Roy DeSoto walked back from the restroom toward his seat on the airplane. Once he had reconnected his seat belt, he looked over at his partner, who sat next to him. Johnny Gage was already continuing the discussion they had been having since the plane took off from Los Angeles.
"I mean, why Kansas?" he argued. "Why not Hawaii, or Florida? Why do we have to go to the land of OZ?"
"Johnny," Roy said, smiling. "Kansas is where Dorothy wanted to go while she was IN Oz." Looking at his partner, he saw that Johnny was not amused. "The Wichita Fire Department is hosting the Firefighters Olympics this year and you should be proud that our department has been included. It's not going to be that bad, Johnny. Wichita is the largest city in the state, and I've heard that Kansas is actually quite pretty; all sunshine, and no smog." Johnny still was not convinced, but resigned himself to the fact that they were going anyhow. He settled back into his seat and closed his eyes, hoping that, like Dorothy, it was all a dream.
Opening his eyes when he heard the stewardess announce their approach to Wichita International Airport, Johnny looked out the window. He frowned and turned toward Roy, who was reading a magazine. "Well, there may not be any smog," he said, "but there sure isn't any sunshine, either." Roy turned and looked out the window as well, seeing that rain was pelting the airplane, and the city below them.
Once the plane had landed, they went to gather their luggage. After waiting for nearly 30 minutes, the last of their packages moved slowly around the conveyor belt. Picking it up, they exited the airport and grabbed the first taxi they could find. "Fire Station One," Roy said, looking at a slip of paper, "Main and Murdock." The taxi driver nodded and pulled away from the airport, driving slowly, due to the rain.
"Cap and the guys said they'd meet us at the station. Too bad we all couldn't have gotten on the same flight. I wonder what they've been doing since they got here yesterday?" Roy received no response from Johnny so he leaned toward the front seat. "Been raining long?" Roy asked the driver. Receiving only a nod in response, Roy sat back in the seat and watched the buildings go by. "Looks a lot like Los Angeles, only smaller."
"And wetter," Johnny spoke for the first time since leaving the airport. "I keep looking for a yellow brick road." He glanced over at his partner, and was met by a disapproving stare. "Oz, right?" he said, miserably.
"Right. The yellow brick road was in Oz, not Kansas," Roy said exasperated. "I guess Joanne and I will have to invite you over to the house next time that movie is aired." If Johnny was going to grumble the whole week they were going to be in Wichita, he might just find himself left stranded, with no ruby slippers to get him home.
Soon, the taxi pulled up in front of Station One, Battalion 1 headquarters. Looking out the windows, Roy and Johnny noted that the station was larger than they had expected. From the open bay doors, they could see a complement of two engine companies, one aerial platform, one rescue unit, and the vehicle presumed to be the Battalion Chief's. Jumping out of the taxi, the two men ran for the building, dodging large puddles of water along the way.
A man, with gray hair and wearing glasses, met them at the bay doors. "You must be Gage and DeSoto," he said, extending his hand. "My name's Ben Thomas. Nice to meet you."
Both men nodded and accepted his hand shake. "I'm DeSoto, this is Gage," Roy said, pointing at his partner. "We're supposed to meet the rest of our team here."
"Yeah, yeah," Captain Thomas said as he turned and started walking away. "They're in here watching television. Come on in."
Roy and Johnny followed the man into the commons area, where they found Hank, Mike, Chet, and Marco all watching the TV intently. "Man," Chet commented, noticing them entering the room, "you've got to see this!" He waved at the screen.
On the screen was what looked to be a wheat field, with a large dark cloud approaching the camera. As the storm neared, a small snakelike form dropped downward from the cloud base. Ever so slowly the smoky tendril advanced nearer to the ground until a cloud of dust rose up to meet it. Completing it's connection with the earth, the small funnel grew in width and began to whip the stalks of wheat alternately from left to right.
"Wow," Johnny gasped, totally intrigued by the image before him, "I've never seen a tornado develop before. When was this filmed?"
"About an hour ago," Captain Stanley said, looking over at the newcomers. "Glad you could finally join us."
"Hiya, Cap," Johnny said, still enthralled with the awesome power of the storm. Finally the words the Cap had spoken began to sink in. "An hour ago?" he asked, "You mean this just happened?"
"Yep," Cap said, grimacing slightly. "A little under two-hundred miles from here, in western Kansas." He waited until the two paramedics took their seats before he continued. "A news crew filmed this and just got it back to the station. Pretty interesting, isn't it?"
"It's amazing!" Johnny said, excitedly. "Roy?" he asked when his partner didn't seem to be sharing his enthusiasm, "Don't you think this is great?"
"What's so great about it," Roy said, shaking his head. "It's a tornado. It's just a storm that causes damage and pain for hundreds of people each year."
"Yeah, but the power, the incredible power!" Johnny's eyes sparkled. He couldn't believe that nobody else understood him.
"It is incredible," Johnny heard a voice from behind him. He turned and faced the man who had spoken. In front of him was a man in his early thirties. He stood at least six inches taller than Johnny, had sandy blond hair, a medium build, and a wide grin.
"Finally," Johnny said, standing, "somebody who agrees." He stuck out his hand, "Johnny Gage."
"Brent Maxwell, paramedic. Nice to meet you," he said, shaking Johnny's hand. "I love the power of those things too."
Johnny grinned like a child that was just given a new toy. "Have you ever seen one?"
"A tornado?" Brent asked, then laughed. "John, this is Kansas! It's almost harder to find someone who hasn't seen one. Of course, I've seen more than my share, but that's just because I chase 'em."
Johnny's eyes grew round with wonder. Even the other men turned to face Brent after that comment. Roy cleared his throat and asked, astonished, "You chase them? On purpose?"
"Sure!" Brent said. "When I'm not on duty. It's a great adrenaline rush."
"Man, that sounds like fun," Johnny said.
"Excuse my partner," Roy said, shooting Johnny a look that said, are you crazy?! "He's a little jet lagged, and not thinking clearly."
"Which is normal for Gage," Chet commented from his chair.
"Shut up, Chet," Johnny responded, loudly. Johnny had been serious about storm chasing sounding like fun. He turned back toward Brent and asked, "Do you get to go out often?"
"During peak season, maybe three times a week. I may only see one or two tornadoes a season, though. A lot of them happen at night, and they are pretty hard to see in the dark."
"And this is peak season?" Johnny asked, hopefully.
"Yeah," Brent said, realizing where Johnny was heading, "You want to go with me?"
"Can I?" Johnny asked, ignoring the look his partner was now shooting at him.
"If we get some action while you're here and I'm not on duty, sure." He looked over at the rest of the group. "I have a large jeep, if any of the rest of you are interested."
"No thanks!" Marco said, forcefully. "I'm not that insane."
"Not me, pal," Cap said, "I'd never hear the end of it, at home. My wife hates the fact that I risk my life on the job. She'd never go for me doing that while off-duty."
Mike simply shook his head, and then pointed to the television. "This is the closest I ever want to be to one of those monsters."
"Chet? Roy?" Johnny asked, hoping his friends would join him.
"Oh, alright," Chet said. "It might be fun. If nothing else, It's better than sitting here, bored."
Johnny grinned. This is going to be fun! He turned toward Roy. "How 'bout it, Pally?"
Roy stared at his partner for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "Sure, why not?" he said. "Somebody will have to be there to patch you up when that twister gets done with you."
"Alright!!" Johnny cheered. "When do you think we might be able to do this?"
Brent rubbed his chin for a moment before speaking. "Never can tell. It is Kansas, after all. If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it'll change. We might get some action tomorrow night from that same storm system that caused that tornado out west, tonight. We'll just have to wait and see."
"Great! Prelims are tomorrow morning, but we'll be done for the day after two," Johnny said.
"Okay," Brent said, smiling. "My shift ends at eight, so if anything comes up, weather wise, I'll stop by here to pick you up."
Just then Captain Thomas stuck his head into the room. "Maxwell," he called, "shouldn't you be helping your partner out with the supplies?"
"Right away, Cap," Brent said, suddenly becoming serious. "We'll talk later, Johnny," he said before rushing out to the apparatus bay.
The group had just arrived at the station after preliminaries. By some fluke, the guys, along with personnel from Station 36, had beaten the City of Los Angeles softball team in order to advance to the nationals. During prelims, they had played two games; easily beating the team from Florida, and then winning the game against Dallas by only one run. They all headed straight for the showers for some much needed hot water to relax their sore muscles.
"So, do you think we stand a chance, Cap?" Marco asked as they neared the locker room.
"Maybe, if we concentrate," Cap commented. "Roy and Johnny did pretty well on at first and third, and Mike was great at bat. We couldn't ask for a better catcher than you, Marco. Now, if Chet had just been able to strike out that guy from Dallas, we wouldn't have been sweating that second game --"
"Cap!" Chet interjected, "It wasn't my fault!" He lowered his head slightly. "The sun was in my eyes."
Cap gave Chet a stern look. "If you would have let me finish, Kelly, I was going to say that, even with the bright sun in our eyes, you still did well."
"Thanks, Cap," Chet muttered, remorseful of his earlier comment. "That was a great double play, you and John made, too."
"Tomorrow will be the real test," Cap said, grabbing a towel. "We play the team from Kansas City in the morning, and, if we win, the final tomorrow afternoon. Now let's hit the showers and relax a bit before dinner."
Roy and Johnny headed into the commons area after their showers. "Wonder what the weather is doing?" Johnny commented, heading for the television set.
"You're not seriously looking forward to riding with Maxwell, are you?" Roy said, incredulously.
"Sure," Johnny said, hurt. "Why not? Don't tell me you're going to back out on us?"
"No…" Roy said, hesitantly, as Johnny turned back toward the TV and changed the channel dial. "I guess not. But we might not have any bad weather this evening."
Just as Roy finished speaking, Johnny gasped, and pointed toward the screen. "Look, Roy!" he said, excited.
Words were scrolling across the lower part of the screen. The National Weather Service, Wichita, has issued a tornado watch until 10 p.m. for the following counties in southcentral and southeastern Kansas: Barber, Butler, Chase, Chatauqua, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Lyon, Marion, McPherson, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Sedgwick, Stafford, and Sumner.
Johnny looked away from the screen and flashed a huge grin at his partner. "Roy? Sedgwick County…that's here isn't it?"
"Yeah, we're in Sedgwick County." Roy decided he had better reign his partner in, a bit. "But there's still no guarantee that we'll see anything. You saw the bulletin. There's a big area included in that warning thing."
"It's a watch, not a warning," Brent Maxwell said from the doorway. "Most foreigners get that mixed up." He grinned at the two men. "A watch means that the conditions are ripe for storms to develop. A tornado warning means an actual tornado has been spotted, either by storm watchers, or by radar."
"Oh," Johnny said, a little disappointed, "does that mean we won't be going out tonight?"
"No, not at all," Brent said. "That's why I'm here. The system is still a little bit west of here. Seems to have stalled out, but clouds are already building so, unless you've changed your mind, let's get going."
"Alright!" Johnny said, a little louder than intended.
Brent laughed, heartily, then looked around the room, "Where's our fourth?" he asked.
"Chet's in the locker room," Roy said. "I'll go get him." He walked toward the apparatus bay and then turned back toward their guide, "Do we need to bring anything?"
"Nope," Brent said, "I've got some food and coffee in the back of the jeep. You might bring your cameras, though, if you have them."
"Nice setup," Johnny commented as he slid into the passenger seat in the front of the jeep. He looked over the equipment on the dash and in between the bucket seats.
"Yeah, what is all of this stuff for?" asked Roy as he and Chet slid in the back.
"This," Brent said, pointing at a black box with lights flashing left to right on the face of it, "is a police scanner. I've got it programmed with the frequencies of the area police departments, civil defense groups, and NOAA weather stations for Kansas and Oklahoma."
"And this CB radio?" Chet asked, pointing between the front seats.
"Well, that has a dual purpose," Brent explained. "I listen to the amateur storm chasers, like myself, on that one. I also use it to broadcast anything that I see to base-station chasers -- one's who relay information from their homes to the officials via land-line…err telephone. I've also got maps in the door pocket next to you, Johnny. Want to find the statewide one for me?"
"Sure," Johnny said, fishing around for the correct map, "Where are we headed?"
"Well, the squall line is forming near Medicine Lodge, that's south west of here about an hour and a half. We'll head down K42 that way, and see if we can meet up with it."
"An hour and a half?" Roy asked, surprised. "You mean you don't stay local?"
"No," Brent laughed. "I've been known to put three or four hundred miles on my jeep in one night. I go where the storms are, and then I follow them until they produce, or die off." He looked in the rear view mirror at Chet and Roy's shocked faces. Grinning, he pulled out of the parking lot and spoke over his shoulder, "Sit back and enjoy the trip, fellas. You're in it for the long haul, tonight."
As he drove, Brent kept the foreigners, as he called them, entertained with stories of his earlier adventures while storm chasing. "One time," he said casually, "I was down in Cowley County and stood underneath a meso-cyclone for half an hour as it just spun overhead." As he turned onto US166, heading west, his story was interrupted by Johnny shouting, excitedly.
"Brent! Look at those clouds!" he said, as he leaned forward to get a better look. Before them was a long line of tall billowing clouds. Some were darker than others.
"Towering cumulus," Brent said, calmly. "Looks like we've come to the right place, guys." He looked down for just a second to adjust his scanner and to change the channel on his CB. Within moments, a voice boomed from the scanner speaker, announcing a weather update.
The National Weather Service - Enid, has issued a tornado warning for the following location: Woods county. At five thirteen, trained weather spotters sighted a tornado, on the ground, four miles north of Alva. The storm was moving north-northeast at fifteen miles per hour. Persons in the path of this storm should take cover immediately. This is a dangerous storm. If caught outside, leave your vehicle and lie flat in a ditch or other low-lying area. If you are indoors, go the lowest level of the building. Stay away from windows, and protect yourself from flying debris.
"Where's that?" Johnny said. "Is that close to us?"
Brent looked over from behind the wheel, "It's in north central Oklahoma. About 30 minutes from us, south-southwest."
Chet leaned toward the driver's seat and hesitantly spoke. "And the storm is moving north-northeast?"
"Yep," Brent said, grimly. "I was afraid this was going to happen. I was hoping we could get behind the storm before it produced anything. I gambled and we lost." He looked at the other occupants of the vehicle. "Keep your eyes open. We could be in for a bumpy ride."
Chet, Roy, and Johnny sat in silence, scanning the skies before them. Each was too nervous to speak, but Johnny was excited, as well. He kept glancing at the scanner, hoping to hear a new update.
After a few minutes, Brent grabbed the microphone off of the CB. "Twisterhound to any sky watcher. Any sky watchers out there?"
Silence was the only response to Brent's call for a few moments, and then, "Twisterhound, this is Sky Watcher Nine, out of Kiowa, do you read?"
"10-4 Sky Watcher Nine," Brent spoke into the mic, "I'm on US166 heading east toward Medicine Lodge, what do you see?"
"Twisterhound, there is a major storm just to the south of you but I think it's going to cross your roadway to your east. If you're chasing, you might as well take a break in ML and then follow it back east. Safer on the tail end ya' know, Twisterhound."
"10-4. Thanks for the info. We'll go 10-7 at ML for a few and then do a one-eighty. Twisterhound out." Brent replaced the mic in it's holder and turned toward the guys. "Looks like we wait out the storm in Medicine Lodge. We're about ten minutes out from it. We can stop at a gas station and then head back toward Wichita after about fifteen minutes."
Johnny looked forlorn. "You mean, we're not going to see a tornado tonight?"
Brent grinned, sheepishly. "Johnny, are you willing to risk your life for a thrill? Wait! I already know the answer to that. Let me rephrase it. You never want to be on the front side of a tornadic storm. You can get trapped, and the worst place to be is in a vehicle. Most chasers will wait a storm out until they can get behind it and then follow it back in. That's what we are going to do. Once we are behind it, if we get lucky, we'll be able to watch the storm as it progresses. We still might be able to see a tornado tonight, but the sun is going down, so we may strike out. I promise you a great lightning show, though, okay?"
"Okay," Johnny said, mildly disappointed, as Chet and Roy sighed in relief.
Brent depressed the accelerator and announced, "Next stop, Medicine Lodge. Home of just about nothing," he joked, before turning back toward the road and driving westward.
They stopped at a gas station on the edge of Medicine Lodge. Picking up sodas and snacks, and taking the necessary breaks, they all piled back into the jeep and turned back toward the east. The sun had sat just minutes before, and a beautiful light show was displayed before them.
"Geeze," Chet commented from the back seat, "we don't get lightning like this in California." His eyes were wide with wonder.
"Sure you do, Chet," Brent commented, taking a sip of his soda. "You just don't notice it for all of the city lights. This beauty before us would be washed out in Wichita, let alone Los Angeles. You should try getting out of the city once in a while."
"I keep telling him that," Johnny commented, not looking away from the sheet and streak lightning ahead of him. "This is gorgeous," he said, happily.
"So you're not too disappointed that we didn't see a twister today?" Brent said, looking sideways at Johnny.
"Man," Johnny sighed, "I'm a little disappointed, but it's okay. It was fun just getting out and looking around."
Brent looked into the rear-view mirror. "Roy? You've been awfully quiet since we started back. You okay?"
"Yeah," Roy mumbled. "I'm just trying to figure out why, if the storm is ahead of us, there is a crazy lightning show going on behind us." He gestured toward the rear of the jeep.
Brent pulled the jeep off onto the shoulder and got out. Johnny, Chet, and Roy all got out with him, and turned toward the western sky. Grabbing his binoculars, Brent scanned the horizon and leaned inside the vehicle through the window. Grabbing the mic, he spoke loudly, "Sky Watcher Nine, this is Twisterhound, how do you read?"
"Loud and clear, Twisterhound, what's your twenty?" came the response.
"We're about twenty miles outside of Medicine Lodge, do we have another line building?" Brent couldn't keep the slight tremor of fear from his voice.
"10-4 Twisterhound. I had hoped you were still in Medicine Lodge. Are you not monitoring? They just placed the county under a warning. There's a tail dropping between you and ML. It just kinda blew up over the past ten minutes."
"Shit!" Brent exclaimed as he jumped back into the jeep. He reached behind the scanner, and felt the wires. "Damn, damn, damn," he muttered, grabbing at them.
Johnny ducked his head back inside the car and looked at Brent. "What?" he asked, nervously, looking at the scanner.
"The wires came loose," Brent answered, apologetically. "Must have happened when we hit that speed bump at the gas station. I should have checked before we headed out again. It's my fault."
"What is?" Johnny asked. But before he could get an answer, Chet started yelling.
"Brent? Brent!!!," Chet hollered, "I think you should take a look at this!" Chet pointed at the western sky.
At the same time that Chet was yelling, the CB started squawking as well. "Twisterhound this is Sky Watcher Nine. I don't know if you can read me, but take cover. I repeat, take cover! Tail is on the ground and within a mile or so of you!"
Brent took no time to respond on the CB, but yelled at his companions. "Grab blankets, and hit the ditch!" he ordered, grabbing what he could from the front seat. Chet and Roy stood in confusion for a second or so before going into action. Grabbing blankets from the back of the vehicle, they ran for the nearest ravine. Brent joined them and shouted over the rising wind, "cover yourself with the blanket and lie as flat as you can! Don't get up until I tell you!"
Roy looked over at where he thought Johnny would be but saw nothing. "Johnny?" he called. Receiving no response, he tried louder, "Johnny!" He looked around, frantically, and saw Johnny still standing beside the jeep. "Get over here!" he cried as loudly as possible. The wind was really howling by then and his voice was not carrying very far.
Johnny looked over at Roy, Chet, and Brent. His eyes were wide with amazement. "It's beautiful!" he yelled, looking back at the storm that was quickly approaching them. He grabbed the camera from around his neck and began to quickly snap pictures.
Brent looked up at Johnny and yelled, "John, you get your ass down here right now or, if you're still alive when that twister is done with you, I'll kill you myself!" God damn foreigner! Stupid son-of-a-bitch is going to get us all killed! When Johnny didn't move, Brent stood up and grabbed him, pulling him down into the ravine. He shared the blanket with him and covered his head and shoulders with it.
Under the blankets, the crew could hear the wind begin to howl ferociously. Brent knew the twister was nearby as his ears started popping. He grasped the blanket tighter with his fists and screamed, "Hold on!" hoping his friends could hear him.
After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only minutes, the roaring of the wind began to decrease. Carefully uncovering his head, Brent peered up to the roadside, hoping desperately that his jeep was still intact. "Thank god," he said, as the others began to peek from beneath their blankets. "Jeep's still here," he said, uncovering himself and Johnny.
Chet and Roy each stood up and looked over at Brent. Chet spoke, his voice breaking, slightly, "It is over?"
"Yeah," Brent said, helping Johnny up. He glared at Johnny and said, "I should kill you, you stupid shit! Don't you know how close you came to being twister food?"
"S…sorry," Johnny stuttered, "It was just so cool…so powerful!" he watched as Brent turned his back on him and began walking down the highway. "Brent!" he called, sorrowfully. He followed Brent down the road, with Chet and Roy following him. "Man, I'm really sorry. I just got caught up in it, is all."
"You nearly did," Brent said, looking at the pavement. "Look at this," he said, pointing downward. "Do you see this?"
They had walked only a few hundred yards from the car, and Johnny didn't know what Brent was talking about. Looking down, he saw what looked like a patch of asphalt that had been laid incorrectly. "What?" he asked, confused.
"This," Brent squatted down, looking closer at the pavement. "This is what your cool, powerful tornado did. It scrubbed the pavement." He looked up and stared into Johnny's eyes. "Johnny it was too close! Another few hundred yards and it would have been on top of us! You could have been killed! We all could have!" Brent realized he was letting his adrenaline get the better of him, and he tried to relax somewhat. "I don't want to be responsible for your deaths," he muttered.
Johnny paled, realizing the gravity of the situation. Kneeling down beside his new friend, he lowered his voice before speaking. "I'm really sorry, Brent. I never meant to risk my life or any of ours. I didn't know."
Roy and Chet had now joined them and were studying the ground in amazement. Roy spoke, "This is asphalt! If a tornado can gouge something like this, think of what it can do to a human being."
"Exactly," Brent said. "Look, Johnny, I'm sorry for jumping on you like that. You scared me. Hell, it scared me. And that doesn't happen very often. Let's start heading home. I think we've had our fill of chasing for tonight. I know I have, at least."
As they walked the short distance back to the jeep, they heard sirens nearing from a distance. Four sheriff's department vehicles roared past them as they got inside the truck.
"Injuries," Brent muttered, pulling slowly onto the highway.
"Do you think we should help?" asked Roy from the back seat.
"I have no idea which way they went. They were in an awful hurry, and I don't see them now. I'm sure they've got loads of help coming, anyway. We'd better just head back to Wichita." Brent's voice still had a tinge of fright noticeable. I hope they have help, he added silently.
The rest of the trip was spent in silence, as everyone was in a state of mild shock over their ordeal. When they pulled up in front of the station, Roy and Chet got out of the car and headed inside. Brent looked over at Johnny and said, "I don't blame you if you say no, but do you want to go out again, if we get the chance?"
Johnny thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah," he said, softly, "I'd like to go out again, if we can."
Brent sighed in relief. He had been afraid his new friendship had been cut short because of the trip. "Great. I'll let you know if the weather looks promising. Good luck tomorrow! I'll try to make it to your game." He shifted the vehicle back into drive.
"Okay," Johnny said, opening up the passenger door, "and no hard feelings, right?" He stood and exited the jeep.
"No, none," Brent said, as Johnny closed the door and began walking toward the station. "Goodnight!" he called and Johnny waved in response.
Inside the commons area of the station, Chet was animatedly recalling the events of the afternoon and evening for Cap, Mike, and Marco. "It was unreal," he said, his eyes wide and his arms waving, "there it was. This dark cloud was hanging down from above, getting closer and closer all the time."
Johnny looked from the doorway over at Roy, who was drinking a cup of coffee, trying, valiantly, not to let the mug shake. He smiled, and Roy grinned back, rolling his eyes toward Chet. Johnny started to laugh quietly when he heard Chet say his name.
"And Johnny," Chet said, becoming more excited, "Johnny just stood there snapping pictures. If Brent hadn't grabbed him when he did, he would have been on his way to meet Dorothy in Oz!"
"Chet!" Johnny said, sternly. But he didn't continue. How can I argue, when Chet's right?
"Well, John," Captain Stanley said, walking toward the stove to refill his mug, "we've heard Chet's fantastic story, what about yours? Do you want to set the record straight?"
"Chet's right," Johnny said, shrugging. "He's right! Every single thing he said really happened."
"Really?" Marco said, disbelieving. Mike just sat at the kitchen table, his jaw hanging down.
"Really," John confirmed. "I wanted to see a tornado, and boy did I get my money's worth. We all did."
"But he still want's to go out again," Roy said, incredulously. He had overheard Johnny and Brent talking as he grabbed his camera bag from the rear of the jeep.
"Are you kidding?" Mike finally spoke. "After all that? You are crazy! In fact, you're certifiable!"
"Maybe, Mike," Johnny muttered, "maybe."
The morning came and the men from Station 51 headed off toward the Olympics grounds. As they exited the cars, Chet commented, "It's only ten a.m. and already I'm sweating."
"It is hot," Cap said, grabbing the bat bag, "and humid. I hope the guys from 36's brought the Gatorade. Let's go find out."
Everyone headed toward the dugout where the men from LACoFD Station 36 were already waiting. In the shade of the dugout it was much cooler, and the guys were all congregated, talking about the storms that had been nearby the night before.
"I heard there was a tornado southwest of here," Josh Johnson was telling his partner, Gary Lawrence. "It destroyed two farmhouses before it lifted back up into the sky."
John heard this and had to ask, "Was anyone hurt?"
Josh waved at the group from 51's. He turned to Johnny and said, "Not seriously. Just cuts and scrapes mainly. They were lucky."
"I'll say," Roy commented, looking directly at Johnny.
"What do ya say we go get some practice in before the game starts?" Cap commented to the men.
The men jogged out to the field and began throwing the softball around, warming up. Before long, a whistle was blown and the game started. The team from Kansas City was very good, and it was a struggle to stay ahead of them. The LA team was one run down at the middle of the last inning.
"Hey, batter, batter," the Kansas City team heckled Johnny, good-naturedly. "Swing, batter, batter."
Johnny squinted in the bright sunshine toward the pitching mound. Poised over home plate, he waited for the pitch to be thrown. Swish. It went by him.
"Strike one," The umpire shouted as Johnny backed away from the plate and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
I can do this, he said to himself, and resumed batting position.
"Strrrrrrrike two," The official roared, watching as the catcher tossed the ball back to the pitcher.
"You can do it, Johnny!" shouted Roy from first base.
"Come on Gage! Hit the ball!" cried Chet as Cap and Marco clapped and whistled from inside the dugout.
I HAVE to do this, Johnny thought. I can't let the guys down. He nervously readied himself to swing; possibly for the last time of the day. He took a deep breath and let it out. Concentrating fully, his eyes never left the ball as it was released from the pitcher's grip. Almost as if in slow motion, Johnny watched the ball move toward him. Wait for it. WAIT FOR IT, his mind screamed as the ball drew nearer. Patience. He began to swing the bat with everything he had. He watched as the bat and ball connected with a resounding pop, and as the ball began to sail far into the outfield.
"Run, Johnny, run!!" screamed Cap, waving his arms frantically.
Johnny shook off the feeling of nirvana he was experiencing and began to run toward first base. He saw Roy running ahead of him, and silently chanted, Go for home, Roy. Go for home. He rounded second base, then third. Johnny realized the tying run had made it home. Yes! But he knew he still had work to do. Glancing toward the outfield, he saw the ball on it's return trip to home plate. With a burst of speed that, years earlier, had earned him the nickname the Galloping Greyhound, Johnny crossed home plate seconds before the softball entered the catcher's mitt.
The men of stations 36 and 51 jumped for joy and ran out to home plate. Roy grabbed Johnny in a friendly bear hug as others patted his back and congratulated him.
"I can't believe you pulled that off!" Josh shouted happily. "Can you believe we made it to the finals?"
"No," Johnny laughed, the reality of it just then sinking in, "No, I can't believe it!!!"
"This is great!" Marco yelled, coming up beside Johnny and Josh.
The men were still ecstatic as they munched on their sandwiches during lunch. Cap tried to reign the men in a bit so they could discuss their strategy for the final game.
"Okay, men," he said, taking a sip of his cola as he walked back to the group. "The other game just finished a little while ago. We play the winner at one o'clock."
"Who won?" Roy asked, already afraid of the answer.
"St. Louis," Cap said, shaking his head in misery.
The group sat in worried silence. St. Louis was the best team playing, and had been every year for six years running. Everyone knew that they would probably make it to the finals, but they had hoped for a miracle.
"Hey," Cap said, becoming cheerleader. "We can do this! All we have to do is concentrate! Let's rest up for the next half-hour, but then let's get a light practice in before the game."
By one o'clock, the humidity was stifling, and any breeze that had been blowing was no where to be found as the men took the field for the final game. The St. Louis team looked ominous as they filled the dugout for the start of the game. Chet took the mound, and began turning the softball, nervously, in his hand.
"Batter up!" the umpire shouted, and the game was in motion.
As the game progressed, the sky began to darken, and the wind picked up, slightly. "Maybe we'll get a little rain to cool things off a bit," Cap said to Roy as they entered the dugout between innings.
"I hope so," Roy said, taking a large gulp from his water bottle.
It was the nearing the end of the fifth inning, and the LA team was one run ahead. Chet was pitching to a St. Louis player the size of Cap, and Roy combined. Earlier in the game, Chet had thrown only one pitch to this player when he hit a home run, and now he was back. Sweat poured from Chet's face and ran down his neck as he sized up the batter. It was the third out, and all of the men were ready for the dugout's shelter from the sun.
"Alright, Chet," Johnny commented from first base. "Strike him out. You can do it."
Chet took a deep breath and started the pitch. As soon as the ball left his hand, he feared he had made a grave error. His heart dropped as he heard the smack of the bat hitting the ball. He gasped as he caught sight of the ball coming straight for him. Chet crouched low and stuck his arm out in front of him. He closed his eyes, in fear of the impact.
The other members of the LA team cheered and hollered, much to Chet's confusion. He stood up straight and realized there was something in his glove. What the hell? he wondered as Johnny came up and slapped his shoulder. I can't believe it! he thought as he looked at the softball in his hand.
"Man, what a play!" Cap said as he reached the pitcher's mound. "Chester B., you made a fantastic save that time."
"Thanks, Cap," Chet commented as he and his friends walked off the field.
"We may just pull this off," Cap said, trying not to get overconfident. "I never knew we could play this well."
"I don't think any of us did," Mike said, grinning. "Can you believe the looks on everyone's faces at home when we show up with that trophy?"
"Now, hold on there a minute," Cap said, sternly. "We haven't won yet. Let's get a few more runs under our belts before we start celebrating. Who's up?"
"I am," Marco said, grabbing a bat. "Wish me luck."
Marco had just gotten to home plate when a rumbling could be heard from a distance. He looked over to the southwest where the clouds had been steadily growing. Thunder, he thought, and hoped they could get the game finished before the storm rolled in.
Brent hopped into the dugout just as Marco took his first swing. Finding Johnny, he asked, "I just got here. How are you doing?"
"Hi," John said, shaking Brent's hand. "We're just starting the sixth, and we're one run up on the other team. You should have seen the save that Chet made."
"Sixth, huh?" Brent said. "You might get the game over with in time."
"In time?" Roy said, grabbing a bat. Marco had struck out and it was Roy's turn to try.
"Yeah, a tornado watch was issued a little bit ago. There's a pretty bad storm brewing south west of here."
"Again?" Chet said, disbelieving. "I guess they weren't kidding when they named this tornado alley."
"Well," Brent said, looking over at Johnny, "there's nothing happening quite yet, but things can change quickly."
Just then they heard a loud pop and looked over toward the game. Roy was sprinting for first and showed no signs of stopping.
"Go, Roy!" Johnny cheered as he realized the ball was way out in right field. "You can make it. Keep running!"
Everyone stood at the edge of the dugout, holding their breath in anticipation. Finally, they collectively exhaled as Roy crossed the plate.
"Woo hoo!" Brent yelled, along with everyone else on the team.
Roy came staggering back to the dugout, slightly out of breath, but smiling from ear to ear. "I can't…believe…I did that." he said, as he collapsed onto the bench. "You're turn…Johnny."
"Okay," John said grabbing his bat.
Neither Johnny or Chet managed to get on base, and the teams began to change over for the bottom of the inning. As Johnny reached his position on first, a louder clap of thunder boomed overhead. Come on, he thought, wait just a few more minutes before you let loose.
Chet had really found his groove since the previous inning, and struck out the first batter in just three pitches. The second batter was tougher, but still Chet overcame him. As the third batter approached the plate Chet heard a crackling sound, and the hair on the back of his neck began to stand up. To his right, a nearby telephone pole was struck by lightning.
The officials immediately called the game due to inclimate weather and everyone began to disperse. Gathering up their equipment, Johnny and Brent kept scanning the sky as the others discussed the outcome of the early ending game.
"What do you think they'll do?" asked Chet. "Do we play the game over, or are we the winners?"
"The officials said they will have to decide on that and will let us know," Cap said, grabbing the water cooler. "I guess we should get back to the station before this storm gets any worse."
Johnny looked over at Brent, a question in his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, come on," Brent grinned. "You can ride with me. Roy? Chet?"
"Not this time," Roy said, dryly. "I had my fill last night."
"I'm in," Chet said, surprising Roy. "I have to admit, it was fun."
Cap just shook his head. "Okay, fellas, but try to be back before seven. Captain Thomas told me of a great restaurant. I thought we could all try it tonight. You too, Watson."
"Thanks, Cap," Brent said, and then added while glancing over at Chet and Johnny, "I'll try to have your children home by curfew."
Cap grinned and waved them off.
"Let's try to get around this one before it does anything, okay?" Brent said as he drove down Interstate 235.
"No problem," Johnny said eagerly. "I don't want to repeat last night, even if it was exciting. Right, Chet?"
Chet nodded and said, "Yeah, that was close enough."
"I agree," Brent said, grinning. He looked down at the scanner and CB. "Do you mind checking the connections on those?" He didn't want to risk losing touch with the chaser networks again. "I think I'll head south on the I-35. We can wait for the storm to pass to our north and then double back."
"Right," Johnny said, scanning the building storm clouds to their west.
Brent drove south of Wichita to the nearest rest area and then they waited, listening to the reports from the Wichita Weather Service, the Sky Watcher group, and the local radio station.
Tones sounded from the scanner at almost the same time the music suddenly halted on the radio.
The National Weather Service - Wichita, has issued a tornado warning for the following location: Sedgwick and Sumner Counties. At four twenty, trained weather spotters sighted a tornado, on the ground, along the Sedgwick and Sumner county line near Viola. The storm was moving northeast at sixteen miles per hour. Persons in the path of this storm should take cover immediately. This is a dangerous storm. If caught outside, leave your --
The radio station interrupted the weather service broadcast with their own severe weather warning tones. Brent turned down the scanner so that they could hear what the disk jockey had to say. As the DJ announced the warning as the weather service had just moments earlier, Brent spoke to Johnny and Chet, "This station has one of the best weather crews in the mid-west. They have mobile units that chase just like we do."
"This is Dan Dillon, in the KFDI weather center," the voice from the radio said. "We have Greg Williams just outside of Viola, in mobile unit five. Greg, what do you see?"
"Dan, we have a large tornado just to my west, moving to the northeast. It's just cleared the Viola area and it is heading toward the southern most part of Wichita. Persons in the vicinity of Derby, Haysville, and Wichita should prepare for this storm. I've never seen a storm quite this violent, and it's showing no signs of ending soon."
"Okay," Brent said, turning down the radio slightly, "we're in business. Let's head back north and see if we can find it." He pulled back into traffic.
Johnny, Chet and Brent continued to monitor the radio, scanner, and CB, which was extremely busy with amateur radio reports. As they neared the interstate exit near Derby, Brent suddenly slammed on the brakes. "Grab your camera!" he yelled as he pointed to the northwest.
Johnny looked over at where Brent was pointing and was amazed to see a large tornado passing over the interstate about a mile in front of them. "That thing is huge!"
"Yeah," Brent said, grimly, "at least an F4."
"F4?" Chet asked, confused.
"On the Fujita scale. Tornadoes are rated, by size, from F1 to F5. F5 is the largest tornado on record."
Johnny noted a lack on enthusiasm from his friend. Not taking his eyes off of the sight before him, he asked, "You okay? You don't seem very excited."
Brent shrugged, "We're too close to town. I'm afraid this monster is going to hit Wichita, full force."
"Oh, man," Chet commented from the back seat. "If this thing hits a highly populated area -" he didn't finish his thought, out loud.
"Yeah," Brent said, quietly. As the tornado completed crossing the highway he began to move the jeep back onto the road. "Let's follow it in."
They reached the turnpike ticket gate and were waived onward by stunned attendants. Two of the four booths had been destroyed by the twister, and the others had been damaged so badly that they were inoperable. As Brent pulled up to the toll area, he rolled down his window and asked, "Anybody hurt?"
The attendant shook her head in disbelief. "No. It's amazing, but no, nobody was hurt." She looked over to the northeast and visibly shuddered, "But the people over there -- God help them."
Brent nodded in agreement as he drove on through the gate. "I don't think we're going to like what we see," he told his companions.
"This is Dan Dillon again," the radio crackled. "We have Greg Williams on the radio once more. Greg what's happening?"
"Dan, I can't believe it, but this thing seems to be growing! It's approaching McConnell Air Force Base at this time, and has already torn through the southern most tip of Wichita. Dan, I swear it's at least a half-mile wide, and showing no signs of stopping. I'm heading east on Harry at this - Shit!" The broadcast ended, abruptly.
Johnny looked from Brent to Chet, shocked. He knew something bad had happened to the man.
"Greg? Greg?" Dan Dillon tried to keep his voice calm. "We seem to have lost our connection with Greg Williams, but we'll try to get him back on in just a moment." The DJ played a public service announcement while he attempted to get his mobile reporter back on the radio.
"What do you think happened?" Chet asked.
"I have no idea," Brent said, "but I'm sure it wasn't good. He turned right at a stop light and headed east. "We'll cut around McConnell Air Force Base and then go north."
As they headed northbound on Rock Road, the mobile reporter finally returned to the airwaves. "Sorry about that, Dan," he said, still noticeably shook, "I had just turned a corner when a softball size hailstone shattered my windshield. I'm back on the road now, and I have to tell you this storm is still gaining intensity. From my vantage point, the tornado is really tearing things up at McConnell. It will be crossing Rock Road in just a matter of minutes. Everyone in southeast Wichita and the Andover area should be in your shelters now."
Brent slowed the vehicle and turned off at the nearest intersection. He looked over, sheepishly, at Johnny. "We're done," he said simply.
"What?" Johnny couldn't believe his ears. "What do you mean? That thing, that monster is right ahead of us."
"Right," Brent said as he shifted in his seat so that he could face both of his passengers. "That tornado is right ahead of us, and it's heading into a highly populated area. There are going to be injuries - lots of them. We need to head back to the station."
Reality hit Johnny like a ton of bricks. He had gotten so caught up in the action that he hadn't realized that his professional services might be called upon. "You're right, Brent, I'm sorry. I just kinda lost my head for a minute. Let's get back and see how we can help."
Brent nodded and then looked over at Chet. "Kelly?"
"I'm with you. These people are going to need all the help they can get."
When they pulled up in front of Station One, they could see a flurry of activity inside the apparatus bay. "B" shift's captain, Bob Jenner, was on duty, so Brent ran up to speak with him.
"Cap?" Brent asked, breathlessly, "I know it's my day off, but could you use -"
"It's nobody's day off anymore," Captain Jenner growled. "Everyone is being called in. Grab your gear and hop aboard any place you can find." He looked over at Chet and Johnny. "Are you with LA?" he asked, hopefully.
"Yes, Cap," Johnny and Chet said, simultaneously.
"Your men left a few minutes ago. You'll ride with us and we'll meet up with them in Andover."
Brent lowered his head. "Pretty bad?" he asked, uncertain if he really wanted to know the answer.
"Yeah, other than McConnell, and a couple of small housing areas, Wichita got lucky. This thing tore right through Andover, though. It's still on the ground, too. It's heading up the turnpike toward El Dorado. Damnedest thing I've ever seen." Captain Jenner looked at Brent and added, "We've been dispatched to help Andover Fire rescue survivors. Look -" he hesitated briefly, "I know you have family there so if you don't -"
"I'm going to help," Brent said forcefully. "I'm sure they're okay."
Captain Jenner scrutinized the paramedic for a moment before patting him on the back. "Okay, get your gear. Get these guys some gear as well." He waved his hand toward Johnny and Chet.
Brent nodded and began walking toward the lockers. Johnny and Chet followed silently, each trying to digest what they had just overheard. As Brent handed a turnout coat to each of them, Johnny quietly asked the question that both Chet and Johnny had been silently curious about.
"You have family in Andover?"
Brent avoided Johnny's gaze, and answered solemnly, "Yeah, two brothers, my mom and my dad. I'm originally from there. Got my start with Andover Fire Department, but they didn't have a paramedic program, so I transferred here."
"I'm sure they'll be okay, man," Chet said, placing his hand on Brent's shoulder.
"Yeah, me too," Brent said, forcing himself to smile. "Let's find our places on that engine before all of the good spots are gone." He turned and walked toward the truck bay without another word.
All three of them had grabbed the railing at the rear of the engine, and held on as the truck wove through the mass of traffic that made up Kellogg Avenue. As they headed east, everything looked normal inside the city of Wichita, proper. As they continued eastward, small anomalies could be seen in the countryside that made up the few miles between the large city and the small suburb of Andover. Pieces of metal, trash, and even uprooted trees looked to have been tossed haphazardly around, as if they were toys.
"Debris," Brent yelled over the roar of the engine. "It can be found miles away from the actual path of a tornado."
"Crazy," was all that Chet could say as he looked around.
As they neared Andover, the scene became much more grizzly. What had once been a nice quiet suburb of twenty-thousand inhabitants, now resembled a war zone. Whole neighborhoods had been flattened, businesses ruined, and, unfortunately by the look of things, lives had surely been lost.
"What in the world?" Johnny said, pointing to a telephone pole at the side of the road. There were objects sticking out of the pole.
"Straw," Brent said, simply. "Tornadoes can do amazing things. I've seen straw embedded in houses, just like it's done with that pole. I've also seen a house lifted into the air, two-by-fours taken out from under it, and then the house placed back down on the foundation as if nothing had happened."
"My God," Chet gasped.
The engine and other trucks continued on through the town. As they progressed, the damage worsened even more. Trees and power poles had been toppled, and the trucks had to weave their way past them to get to their destination. As the trucks turned south into a residential area, Brent gasped.
"What's wrong?" Johnny asked, seeing the shocked expression on his friend's face.
"Up ahead," he said, staring wide-eyed at the area in front of them. "Golden Spur Mobile Home Park. Alex and Kyle live there."
"Your brothers?" Johnny guessed and Brent nodded silently.
As the engine slowed down in front of what used to be the mobile home park, Brent jumped off and began running for his brothers' trailer. Johnny and Chet ran after him, dodging wreckage as they went.
"Brent?" Chet called as he ran.
"Brent!!" Johnny hollered, breathlessly, as he began to chase him, as well.
They caught up with him as he stood before large piles of twisted metal. "This was where their trailer was," he said, his eyes slightly glazed.
"Are you sure?" Johnny asked, looking around. The landmarks that he was sure had once been there, had been toppled and rearranged by the storm.
Brent looked around as well. "Well, I'm…" he paused, and then let out a sigh. "I'm not sure. Everything is so messed up! It may be that one over there." He pointed to the area to their south. He started walking toward it.
"Whoa, man, whoa!" Johnny said, grabbing Brent's arm. "You can't just run off like that. You said it, yourself. We've got work to do." Johnny stared at Brent, trying to get through to him. "Come, on. Let's go see what the Cap wants us to do."
Brent knew that Johnny was right. Defeated, he bowed his head and began following Chet and Johnny back toward the engine.
"Where do you want us, Cap?" Brent asked as he tried to focus on his job.
"I need you guys to check the northern edge of the park for survivors." Captain Jenner said. "Johnny and Chet, your men are already over there checking the gas lines."
"Right, Cap. On our way," Brent said, taking the lead. He headed over to the squad and grabbed the trauma and drug boxes. "Johnny? Can you grab the backboard?"
The three men approached the area where the other men from Station 51 were working. Mike and Marco were busy shutting off ruptured gas lines, as the Cap and Roy checked the rubble for injured people. Chet ran off to help Mike and Marco, as Brent and Johnny met up with Roy.
"What's the count?" Johnny asked as he surveyed the damage surrounding them. The destruction that the storm had caused was massive, and he knew better than to think that nobody had been killed.
Roy wiped the sweat from his forehead and re-adjusted his helmet. "So far, four," he said, "that I know of. That thing just swept through here and they had no place to go. It tossed these trailers around like they were toy cars or something. I've never seen anything like it."
"We'd better get to work," was all that Johnny could think to say. He grabbed Brent and the two of them began to search the trailers on the north side of the road, while Cap and Roy continued to search the ones to the south.
"Anybody in there?" Brent cried into a broken window in the first trailer. "Fire Department! Anybody in there?" He shined his flashlight into the darkened space.
"Brent!" a voice called from a distance. "Brent!" another voice shouted.
Brent heard his name, but was busy at the moment and did not turn to answer. The voices continued to get louder as he pulled away from the trailer. Turning, he almost collapsed in relief as he saw his two brothers walking toward him. "Kyle! Alex!" he yelled as he ran for them.
"Hey, Bro," Kyle said, giving Brent a bear hug.
"You guys okay?" Brent asked, scanning them for injuries.
"Yeah," Alex said, grimacing. "Better than our trailer, that's for sure. It's a gonner."
"Where were you?" he asked, smiling from ear to ear.
"We had gone into Wichita to shop. Alex, here, had a date tonight," Kyle said, looking at his older brother apologetically. "We stopped by Mom and Dad's. They're okay. Just minor damage."
"Thank God," Brent said, exhaling the breath he hadn't known he was holding.
Just then Johnny and Roy walked up beside them. "Brent?" Johnny asked, eyeing the newcomers.
"John! Roy! I'd like you to meet my brothers," he pointed to his siblings. "This is Kyle, and this bearded fella is Alex. They were in Wichita when the storm hit. Mom and Dad are okay, too." Brent was absolutely beaming.
"That's great!" Johnny exclaimed, slapping Brent on the back. "And you wanted to go tearing through that rubble, looking for them."
"You did?" asked Alex. He had always been proud of what his brother did for a living.
"Yeah," Brent said, embarrassed. He kicked the dust beneath his feet.
"Well," Roy said and cleared his throat, "speaking of rubble. We had better get back to work."
"You're right," Brent said, turning to his brothers. "You guys had probably get back to the folks' place. I'll drop by after I'm released from here. Give Mom and Dad a hug for me, okay?"
"Sure, Bro," Kyle said, hugging his brother again before leaving.
"I'm really glad they're okay," Johnny said as he and Brent watched Kyle and Alex leave.
"Me too," Brent said. "Now which trailer is next?"
The men continued to check trailer after trailer. Some were empty and, unfortunately, some were not. Roy was just placing a blanket over yet another body when he heard Johnny cry out.
"I need some help over here! I think I've found something!" Johnny crawled into a small opening at the end of one trailer.
Roy and Brent rushed over to assist. Leaning into the opening, Roy could just make out Johnny's two legs as he crawled toward the other end of the trailer. "Whatcha got?"
"I'm not sure yet," answered Johnny. "When I looked in the opening, I could have sworn I saw some movement in here." Something fell, causing a loud clatter. "Damn!" Johnny swore.
"You okay in there?" Roy asked, anxiously.
"Yeah," came the painful reply. "Everything is turned topsy-turvy in here. A flower pot just beaned me. I'm fine." A moment later he spoke again, excitedly, "I've found her! She's alive! Hang on, I'm going to bring her out!"
"Okay!" answered Roy. "Brent, can you get the backboard?"
"Sure. Be right back."
Roy waited impatiently for his partner and his patient to reach the opening. Come on, Junior.
Brent returned with the backboard and c-collar just as Johnny poked his head out of the opening. "She's unconscious. I'll hand her out to you from here."
"Okay, we're ready," Roy said, as Johnny began to pass the patient to them.
Roy and Brent placed the victim on the backboard and began to strap her in as Johnny stuck his head back out of the trailer. "She was trapped under some furniture so it wasn't her that I saw moving. I'm going to go back in and take another look, okay?"
"Sure, Johnny," Roy said as he and Brent picked up the backboard. "We'll take her to the triage area and be right back."
"Okay," Johnny said as he turned and started searching the trailer again. Okay, now where are you? Johnny rummaged around each room in search of what had originally caught his eye. Reaching the laundry room, at the rear of the trailer, Johnny noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Not wide enough for anyone to get in, but.. Pushing with all of his weight, Johnny managed to get the door open wide enough for him to slip inside.
Once inside the small room, Johnny heard a soft whimpering coming from the corner. Climbing over laundry soapboxes and dirty clothing, Johnny reached the source of the noise. "Why, hi there, fella," he said as he reached for the scruffy little dog that was huddled amongst the laundry. "You did a great job rescuing your master, you know that?" He scratched the small creature behind the ears. "Hmmm…looks like you're alright. What's your name?" Johnny reached for the tag attached to the dogs red collar. Reading the name inscribed on it, Johnny laughed out loud. "Toto!" he exclaimed. "Well, Toto, looks like you survived yet another twister." He pulled the dog tighter to his chest and began to slowly made his way back to the opening.
As he neared the opening, an explosion rocked the trailer. Covering Toto, Johnny lay still until the shaking had ceased.
Brent and Roy had just finished dropping off their patient at the triage area when the explosion almost knocked them off their feet. Looking around, they saw that a mobile home was totally engulfed in flames. It was the trailer next to the one Johnny was in.
Cap yelled frantically, "The gas line's ignited! It's setting off a chain reaction!"
"Johnny!" Roy screamed as he ran toward the trailer. "Get out! It's gonna blow!" Brent sprinted after him.
Johnny had heard Cap's warning, but not Roy's. He had a sinking suspicion that things had quickly gone from bad to worse, so he grabbed Toto and shoved the little dog toward the opening. Crawling behind the dog, Johnny prodded the animal until they were at the exit. Suddenly the trailer began to shake again. Oh, God! Johnny's mind screamed as he realized what was happening. Grabbing Toto, he threw the dog out of the hole, intending on following it out only seconds later. He never made it.
The explosion tore the trailer apart. The roar was almost deafening to the two paramedics that had been only yards away. Chet and Marco advanced toward the flames with a hose as Captain Stanley helped Roy and Brent back to their feet.
"You guys alright?" he asked.
Brent tapped his ears, trying to stop the ringing. "Yes, sir. But --" he looked toward the flames.
"But," Roy finished, "Johnny was in there."
"Toto? Toto?" Johnny called as he slowly opened his eyes. Damn, I hope that dog made it out okay. His hopes were answered as he felt the dog lick his face, repeatedly. "Hey, pooch!" Johnny said, smiling, "I guess we both made it." He patted the dog, lightly, on the head and then began to sit up.
Looking around, Johnny worried that maybe he had spoken too soon. Gone were the signs of the terrible devastation the tornado had left in its wake. Gone was the emergency equipment and the crews. Gone were Roy, Chet, Marco, Mike, Cap, and Brent. Johnny suddenly had a sick feeling in his stomach, and muttered, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
He stood and looked around him, warily. Everything is so bright, so…colorful, he thought. "I wonder where we are?" he spoke aloud. Toto just looked up at him and barked. He trudged through the field in which he was standing, in search of somebody to ask.
After walking for quite a distance, Johnny decided to rest for a moment. His head was throbbing. Stupid flowerpot. He had just sat down in the soft grass when he heard a voice from the cornfield.
"Hey, you!" the voice said as Johnny looked around for the source. "Yeah, you! Geesh, what are you? Some kind of foreigner? I'm right over here!"
Johnny's eyes narrowed as he looked at where the voice was coming from. No, it can't be. It's not possible! He walked over to take a closer look.
"What are you staring at?" a tall scarecrow with a wide grin asked, annoyed. "Haven't you ever seen a scarecrow before?"
Johnny swallowed hard before speaking. "Umm…not one that talks."
"Really?" the scarecrow asked. "We all talk around here. If there's a reason to talk. You must not be from around here. Where are you from?"
"California," Johnny stated, still finding it hard to believe he was carrying on a conversation with a man made out of straw.
"Oh! That explains a lot," the scarecrow said, receiving a dirty look from Johnny. "Hey! Can you help me down from here? My back is killing me!"
Johnny looked behind the scarecrow and released him from the pole he was hanging from. Why not? He seems harmless enough.
"Thanks!" the scarecrow said, rearranging his stuffing. "So, are we going now, or what?"
"WE?" Johnny asked, confused yet again, "Going?"
"Yeah," the scarecrow said, slightly miffed. "Don't you know I'm supposed to keep you company? Foreigners can get into a lot of trouble around here."
"You are?" Where's the aspirin bottle when you need it? Johnny thought as his headache worsened.
"Well, sure! Don't you know anything?" the scarecrow said, getting impatient. "And I'm the one that's not supposed to have a brain! Come on!" He grabbed Johnny's arm and yanked him on down the pathway.
The scarecrow continued to pull Johnny along for almost an hour. Finally, the sun beginning to set in the west, they came upon a small forest. As they entered, they heard a voice.
"Hey! Get over here, you two."
Johnny and the scarecrow looked over to their right and saw what looked to be a man made completely out of tin. Advancing toward him, Johnny was amazed to see that the man was carrying a fireman's pick-axe and was wearing a helmet with a stripe down the center.
"Finally!" the tin-man said, as they neared. "I didn't think you'd ever get here! Geesh, it seems like there's always one that's late."
Johnny stood with his jaw hanging. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. He was brought out of his stupor by a jab to his side.
"Psst," the scarecrow said, annoyed again. "You're supposed to put that oil on him so he can move."
"Oh! Right. Sorry!" Johnny said, and then added defensively, "I knew that!"
Johnny began to pour the oil onto the tin-man and the tin-man began to move his arms and legs around, stiffly. Suddenly the tin-man began backing away from him, rubbing at his eyes, frantically.
"What's wrong?" Johnny asked, confused.
The tin-man sighed as he wiped the oil out of his eyes. "What's wrong? What's wrong is you blinded me, you twit!"
"Uh…sorry," Johnny said, having the strangest feeling of deja vu.
The tin-man shook his head. "Let's get on with this, shall we? We still have a distance to go before we run into, you know who." He took off walking.
"You know who?" Johnny asked, but was ignored by the tin-man and scarecrow.
He and Toto followed them for about a half an hour. Forget aspirin. I need morphine! Johnny thought, rubbing his eyes. They were deep into the woods by then, and the sun had set, leaving it very dark and eerie in the forest.
Running to catch up, Johnny asked, "Guys? How much longer do we have to go?"
"Not far," the tin-man said, not looking back at him. "It should happen any time now."
"What should?" Johnny asked. But before anyone could answer him a figure jumped out from behind a tree.
"Roar," the lion said, unconvincingly.
The tin-man and scarecrow just sighed. Toto tried to lick the lion's paw. Johnny didn't even react, having become numb to the whole situation.
"Roar?" the lion tried again, hesitantly. He looked at everyone and shrugged. "No good, huh?" he asked the tin-man.
"Nope," the tin-man said, apologetically. "I'm sorry, Pal, but you're just not scary enough."
"I know, I know," the lion said, ashamed. "I've let you all down, again. I'm not worthy to wear this mane."
"It's okay, lion," the scarecrow said, placing his arm around the lion's shoulder. "We know you tried. You've got to stop feeling so guilty about this."
"I can't!" the lion said, softly. "It's my job. What if I make a mistake and I end up hurting somebody? What then?"
"Excuse me," Johnny interrupted, "but can we get on with this? I'm worn out!"
The scarecrow turned to face Johnny and said, "Just find a place to bed down. We'll be spending the night out here. Then, we'll take off early in the morning."
Johnny looked around for a soft place to lay down. "Take off for where?"
"You'll see, Pal," the tin-man said, laying his pick-axe on the ground beside him.
"If we make it through the night, that is," the lion said, adding, "Lord knows I'm no guard-lion."
Johnny eyed the talking feline suspiciously for a moment before closing his eyes and falling into a fitful sleep. He awoke shortly thereafter, hearing a strange noise. It sounded like voices coming from above. Voices that seemed to be arguing.
"Listen to me," one voice said in a harsh whisper. "I know what I'm doing! How many pranks have I pulled off over the years?"
"Many," the other voice whispered, "but somehow you almost always get caught, and I get in trouble right along with you. Do you want to have to clean the bathroom for the rest of your life? I don't."
"The phantom is afraid of nothing," the first voice said, indignantly. "Are you going to help out?"
"No way," the second voice said. "I'll just stay right here in this tree and watch."
"Okay! Your loss." The first voice said, preparing to jump.
Johnny's eyes opened wide as he saw a large flying creature swoop down toward him. "What the -" he began and then gasped as cold water was thrown on him. "Hey! Get away from me!" He swatted at the flying monkey that was tormenting him.
"Bwa ha ha," the creature laughed as he dropped another water bomb on his victim.
"Help! Help!" Johnny sputtered, shaking the water from his hair. He continued to wave his arms back and forth, frantically, trying to keep the creature away.
"Roar," the lion said toward the monkey. While not particularly frightening, the sound did manage to catch the creature off guard just enough so that he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ow," the monkey said, landing hard on his backside.
The lion rushed over toward the monkey and extended his hand. "I am so sorry!" he said, helping the monkey to stand, "I didn't mean to make you fall."
"I didn't mean to make you fall," Johnny said, sarcastically. "What did you mean to do? Weren't you going to help me?"
"Sure," the lion said, apologetically, "but I didn't want to hurt him."
Johnny shook his head and winced as the headache came back with a vengeance. Forget Morphine. Just put me out of my misery! He laid back down and covered his eyes with his arm.
The other monkey decided it was time to get his partner out of trouble, so he swooped down from his perch. Grabbing the other monkey's wing, he yanked, hard.
"Ow," the monkey complained again. "That hurts!"
"You're gonna hurt worse if we don't hurry back to the castle. I've got to cook breakfast this morning. Eggs and Chili. They're goooooood."
The monkey looked at his friend and hung his head. "I was just trying to have some fun," he said as he was pulled into the air and slowly flew away.
"I shouldn't have scared him like that," the lion said, miserably, as he curled up on the pine needle covered ground.
"It's okay, lion," the scarecrow said, sympathetically. "You didn't mean it."
"I know, but I still feel guilty."
"And, I'm feeling grumpy," the tin-man said from his sleeping area. "Can we get back to sleep, now?"
"Yes, sir," the lion said, quietly. "Sorry, sir," he added as they all went back to sleep.
The following morning, they all took off for their, at least to Johnny, unknown destination. Even though the bright sunshine wasn't helping his headache, Johnny could more easily scrutinize the pathway that they had been taking. Johnny groaned. This can't be happening! No way! But the facts were undeniable. He was walking down the yellow brick road with a scarecrow, a tin-man, and a very guilty lion.
"We're almost there!" the scarecrow said, excitedly, as they rounded a bend. "I can see it! It looks so - beautiful."
"Thank god," the tin-man said. "Let's hurry so this twit can go home."
"Go home?" Johnny asked, making sure they were talking about him. "Is that where you're taking me? Home?"
"Not exactly," the lion said, tugging at his whiskers. "But the Wizard might be able to get you there."
The pieces of the puzzle finally started falling together for Johnny. "Wizard? We're in Oz? Really?" Why didn't I think of this before? Gee, Johnny, you really ARE dense sometimes.
The scarecrow laughed loudly. "Where did you think you were? Wonderland? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you ain't Alice."
"Oz," Johnny said in wonder, and then started rambling. "This is amazing! I didn't know this place really existed! I can't wait to tell Roy!" He stopped, realizing he still had a problem. "I've got to see the Wizard before I can go home?" he asked the others.
The tin-man, scarecrow, lion, and even Toto nodded at him.
"Then what are we waiting for?" he shouted as he took off down the yellow brick road. "Come on!"
When he reached the gate of the Wizard's castle, he paused. Come on Johnny, remember the movie. How do you get in? Think! Think!
The others had caught up to him by this point, and waited for him to make his move. The tin-man, clearly tired of the "twit" as he called Johnny, advanced toward the gate and knocked loudly - three times. He rolled his eyes at Johnny as he retreated back to the others.
The door swung slowly open and the crew walked inside. Johnny looked around, searching for the Wizard. All he saw, was Mike Stoker. "Mike?" he said, confused. Now, I know I haven't seen the movie in a while, but I sure as Hell don't remember Stoker being in it!
"Yes, Johnny?" Mike said, walking closer to him. "What's up?"
"What's up?" Johnny began to rub his pounding head. "What are you doing here? I came looking for the Wizard."
Mike laughed. "I am the Wizard, Johnny."
"You're the Wizard?" Johnny was shocked. It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.
"Sure!" Mike said, his chest puffing out. "Why did you come to see me?"
"Ummm…" Johnny paused. God this is embarrassing. "do you know how I can get home?"
Mike pondered for a moment. "Gee, Johnny, that's a tough one. I'm not sure I can help you." Mike snapped his fingers as he came up with an idea. "Hey! Maybe Dixie can help!"
Johnny's headache reached an all time high on the pain scale. Using both hands, he massaged his temples as he asked, "Dixie's here too?"
"Sure I am, Johnny," Dixie said, softly.
Johnny opened his eyes and looked toward the voice. There, standing just a few feet from him, was Dixie. She was dressed in a sequined nurse's uniform and a bejeweled cap. In her hand she waved a glistening magic wand with the star of life on one end.
"Dix?" he whispered, as she flashed him a bright smile. "Can you get me home?"
"No," she said sadly, "not to California, but you can get yourself back to Kansas."
"I can? How?"
"Johnny, you've always had the power to get back. You just never knew it. Look down at your feet."
Johnny, confused and overwhelmed by the events of the last day and a half, just stared at her. Dixie waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention - finally succeeding.
"Johnny! Look down!" she ordered and pointed at his feet.
Johnny looked down and was amazed to find his boots were covered with shiny rubies. "How did I get these?" he asked.
"Magic," Dixie said, simply. She waved the magic wand around in the air, and winked. "When you're ready to go, I'll tell you the magic words to get back to Kansas. Now, say your good-byes."
"Don't they get their wishes too?" Johnny asked, suddenly remembering another part of the movie.
"What wishes?" Stoker asked. "This is your Oz, not Dorothy's. Each one is a little different."
The tin-man advanced toward Johnny and extended his hand. "Time to say goodbye, you twit," he said, all maliciousness being replaced with a kind, almost fatherly attitude. He shook Johnny's hand, and then turned away.
Cap? Johnny thought he recognized him. No. It couldn't be.
The scarecrow was next. Grinning widely, he patted Johnny on the back. "Been nice knowing ya!" he said. "You're not too bad, for a foreigner." He, too, turned and walked away.
Brent? Oh man, I'm losing my mind! Johnny shook his head again as the lion came walking toward him.
"Well, be careful back home," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll be worrying about ya, Junior." The lion gave Johnny a friendly hug and then turned away.
Roy!! Johnny's mind yelled. Oh my god! You're Roy! And those monkey things were Marco and Chet! He turned to say something to the crew, but they had all disappeared, including Mike. Only Dixie remained.
"Are you ready to go back?" She said, placing her hand upon his arm.
"Yeah," Johnny said, suddenly feeling all alone. "I'm ready."
"Okay, now Johnny. All you have to do is click your boots together, and keep repeating, 'There's no place like home.' Got it?" she asked.
"Got it," Johnny said concentrating on the line. He looked up and realized that even Dixie was gone, and Toto too. Sighing, he looked back at his boots. He kicked his heels together, and began to repeat, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home…"
"There's no place like home. There's no place like home," Johnny mumbled over and over, drifting in and out of consciousness. "There's no place like home."
"Johnny," Roy said, softly. "Come on, Pal, wake up."
Johnny suddenly stopped reciting the mantra and slowly opened his eyes. "Auntie Em?"
"Johnny!" Roy said, sternly.
Johnny became more alert at that tone of voice. "Roy?" he whispered, almost afraid to believe it.
"Yeah, Partner. It's me." Roy smiled, relieved that his friend was finally conscious. "You gave us quite a scare."
"What happened?" Johnny asked, still a little confused.
"You don't remember?" Roy asked, grinning. "That mobile home you were in exploded. But you were lucky. You've got a moderate concussion, some minor burns, and a couple of broken ribs, but other than that, you're okay. You've been unconscious for almost two days, though. You had me worried."
Just then there was a knock and the hospital room door opened up. Brent walked in, carrying a duffel bag. Chet, Marco, Mike and Hank followed him inside the room.
"Hey, John," Marco said, smiling, "you look much better than last time I saw you."
"Yeah," Chet agreed, but quickly added, "but he's still frightening."
Brent walked over to Johnny's bedside. "You sure scared us."
Johnny was silent, still trying to figure out what Roy had said. "Unconscious for two days? No! I went somewhere," his memories were quickly fading, " I'm not sure where, exactly, but, Roy, it was so strange!"
The group surrounding Johnny looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "Johnny. Take it easy, man. What are you talking about?" Cap asked.
"This place! It was gorgeous -- so full of color. I had never seen a place as beautiful as this one. But it was scary too. It had this spooky forest, and flying monkeys, and…" he suddenly remembered more, "and you were there," he looked at Marco, "and you," he looked at Chet, "and you, and you, and you, and you!" he said, pointing to Mike, Cap, Roy and Brent. "Even Dixie was there!"
"Dixie?" Roy commented, shaking his head.
"Sure, Dorothy," Cap commented, trying not to smile, "whatever you say."
Everyone in the room laughed, heartily, much to Johnny's dismay. "But it was so real!"
"I'm sure it was at the time, Johnny," Roy said, still smirking, "but it was all a dream."
Johnny wasn't convinced of that, but also wasn't willing to take any more heckling from his friends, so he gave in and nodded. "So what have I missed, while I was…out?" he asked, sullenly.
"Oh, not much," Roy said, "we continued the rescue work and Andover is slowly getting back to normal. It's going to be a long time, though, before the people here get over what has happened."
Johnny sighed. He knew that things like this could take years to forget, if ever. "What about the Firefighter's Olympics? Did they ever decide what to do about the canceled game?"
"Yeah, they did," said Brent as he opened up the duffel bag he was carrying. "Would you believe --" he pulled a large trophy out of the bag.
"No!" Johnny gasped, disbelieving. "We won?"
"Yep," said Mike. "The officials said the game was close enough to completion that they automatically made us the champions."
"Wow!" Johnny said, eyeing the trophy. "Wait until they see this back at home!"
"Speaking of which," Roy said, "the doctor's said they would release you tomorrow afternoon. Don't you think it's time we got back to LA?"
"Yes, Definitely," Johnny said, nodding his head.
Brent feigned an expression of hurt. "What? You're tired of Kansas already? I thought you liked the excitement here."
Johnny grimaced before saying, "No offense Brent. I mean, it's a nice place to visit, but, there's no place like home."
Authors Note:
On April 26, 1991, a tornado touched down in rural Sedgwick County, Kansas. Ranking an F5 on the Fujita tornado intensity scale, this devastating twister tracked just south of Wichita, cut through McConnell Air Force Base, and flattened the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park in Andover - a town east of Wichita in Butler County. It was just one of four tornadoes that touched down in Kansas that day.
Fifteen of the nineteen storm related deaths in Kansas, that day, occurred in the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park. Sedgwick and Butler Counties were the hardest hit. A total of 1,728 homes were damaged or destroyed by the tornadoes, including the destruction of most of the 241 mobile homes in the Golden Spur Mobile Home Park in Andover.
I had a friend who, at the time of the tornado, was working as a reserve officer with the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office. She was assigned to patrol the mobile home park to keep looters away from the devastating scene. After pacing back and forth in front of the area for many hours, she was relieved to go home and rest. Once at home, she was notified by her mother, that her father and brother had been visiting friends, and were two of the deceased that had been removed from the park. This story is a tribute to her family, and her courage during that trying time. Luvs ya, Kris, wherever you are!
Thanks to Gwen, Wendy, Wanita, Mary, and Christine for their suggestions and support. You guys are all the greatest!
Editor's note: This story was originally an answer to challenge #15 which first appeared on this site, then moved to Roo's and is soon to be placed with the other retired challenges at the E! story archives. This story was so absolutely outstanding that I got permission to post it here on this site instead. Fabulous job, Gina!
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