Force of Nature

Force of Nature

by Sydney Logan

Copyright 2013

Williams Creek Press

Cover design by T.M. Franklin

Cover images by Kiselev Andrey
Valerevich & cephotoclub/Shutterstock

Ebook design by Mountain Media

Mountain Charm is published by The
Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication can
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in
writing from the author.

Please visit the author’s official website at
www.sydneylogan.com

Force of Nature

“Laura, that
cute guy from The Weather Channel is in Omaha.” Chloe’s eyes were fixated on
her laptop. “It’s never good when he shows up in your hometown.”

“Then it’s a good
thing we don’t live in Omaha,” I said.

The campus
library was nearly empty, which wasn’t too surprising considering the darkening
skies and ominous clouds floating along the horizon. Desperate to get to the
dorms, students were rushing out the door, only to be greeted by rain slapping
the pavement and howling winds. The commuters had already headed home, hoping
to make it out of town before the weather became too rough.

The rest of
us—the local, brave souls—were waiting out the storm. Living in Tornado Alley
made you numb to the cautionary tone of a meteorologist’s voice. Sure, you
might head to the basement or the storm shelter when the sirens blare, but you
never
really
panic—not until there’s a reason to.

There’s rarely a
reason to.

Chloe, a transfer
student from Montana and not at all accustomed to wild weather, always had a
meltdown whenever storms were in the area.  

“Omaha is just
west of campus. You never take these storms seriously, Laura.”

“Do you know how
many nights my mother forced me to sleep in a storm shelter just because it
thundered a little too loudly? If you’re going to live in Nebraska, you need to
learn the fine art of relaxation, especially during tornado season.”

With a quiet
sigh, she handed me a stack of novels to add to the cart. “You don’t take them
seriously enough.”

Her voice was
shaky, and for a moment, I considered the possibility that maybe I should be a
better friend. If moving everyone to the basement would calm her down, then
maybe I should consider it.

I glanced around,
counting the number of students left on this floor of the library, when someone
caught my eye. Aiden was in his usual spot by the window, taking advantage of
the Wi-Fi and listening to music.

Like me, he was
here on a music scholarship.

Unlike me, he was
actually happy about it.

Aiden Barnes was
undeniably handsome, with his soft blue eyes and gentle smile. His wicked
talent on the guitar made him my favorite duet partner, and sometimes, we’d
meet in the Fine Arts building and write songs in one of the practice rooms. We
lived in the same apartment building, and occasionally, he’d come up to my room
and we would have an all-night jam session. It was a comfortable friendship,
riddled with unresolved sexual tension we both felt but refused to acknowledge.

“You have a
little drool,” Chloe whispered.

Okay, so maybe
we didn’t acknowledge it to each other. Chloe, unfortunately, could read me
like a book.

“Can you blame
me?”

“Not at all. He
stares at you, too, when he thinks you aren’t looking.”

“You’re insane.”

“He does! You’re
usually shelving books or doing something behind the counter, so you never
notice. Why do you think he’s here all the time?”

I shrugged. “I
don’t know. To study?”

“He can study in
his dorm.”

“The free
Wi-Fi?”

“Have you
forgotten the entire campus is wireless?”

I frowned.

“Trust me,” she
said.

Chloe smiled
brightly at me before making her way toward the multimedia room. Moments later,
I heard the rising volume of the television and the emergency alert message
that always made me cringe. It was the most annoying sound in the world, and
living in Nebraska, you heard it a lot, especially in the spring.

The grating
noise sent a few students rushing toward the exit, and I had just started
checking-in some periodicals when Chloe returned to the counter.

“Tornado Warning
for Omaha.” Her face was pale, her voice shaky, and I knew she was about ten
seconds away from a nervous breakdown.

“Chloe, why
don’t you head home? I can handle this.”

She glanced out the
window at the threatening sky. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. Text me
when you get to your dorm so I’ll know you’re safe.”

Sighing with
relief, she grabbed me by the shoulders and hugged me tight.

“Promise you’ll
go down to the basement if things get too rough?”

“I promise.”

She had barely
stepped outside when the lights flickered, followed by the deafening moans of
students who had just lost whatever they’d been typing on their laptops.

I glanced toward
the back window and watched as Aiden pulled his headphones out of his ears and
closed his computer. I busied myself by alphabetizing some magazines for
absolutely no reason at all. It was my futile attempt to keep my eyes focused
on anything but him as he walked to the door. Unfortunately, he headed straight
toward the counter, and I had no choice but to say hello.

“Rumor has it
there’s a storm coming,” he said.

“So I’ve heard.
Headed back to your dorm?”

His eyes
searched my face for a few seconds.

“I’m not sure.
Are you?”

I shook my head.
“We don’t close until nine.”

“You don’t think
a tornado warning and an empty library is enough incentive to close early?”

“Not according
to Ms. Abbott.”

Maggie Abbott
was our sixty-year-old librarian who didn’t believe in closing for any reason.

“So it’s sort of
like going down with the ship?” Aiden grinned.

“That’s exactly
what it’s like,” I said, laughing. He chuckled, too, and the sound was sweet.
“Besides, I’m not too concerned. These storms tend to fizzle out before they
hit campus.”

“And there’s
always the basement, right?”

“Right.”

He leaned his
elbows against the counter. “What will you do if the electricity goes out?

“We have
emergency lights,” I said, pointing toward the little domes in the ceiling.
“Plus, I have a drawer full of flashlights and batteries.”

Despite my brave
front, I still jumped when the warning alert bellowed from the multimedia room
again.

“I’ll go check
it out,” he said.

The power was
sure to go out eventually, so I grabbed two flashlights out of the drawer and
checked the batteries. Moments later, Aiden returned, and the last of the
students headed toward the door and out into the torrential rain.

“The storm is
headed right toward us,” he said. “I think we’re the only two left.”

“I should
probably check the building to be sure.”

He nodded toward
the flashlights. “Give me one of those. I’ll search upstairs.”

I smiled.
“That’s really nice of you to offer, but you should probably get back to the
dorm in case the weatherman actually gets it right this time.”

“Are you
staying?”

“Yep.”

Aiden grabbed a flashlight.
“Then I’m staying with you. I don’t want you to be alone if the storm hits.”

He flashed me a
crooked smile and headed up the stairs before I could argue.

I searched the
first floor. Finding it deserted, I headed toward the multimedia room and shut
down the computers. The television was blaring, so I grabbed the remote and
turned it off. We had a weather radio on the counter and in the basement, so
we’d at least have some type of communication even if we lost power.

“The wind is
really picking up out there,” Aiden said as he made his way back downstairs.
“We won’t have electricity for long, I don’t think.”

On cue, the
lights flickered once, and then again, before going out for good. We switched
on our flashlights at the same time just as the emergency lights kicked on
overhead.

“Am I awesome or
what?”

I smirked.
“Impressive. Let’s take a look outside.”

He followed me
toward the door. The storm really had intensified, and I found myself having to
push with a little more force than normal to get the door open. Aiden helped,
and as he leaned forward, his chest brushed against my back, sending shivers up
my spine.

“Sorry,” he
whispered close to my ear.

“It’s okay.”

He remained
close as we looked across the quad. It was just late afternoon, but the sky was
a shade of sickly green that made my skin crawl. Hail, the size of golf balls,
suddenly began to fall. The noise was deafening as pebbles bounced against the
sidewalk.

“Laura,
look . . . ”

I glanced toward
the sky, noticing the clouds swirling in the distance. Just then, the city’s
warning system blared, causing goose bumps to erupt on my flesh.

“It’s a funnel
cloud.” I watched, mesmerized, as the tail slipped down from the blackened sky.

“I think we need
to get to the basement,” Aiden said, his tone a little more forceful.

I was like
stone, my eyes transfixed on the twirling mass as it made its way closer to
campus. It wasn’t the first tornado I’d ever seen, but they never failed to
fascinate me. How something so strangely beautiful could be so destructive
always amazed me.

“Laura, come
on.”

He tugged my
hand, and just as debris began to fall from the sky, Aiden pulled me inside.
His hand never left mine as we raced through the library and toward the
basement doors, our flashlights glowing in the dimness. The roaring wind, the
booming warning signal, the battering rain and hail . . . it all mixed in this
sickening symphony above our heads and in our ears.

“Which way?” he
asked.

I pointed toward
the double doors, and he led us through. We hastily rushed down the stairs,
heading toward the interior part of the basement. Ms. Abbott had always told me
that it was the safest place in the building.

“There’s the
radio,” I said, pointing toward a dilapidated bookshelf. He reached for it,
fiddling with the knobs until the crackling noise echoed against the concrete
walls. Unless Aiden had his phone, the radio would be our only line of
communication since I’d left my cell in my jacket behind the counter.

Chloe had been
right. I hadn’t taken this seriously, and because of that, I could very well be
without a way to contact my parents. My dad, a fireman in town, was undoubtedly
working out in the storm. Thankfully, Mom was visiting her sister in Dallas. I
was glad to have one less parent to worry about it.

Would my dad be
safe?

Would
we
?

My body began to
tremble.

“Laura.”

Aiden’s voice
was just a whisper as he pulled me toward the far corner of the basement. We
stood close, his hand still wrapped in mine.

“Laura, talk to
me. What are you thinking?”

I huddled close to
him, letting his warmth soothe my anxiety. The roar of the storm was muted
thanks to the shelter of the basement, but we could still hear the violent
winds.

“I’m feeling
ashamed of myself. I’m just so used to these storms missing us, and now we’re
down here, and my dad’s out there, and Chloe might not have made it to the
dorm—”

He brushed my
forehead with his lips and pulled me closer. “Shh. I’m sure she’s fine. And
we’re okay. We have the radio. I have my cell.”

With one arm
still wrapped around me, he offered me his flashlight and reached into his
pocket. He grimaced as he looked down at his phone. “Okay, so there’s no
service down here, but we’re fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Not caring that it
was totally inappropriate, I closed my eyes and leaned my head against his
shoulder. Once again, I felt the slight turn of his head and then the gentle
touch of his lips against my temple. I melted against him, letting his scent
and warmth calm me.

“Come here,”
Aiden said, lowering us down onto the floor and pulling me into his lap. Our
arms wrapped around each other in a protective cocoon. “Hold on to me.”

People typically
say the sound of a tornado reminds them of a freight train, but to me, it’s
more like a jet.

Hollow. Deep.

So deep, it
rattles your bones.

My heartbeat was
just beginning to return to a somewhat normal rhythm when the roar above us
turned into a deafening growl.

* * *

Time could be an
odd thing during a tornado. What felt like an hour can be only minutes, maybe
even seconds, until the eerie silence surrounded you. Once the storm calmed, a
thousand thoughts raced through your mind.

I’m breathing.

I’m unharmed.

You take solace
in these two facts, but your mind keeps spinning.

Am I trapped?

Is my house
still standing?