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Life-Altering Night |
| Written by Brian Miller | |
| Thursday, 31 January 2008 | |
Lightning flashed across the night sky, accompanied by a deep rumble of thunder that caused the small town of Cofton Falls, North Dakota to shake. Brutal winds tore through the streets and allies, taking with it litter, tree branches, and anything else that hadn’t been secured that day by its owner. Rain fell at a tremendous rate, causing some areas to flood with muddy water. Here and there, a shingle or two would blow from the roof to which it was nailed, adding to the debris that filled the streets. Then suddenly, as though someone had flipped a switch, everything was silent. The rain stopped falling. The wind stopped blowing. Everything was peaceful. Water dripped from the houses and trees, and the flooded streets began to drain into the sewers. All was peaceful, just as it was an hour before the storm had hit. That’s when the sirens began to howl. Throughout the town, the deep whistling of the storm warnings echoed from building to building, telling the townspeople to take cover. As the sirens died, they began to sound once again, causing a continuous blast of sound to blanket the town. But instead of getting out of bed and hurrying to a place of safe haven, most of the townspeople covered their ears and tried their best to fall back asleep, thinking that it was just another storm, that it would pass just as all the others had for the hundred years before. How wrong they were. Jacen Granner sat up straight in his bed, trying to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his forehead and face, and his shirt was soaked with perspiration. Nightmares were a common thing for him, especially lately. But oddly enough, he could never remember anything from them. Trying to recover from the one that had just awakened him, he swung his legs over the edge of his bed and walked to the window. Water still streamed down the glass from the intense rain that had pelted the house for the last hour. Now everything was still. The digital clock next to his bed read three thirty in the morning. Thinking that some fresh air would help clear his head of the horrible dream he had just had, Jacen pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans and his tennis shoes. At least it isn’t raining anymore, he thought. It should be nice out. He made his way down the staircase to the front door and opened it softly, trying not to wake his parents or sister. Having a house up on the mountain just outside of Cofton Falls gave Jacen and his family a beautiful view of the town below. Taking a deep breath of the rain-scented air, Jacen slowly walked out to the edge of the front yard and looked down into the valley. A small, very faint sound penetrated his ears, catching his attention. He furrowed his brow and strained his hearing the best he could. There it was again. What is that? Jacen thought. Before he could do anything else, a blinding pain shot through the top of his skull and down his spine, causing him to collapse onto the wet grass. Disoriented by the pain, he looked around to see what had hit him. Six feet to his right laid a chunk of ice the relative size of a baseball. He reached up and felt where the ice had struck him. Hail. He looked at his hand and saw a dark red shade to his skin. Rubbing his fingers together, he realized it was blood. He was bleeding badly and he needed help. The ringing in his ears had faded. Now he knew what the sound he had heard was. The sirens had been blaring in the town below, warning of severe weather. It was that moment when the ground shook and a terrible roar filled the turbulent air. Jacen turned his eyes to Cofton Falls just in time to see a large funnel of clouds arching its way down to the middle of the town, where a whirlwind of dirt and debris was already tearing at the town. “Oh my…” Before Jacen could finish, another hailstone made contact with his back. Jacen screamed in pain. I’m going to die… he kept thinking to himself. He looked back down the mountain and watched as the funnel made contact with the ground, ripping through building after building. A fireball appeared at the base of the twister as it hit a gas line. The sound of the explosion was never heard, though. The roar of the wind was too loud. All Jacen could do was watch in terror as the twister devastated the town and killed hundreds of people. Soon, there was nothing left of the town except twisted metal and damaged houses. But it didn’t stop there. As he watched, Jacen realized what was about to happen. The twister had shifted and was now heading up the mountain on a collision course with his family’s home. Get up, Jacen or you are going to die. He looked back at the house and pushed himself up off the ground. Feeling light-headed from the head wound, Jacen stumbled towards the house. Just as he reached the front porch, he felt a flash of intense heat on his back. He looked back to see a smoking hole in the ground where he had been lying prone. Lightning tore through the churning sky as the funnel neared the house. Jacen, now regaining balance, ran into the house and up the stairs. The house began to shake violently as the sounds of breaking wood and shattering glass filled the rooms. The roof was already collapsing from the wind. He had to hurry. As he opened the door to his parents’ room, he saw his mom and dad sitting up in the bed having just woken up. “What’s going on?” his dad asked. “Is it an earthquake?” “There’s a tornado coming up the mountain!” Jacen shouted. As his parents began to get up, the bed suddenly jerked and slid to the outside wall of the room and through it, taking them with it. “No!” he screamed. Now wasn’t the time to think about it. He had to take care of himself and his sister. When he opened the door to his sister’s room, he knew he was all alone from this point on. The ceiling had caved in on his sister Krystal's bed, crushing her underneath a half a ton of wood and plaster. The crimson puddle forming at the base of the pile confirmed that she was dead. The tears began to flow from his eyes. How could all of this be happening? I don’t believe this! I’m going to wake up and everything is going to be alright! A sharp pain to his right side told him he wasn’t dreaming. A piece of glass had imbedded itself into his skin, slicing the flesh open, causing a new flow of blood. Jacen knew if he didn’t get downstairs he wasn’t going to make it. Grabbing a blanket from his bed, he dashed down the stairs and to the cellar door. Just as the door was closed, Jacen heard a deafening roar as the twister ripped his home apart. He hit the ground running from the staircase and began looking for the safest place he could find. An old iron bathtub caught his attention. Jumping inside and covering himself with the thick blanket, Jacen listened as the house he had lived in his entire life was literally blown away, never to be seen again. Tears streamed from his face as he thought about his parents and sister and how they were gone forever. He thought back to the fight his parents and he had had that afternoon and how he had said things he hadn't meant, but had said out of anger. He wished he could take it all back. He wished he could tell his parents that he had loved them. But it was too late. He was never going to get the chance to do that. The roaring penetrated him from every side, filling him with the fear that he too was going to die. Small pieces of rock and glass bounced off of the blanket, telling Jacen that the house was now gone and he was exposed to the terrible killing power of the storm. As the roaring finally died away and the wind slowed, Jacen was left huddled inside the bathtub wet, scared, and alone. He lifted the blanket and peeked out over the edge of the tub. His heart sank when he saw the remains of his home. Standing up in the tub, he looked around at the damage. This was unbelievable. He slowly climbed what was left of cellar steps and stepped up onto the now barren ground. The town below was destroyed. His home was gone. The family he had known his whole life was never again to be seen. Jacen Granner watched as lights flashed below and emergency vehicles made their way up the mountain to check for survivors. Copyright 2008 Brian Miller |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 February 2008 ) |
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