Twilight fell as the sun sunk in the west. Lars was forced to a stop when a satanic-looking subvortex stalled on the road in front the utility vehicle. It hovered menancingly, as if the devil himself was taking a stand and taunting him.

I've faced death before, but never my own demons.

He exhaled and his nose wrinkled. If death was imminent, the garlic risotto for lunch had been an unfortunate choice. He laughed without mirth.

The pounding rain drumming on the roof stopped and left and eerie quiet in its place. The crossroads  lay ahead, the spot where he planned to deploy the probe. A gust of wind whipped across the intersection from the south and the wooden crossroads sign shuddered as if ghosts were taking their rage out on it. Involuntarily, he shivered.

———-

"I see them." Zane pointed to The Terminator that was trundling over the adjacent open field like a massive, awkward armadillo. The weight of its thick polycarbonate plates was designed to protect the vehicle from airborne projectiles and also prevent it from becoming airborne, but the protective measure was now making the wheels sink into the moist soft turf and slowing its progress. "They're headed towards Bailey road."

Amy counted as many as eleven roiling vortexes of varying sizes and speed. Alarmed she watched one of the black funnels shift in their direction. "Shit on a stick. The logistics stink."

The funnel overlapped the road and whipped up soil, grass and asphalt like a hellish giant sweeping machine.

"Amy, It's coming straight at us!" Zane yelled. "We have to take the escape route. Now!"

Amy glared at the oncoming funnel of death. She squared her jaw and threw the Nova into reverse. "Not today, you bastard." She gave the twister the finger. Looking over her shoulder out the back window to navigate, she floored the gas pedal.

Naseem dropped his camcorder as the Nova fishtailed on the gravel road. "Amy, slow down!" He gaped at the speedometer. "You're going fifty miles and hour. That thing's only traveling about thirty. If the twister doesn't kill us, your driving will."

"Faster!" Zane yelled. "Go faster." A formerly invisible sub vortex, double the size of the first one, touched down and pulled up beside them.

Amy tapped the breaks and did a one eighty spin, without slowing, then pressed her foot to the floor. "These bastards are everywhere." The roar of the wind rapidly intensified. Hail rained down and dented the car's roof as they sped past and swerved around the giant twisters.

"It's like the mesocyclone lowered with the sole intent of killing top tornado chasers." Naseem shouted."

"A normal system would have petered out by now. This is a mega tornado," Zane raised his voice over the wind.

"This mega-piece-of-shit tornado can kiss my ass," Amy shouted.

She sighed with relief that County road was paved as rain drummed down on the Nova and she regained tire traction. She was able to make good time on the southern escape route. After driving two miles to escape the twister's outer edge inflow, she turned and headed north to retrace her path and catch up to the monster. When a strike of lightning illuminated the sky, she leaned forward and gasped, and then snatched the mic off the dashboard.

"Halley, we're coming up on Canton road which intersects Bailey. There's a mother of a funnel coming right at you. It's rain-wrapped. That's Jame's and your only escape route. You need to bail now!"

"I can see The Interceptor's headlights. They're in a bad spot," Zane said. They have about sixty seconds before they're hit."

"Oh, my God." Naseem filmed the tornado. "It's growing larger." The lightning faded and visibility dropped. "Where are they?"