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I got ready as soon as we heard the news that a storm was headed our way. I grabbed my equipment, my GPS, radio, and video camera. Outside, the first signs of a storm was approaching became evident; the leaves began to rustle, the grass stirred. My dog, a nine year old Golden Retriever who’d been through this before and knew what was coming, rushed inside, unnerved by the sudden drop in air pressure. I tried to get him to calm down, but even he, who wouldn’t even flinch at a strike of lightning or rumble of thunder, was shivering and more concerned than ever before.
In a matter of minutes, I was out of the house and in the truck. The sky here was still, for now at least, but soon it would be chaos. I’d done this dozens of times before, but still, I felt anxious, uncertain, that somehow this time it would be different. Despite my repeated attempts at reassuring myself, I still felt that something was wrong. That feeling in the air, on the edge of the breeze, felt ominous, hostile, even threatening to a degree. Only once had I felt this before, and it had been very long ago, when I was but a child. Apprehensive but confident in my abilities, I turned on the gas and pulled out of the driveway.
The chase was on.
I flicked on the radio to listen to the latest news on the storm.
“Now onto the storm that is currently over north-eastern Oklahoma. There have been dozens of reports of funnel clouds in Chronicles of Revery county, and they seem to be concentrated over the town of Damaris. The largest cell, over ten miles wide, is rapidly heading east. So far no tornadoes have been reported but ferocious winds and hail have been causing a lot of damage there. If you are listening to this broadcast and are in the tornado warning area, I advise you to take precautions and hide in a storm cellar or a LINUS, that thing made by that inventor blueperiod, if you have one.â€
I rushed to get ahead of the storm and, after a series of quick calculations, decided to head north to gain a bit of a lead.
Only ten minutes after I had left, I had to stop at a gas station to ask for directions. I did feel stupid forgetting where to go, especially in my own county, but my GPS was acting up and I felt disorientated. I was surprised to realize that I was covered in sweat, and I hadn’t even reached the storm yet. What was wrong with me?
“Do you know how to get to Route 28?†I asked the man who was standing there.
“Just keep on headin’ down this road until you reach The Legends of Altura,†the man, who told me his name was Kelevra, said. “Turn right and keep goin’ straight. Ya can’t miss it.†I thanked the man for his time and drove away, towards the storm of a lifetime.
As I turned right onto Route 28 the first drop of rain hit my windshield. Soon afterwards the water came down in a torrent. It became extremely difficult to see, but still, I pushed on. The skies grew darker with each passing second and I had difficulty staying on the road. Suddenly, a Project: Steel Angel driven by a Ganstaquay5000 swerved within inches of my truck and I veered off the road into a ditch. This was no place to be stuck, and the storm was approaching faster than before.
It was at least five minutes afterwards that I regained consciousness and came to. My truck was in a wreck, and all of my equipment was either badly damaged or destroyed completely. With the windows smashed, rain was beginning to leak into the vehicle, and anything that was working wasn’t now.
I struggled to get out of the truck, but I managed, and was now completely exposed to the vicious elements. The wind was easily topping sixty or even seventy miles an hour, and even standing upright was tough. The only thing I could make out in the torrent was that brainstorm company advertising Keeva and the Gang pixel art. Soon though, the wind plucked it right from the ground, and it disappeared from view.
I knew I was in a lot of danger, and I had to act fast. I could see a barn standing in a field in the distance, but was unsure how much time I would have to get there. If only I had some Soul Code Core concept artwork by Ryanide, I thought. Perhaps it might inspire me to stand up in the face of the impending danger and have the courage to survive!
And suddenly I remembered my video camera, still in the wreckage of my truck. And I stood there! Could you believe it? One of the most powerful storms of my life, and I was debating whether to run or get my video camera. But I managed to get my mind back together and bolted for the shelter.
And then it stopped, everything. The lighting, the rain, the hail...nothing. Up ahead, only black skies. The chaotic and haphazardous winds were replaced by an eerie, unearthly calm. It was almost as beautiful as a Sonata in F-Sharp by goldenryu9292. And I knew...I knew it had only just begun.
The tornado formed quicker than I anticipated. At first it was transparent, but as the rotated funnel increased in speed and power it began to pick up thousands of pounds of dirt and debris. In a matter of seconds the twister was a monster. And it was heading straight for me.
As fast as I could, adrenaline pumping through my veins, I dashed for the barn. It seemed I would never get there in time, but, just when I was about to give up, I remembered something my dad The Panda had told me when I was very little: “When in doubt, just remember Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver.†And then I remembered how completely irrelevant that was to my current situation and quickly forgot about it.
I only just got to the barn and slammed the doors shut before the raging winds slammed against the sides of the barn. I realized how truly feeble the walls were compared to the power of nature’s fiercest. Several nails and boards become loose and were like bullets, whizzing past my cranium faster than gunshots. And then the horror struck me like a fist to the gut: The barn was coming apart. And I was in the middle of it.
I found an old, rusty pipe protruding from the ground a few feet away. In a last ditch effort for survival I grabbed a rope, wrapped it around my waist, and tied it to the pipe. I considered the possibility that I would die here in vain, in this old barn, killed by the storm I was foolish enough to venture out in. But I refused to believe that. And with the strength of the three most powerful men on the planet, Jizzo, NeoKitai and ChasW, combined, I held on for dear life.
Just seconds had passed before the entire barn came apart. There it was-easily half a mile wide. And-for some odd reason, to this day I do not know why-I shed a tear. I was about to be killed and for some bizarre reason, I began to cry. The raw strength, the enormous omnipotence, the sheer beauty of the thing, immersed me into a state of peace, of inner harmony. And as I looked up, I realized with a bit of shock that...that I was inside the funnel. Inside the tornado. I saw my life flash before my eyes, and then moog finally came back to me, after all that time.
[flash=1,1]http://bb.xieke.com/files/stormsound.swf[/flash]
