When she woke from the nap, she could tell the atmosphere had changed. Having lived in Oklahoma her whole life, one thing she had learned is that feeling when a storm is coming, and not just any storm, but a storm that could bring a tornado.
Great. That is all I need, thought Andrea. Maybe it will blow me loose from this pipe. She snorted a sarcastic laugh, then she immediately regretted her sarcasm, remembering all the devastation that tornados could bring. If it blew her loose, she would in all probability die in the process.
All she could do was sit, wait and pray. Especially pray.
~~~
Sienna sat on the top of Crown Rock Mesa in her car. She loved it there. No one ever seemed to come there but her. She could sit and look out for miles. At night, she could see stars that went on forever.
She was deeply troubled. She hadn’t wanted to hear what Andrea was saying to her, but felt a compulsion to listen, greater than any compulsion she’d ever felt before. It was even greater than the compulsion to kill.
What Andrea had said was confusing to her. She didn’t really understand it. But her strong need for the blood, and to feel whole caused some kind of internal affirmation, so she listened.
Where she was sitting on Crown Rock, she could see the storm coming in the distance. She’d felt it long before she had driven up there. The feeling was unmistakable, but rather than moving somewhere safe, which would have been sensible, she’d done the opposite and had driven to the top of the tallest point around for miles.
The sun was out, and the day was bright when she had arrived, but as the hours passed she saw the clouds rolling in from the west. The sheets of dark blue rain that were still miles away were calming.
She was always awestruck by the beauty of the dark, formidable clouds stuffed with shades of green deep inside of them. She knew that meant hail on her car, most likely huge hail and lots of it. But today she didn’t care. Something had broken her today. It was something in the words that Andrea had spoken to her about the blood.
Was it possible that the blood that came from this Jesus when they had killed him was enough to make her feel whole once and for all? And how could she access this blood? It wasn’t like she could see it and touch it the way she could when she killed.
For the first time she felt tired, exhausted from it all. She didn’t have it in her to keep trying to feel whole any longer. She had reached her end.
The wind picked up and jerked her car. The typical eerie calm that comes right before a tornado was gone. Today that deadly calm had felt just that, deadly calm. But now she felt the wind pick up, and the dust and debris it picked up with it, whipped against her car. Huge random drops of rain began to fall hard through the dust in the wind and made mud balls on her windshield.
Sienna got out of her car. A tornado was coming even though she couldn’t see it yet, she could feel it. She was no safer in her car than she was outside of it, but she wanted it all to be over, so she stood. She knew this was her end, and she welcomed it.
The sky drew darker, and the wind whipped harder. Her hair flew and twisted and raged around her head. She didn’t even try to tame it.
The wind grew stronger and more violent. It became hard to stand and resist the wind that thundered around her. She lost her grip on the car door and the violent wind blew her up against a short scrub cedar and the branches prickled her skin. The wind pelted her with rain and dust. And then the wind began to roar that unmistakable roar.
She looked up and actually saw the tornado coming for the first time. She screamed out at the top of her lungs, but her words were lost on all but God, and the wind.
~~~
Andrea was right about the storm, but all she could do was sit and wait. She felt the atmosphere change. The sky became so dark that inside the cabin it was almost pitch black. It quickly went from eerily quiet, to gusts of wind so violent that the shed shuddered.
Tangible fear ravaged her mind, and she shut her eyes and willed herself to remain calm. Tears streaked her face and repressed sobs threatened her calm.
Then it hit. The shed creaked and moaned. The roar was so loud that only the screech of the nails pulling from the boards could be heard. Andrea braced herself. She had pulled her knees up and dipped her forehead to rest on them. It was all she could do in defense of the storm.
Devastation was immediate and complete. The roof of the cabin was ripped off and exterior boards began to fly away in large planks. As the walls of the building began to twist around and collapse inward, they pummeled Andrea.
Nails ripped through her skin as the wind drug the boards across her body. She was beaten, cut and bruised. Then she lost consciousness, and when she did, her last thoughts were of Sienna.
Chapter Twenty-One
The aftermath of any destructive tornado leaves residents in shock. But in the midst of the shock, something kicks in to help recover and find friends, pets, and loved ones. Then they survey how their lives have been ripped apart and decide how best to put it back together. With hearts broken they picked up the wind-torn and rain-soaked mementos of their life.
Sirens were heard in the quiet as people were picking up and sorting through the remnants of their homes. While some treated the wounded, fire trucks raced to prevent gas leaks and fires. Police officers assisted in rescues.
The only lights to see by were the emergency lights as all the power had been brought down from twisted and tangled transformers and power lines. Cars and homes and all manner of things had been randomly moved and crushed. It was as though a toddler had dumped out all their toys and began digging through them, scattering the pieces, looking for something they couldn’t find.
Blake and Brandon had been at Brandon’s dinner table when the storm sirens had blown. It was about seven thirty and there was still some light out, but that quickly changed when the dark clouds moved in.
The sudden darkness brought Blake to life, and he rushed to the front window as Brandon turned on the TV. There he saw the weather and the huge line of colors which ran a broad swath diagonally across the entire state of Oklahoma. The weatherman zoomed in and pointed out large swirls in the colorful line that looked like large hooks, tornados.
With very little time to prepare for a tornado, Brandon and Blake ran to the basement. But almost as soon as they were safe, the tornado had passed and with its passing, came the calm, deadly quiet.
“It sounds safe now,” said Brandon.
The only sound was their footsteps on the wooden basement stairs as they emerged.
“Looks like you got off easy,” observed Blake.
Brandon breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Yeah, it looks like only a few broken windows, and some shingles out there on the yard.”
Brandon’s home had suffered. But as they stood on his lawn, they realized just how blessed they had been, for all around them, there was devastation. Random homes were left next to vacant lots where homes had been.
Darkness filled the night sky. The tornado had passed and the stars now shone brightly. It was a beautiful night to behold, had it been any other night.
Workers and residents worked the night through helping each other. The next morning, they were still working hard to do what they could. Blake and Brandon were both exhausted.
Because Brandon’s home had suffered minimum damage, he’d welcomed as many people in as he could, for shelter. He had families sleeping all across his living room floor.
The smell of bacon and eggs the next morning woke those asleep as Blake cooked all he could find in Brandon’s kitchen. He’d found eggs, bacon, and biscuits, and had also whipped up some pancakes, concerned that there wouldn’t be enough food for everyone. Knowing appetites would be low, he did it anyway. Everyone would need their strength for the work that lay before them.
As soon as the smell began to wake the crowd, several people came to offer help. Breakfast was finished, eaten, and then cleaned up efficiently. They were all grateful for the shelter and food that had been provided the
m.
Brandon and Blake felt grateful to be able to help and offer what they could, but all Blake could think about was Senna and Andrea.
In the night, Blake had finally been able to make it over to see what had become of his home. He could tell while still two blocks away it wouldn’t be good. All the homes as far as he could see were destroyed, some more than others, but none salvageable.
As he approached his home, he realized it had been on the edge of the tornado path, but had still suffered greatly. The roof was gone as were most walls. His life lay in an absurd blanket across his lawn and the surrounding street.
With nothing to be done in the darkness of night, he made his way back to Brandon’s in order to help those he could, the only difference being, that he was now one of the homeless, too.
Blake and Brandon had not slept at all. They worked until the early hours of the morning helping rescuers find missing loved ones and pets. Then, once they had settled in to try to get some sleep, sleep didn’t come.
They lay on their pallets in Brandon’s home office and talked. The entire time that Blake was diligently helping others do what he could, his heart and mind never left Senna. Where was she and was she safe? It was still too hard to maneuver through the streets so he’d not been able to get to Senna’s house. Both he and Brandon lived on the far side of town quite a long distance from Senna’s home.
He kept resisting the urge to run straight to her house, but the immediate needs of others right before him kept him occupied. Before settling in for the night, he had started in that direction only to have Brandon pull him back. He reasoned that there were others all across town helping their neighbors and someone would be helping Senna, too, if she needed it.
The electric company was still working hard to remove dangerous live lines that were down across homes and streets. It would not do Senna any good if Blake hurt himself just trying to get to her house. He had reluctantly agreed to wait until morning.
He didn’t even know where Senna was, nor Andrea. The search Brandon and Blake had been on all day had been fruitless. He knew something bad had happened, and sadness and despair had settled over him. She was gone, and he didn’t know where.
Thoughts tormented him when exhaustion should have taken him under. When the first hint of light seeped through the window, he was up and making breakfast. He would do this for those here and then he would set out to try to find both Senna, and Andrea.
The ladies who had spent the night were relieved to have something to do, so they eagerly took over the breakfast cleanup, which released Blake to go search.
He quickly realized that there was still no easy way to do that. Entire homes lay scattered in the streets, roofs and walls, boards with nails, and glass were everywhere. Huge crews had already begun their clean up, but from Brandon’s house, there was no way he was getting his car out and down the street.
So he walked, and as he walked, he prayed. That deep fear in the pit of his stomach would not go away. No matter what he said or did, it remained. There was a foreboding feeling that said, she’s gone.
He wasn’t quite sure when the tears started. It wasn’t a manly thing to do, but his heart was breaking and he didn’t care. “Help me find her, please,” he prayed. He just wanted to find her now even if she was no longer alive.
To get to Senna’s house he had to pass through downtown. Remarkably, the storm had done little damage there. Hope surged that he’d been wrong and that he would find Senna safe and sound in her little house.
Blake picked up speed and began to jog the last couple of blocks to her home. Once there, he turned a corner and there it stood. It was intact and he could see no visible signs that it had been damaged. Her car sat in the driveway.
He ran up to her door and knocked hard. No response. He went to the back door and once again knocked, calling out to her, “Senna, open up. Are you there?” No answer.
He knew where she kept a key to the back door so he got it and went in. Maybe she had been inside and was hurt. He unlocked the door and let himself in, but the house was empty.
The keys to her car were laying on a table near her front door, so he decided to take her car and drive where the streets were clear. Maybe he could find her still.
Blake was forced to avoid the side of town where the streets were impassable. As he drove, he just seemed to drive with no thought whatsoever regarding where he was going.
As if an answer to prayer, he felt an unseen navigation system directing him. He then realized he was heading south out of town toward Crown Rock Mesa.
~~~
The short-lived downpour had woken Andrea sometime after the storm. She’d survived the tornado, but the shed was gone. All that remained was the old floor and the pipe she was still strapped to.
She began to laugh hysterically as she realized that the sturdy pipe and the straps had anchored her to the ground and were what had saved her. In a tornado, they could just as easily have ripped away and taken her with them, but in this case, today they had saved her.
After the tornado came through, the rain had only lasted for about ten minutes and then the beautiful night sky had appeared. She wasn’t sure how long she had been out, but the rain had passed and the night sky was clear when she came to. As she looked up, she knew it was a message of splendor from God to let her know He’d been with her all along, and He still was.
Andrea was wet and the cool night breeze chilled her to the bone, but she had hope. The bruises ached, but she didn’t think she had any broken bones. The cuts from the nails were mostly superficial, and the rain had washed away the blood.
As she rested her head down on her knees, she wondered about Sienna. The words she had spoken to her came from somewhere other than her own mental knowledge. She could feel her mouth speaking truths she had known but could have never put to words herself. She knew it had been God speaking through her to Sienna.
When she spoke, she’d felt God’s compassion for Sienna, and therefore, Andrea had begun to feel compassion for her as well. She had seen her the way that God saw her.
As she was speaking, she saw in her mind things about Sienna, she could have never known. She knew God was revealing things to her mind, so she could help Sienna.
So while the storm raged, she wondered where Sienna was and if she was all right. Before Sienna had left her for the last time, Andrea had been able to explain to her about the cleansing blood of Jesus. How it had paid the price for all sin, for all time. And all that a person had to do was to come to Him and receive it. She explained that He waited with loving arms to receive any and all.
Andrea had also explained that it didn’t matter if a person had tried to be good all their life or if they had only been bad. No one could be good enough to bring wholeness to themselves, only the blood of Jesus could, which had already been freely given. The price had been paid and was hers for the receiving.
Sienna had seemed non-receptive and skeptical, but she listened, and as she listened, Andrea could tell that barriers were breaking down inside of her. Sienna’s countenance changed and the evil that was so dominant before just seemed to wash away. What was left was a face wracked with pain and sadness.
Andrea was not sure she had convinced Sienna that no matter what she’d done, no matter how horrible it was, God’s forgiveness was already there and waiting for her.
Andrea had told her of murderers in the Bible who had held prominent roles in God’s family. Even David, who had a man sent to the front lines of his army to die, so he could take his wife, was later referred to as a man after God’s own heart.
Sienna had left when Andrea’s words had run out. She looked sad, but more at peace. Andrea hoped that wherever she was now that her words, the words that had been inspired by God, had taken hold of her heart and that she was safe.
~~~
Blake didn’t know why he was driving to Crown Rock Mesa. It made no sense in his mind, but he felt a driving urge to continue. When he reached the top, there were
no cars and many of the spindly trees and shrubs were stripped and mangled from the tornado.
He got out of Senna’s car and began to walk the perimeter of the area. The mesa itself was several acres, but the area that was clear enough for people to park was only about one acre.
The only vegetation on top of the mesa was a variety of wild grasses, short bushes, and cedar trees. Cedars could and did live anywhere they chose. Most had weathered the tornado, but many had been ripped from the red sand rock and the various bushes had had their new spring leaves stripped from them.
Blake kept thinking and asking himself why was he up there and what was he doing, but he felt compelled to stay. So he walked. He decided to walk the entire circumference of the cleared area.
As he walked, he looked into the vegetation, and where he could, over the edge to the area below. In most places, there were sheer cliffs straight down, and in other places the drop off was a more gradual slope.
Blake had been slowly walking and looking for about an hour when something caught his eye. Out of a tangle of cedars and brush he saw what looked like a shank of brown hair. The color was so close to the red sand rock, particularly now that it was covered in red mud, that he nearly missed it.
He ran over and began to remove limbs and branches. And then he saw her. It was Senna! He had found her. But he didn’t think she was breathing. Doing the best he could to check her without moving her in case she was critically injured, he found she had a pulse. It was faint, but it was there.
He immediately pulled out his phone and called Brandon asking him to get help as quickly as possible and send it to the top of Crown Rock Mesa.
The second he hung up, he was brushing mud and leaves from Senna’s face. She was scratched from the cedars, but it didn’t look like she had any serious cuts.
“Senna,” he said. “Senna, please wake up. It’s me Blake.” She didn’t stir. He patted her cheek, stopping short of actually slapping it, in an attempt to wake her. Still no response.
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