Erupting Tensions

The loud pealing of the church bell snapped Matthew Riley out of the pleasant spell of the book in his lap. It didn’t matter how interesting medieval tower defense was, it was nothing compared to how the church bell set his heart racing.

Oh god…

Matthew jumped to his feet, the forgotten book falling to the floor. There was only one reason for the guard to ring the bell they’d installed in the tower: tornado.

Matthew swore as he ran down the stairs, taking two at a time. He stumbled, and only a quick grab of the banister saved him from falling all the way down the rest of the stairs. He exhaled.

“Breaking your neck isn’t going to save anyone from the tornado, Matty.” He spoke out loud to himself, but it made him think of his dad. It had been years since they’d lost him, but somehow his father was still here commenting on all the little things Matthew did wrong.

At the bottom of the stairs, a streak with blond hair raced past him.

“Allison!” Matthew roared, running after her. His daughter, all long legs to match her long hair, turned to look back at him. “Get to the gardens! Grandma is there with the other kids, in the daycare!”

“I know, Dad!” she shouted in return as they both slammed out the front door of the hotel. “I’m heading there now!”

The sky was an ominous green, the gray clouds twisting and spiraling above the hotel in odd patterns. The smell hit him a moment later: a mix of ozone and oncoming rain. It was enough to shock Matthew for a moment, and he swallowed against his dry throat. He didn’t see a tornado bearing down on them, but if whoever was on watch was ringing the bell, they obviously saw something that set them all running for shelter. If they were lucky, they’d have ten, maybe fifteen minutes.

If they weren’t lucky…

From across the grounds, Matthew spied his son Patton, younger than Allison and yet somehow, shockingly, just as tall as her now. He was corralling a bunch of the settlers from their homes and encampments, hurrying them toward the River Rock Hotel and the safety they’d find in the lobby of the large stone construction. Matthew could see Leo and his dog Big Ed among the settlers. Big Ed was barking, and though Matthew had heard that some animals could sense when dangerous weather was coming, the Swiss mountain dog looked like he was having the time of his life. Matthew marked Leo and the dog off his mental list of settlers. There were so many of them to keep track of now. But in a situation like this, he had to account for them all. It was the only way to make sure everyone was safe and that everyone would get out alive.

“Dad!” Patton yelled at him as he drew closer.

“Are you bringing everyone to the lobby?” Matthew yelled over the sound of the increasing wind.

Patton nodded, brushing hair off his face. “It’s what we talked about, right?”

Matthew clapped his son on the shoulder before setting off across the grounds. “Good job, Patton. Have you seen your mom?”

Patton shook his head, but whatever he shouted at Matthew was stolen by the roaring wind.

Too long. This was taking too long.

Kathleen had been regularly checking on Millie Goldsmith the last few days, and it seemed a good bet she would still be there now. He raced across the grounds, heading for the Goldsmith dwelling to find his wife. They’d set their homestead on the edge of the River Rock’s grounds, and it had made a lot of sense at the time, but now, with the storm bearing down and dirt flying into his face and eyes trying its best to blind him, Matthew questioned the decision.

The rain started with a few heavy drops at first, but a moment later it became a downpour. The sound of the rain combined with the wind was finally enough to drown out the peal of the bell. It didn’t matter anymore, though. Even the dead had to have heard the bell by this point.

Matthew ran up a small hill, but the rain had turned the dirt to mud, and he slipped and fell, sliding down to the bottom. He groaned, wondering if he was getting too old to be doing this kind of stuff. When he got up, he spotted three figures through the rain, heading in his direction.

“Kathleen!” he shouted, trying to get her attention. Two of the figures were clearly supporting the third between them, and the one on the right looked up at his shout. His wife’s hair was plastered to her skull, but he still spotted the relief on her face as he finally reached them.

Kathleen and the hotel’s resident doctor, Nikki, were supporting a very heavily pregnant Millie Goldsmith between them. The three of them were struggling to walk through the rain and slick grass, heading for the safety of the lobby with the rest of the settlers.

“Are we going to make it?” Kathleen asked Matthew. He could tell from the hint of desperation in her voice that she was trying her hardest to hide her fear.

“I didn’t see a funnel yet,” Matthew said.

“The bell wouldn’t ring for any other reason,” Nikki added.

Matthew nodded. “Keep going. You’re almost there.”

“Easy for you to say!” Millie Goldsmith leaned on the other two women. “I’m the size of a literal house!”

“If you get sucked up by the tornado,” Matthew said, “land on the worst witch you can find!”

She laughed, which gave her a boost of stamina.

“The kids?” Kathleen asked Matthew.

“Patton and Allison are rounding everyone up. I’m heading out to check those temporary tents.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

“Hurry!” she shouted at him as he dashed off once more.

The rain was still pounding as Matthew made his way to the three larger tents on the eastern edge of the property. They typically used them for travelers who didn’t want to set up permanent shop with their community but wanted to stay a while before moving on. Matthew was especially worried about the people currently living in one of the tents. They were from the East Coast originally, and he wasn’t sure they had tornado survivor skills.

It wasn’t a huge surprise when he found them hunkered down in their tent, waiting out the storm.

“You gotta get out of here!” Matthew shouted at them over the furiously flapping canvas. “Didn’t you hear the bell? That’s a tornado warning! You’ve got to get to the hotel right now!”

Ellen, the leader of their small group, started to order the three others to grab their things, but Matthew snatched her pointing hand.

“No time! Leave it behind! Get to stronger shelter!”

Matthew waited until all four of them were running toward the hotel before bringing up the rear. At the top of another small hill, he allowed himself a few seconds to peer to the west, searching for any sight of the funnel, but he couldn’t see anything through the rain.

The sound of the wind, though, had taken an ominous turn. It took him a moment to remember what it reminded him of.

A train. I haven’t heard a train in years.

But of course, this wasn’t a train. It was the sound of the tornado, heading in his direction.

On the edge of the forest a tree toppled, silent against the sound of the wind. Matthew picked up his pace, swearing and praying all at the same time. He wasn’t sure if either would keep him safe.

He and the four guests reached the front door of the hotel. They tried to pull it open, but they were fighting against the wind.

“Help!” Ellen yelled, pounding on the door. “Let us in!”

The four of them tried pulling again while people inside the hotel pushed. Finally, the door opened wide enough for them to squeeze through before slamming shut once more.

“Dang,” Matthew gasped, bending over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

A heavy hand clapped him on the back, and he glanced up to find Wyatt of the gun club looking down at him with a sly grin on his face. “You need to work on your cardio, Matt.”

Matthew chuckled. “I think I just outran a tornado, so do I really?”

Wyatt laughed and Matthew stood up straight, surveying the lobby of the hotel. It was packed full of the people of their community, all taking shelter from the storm.

“Headcount?” Wyatt asked him quietly, and Matthew gave a quick nod.

“Hey,” he announced loudly to the group, waiting until everyone quieted down. “We need to do a quick count once we get into the basement, so please stay in place for a moment when you get down there.”

The muttering picked back up, but everyone did as he asked, allowing Wyatt and Matthew to step up on the staircase to get a better view of everyone assembled. Matthew started counting before everyone had reached the bottom stairs.

When Matthew finished, he frowned, then started over again while people waited quietly in the basement. He got the same number the second time and turned to Wyatt.

“We’re missing two,” Matthew said quietly. He didn’t want anyone else to overhear. The last thing they needed was everyone being even more worried. The tornado was bad enough.

Wyatt nodded. “Yeah. And I think I know who’s missing too.” He faced Matthew, looking grim. “It’s Max and Jade.”