The dirt in the air lessened, making it easier to see. With her heart racing, Violet stopped short and spun around to see where they were. Lando came to a halt next to her, her feet sliding in the dirt. Violet breathed deeply, searching for the sign the box had been pulled up. She couldn’t see it. She couldn’t find it.
“Where is it?” She shouted, hoping Lando could have an answer.
“I don’t know.”
“Find it. Did it take it?”
Lando stayed quiet next to her as they both looked right at where they’d stood only a minute before. Grabbing her radio, Violet depressed the button to talk to Diane.
“Check the computer, see if it got it.” It had to have taken it. The dirt was so dry that it filled the air, Violet breathing it in as she stood on the edge of her seat, waiting for some kind of answer.
“On it.” Diane’s reply was curt, but Violet expected nothing less. They might fight like cats and dogs most of the time, but when they were out in the field like this, the only thing that mattered was the storm.
Violet stayed right where she was, watching as a third funnel dropped toward the ground.Wait, no, fourth.Where was the third? She strained her neck as she tried to find it. Perhaps it had gone back up and she’d missed it. Violet tightened every muscle in her body as she tried to figure out where it had gone. The tornado in front of her danced around, thankfully still going strong.
Lando’s hand in hers was a surprise, but when Violet looked over, Lando pointed out to the field where they’d stood. “I see it.”
“Shit,” Violet muttered. She didn’t hesitate or wait. She dug her toe into the ground and ran as fast as she could.
Diane spoke into the radio, but Violet didn’t catch a single word of it. Reaching down, she pulled up the sleek black device and held it to her ear to try and listen better. “Wind speeds increased.”
Violet snorted. She knew that. She could feel it. She moved as fast as her legs would carry her, but Lando beat her. Lando raced to a halt right at the box and snagged it, coming back to meet Violet. Breathing heavily, Violet swung around to try and find the tornado in question. Warm air hit her, and she cursed.
This was not good.
Grabbing Lando’s wrist, Violet ran straight for the tornado in question. She needed to get this one done. They were already out there, it would take too much for them to put the box somewhere new and try again. Lando followed without question as they moved swiftly through the wheat field.
Lando tripped, her arm ripped from Violet’s grasp as she tumbled to the ground. Violet jerked, bending down to help Lando up and collect the small devices. She straightened her spine and stopped as she stared directly at the tornado.
Small funnels of swirling air spiked down from the sky on either side of the main tornado, but it looked bigger, as though it was gaining momentum, not lessening or staying. Her stomach dropped. One funnel was super close to the top of the tornado, spinning around and flapping wildly to the side as it desperately tried to find purchase.
Turning on Lando, Violet shook her head. “There’s subvortices and a runner!”
“A what?” Lando screamed back.
Violet drew in a sharp breath and yelled. “There’s a satellite tornado that’s going to touch down.”
Lando visibly paled.
“We have to get out of here.” As her panic took over, she knew Lando was feeling the same. Violet had been in a storm like this before, she’d seen the devastation it could wreak on the area around. Each one of the subvortices often did as much if not more damage than the main tornado itself, the increased windspeed all working together to do their worst.
Violet gripped Lando’s hand, the box tucked under Lando’s other arm. She ran toward the tornado, right where it touched the ground. She may be absolutely crazy, but she wanted a record of this. She wanted the be the one who got the data, who made the conjectures from everything they’d collected.
Lando moved with her easily enough. When they were close enough, Violet stopped and ripped the box from Lando’s grasp. Even if one of the subvortices took up the devices they would still get some data. If the satellite took and it joined in with the tornado, it would be golden. Violet put the box on the ground and immediately turned and ran back the way they had come.
Wind whipped up around them, making it nearly impossible to see through the dust. Violet breathed it in, sputtering when she got a mouthful. Lando was struggling the same way, but she knew they couldn’t take their time. They had to get out of there as quickly as they could. They had to get back to the Hummer and have Diane move. They were too close to stay there with the technology they had.
It was getting harder to run, to keep her feet going forward. Violet knew that the subvortices were gaining ground and getting closer. They really had to get moving. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Lando was nearby, and she seemed to be struggling just as much. Violet grabbed for Lando’s hand so they could move together.
They gripped each other hard as they lowered their heads and shoulders to fight against the wind bearing down on them. They could do this. Violet’s radio perked to life, and Diane’s voice wavered as she yelled, “Run faster!”
Neither Violet nor Lando answered as they focused on getting to the fence. When they were finally at it, Violet gripped the wooden post hard and helped Lando over the barbed wire first. Lando assisted her, and as soon as they were on the other side, they raced for the vehicle just as hail pounded the ground around them, large hail. Violet ducked behind the door of the Hummer, grabbed the first hailstone she could, and brought it into the vehicle with her.
Lando slammed her door shut, and Diane took off before Violet even had hers closed. Once they were moving, Violet glanced down at the piece of hail in her hand, easily the size of a golf ball. “Lando, get on the phone. We need to tell emergency services what’s happening.”
“I already called,” Diane said.
“Update them.” Diane threw her phone at Violet who opened it and dialed the last number. Her heart raced as she stared at the tornado coming toward them. Hail slammed against the roof of the Hummer, against the windshield, but hadn’t cracked the glass yet, though Violet suspected they wouldn’t get out of this one without damage.