HOLY SMOKES

sixteen. tornado

Magnolia hated the sound of tornado sirens. She always had, mostly because that meant her daddy was gonna pull her and her mama into the cellar. Which she hated. She was claustrophobic and every time she was down there it felt like she couldn’t breath.

Even as she held onto Boone’s hand, him keeping her close to him as they followed the rush of the crowd, she felt like she had back then.

She couldn’t breathe.

“Ladies and gentleman, I just received word that a tornado has touched down near the area!” The announcer nearly yelled into the mic, his voice flooding from the speakers, just barely headed over the wind and the panic. “We need to evacuate this arena, now!”

“Come on, angel, keep moving,” Boone rushed out, letting go of Magnolia’s hand to keep her in front of him.

“Boone, we gotta stay together,” Tyler raised his voice a little, him keeping Kate in front of him as they followed behind Boone and Magnolia.

Chaos.

It was the only word Magnolia could think of, the bulls ran around the arena, people were running for their cars, some even fell, only to be trampled by the rushing crowd. Her hands shook, her eyes brimming with tears but when she saw a woman trip over her own feet she rushed to her side, pulling her to her feet.

“Maggie!” Boone rushed after her, keeping her close as she steadied the woman on her feet. And once she was up, she ran towards the parking lot. “Stay close, angel, please.” He begged, pulling her closer to him, his hand on her back. “Ty!”

“Right behind ya!” He called back, him and Kate rushing towards them as they neared the road, which was just as hectic. People were trying to drive away, crashing into other cars, causing a pile up but no one seemed to care as they tried to get as far away as possible – only to get nowhere.

Tyler rushed forward, putting himself in the road, his hand up as she shouted for the truck to stop. It skidded, just barely stopping then he waved the other three forward, rushing towards the hotel lobby.

Kate pulled the door open, but Magnolia stopped when she saw the redheaded women and her daughter from the group she had brought to the hotel, dread filled her but she rushed towards them, despite Boone shouting after her.

“No, no, no, don’t get in the car. Come with us!” She stopped them and the woman nodded, getting her daughter out of the car. “Come on,” she made sure they were in front of her, pushing them towards the lobby.

“Baby, you can’t do that to me,” Boone mumbled, shaking his head a little as he ushered her and the other two into the lobby. Kate and Tyler were already at the counter, asking about a basement.

“There’s a line here, buddy,” the boy guy by the counter complained, pushing Tyler’s shoulder.

“Fuck the line!” Boone shoved his shoulder, getting a glare in return, but he didn’t back down.

“Okay, there’s no tornado,” the girl in the corner leisurely fanned herself with a magazine. “Nine times out of ten, it's a false alarm.”

“Well, this is that one time,” Magnolia told her from where she was squatting down next to the mother-daughter duo. “We’re gonna be just fine, though. You hear me?”

They both nodded, the mother holding the girl close to her chest, and Magnolia felt her eyes water. She was the reason they were here. She had picked this hotel and she was worried about the other three families that were staying there as well.

Suddenly the sirens cut off, the sound disappearing but the wind still raged outside.

“You hear that?” the girl snarked, a smug smile tugging at her lips as the power shut off.

The boy groaned, “and now the power’s out.”

“No tornado.”

“We gotta find a shelter. Fast,” Kate rushed out, making her way past the counter and into the back room as the manager yelled at her.

“Baby, your hands are shakin’.” Boone mumbled, coming to a stop next to Magnolia and when she met his eyes, the tears that rested in her baby blues killed him.

Kate rushed back towards the lobby, “everybody, come with me!”

“Follow her. Follow her!” Tyler ushered Alice and Izzy towards Kate, and Boone pushed Magnolia after them, as Tyler tried to get the other two to follow after them, “Come on, move. Move, move!”

The speakers crashed right through the lobby, making the girl scream, “there’s a tornado! There’s a tornado!” As they finally followed the other out the back door and towards the empty pool.

The wind had picked up even more, blowing against them as they reached the pool. Kate pulled the gate open, letting Alice and Izzy in first.

“Go! Go! Go!” Tyler shouted, bringing up the rear.

“Down the ladder!” Magnolia shouted over the wind and Alice quickly climbed down before holding her arms up as the blonde helped Izzy down the steps. “You’re doin’ great! Just a little faster!”

Once Alice had Izzy in her arms, Boone made Magnolia climb down and he jumped down right next to her. She latched onto his hand and led the other two towards the deep end and the exposed pipes.

“Get down!” She told them.

“Hold on to the pipes, and cover her eyes!” Boone added and Alice nodded, covering her daughter’s body with her own and making sure her eyes were covered.

“Where’s Kate and Ty?” Magnolia asked, then Kate jumped off the last rung of the ladder and rushed towards them. Then Tyler jumped down, the manager doing the same only for a vending machine to land between them. The impact made them all stumble, but Tyler dropped to his stomach.

“Tyler!” Kate moved after him with tears in her eyes, but he stopped her.

“No, Kate, stay with them!”

“Tyler!” Magnolia shouted, but Boone held her back.

“No, angel, you gotta stay here!” He forced her towards the pipes. “Hold on tight, okay?”

“But Ty…”

“I got him!” He told her and she nodded as she grabbed onto the pipes, her ring making the quietest of sounds as it hit the metal.

“Be careful!”

“Just keep holdin’ on!” Kate told them, but even she was scared for the two boys as they crawled along the bottom of the pool.

“Help me!” The manager cried.

“T!” Boone shouted, staying low.

“Go back to Maggie!” Tyler shouted as he reached the vending machine. He held his hand out to the manager. “All right, look at me! Stay down, just grab my hand!” He pulled the man towards him.

“Don’t let it get me!”

“We ain’t gonna!” Boone shouted, not having listened to Tyler. “But you gotta stay low!”

“I can do it!” The manager pushed up onto his hands and knees, despite both Tyler and Boone telling him not to and the draft got under him. It picked him up and carried him towards the shallow end of the pool.

“Hang on!” Tyler crawled after him.

“No, Maggie!” Kate shouted, drawing Boone’s attention and he turned to see her pulling herself across the floor of the pool. Panic flooded him and he quickly made his way towards her.

“No, baby, go back!” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back towards the pipes. “Stay here! I mean it, Maggie!”

“Baby, please!” She was in tears, her heart beating against her chest. She couldn’t lose him, not like this. She wouldn’t survive it.

“I’ll be right-” a loud boom cut him off as a horse trailer landed right where the manager had once been, entirely too close to Tyler.

“Tyler!” Magnolia screamed, watching as he pulled himself across the pool, the trailer sliding down the small slope towards him.

Boone moved, pushing Magnolia and Kate back towards the pipes as he reached his hand out, “I  gotcha, brother!” He grabbed into his hand and pulled.

The trailer started to tip towards them just as Tyler managed to get his feet under him and once he did, he and Boone were covering Magnolia and Kate as best as they could. Magnolia let go of the pipe as the trailer hit the lip of the pool, stopping it from crushing them.

“No, angel, hold on!” Boone grabbed her hand and used his palm to cover her hand, forcing her fingers to grip the pipe. “Just hold on. I got you.” He mumbled into her ear, as Alice repeated the same thing to Izzy.

Boone could feel it as her shoulders shook with her cries and he lightly kissed the side of her neck, hoping to bring her some comfort and he leaned forward a bit more. “I got you, angel. I got you.”

And then it was over nearly as fast as it had started.

The winds died out, the chaos ceasing, and everything grew calm.

Magnolia cried as she leaned against the pipes, her forehead pressed into the metal. Boone wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back into him and she turned, her face buried into his chest.

“It’s okay, angel. It’s okay.” He tightened his arms around her, pulling her in closer.

“Are you okay?” Alice asked, keeping her daughter close to her.

“Yeah,” Izzy’s voice shook a little as she nodded.

“Is it over?” She asked, looking up at the other four.

Magnolia stayed pressed against Boone as Kate and Tyler stepped out from under the protection of the trailer.

“It’s over,” Tyler answered her, his eyes wide as he took in everything around him.

“It’s okay, angel. We’re okay.” Boone mumbled, kissing Magnolia’s head over and over again, but her sobs persisted as her hands fisted around his shirt. “I got you, Maggie. It’s alright.”

But he didn’t know about the guilt that nipped at her toes, wrecking her body with a shiver. He merely thought it was the fact that her dress had soaked through that had her shaking like a leaf against him.

But he was wrong.

>>>>> • <<<<<

Boone was worried.

Magnolia had eventually stopped crying, but she hadn’t said a word. She just leaned into his chest, her arms curled against her chest as she spun her ring around her finger. She still shivered, her teeth almost chattering even though she wore the camo button up he had been wearing. So he rubbed her back, hoping to warm her up.

“Angel, please, talk to me.” He mumbled, his lips closer to her ear as they stood with the rest of the crew and Kate. But she merely shook her head just a little and he let out a sigh, tightening his arms around her.

“Maggie, we’re okay.” Tyler told her, his voice soft. Even he hated seeing her like that, like she had just froze up. And she didn’t even move when the StormPAR team pulled up, no doubt to get the numbers for Riggs. Well, all but one of them.

“Kate!” Javi shouted, rushing towards her. The blonde smiled small at Tyler, her eyes moving to Magnolia who kept her eyes on her ring as she twisted it, then she made her way towards Javi, who pulled her into a hug.

“Maggie!”

She didn’t even look up to see who called her name.

“Maggie!” Hunter called out again, looking around until he saw her. Boone watched as he neared them, a look of panic on his face and a tall girl following behind him. Which Boone had recognised, though he’d only seen her on facetime.

“Magnolia Beth,” that voice had her looking up. Her blue eyes widened when they landed on Kelly. “Hey, sweetie.”

Still, Magnolia said nothing, but she stepped out of Boone’s arms and rushed towards the girl, who wrapped her in a tight hug.

And only Tyler seemed to notice as Kate stormed away from Javi, before driving away.

“You’re okay, right?” Kelly asked, pulling back to look down at the shorter girl. And when she saw the look in her blue eyes, her brows creased. It was like her light had dimmed just a little, which Boone would’ve noticed if she had met his eyes. “What? What’s wrong?”

“I-I-I…” she could form the words around the lump in her throat.

“We brought some people to stay here from Crystal Springs.” Hunter filled in, and Boone watched Magnolia break down in tears once again. “But, Maggie, you couldn’t have known.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and Boone took a breath, it wasn’t the time or the place to be jealous.

“We don’t know anything yet.” Kelly told her, rubbing her back. “We can get the team out here, get a search party going. Hunter, call the rest of the guys, get them here. We’ll do what we can.” He simply nodded, pulling his phone out as he turned away from them. “And you, go get some rest.” She told Magnolia softly. “Let Boone take you to a hotel.”

Magnolia only nodded as she pulled away from her, she turned a little, finally meeting Boone’s soft brown eyes that were burdened with worry, “come here, angel.” he opened his arms and she stepped towards him, melting into him. As Kelly introduced herself to the rest of the crew, Tyler handed Boone the keys to the truck, then he led his distraught fiancée towards the parking lot.

And when she stumbled a little, he scooped her up, one arm around her back and the other under her knees as she curled into his chest.

>>>>> • <<<<<

Magnolia still hadn’t said a word. Not when they reached the new hotel. Not when Boone led her to their room. Not when he helped her into the shower, not even when he washed her hair for her.

She was almost catatonic as he helped her out of the shower and dried her body and her hair with a towel. And when he had brought her some clothes that Dani and Lily had given him for her to wear, all she did was hold her arms up so he could pull the large t-shirt over her head. Then she stepped into the gray boxers he’d given her to wear, and he pulled them up her legs.

She hadn't even said a word as he tucked her into bed.

“Maggie, please, say somethin’. You’re scarin’ me.”

She took a breath, her eyes following her finger as she traced the lines of his smooth bare chest. He let out a sigh, giving up on getting an answer but then she spoke.

“They were…” her voice was rough and he hated it. “They were there ‘cause of me.”

“Maggie-”

“I was supposed to help them, not put them in danger.”

“There was no way to know where the next storm was gonna hit.”

“I-I thought we were far enough away. I thought it was gonna be safe.” She mumbled, her voice cracking a little, but she just had no tears left.

“Baby,” he sighed softly, pulling her into his chest. Her body molded against his perfectly, her legs tangling with his as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt safe in his arms, she always had. But there was this gnawing feeling at the back of her neck that tainted just how perfect she felt when he held her.

“Boone,”

“Yeah, angel?”

“Does it make me a bad person if part of me is okay ‘cause you’re okay?”

“No, you are not a bad person, the farthest thing from it.” He kissed her forehead. “I think it’s normal to feel that way. I'm sure as hell relieved that you’re okay.”

She just nodded her head against him, closing her eyes in hopes of pushing the awful feeling away. But just as she drifted off, her phone went off. She turned a little, but it was Boone that grabbed the ringing device.

“Kelly,” he told her and she took the phone, answering it as she held it to her ear.

“Hey.”

“I got some news, Maggie.”

She took a breath, closing her eyes as she pressed her forehead against Boone’s chest, “good or bad?”

“A little of both,” Kelly took a deep breath. “We found most of the group that had been at the motel, they managed to find a ditch to hole up in.”

A relieved breath left her, a new set of tears brimming her eyes, though these weren’t sad tears, “a-and the bad news?”

“One of the kids broke his arm, he’s at the hospital now. But we haven't been able to find two of them, Hunter said it was a mother and daughter. Al-”

“Alice and Izzy.” She cut her off, tears dripping down her cheeks. “No, they're okay. They were with us. So everyone’s okay?”

“Yeah, Maggie. They’re okay.”

She didn't have the words, her shoulders shook as happy tears slipped down her cheeks, her lips pulled into a smile.

“Now, you get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow.” With that Kelly hung up and Magnolia turned in Boone's arms to put her phone on the nightstand.

She sat up, her back against the headboard as she wiped her face. Boone sat up next to her, wiping her cheeks carefully and she smiled at him, making a smile pull at his lips.

“You okay, angel?”

She nodded, wiping her nose, “they're okay.”

“I heard,” he hummed and she chuckled a little, the sound thick with her tears.

She leaned forward, softly brushing her lips against his, “thank you.”

“For what, angel?”

“For takin’ care of me.” She mumbled, pressing her lips firmly against his.

He smiled into the kiss, pulling back just an inch, “you ain't gotta thank me, angel. I’m always gonna take care of you.”

She beamed wrapped her arms around his neck, slowly moving her mouth against his. He brushed his tongue across the seam of her lips, she moaned softly, parting her lips.

But he pulled back, sucking in a breath. Her lips pulled into a pout as she tugged lightly on his hair, “why'd you stop?”

“You should get some sleep, been a long day.”

And it had, she couldn't believe that it had just been a day since he asked her to marry him. Just a day since she said yes. Just one day, that seemed to be so much longer.

“I love you,” she pressed her lips against his again, nothing more than the soft brush of her lips.

“I love you, more,” he hummed, pecking her lips once again before they got comfortable under the covers again. He pulled her in close, softly kissing her exposed shoulder.