Tornado Warning (14 page)

She had a sewing kit next to the blanket and he remembered one of her hobbies was needlework. The needles and thread might come in handy for something, so he gathered it up as well. Their load was getting heavy, but it was stuff he couldn’t leave behind. Though he had locked the looter inside the cellar, the nuisance was probably resourceful enough to eventually find his way out, and Ryan couldn’t allow him the upper hand with supplies.

He tossed Steve the blanket. “At least you won’t freeze at night anymore. I bet she crocheted that thing herself. She used to make stuff like that all the time.”

“Then you keep it.”

“Nah. Just carry it with us. We’ll need it.  And look, we’ve got goodies. Her brownies are amazing.”

He opened the wrapper and gave one to Steve. Taking a large bite, he savored the flavor. They weren’t completely fresh, but they were moist, and the chocolate icing on top was the perfect touch. The plastic wrapper had prevented any water getting inside. It was like he was getting his first taste of sweets, and he gobbled it down in two bites.

“An ice cold glass of milk would be perfect to wash it down,” Steve said, wiping the chocolate from his chin.

“Damn straight.” Ryan held up the bag of chips and the Dr. Pepper. “Looks like we got some snacks for later.”

“So what’s the game plan?” Steve asked as he folded the blanket and put it in his bag.

Ryan scanned the sky. The storm was well past them, but the sky was still dark. “We need to keep going toward Harper Springs. I don’t want to leave the car for too long, but right now, I need to find some tools to fix the damn thing. I’m hoping if I can get to my shop, I might come across something.”

“Everything is leveled. You think there is anything left?”

“Probably not, but I’m bound to find something along the way. Even if the buildings are gone, the stuff inside is somewhere. Might be miles from where it originated, but I’ve gotta try, or we moved it for nothing.”

“Sounds good.”

“I think we better hang back for a bit. The storm went right in the direction of Harper Springs, and I really don’t want to be on the tail end of it. We’ll go that way once it dissipates.”

Chapter Fifteen

Darryl was growing antsy. Several days had passed and not much had changed. A few minor rain storms had come through the area, but with him on edge and Ty stressed about his parents, every problem that came along seemed to be blown out of proportion.

Ty’s health was his biggest concern. The circulation in his arm seemed to be getting worse – his skin was still blue and getting darker, and the lack of mobility made him fear that the damage would be permanent. The poor boy would have no use for the arm ever again.

“How you feeling, Ty?”

He was sitting up and had just finished a can of Vienna sausages. “How come I can’t feel my arm anymore?”

It had been something he had asked almost daily, and Darryl didn’t know how to answer it. “I’m not sure, kiddo.”

In the time between Ty sleeping and Darryl being bored out of his mind, he was able to make it easier to come in and out of the cellar. It wasn’t stable and he’d never let Ty climb it by himself, but the makeshift ladder was good enough to get them in and out a lot easier than using a rope made of tree switches that would snap with repetitive use. He had finally reached the point that he knew he needed to get Ryan some sunlight. The kid had been down inside the storm shelter with no sunlight or fresh air since the whole ordeal began weeks ago.

“What do you say we get you outside for a few minutes?”

“What if another tornado comes? What if it takes me away like it took my mommy away?”

“I’ll make sure to get you back down here before that happens. And I don’t think a tornado took your mommy away, Ty.”

Ty looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. He had done a lot of growing up, and the worry for both of his parents was obvious by all of the questions he asked. Darryl didn’t have the heart to tell him that the chances that he’d ever see his mom and dad were slim. Stranger things had happened, but with Ryan running around out there with not much food and nowhere to go when the weather turned, he was probably already a dead man. It killed him to think that way, and the thought of his only son being dead was painful, but they were making a new normal. The fates had shifted, and at that moment, the only thing that mattered was them staying alive and him protecting Ty.

If Ryan really was dead like Darryl had feared, there would come a day where he and Ty would have to venture off to get food. He had a gun and he could hunt. Once the bullets ran out, he could try and make a bow and arrow, which wasn’t the easiest way to hunt, but an available option when the time came.

Picking Ty up, he ruffled his hair. “Let’s get you some fresh air.”

He slowly climbed up the wobbly ladder and swung the homemade metal door open. He pushed Ryan through first and joined him at the top. The sky to the east was dark and stormy, and the humidity was so thick that you could cut a knife through it.

“Where’s my house?”

It dawned on Darryl that this was the first time Ty had been outside since the very first storm. It was the first time the child had gotten a look at the way things really were. A mention of his home being gone was one thing, but actually
seeing
it put it all into perspective, even for a boy as young as he was.

“The tornado took it, Ty. It’s gone.” Darryl probably could’ve said it better, but the truth hurt sometimes, and they were in for a lot more disappointment before it was all said and done.

“My room? My toys?”

“Everything, grandson. I’m sorry.”

Ty took a few steps forward, trying to keep his balance. He still seemed to have some vertigo, which meant whatever issues the head injury had caused were not completely gone. The fresh air would do him some good. He hoped to get him some sunlight, but it was masked behind a thick blanket of dark clouds that made it feel later in the day than it actually was.

“Why did the tornado take everything?”

“Because tornadoes are powerful things, Ty. One day we’ll build another house and get you new toys. Everything will be fine soon.”

“My mommy and daddy will be here too?”

“I sure hope so. I hope that we’ll look back on all of this and it’ll be nothing but a memory.”

Ty moved his arm in the sling, and each time he did, Darryl saw the bone stick out from the gauze bandage. He needed to do something about it, but what? All he had on him was a knife and the first aid kit that Ryan had supplied. It didn’t have much in it either – bandages, wound ointment, alcohol, and peroxide. It also had a few small packets of painkillers, which they would have to break out soon. The bottle of Tylenol and ibuprofen was running low.

Before he put Ty to bed that evening, he’d have to try and clean up the wound some more. He feared infection, and if that happened, there would be no doubt that the arm would have to be amputated to prevent it from spreading. It was either lose the arm, or Ty lose his life, and Darryl would do everything he could to not let that happen. Amputating the arm would pose other problems. It’d be an even bigger wound, which made him even more vulnerable to infection. Maybe they were better off just keeping it bandaged up until he was able to get him some professional help. Without proper pain medication, the trauma alone would possibly send Ty into shock and kill him.

Darryl had to tell himself they’d cross that bridge when they got to it. Right now, it seemed fine, but what did he know? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But it
was
broken. They needed some damn help! Maybe it was better to just take a risk and head for town. At least they’d die trying, instead of delaying the inevitable.

“Let’s go walk to the trees over there. Didn’t y’all used to have a barn?”

Ty nodded as if he were proud of it. He looked almost identical to Ryan at that age, and if he allowed himself, it almost felt like they had gone back in time when he and Ryan would walk the pasture and find things to work on.

The walk was slow, and with each step they took from the cellar, it made Darryl nervous, but he couldn’t hold Ty hostage underground the whole time. Getting his blood flowing might help, along with the fresh air, and hopefully the sun if it ever decided to come out.

“We had a couple of horses, some chickens, and goats, and daddy said we were going to get some cows!” Ty’s eyes lit up when talking about the livestock.

“Cows, huh? Would you wanna get up before the sun to milk those cows?”

“I would! Grandpa, can we get some cows?”

“I don’t know.” He didn’t know what would happen within the next hour, much less what would happen in a few weeks.

“Where are all of our animals? Did the tornado take them too?”

“Maybe. Maybe the horses found a place to hide. Sometimes those are the best animals to watch whenever the weather is bad.”

Ty kicked a dirt clod and watched it fall apart. “If we had a horse, we could go find my mommy and daddy!”

Darryl nodded and picked up a wrench that had been covered in some dirt. “That’s a good plan, Ty! Maybe one of your horses will come back.” The mention of the animals made Darryl wonder where they all were. There were plenty of horse breeders in the area, as well as cattle farmers. Was it possible that they had been completely wiped off the face of the earth? He had never heard anything like it.

“I just felt a raindrop!” Ty pointed up to the sky with his good arm.

“Which means we should probably get back to the cellar.”

A rumble of thunder echoed off of the mountains, making it sound bigger than it was. Since Ty still wasn’t quick on his feet and Darryl worrying that he might trip and hurt his arm worse, he picked him up and quickened his pace toward their shelter.

Soon, they’d have to forage for more food.

Soon, he’d have to make a decision about Ty’s arm.

~~

Sun was setting and Ryan still wasn’t comfortable going toward Harper Springs. The weather was putting them farther behind, but the sky never cleared up and where they were seemed like the safest place temporarily. Now that it was getting dark, the best thing to do was set up camp and wait until the morning. Moving the car had taken a lot of energy, so resting would also be in their best interest.

He gathered up more kindling and firewood. They still had plenty of matches and the lighter he carried was working. Sifting through his backpack, he pulled out their meal options. It was the same thing – beef jerky, potted meat, crackers, and the chips and Dr. Peppers that he had found in Mrs. McElroy’s car. He was hungry enough to eat the options they had, but with the river close by, he wanted to try his hand at fishing.

He picked through the pile of branches and found a good sapling that would be strong enough to aid in catching a catfish. Pulling Mrs. McElroy’s sewing kit out, he unwound a spool of thread and tied it to the end of the homemade pole. Making it long enough to reach the middle of the river, he bent one of the needles into the shape of a hook. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than nothing. It might not be strong enough to go through a fish, but it was worth trying.

“I never liked fishing,” Steve said. “But tonight it sounds like fun.” He grabbed another sapling from the pile and rigged up the same contraption that Ryan had come up with.

“It sounds like fun and if we can get that fire going nice and big, it’ll taste real nice too.”

“What do you wanna use for bait?”

Ryan grabbed the can of corn and opened it with his pocket knife. “Catfish like corn and luck was on our side. Mrs. McElroy had several cans in her trunk. The thread won’t be strong enough for the bigger ones, but we might be able to catch some that would be just fine to eat.”

He threaded a kernel on the hook and sat on the edge of the river, tossing his line out as far as he could. It floated on the top of the water, which lessened the chances of catching anything since most of what was in the river were bottom feeders.

“I need to find something to weigh the line down a little,” Ryan said, trying to think about what might work. “Best thing I can come up with is a small rock.”

He pulled the line back in, double checked the corn, and cut a smaller piece of thread. The rock wasn’t bigger than the tip of his thumb, but would weigh enough to pull it down to where the catfish would see it. Knotting the thread around it, he secured it as best as he could and tossed it back in the water. This time, it sank, and hopefully, the flow of the river wouldn’t make it come loose.

Though it was getting dark, it was still hot outside, so Ryan kicked his boots and socks off and dipped his feet in the water. It was cool and helped his body temperature go down. He used to love to take Ty fishing, and it made him wonder how his little guy was doing. He trusted his father with his kid, but it still killed him to leave him behind.

“This is why I never liked fishing. I was never patient enough to wait for something to bite.” Steve gave a little pull on his line.

“What else you got planned for tonight?” Ryan asked, smiling.

“I guess this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Ryan felt a small tug on his line, and he pulled on it, but the corn came to the surface and there was no fish on the other end. It sank back to the bottom and he waited.

“I’ll tell you my plans,” Ryan replied, sloshing his feet in the current. “I’m going to crack open an ice cold beer, grill up some rib eye steaks, and spend some much needed time with my woman.”

“Damn, an ice cold beer sounds so good.”

Ryan’s fantasy night made his mood come crashing down. He thought about Cecilia and how much he missed her. If the storm killed her like it had Mrs. McElroy, he hoped that it wasn’t as horrible, and it took her quick.

“How long you been married?” Steve asked.

“Seven years.”

“And your boy? How old is he?”

“Five.” Ryan felt like he was in a trance. The mention of his dream evening probably wasn’t the best idea. “I hope she’s alive.”

“I think I saw her, Ryan. I think she’s okay.”

“Yeah. For now, anyway.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Ryan looked at Steve from the corner of his eye and gripped the sapling so hard that he almost broke it. “None of this is ending any time soon, that’s pretty clear. If the weather doesn’t get you, there’s any number of other things that might. Starvation, dehydration, wild animals, and don’t forget the looters running around. Why exactly were they holding you hostage? I’m still not getting that part.”

“They figured the more people they got in their group, the more power they had. I guess they are wanting to start a new society where they reign over everybody.”

“Then why are they killing some people?”

“I guess they’re weeding out the weaker ones and the ones who don’t want to comply. I wish I could make sense of it, but
nothing
makes sense.”

Ryan lifted his feet out of the water and looked up at the sky. It was the first time he got a view of the stars in a long time, and he took the view in. “As if we didn’t have enough to worry about, we gotta keep an eye on being followed by those assholes too. But at least we’ve got that shotgun and I brought my handgun along with me. That helps ease that worry a little. But my wife likely doesn’t have that. And you mention you think you saw her with a group of people. How do you know they weren’t more looters who took her hostage like they had you? The guy back at the cellar seems to think that’s who had her.”