I jump out of the car, clutching the door handle as the wind tries to pull me to the beast. “No!” I cry, stepping forward, only to be caught in Oklahoma’s arms.
“He’s gone, Sugar. We have to go. Get back in the truck.”
“No! We can’t leave him.” I watch the red taillights get further away and closer to the belly of the storm. I shove my mate away, covering my mouth in horror when the wedge shifts again, the wind changing directions. “Evan!”
Trees get ripped from their roots. Branches sweep through the air. Thunder snarls its ugly teeth, booming so loud, the ground visibly shakes. The pavement cracks again, and this time, the rumbling beneath us doesn’t stop.
“Is that…is this an earthquake?” I grab onto Oklahoma’s arm, clinging to him as more cracks splinter through the asphalt.
The truck shakes, rocking back and forth.
Ruka peeks out of the truck, recording the ground splitting in half as far as the eye can see.
Lightning strikes next to us, and the loudcrackhas me almost jump out of my skin. Fire ignites on the leaves, smoke climbing towards the sky.
“Time to go.” Ruka pounds on the roof of the car to get my attention.
I’m frozen.
I can’t move.
I can’t think.
I can’t breathe.
I’ve never been more terrified in my life.
The swirl of the vortex hypnotizes me. Dark clouds that remind me of smoke, the tendrils wrapping around the funnel like fingers.
The tornado pulls Evan’s truck off the ground, the headlights beaming into darkness. Around and around the truck turns, spinning with the storm.
It’s only a matter of time before the wedge slingshots the vehicle out to crash onto the ground. Hopefully, by then, Evan and his team will be dead.
“Time to go! Now!” Oklahoma barks, shoving me in the passenger seat.
I’m soaked. My teeth are chattering. I’m staring at the dashboard, hoping it can give me answers.
I always thought storms were breathtaking. I was wrong.
I am wrong.
Violence hides behind beautiful, horrible things.
When violence makes itself known, what’s born is violent.
I’ll never confuse the two again.
Evan and his crew are dead.
There’s nothing we can do about that. We warned him which way to go, and he didn’t listen. Stupidity gets people killed, and it isn’t my problem that he wasn’t smart enough to listen.
I don’t have time to give a fuck about his death when I have more important things to worry about.
“Ruka! Drive!” I struggle to slam the door after I climb into the car, the wind showcasing its paranormal strength. “We need to get out of here right now!”
Except Ruka doesn’t move. He’s frozen, staring off into space like Nariko is. They are in shock.
“Ruka!” I slap the back of his head so hard, his forehead hits the steering wheel.
