Forever

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  I stood and stared, too afraid to move. My muscles were frozen in place, and the breath caught in my throat. The windows rattled, and the house creaked with the driving wind.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Rachel said from across the room.

  Her voice woke me from the terrified trance.

  I left the window and grabbed her shoulders. “Go to the basement, now, Rachel, run!”

  She let me push her down the hallway to the stairs, saying, “What about Naomi? We can’t leave her!”

  “I’ll find her. Stay down there until it’s over,” I said firmly. “For once, please do as I ask!”

  Rachel nodded her head and then bolted down the stairs.

  The windows began shattering as I ran to Father and Mother’s room, the only one I hadn’t searched. Wind burst into the house, ripping curtains away from the wall and sending knickknacks flying off the dressers. I couldn’t help but glance out the opening where glass had been seconds before in my parents’ room. The black mass covered the roadway, and its roar shook my entire body.

  “Oh, God, please let me find her…please save my baby sister,” I whispered fiercely into the pulsating air.

  The house began coming apart, and I fled the room, heading for the stairs. Something inside stopped me, and everything calmed. I no longer heard the tearing noises of the wind and the snapping of wood. I couldn’t feel the air hammering on my face, either. Peace and strength filled me as I turned and ran back into the room, going straight for the closet.

  As I pulled the knob, I expected to see Naomi looking up at me…and there she was, huddled beneath Mother’s dresses with her small arms held out to me. Her lips trembled, and tears washed down her face.

  Time had run out. We’d never make it to the basement. I squeezed into the small space and covered Naomi’s body with my own. Murmuring soft words, I stroked her head and felt the tension leave her body as she clung to me.

  As the room exploded into a million pieces, and the ground disappeared beneath us, I asked God to shield Naomi from pain.

  There was a flash of bright light, and then the world was silent.

  33

  Rose

  Maisy wasn’t nearly as fast as Lady, but she was quick enough to stay ahead of the storm. Leaning low over her neck, I clutched her mane between my fingers and tilted my face away from the pounding wind. The rolling noise behind me was similar to a train moving over tracks at high speed and loud enough that I couldn’t hear Maisy’s hooves striking the pavement.

  With great relief, I turned into the driveway, pulling on the reins to glance back at the road.

  Noah was gone.

  He was athletic and strong. I hoped his legs already had him close to his own house, but I didn’t dwell on the possibility that he wouldn’t make it in time—I knew I had to get to safety to protect our baby.

  As the air filled with dust, and the screaming noise of the tornado filled my ears, I bumped Maisy back into a run and closed the distance to the barn. Jumping off, I pulled the old mare through the doorway and found Lady in the aisle, soaked and shivering, but otherwise all right.

  My horse trotted to me and touched her nose to my chest. Picking up her dragging reins, I wasn’t sure what to do.

  If I put the horses in the stalls, and the tornado struck, they’d be killed, but turning them loose, the way Noah suggested, frightened me even more.

  With gathering speed, the inside of the barn darkened considerably. Wind smacked against the walls, carrying with it the sound of things crashing into the boards. Lady reared, and I stumbled backward into Maisy, who held her ground and didn’t allow me to fall.

  When Lady’s front feet touched the ground, she whinnied, and the sound of terror rang with it. A swoosh of dirt caught me in the face, blinding me for a second. When I opened my eyes, they burned and watered.

  The noise outside grew louder, and I was afraid to leave the building. Pulling the two horses close, I watched as the lawn chairs from the yard blew past the doorway, along with branches and other debris.

  The thought occurred to me that the scene was eerily similar to the movie The Wizard of Oz, and I wondered if when it was all over I’d find myself in a faraway land full of little people.

  With a shattering blast, the back wall of the barn lifted and broke apart, and Lady crashed into me, knocking me down. Somehow in the chaos, the rein had become wrapped around my hand, and with a second of terrifying understanding, I was yanked back up as Lady tried to bolt from the barn.

  Out of nowhere a hand appeared and grasped the reins, pulling Lady to a stop. Frantically, I unraveled the leather from my fingers and let go.

  “There’s no time, turn them free!” Sam shouted.

  I didn’t question him and reached up and pulled the headstall over Lady’s ears. Sam and I jumped back as the mare tossed her head and ran back out into the storm. A second later, Maisy was also running out the door. I prayed they’d be safe.

  “We have to get to the basement!” Sam shouted.

  Sam put his arm around me, and together we charged into the furious wind. Things were hitting my body, and the air was thick with dust, but I kept my head down and ran with everything I had.

  When we were almost to the house, the groaning sound pierced my brain, and I finally looked up. The tornado was on the road. Sparks shot through the rolling smoke as the electric poles snapped like Popsicle sticks.

  Up until that point I’d only seen twisters on the television, and the reality of their destructive force had never registered before. Now it did.

  We fell to the ground twice before we reached the door. Each time, Sam dragged me up and pulled me forward. If it hadn’t been for his brute force, I’d never have made it to the house.

  The door flew open and smashed against the bricks, but we didn’t slow to see it blow away. The rumbling of the storm faded the deeper we went into the darkness of the cellar. When we reached the bottom step, a flashlight shone in our faces, and Summer had her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug.

  “Oh, you’re alive—you’re both alive,” Summer squealed into my ear.

  “Just barely…way too close for comfort,” Sam said as he herded us to the far corner of the cellar.

  The memory of the first and last time I’d ventured into the damp and scary place with Noah and my brother hit me, and tears began to flood my eyes. It had been the day I’d met Noah.

  “What if Noah didn’t make it to his house? He can’t survive out there,” I cried into the darkness.

  “Why didn’t he come here with you?” Sam asked as we huddled together against the rock wall.

  “Maisy couldn’t carry us both in the wind. He let me take her so that I’d get home in time. He made a run to his house to be with his sisters…they’re alone.”

  Summer sighed and said, “He was brave to sacrifice himself for his pregnant love.”

  “Dammit, don’t go putting the guy in the ground—he probably made it,” Sam barked.

  “I don’t know, Sam. It was horrible—did you see it tearing up the road? The electric poles were gone, the trees…everything.” Remembering the scene, I gulped for air and began crying.

  Although the thick rock walls of the cellar underground muffled the sound of the destruction above, the house shook above us, and the shattering of glass could still be heard.

  Suddenly, a booming wave vibrated through the cellar and century-old dust from the tresses above sprinkled our heads.

  “What’s happening?” Justin whispered frantically as he looped his arm through mine and leaned in close.

  Sucking back the sob, I said, “I think the storm is passing over the house right now.”

  For all my worry about Noah, I knew he’d be proud of me. I’d made it to the cellar, with Sam’s help, and was still alive. More t
han anything, he wanted me and the baby to survive.

  I grasped Justin with one arm and Summer with the other, and the trembling of my body joined theirs. Hope whined, pressing her body tightly against my legs, and her fur tickled my nose, but I didn’t dare move a muscle.

  When the basement began to shake, Sam reached his arms around us all.

  At least we were together….

  34

  Noah

  My head was pressed against something sharp, and most of my body was covered in water. I was horribly uncomfortable, but I was afraid to open my eyes. Was I even alive?

  Listening carefully, I strained to hear the storm, but only the whistle of a soft wind was on the air.

  One at a time, I opened my eyes, blinking away the dust that still stung them.

  The sky was brighter, and even from inside the culvert I could see fast-moving clouds drifting away to the east.

  With a groan, I began to crawl through the water that was now filled with chunks of pavement and gravel. Poking my head out, I was relieved to see shards of sunshine peeking through the clouds here and there.

  The tornado had passed by or maybe broken up. It didn’t matter now. The ordeal was done, and although there’d be a lot of cleaning up to do, I was breathing easier.

  My shoulder was bleeding, and pain coursed through it as I pushed myself up and away from the culvert. I counted myself lucky that it seemed to be the only injury I had.

  The mooing down in the ditch immediately drew my attention, and I saw several of our cows walking sluggishly along the roadway. The fences must be down—one more thing to fix, I thought.

  I began to turn, but something held me for an instant, keeping me in an invisible grasp. Tears began to rise in my eyes, and I let them fall. I could see the swath of destruction that tore up the crops and the trees straight up the road above the culvert I’d sought shelter in.

  The tornado’s path had been wide, and without much thought, I knew where it had gone.

  Sucking in a breath, I found the courage to take the step around, only to collapse on the ground at the sight.

  Our house was gone, and in its place was a heap of broken boards and crumpled tin.

  My sisters…

  Moving my legs, I rose and ran up the remains of our driveway. The fences on both sides of me had disappeared, the grass beneath them ripped away, too. The maple trees that Father had planted were snapped at the ground, and the larger oak near the house was split in two.

  In a daze I noticed that the utility barn was leveled, but the stable was still standing. I ignored the whinnying horses and continued to cross the yard.

  When I reached the wreckage, I knew it was hopeless. No one could have survived a force so strong that it splintered an entire house.

  But still I began calling their names: Sarah, Rachel, Naomi, over and over again.

  Grabbing boards, I threw them aside, trying desperately to clear a way to the basement. The gentle breeze at my back and the ever-brightening sky made me feel as if I were in a dream—one that I hoped to wake from at any moment.

  A faint sound reached my ears, and I paused to listen. Yes, it was the coo of a voice.

  35

  Rose

  The dead silence was almost scarier than the roar of storm. I kept my eyes closed and continued to grip Justin and Summer tightly. We were still holding our breaths, and no one moved a muscle.

  For the first time since I’d entered the cellar, I felt the cool dampness that made my skin crawl. Yet even for the icky feeling, I decided that it was my favorite room in the house. Heck, it might be the only room left in the house.

  “Are we alive?” Summer whispered.

  Her voice broke through the paralyzing silence, and for the first time in many minutes, we began to shift our weights and look around.

  “Obviously,” Sam said smugly as he stood up. “Let’s see if we still have a house.”

  “Do you think it’s a good idea to go up there so soon?” I asked, feeling a cramp shimmy up the side of my leg as I rose.

  “It’s been several minutes since I heard a thing. I think the brunt of the storm has passed over.”

  “Dang, I hope the TV didn’t blow away,” Justin said as he followed closely behind Sam to the stairs.

  “You’ve got a shallow mind. That was a tornado—who knows if everyone else in the neighborhood made it to their basements or not?” Summer said with strong disapproval in her voice.

  She was right. The thought of Noah not reaching his house or the possibility that Suzanna and Miranda or anyone else had been caught outside when the twister struck terrified me.

  Slowly we climbed the stairs. Sam took the lead with Justin, me and Summer following on each other’s heels. When Sam pushed the door aside, light seeped into the darkness, and I held my breath.

  The kitchen was still there. The outdated powder-blue walls still stood, and the faucet in the sink still dripped. The door was partially off its hinges, and the window above the sink was shattered, but otherwise, this part of the house had come through the ordeal unscathed.

  “Look at the barn!” Justin said as he sprinted past us and out the door.

  We quickly followed him, and my jaw dropped. Part of the barn was lying in the yard. Scraps of tin and boards covered the grass, and it was obvious that many of those pieces had struck the house where chips in the bricks could be readily seen.

  “Good golly,” Summer exclaimed.

  The sun shone down through the clouds, and the air was warm—so different from twenty minutes ago. I marveled at the drastic weather change as I looked between the barn wreckage and the fallen trees beside the house.

  “It must have just missed us,” Sam said, and then added enthusiastically as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, “Hey, there are the horses.”

  I followed his pointing finger to the middle of the field between our place and the Millers’.

  Sure enough, Lady was grazing beside Maisy as if nothing had happened. I began to fill with hope that Noah was all right, probably just stepping out of the Millers’ basement with his sisters.

  My gaze shifted…something was wrong.

  I reached out and gripped Sam’s arm. “I don’t see the Millers’ roof,” I said slowly.

  They all turned their heads where I was looking.

  “What does that mean?” Justin whispered.

  Sam didn’t answer, but he started running through the yard, twisting and dodging the debris in his path.

  I raced after him. “I’m coming, too.”

  Struggling to breathe normally, I tried to stay calm.

  It can’t be… Noah can’t be dead. No, no, no…

  A large portion of a tree was in the bed of Sam’s truck, and a jagged crack spread across the windshield, but thankfully, the engine wasn’t damaged.

  I climbed in close to Sam, as Summer and Justin pushed against me.

  No one said a word as Sam drove down the winding driveway, leaving it several times to go around large branches and chunks of wood in the path.

  I hadn’t breathed in a minute and was feeling faint when Summer picked up my hand and held it tightly. Meeting my gaze, she smiled reassuringly and whispered, “He’s all right, Rose. Don’t you worry—I can feel that he’s alive.”

  36

  Noah

  With renewed energy, I began flinging the remnants of the house aside.

  I didn’t turn to look when I heard the clip-clops on the road. The driveway was far too broken for a buggy to cross over. I didn’t have long to wonder who it was when shouts rang out.

  Elijah Schwartz’s voice cut through the air louder than the rest.

  “Lord, have mercy, was anyone in the house?”

  Finally, I turn
ed to see how many men had arrived. I needed more hands to move the debris.

  Paul and Micah stood beside their father with looks of shock, although Micah’s expression carried a stronger emotion that I recognized for the same devastation I was feeling. Mervin and Matthew Weaver flanked them, and Raybon Yoder was jogging up from the road.

  Matthew didn’t hesitate and was beside me in an instant, dragging the pieces of the house at the place where I worked.

  “The girls…my sisters were here. I tried to get home to them, but I only made it to the culvert in the road when the tornado hit. I crawled inside and was protected.”

  I couldn’t stand the look of sympathy that passed over Elijah’s slender face, and I added, “They’re alive. I think I heard a voice.”

  Silently, the Schwartzes got to work, and soon enough Raybon had arrived.

  When I heard the soft voice again, I yelled out, “Stop and listen!”

  Faintly at first, the voice grew until I knew it was Rachel.

  “I’m here…be careful, the ceiling is caving in,” she called out.

  Relief flooded me, and I met Elijah’s gaze. He nodded his head and smiled, and at that moment I felt the bond of the community.

  Taking charge, Elijah began directing the other men to pick up the boards more gently while Mervin surveyed the area and pointed out the ones to take first.

  “It’s a miracle they’re alive, Noah, but a blessed one. We’ll have them free soon enough, no worries,” Mervin said with conviction.

  My throat was tight, and I swallowed, unable to speak. The last two men I thought would be aiding me were Elijah and Mervin, and yet, here they were, putting their hearts into it.

  When I saw the delicate hand reach through the hole that we’d made, I jumped forward and grasped it. A minute later the opening was large enough to pull Rachel through, and with Elijah’s help, I did just that.

  Her cap was still on, but it was covered in dust like the rest of her. Otherwise, she appeared undamaged.