uthlessly northeast . He almost forgot about his camera, he grabbed hold of the shutter release and clicked repetitively , adjusting the angle as he went .
The twister at e up the distance and crossed the field, still growing in bulk. He heard everyone gasp when they realized it was headed straight toward a big white house on the other side of the field . Sweat rolled down Gabe’s back and he watched the massive black, spinning monster consume the house through his viewfinder.
Then he heard her scream. He spun around to see Tory sprinting down the hill they occupied . She ran straight toward the tornado and into the path of destruction. His fingers flexed from the panic, his thumb struck the shutter release, capturing another picture by accident. He dropped it and tore down the hill after her.
Chapter Six
Tory flew. She didn’t know how she could run so quickly when her legs felt like jelly. All she knew was that she had been standing at the watch station one minute, then the next she saw a little girl on a blanket in the backyard. And a massive, roaring monster coming right for her.
She knew it was herself she’d been seeing, but what if there were people in that house? The tornado got them, was all she could think. She had to help.
Her sides were aching fiercely, but she didn’t lose speed. Her sneakers lost traction several times on the wet grass. She heard someone shouting her name behind her, b ut she didn’ t break stride. It fueled her to keep run ning and to run faster.
Moments later, she cleared a white picket fence in the front yard of the house . She saw the tornado dissolve in the distance and cursed it with every step she took. It had done its damage , she thought wildly, and now it was gone. Just like before.
She ran to the side of the house and a scream nearly tore from her throat . The roof was gone. The top half of the house was destroyed and sunken in. She tried to open the back door, but it didn’t budge.
“Is somebody in there?” she shouted in a voice that was not her own.
She rounded the house , stopped at a pil e of debris and waited a beat. Then s he heard someone crying. Oh, God , she thought as she slammed her body into a full length window, already partially broken from the storm.
G lass broke all around her and she kicked the rest of it down to gain access.
“Help my dad, please!” a woman shouted.
Tory looked up and saw her. S he stood there with her blond hair in wild disarray and blood on her hands. Tory looked at the limp figure on the floor and was beside him in an instant.
With shaky fingers she felt for a pulse.
“He’s alive. Get me clean tow els to stop the bleeding.” Ruthlessly controlling her emotions, Tory ran her hands over his body to che ck for broken bones. She hardly noticed the sound of splitting wood as Adam and Gabe busted down the back door.
“What the hell, Tory!” Adam came into the house and was at her side in an instant , holding a clean towel in the gash on the man’s side.
“Call an ambulance!” she shouted at Gabe who was alrea dy dialing. “What’s his name?” s he asked the girl.
“Phil. He’s my father.” She set more towels next to Tory.
“Phil,” Tory said to the unconscious man, “you just hold on. We’re getting you help.”
“Thank you so much for coming.” Tears slid down the girl’s cheeks . “How did you know?”
“We’re storm chasers . We were watching that tornado,” Adam told her. “What’s your name?”
“Ashley.”
“Why don’t you have a cellar?” Tory asked.
“We never could afford one. We’ve always used the bathroom, ” Ashley said , taking her father’s hand in hers.
“They’re on their way, ” Gabe crouched down next to Tory, glaring. “You’re bleeding.”
“I busted through that window.”
“A door wouldn’t have been more productive?” Gabe all but shouted at her.
“ Of course it would have. If it had opened.”
Gabe shoved away and stormed out what
The twister at e up the distance and crossed the field, still growing in bulk. He heard everyone gasp when they realized it was headed straight toward a big white house on the other side of the field . Sweat rolled down Gabe’s back and he watched the massive black, spinning monster consume the house through his viewfinder.
Then he heard her scream. He spun around to see Tory sprinting down the hill they occupied . She ran straight toward the tornado and into the path of destruction. His fingers flexed from the panic, his thumb struck the shutter release, capturing another picture by accident. He dropped it and tore down the hill after her.
Chapter Six
Tory flew. She didn’t know how she could run so quickly when her legs felt like jelly. All she knew was that she had been standing at the watch station one minute, then the next she saw a little girl on a blanket in the backyard. And a massive, roaring monster coming right for her.
She knew it was herself she’d been seeing, but what if there were people in that house? The tornado got them, was all she could think. She had to help.
Her sides were aching fiercely, but she didn’t lose speed. Her sneakers lost traction several times on the wet grass. She heard someone shouting her name behind her, b ut she didn’ t break stride. It fueled her to keep run ning and to run faster.
Moments later, she cleared a white picket fence in the front yard of the house . She saw the tornado dissolve in the distance and cursed it with every step she took. It had done its damage , she thought wildly, and now it was gone. Just like before.
She ran to the side of the house and a scream nearly tore from her throat . The roof was gone. The top half of the house was destroyed and sunken in. She tried to open the back door, but it didn’t budge.
“Is somebody in there?” she shouted in a voice that was not her own.
She rounded the house , stopped at a pil e of debris and waited a beat. Then s he heard someone crying. Oh, God , she thought as she slammed her body into a full length window, already partially broken from the storm.
G lass broke all around her and she kicked the rest of it down to gain access.
“Help my dad, please!” a woman shouted.
Tory looked up and saw her. S he stood there with her blond hair in wild disarray and blood on her hands. Tory looked at the limp figure on the floor and was beside him in an instant.
With shaky fingers she felt for a pulse.
“He’s alive. Get me clean tow els to stop the bleeding.” Ruthlessly controlling her emotions, Tory ran her hands over his body to che ck for broken bones. She hardly noticed the sound of splitting wood as Adam and Gabe busted down the back door.
“What the hell, Tory!” Adam came into the house and was at her side in an instant , holding a clean towel in the gash on the man’s side.
“Call an ambulance!” she shouted at Gabe who was alrea dy dialing. “What’s his name?” s he asked the girl.
“Phil. He’s my father.” She set more towels next to Tory.
“Phil,” Tory said to the unconscious man, “you just hold on. We’re getting you help.”
“Thank you so much for coming.” Tears slid down the girl’s cheeks . “How did you know?”
“We’re storm chasers . We were watching that tornado,” Adam told her. “What’s your name?”
“Ashley.”
“Why don’t you have a cellar?” Tory asked.
“We never could afford one. We’ve always used the bathroom, ” Ashley said , taking her father’s hand in hers.
“They’re on their way, ” Gabe crouched down next to Tory, glaring. “You’re bleeding.”
“I busted through that window.”
“A door wouldn’t have been more productive?” Gabe all but shouted at her.
“ Of course it would have. If it had opened.”
Gabe shoved away and stormed out what
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