come to help Kathy shouted back to his friend as they approached the door.
The second man grabbed Kathy's other arm and helped to drag her to the door as they half-knelt, half-ran the rest of the way.
The small group made it to the front door and rushed inside. Shoving the door shut against the wind, they made their way to the end of the hall. As the second man pulled open a door, she knew they were out of time. The tornado was there, and it sounded like it was ripping the front of the house to shreds as if it were made of paper, but she was too terrified to look. The noise was so loud now that Kathy’s ears felt like they would burst. As the men shoved her through the door, Kathy almost fell and realized that it opened up to a set of stairs leading down to the basement.