Tornado Warning

by J. R. Tate

  “Damn you!” Ryan yelled out with no real reason in mind, other than the fact that he was frustrated and scared. Rain pooled on the floor of the cellar, about an inch deep just from the precipitation that was making its way through the top.

  The storm stopped suddenly, in the same way it had just minutes before. Forcing himself to a standing position, he cradled Ty and looked at the sky. It was gray, but not as dark as it was before. Maybe the storm was finished and had moved on, or completely died off. That would have been the best case scenario.

  “Ty? Can you hear me?”

  The child’s eyes fluttered open for a second and he moaned. “Dad?”

  Reaching for a flashlight, Ryan dug through their supplies and came across a first aid kit. He cleaned Ty’s face as best as he could, finding the injury on Ty’s temple. It was deep and he could see tissue. He needed medical attention. There was a bottle of ibuprofen and he shook one out and grabbed a bottle of water.

  “I know you don’t like taking pills, but can you do this for me? It’ll help your head. Does your head hurt?”

  Ty’s eyes were open, but only halfway, like he was on the verge of sleeping. He needed to stay awake in case he had a concussion. He nodded and cringed. Opening his mouth, Ryan slipped the pill in and let the boy drink as much as he needed. He struggled at first, spitting it out, and Ryan tried to be patient. He had never been good at taking medicine, and though the pill was small, he gagged. Finally, after the third try, it went down, and Ryan finished off the bottle of water.

  “Help will be here soon and we’ll get you to a doctor.”

  “My arm hurts too.”

  Ryan pulled out a camping chair from their supplies and laid it flat where Ty would have a spot to spread out. His arm was limp and that’s when Ryan got his first glimpse of a small piece of bone protruding just below Ty’s elbow. How in the hell did that happen? He thought he had taken the brunt of the hail and debris coming in. Ty had stayed below him and this still had happened.

  “Don’t move it Ty. Let me see if I can find something to splint it with.”

  He felt guilty and worried. What if there were more injuries he didn’t know about? What if something internal was going on? He dug through the first aid kit but it was nothing but a basic box with band-aids, ointment, and a few gauze pads. That wouldn’t help.

  Pulling his phone from his pocket, he cursed when he saw there was no signal available. Maybe if he got out of the cellar, it’d be a different story. It would also give him a chance to see what the weather was doing. He wouldn’t stray too far away and get separated from Ty. He’d be right there, ready to jump back down if something happened.

  Kneeling beside the lawn chair, Ryan ran his hand through Ty’s hair. He had to be in so much pain, but any more than one ibuprofen for a boy his size was a bad idea. He’d have to rotate it with Tylenol, and made a mental note of what time it was. The pain medicine probably wasn’t even making a dent in what he was going through.

  “Ty, I’m going to go up to ground level and see if I can get my phone to work. I’m not going to go far, I promise. Do you need anything before I go up there?”

  Ty opened his eyes again and they fluttered like it was taking every last ounce of energy he had. “I want Mommy,” the boy whispered. “I hurt, Daddy. My arm…” he closed his eyes again.

  “Try and stay awake, Son. I’ll be right back.”

  A lump formed in Ryan’s throat. How could he have let this happen? First, Cecilia was out there in it and now his son was in pretty bad shape. He had to do something, and fast.

  The stairs were torn to pieces, leaving only a few safe enough to use to trek up to the surface. Ryan had to climb his way up the wall, using the last pieces of wood for leverage to get to the top. Ty wouldn’t be able to make that climb when it was time to get him out. When he heaved himself up, he got his first glance at the damage the storm had left behind.

  It took his breath away.

  Chapter Six

  Their house was gone. The only evidence that a home had ever been there was the concrete foundation and what was left of the trees that surrounded it. Most of the branches were gone, leaving only stumps to prove that people once inhabited the land. Ryan turned in a circle, desperately attempting to control his panic. The barn was also gone and his truck was nowhere to be found.

  There was no signs of human life anywhere – no cars on the highway, no houses for miles where homesteads once were. There were no cattle or farm animals either. Whatever had come through had completely stripped the land of everything, leaving no options for resources.

  A hazy gray sky blanketed over him. Where was the sun, and with everything that had transpired, would they ever see it again?

  Ryan pulled his phone from his pocket, remembering he needed to get back down to Ty. Still no signal, but he went ahead and tried to dial out. How bombarded would 911 be? Emergency workers were probably being pulled in every direction, causing the wait time to be monumental.

  “We’re sorry. All circuits are busy. Please hang up, and try again later.” The tinny computer voice was like a punch to the gut, and Ryan tried again, receiving the same message several times.

  He also tried Cecilia’s number, but the phone wouldn’t even dial out. He only had about fifty percent battery life left, so he turned it off to preserve energy. There was no sense in keeping it on if the signal was shot and 911 was unavailable.

  Since there was no telling when they’d get medical attention, Ryan searched around for anything he could make a splint out of. With tree branches scattered all over the place, he had several choices. He needed a flat piece, and one he could easily break since Ty was so tiny. He gathered up several pieces and took them down into the cellar. Splashing through the pool of water on the floor, he stopped at the foot of the lawn chair that Ty was laying on.

  “Ty?” His eyes were closed, but when Ryan called his name, he tried to sit up.

  “Dad?”

  “No, don’t get up. Just keep trying to stay awake.”

  “Why do I have to stay awake? I want to sleep. I’m sleepy.”

  Ryan put the wood down beside the first aid kit and slipped out of his shirt. He had a white one on underneath, so he could salvage one to make a sling.

  “I just need you to stay awake. I might need your help, okay?” He didn’t want to go into full detail about the possibility of a concussion, nor would Ty understand it anyway.

  “Okay.”

  He was definitely not feeling well because he was usually full of tons of questions about everything. Ryan tried not to assess the situation. No cell phone signal, no other signs of people moving around, and their house was gone. They were pretty much stranded with no timeline on when this might be over. And he also hated not knowing what the weather was going to do. If another storm barreled through, they might not be so lucky. The cellar already had water in it. What if it rained hard enough to drown them?

  Steadying a slab of the wood, he measured it and was able to break it about the length of Ty’s forearm.

  “This might hurt a little, Ty, but it’ll help you not move it around.”

  Ryan put the wood in place and tied it with strips of gauze. Lifting his shirt, he tried to figure out a good way to tie it to make a sling. Slipping Ty’s arm in it, it wasn’t the prettiest concoction, but at least it took some pressure off of the injury and maybe Ty could get a break from the pain. Ryan applied some ointment around the bone sticking out, being careful not to put too much pressure on it. The last thing they needed was for it to get infected. He also checked the wound on Ty’s temple, keeping it covered. It had stopped bleeding, but it still looked ugly.

  What was most surprising was how calm Ty was being. Maybe his body was in shock and he was numb to it. Though shock was a scary thing, at least he wasn’t hurting, but that also meant he’d need to get medical help to him faster. Ryan had to keep talking to him. Right now, he couldn’t let him sleep.

  Ryan was second guessing himself.
He had no experience in the medical field. What if Ty needed sleep so his body could heal? He at least had experience with the fire department, though it didn’t go past basic first aid. There were actual paramedics who hopped in and did the dirty work. He just fought the fires and got people to safety.

  Pulling out another lawn chair, he sat beside Ty and tried not to panic. They had a decent supply of food, and he silently thanked Cecilia’s father for urging them to go stock up – Ryan just wished they would’ve gotten more. If he rationed the food and gave most of it to Ty for strength, they were good for at least a week, if not more. Hopefully, they’d be out of there by then, but it was hard to say. He’d never encountered something of this caliber. The storms he had been in before were brief and crippling, but help was there in no time.

  An hour had at least passed, and still, no signs of other life around them. Whatever had happened, or however big it was, it had completely debilitated everyone for miles. Would it be better to stay put and wait, or actually go find someone? He also wondered about his father – the man lived on a small farm nearby, but his cellar wasn’t safe and halfway caved in. Ryan had offered to go fix it several times, but his father refused the help. Was he able to take cover and survive?

  Ryan didn’t know what to do – Cecilia wasn’t there, Ty was hurt, and the well-being of his father was up in the air, not to mention Cecilia’s parents. They were well prepared, but did they have enough warning? The system came on fast. So many people were probably caught off guard and left for dead.

  Unable to sit still for too long, Ryan rummaged through their camping supplies. He came across two wool blankets that he had stuck in there before their last excursion in the mountains, and he draped one around Ty. Keeping his body temperature regulated might help with shock, as well as add some comfort for him.

  With his free arm, Ty pulled it up around him and a small smile parted his lips, though the expression didn’t last long.

  “You feeling okay, buddy?” Ty didn’t answer and let out a sigh. Leaning over him, Ryan kissed his head. “You hungry?”

  “A little.”

  That was a good sign. Ryan was hungry too, and a sign of an appetite made his nerves ease up. He opened a can of Vienna sausages and a package of saltine crackers and handed Ty one of each. He scarfed them down and Ryan gave him more. He was never a fan of canned meat, but they tasted pretty good. He was only able to stomach a couple and gave the rest to Ty, along with more water. Checking his watch, he shook out one Tylenol from the bottle in the first aid kit.

  “Can you be a big guy and swallow another pill for me?”

  Ty hesitated at first, holding the water bottle up to his lips. “Okay.”

  Slipping the pill in his mouth, it went down easier than the ibuprofen from earlier.

  “Are you hurting anywhere?” Ty asked, feeling like he should be wearing a white coat and carrying around a clipboard.

  “My arm feels like my heartbeat is in it.”

  “It’s throbbing?”

  Ty’s brow furrowed. “Throbbing? What’s that?”

  Ryan laughed. “It’s like when it feels like your heartbeat is there,” repeating the young child’s take on the injury. “Tell me if it starts to hurt really bad, okay?” He put the medicine back in the first aid kit.

  “Where are you going, Daddy?”

  “I’ve gotta figure out how to fix the steps in here. The storm tore them all to sh...” He stopped himself from cursing. “The storm tore them up, and it’ll be hard for you to get out of here with a broken arm. But don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”

  “Are you leaving me here?”

  “No. If I go up there,” Ryan pointed up to the exit that was now just a hole in the ground, “I’ll be right in earshot, so if you need me for anything, just call for me. I promise I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Climbing back up to the war zone, he tried to figure out what he could build that would be good enough to get Ty out of there. With no idea what the weather was going to do, he wasn’t in a rush to bring him up, and with their food supply, they were doing okay. He’d have peace of mind if he did figure out how to build up new stairs. If anything, he could make a ladder and hoist him up with one arm.

  He gathered up any strong pieces of wood he could find. There was debris everywhere, but most of the branches from trees were too fragile to support his weight if he made it into a ladder. He went ahead and piled up that wood too so he could start a fire if needed. Pausing, he stretched and looked up at the sky. It was dark again, the sun never making an appearance after the storm. It was almost eight PM and he’d lose any chance of natural light, and that was unsettling. If another storm was brewing, he wouldn’t be able to tell.

  He was tired both physically and mentally, and his shoulders ached as he carried the wood to a small pile next to the entrance of the cellar. He needed to check on Ty, so he slipped down the cellar wall, kneeling beside his son.

  “Ty?”

  The boy’s eyes flickered open. “Dad. Am I at the hospital? Did you get me out?”

  “No. We’re still in the cellar, Son, but you’re safe. How are you feeling?”

  “My arm is...” he stopped, looking around. “What’s that word you said about a heartbeat?”

  Ryan smiled. “Throbbing?”

  “Yeah, it’s throbbing.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  Ty shook his head no. The flashlight wasn’t lighting up the cellar well, and he wanted to preserve the batteries, so he pulled out two lanterns and hooked up propane to each of them. Thankfully, the matches were in a plastic box and had been protected from the rain, and he lit each one, making the room bright like they had electricity.

  Sifting through their food, he saw the can of tamales and his heart sank. He thought about his conversation with Cecilia at the grocery store. She was right – if he got hungry enough, he’d eat them, but he wasn’t to that point yet. They had only been in the cellar for a few hours, but he definitely could eat. Another can of Vienna sausages would have to do. He was too tired to pull the camp stove out and he didn’t want to eat up everything. By the way things looked, they could be there a while.

  He offered Ty one of the sausages, but he declined. His lack of appetite was concerning. At least he was staying hydrated. The cellar was a blessing, but one thing Ryan hated was not being able to see what the weather was doing. The small hole where the door once was only gave him a small preview of the sky and not even the stars were showing. The cloud cover might have been a good thing – sometimes that meant that severe weather wouldn’t be able to form until the cap burned off.

  He walked up the undamaged steps, seeing if he could get a better glimpse at a different angle, but he stopped in his tracks. Was he hearing voices? Did someone finally come to help? Climbing up the wall, he scooted through the exit and saw two men coming down his driveway. He didn’t recognize them, and they didn’t look like they were involved with emergency services. Maybe they had to send in reinforcements from surrounding towns since everything there was crippled.

  “How’s it going over here?” One of the men spoke up, his hair disheveled, his face caked with dirt and mud.

  “Good. Are you with FEMA or emergency services?”

  The man looked at his friend and laughed. “Do I look like I’m with FEMA?”

  Ryan shrugged, his instincts suddenly screaming at him that these guys were up to no good. Guarding the cellar, he kept an eye on each of them. How was it already getting to this? There were already looters roaming the area? Maybe he was jumping to conclusions too fast.

  “Well, can I help you with anything?”

  The other guy spoke up. “You got any food down there?”

  Ryan didn’t want to turn them away. If the situation were reversed and he needed help, he’d hope the people he came across would be hospitable. But he couldn’t give up much. They didn’t have a whole lot to spare.

  “A little. You’ve been walking around, y
eah? How does everything look?”

  “Terrible. You’re the first person we’ve found, and we’ve stopped at several farms. Either people are staying in their cellars, or they got blown away with everything else. What kind of food do you have?” The man ran his hands together, his smile making the hair on the back of Ryan’s neck stand up.

  “Can I ask you something?” Ryan said. “Did you see a car down the highway by chance? A silver Toyota? I’m not sure how close to town it would’ve gotten, but did you see one?”

  “I don’t think you understand how serious this situation is, mister. Everything from here to Fox Lake and God knows how far has been wiped off the map. If you weren’t below ground when the shit came through, you’re probably dead. Whoever was driving this silver Toyota that you speak of is probably dead.” The man paused, his smile widening, exposing yellowed teeth. “It was your lady, wasn’t it?”

  “I’m gonna grab you two a little food. I’ll be right back.”

  Ryan didn’t want to let them get out of sight, but he also wanted them off his property. Maybe if he gave them what they wanted, even if it wasn’t much, they’d move on. He grabbed a couple of cans of potted meat and stopped before going back to ground level. Ty was safely in the far corner, oblivious to what was happening above them. He remembered the nine-millimeter Glock he kept in one of the cabinets. He had put it there a few months back after purchasing it in hopes to keep it out of reach of Ty. And now, it served a purpose.

  Putting it in his waistband of his jeans, he adjusted his shirt to hide it. He went back up and extended the cans to them, each scoffing as they snatched them away.

  “Potted meat? You gotta be kidding me. I know you got more shit down there. A guy like you probably stocked up like all those jackasses in line at the grocery store. What else you got?”