They had been in the basement for about an hour when the dogs started acting up. They were pacing around while whining and barking. Brian told them to settle down, but they seemed too restless to listen for long and kept getting back up. They were nudging the girls like they wanted them to move and getting more agitated by the second.
“Do you hear that?” Chris cocked his head to the side.
“I don’t hear—” Brian and Kathy started to say at the same time.
“Shhh. Be quiet and listen.” He was intent on trying to hear something.
They silenced the dogs again and tried harder to hear what Chris heard. “No,” she whispered. She could feel the fear rising back up inside her. “Not again,” she added, though it was more a moan than actual words.
The sound got louder as it got closer. There was no mistaking what it was, even from where they were in the basement. It roared like a train … multiple trains, and it sounded like they were heading right for them. The group jumped up, Kathy lifting the girls as she stood, and ran for the safety of the table. The pain in Kathy’s back caused her to stumble on her way.
“Wait! Brian, help me!” Chris was trying to grab the emergency supplies, first aid kit, and the blankets. “We might need ’em!”
Brian rushed back to help. When they had everything in their arms, they ran back to the table and crawled underneath it with Kathy and the girls. Chris draped one of the blankets around Kathy’s shoulders, covering her and the girls, before wrapping one around his own. The dogs huddled next to Kathy, who was practically lying on top of the girls.
“Momma, me scared,” Melanie whispered, tugging on her mother’s shirt. She was so quiet Kathy almost didn’t hear her.
“Momma is too, but we’re going to be okay. We’re safe down here,” Kathy whispered back. She hoped she was right and they would be okay, but she was afraid to hope too much.
The roaring lasted longer this time, and she could faintly make out the sound of objects shattering above them. She couldn’t believe there was anything left to shatter. When it was over, they all breathed a sigh of relief and started to climb back out. “Wait!” Brian yelled as the dogs started whining and barking again. “Get back under the table! Now! It’s not over!” Kathy and Chris didn’t hesitate to follow. She bumped her head in her rush to get back to safety. She was clumsy like that.
Whether it was the same tornado doubling back or a new one, they weren’t sure. It didn’t really matter; a tornado was over them again. Kathy didn’t think it would be the last. That feeling in the pit of her stomach was back, but it was stronger this time. She hated that sensation more than anything.
“At least we’re still down here!” Brian shouted, trying to be heard over the noise. “Can you imagine if we’d gotten out?”
Chris shouted back, “Yeah. We’d be trying to get back in!”
They went quiet; most likely they were thinking the same thing Kathy was and were praying for anyone who was up there unprotected from the storms—unprotected from the tornadoes. How she wished it would end. Deep down, she had a feeling it was just starting.
The tornado finally moved on and they could hear the thunder again. The dogs were starting to settle down, and while it sounded like the storm was still directly overhead, it seemed less intense. They waited several minutes until the thunder wasn’t as loud before they crawled out again. When they did, Chris spread the blanket on the floor again so everyone could sit back down.
Brian gave the girls a couple more crackers for supper, and they each drank a little water. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing at all. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion, and it felt like a really bad movie. The kind where everyone watching knows something bad is going to happen, but the characters can’t seem to find a way to stop it and no matter how much they want to turn the channel, they can’t. They have to see what happens!
They sat on the floor of the basement for several hours as the storms raged above them. Very few words were spoken while they waited, each of them simply trying to process the situation they had found themselves in. As the night wore on, the group had to hide under the table several times, and Kathy realized that they weren’t getting out before morning.
After a while, Kathy noticed both girls were rubbing their eyes and yawning like crazy. She decided it was late enough to try to get them to sleep, even if she didn’t know exactly what time it was. It didn’t take long for Chris to figure out what she was thinking.
“I hate to say it, but I think we should probably sleep under the table tonight.” He looked at the girls and nodded. “It’ll be safer that way.”
“I was thinkin’ that too. We can spread a blanket on the floor and cover up with the other ones.” Brian started spreading a blanket out under the table as he spoke. “We don’t have any pillows, but we’ll manage.”
They crawled back under the table for what they hoped would be the last time. Kathy stretched out on her side and put Melanie beside her. Lily stretched out beside her sister. Chris was on the other side of Kathy and Brian was on the other side of Lily. The dogs were at the girls’ feet, on top of the blankets. Kathy put her arm over both girls and tried to settle in for the long night.
“Momma, can we hear a story?” Lily asked.
“I’m sorry, baby, Momma doesn’t have a book and it would be too dark to see it if I did.”
“Okay.” She whimpered but she didn’t say anything else.
“I’ve got a story I could tell you.” Chris said from his place under the table. “Close your eyes an’ listen okay.”
“Okay.” both girls said at once.
“Once upon a time, there were two beautiful princesses…” He continued to talk for several minutes, making the story up as he went along. Sometimes the girls would interrupt with questions or awe, but he would tell them to be patient and listen. As the time wore on, their questions became less and less until finally, they stopped asking altogether. He ended his little story with a proper “The End,” but neither girl made a sound, except perhaps the sounds associated with slumber.
“Thank you, that was sweet.”
“You’re welcome. Get some sleep while you can.”
Kathy laid there quietly waiting until Brian and Chris were asleep. When she thought enough time had passed that they were sure to be sleeping, she allowed herself to cry softly. The events of the day and evening were finally catching up to her. She was so afraid and wanted to go home more than ever. Her family was probably worried sick about them and, because she had left her cell in the car when she jumped out, she couldn’t even try to call them.