I Hid in My Storm Shelter During the Tornado. But I Wasn’t Alone...
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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What happens when a teenager hides in a storm shelter during a tornado?
I used to believe that. The sirens had been wailing for a good ten minutes before my phone rang. It was my dad, voice tight with urgency. Get to the shelter, baby, now! I thought it was going north, I said, glancing out the window. The sky looked like wet concrete, bruised purple and green at the edges. He was scared. The clear, concise directions were always a dead giveaway with him. I'm held up here at the rig, but I'll be there quick as I can. I love you, sweetie. I grabbed my charger, a couple bottles of water, and the old canvas emergency bag we always kept by the garage door. It was heavy and dusty, and had our last name written across the top in faded black sharpie. The shelter was out back, just past the tool shed.
One of those concrete bunkers varied halfway underground with a slanted steel door. I hated going down there even on nice days. Musty, dark, always a spider crawling around. But I was 17, home alone, and didn't want to die an Okie's death. So I bolted through the rising wind, heart pounding, and ducked inside just as the first fat drops of rain smacked the ground like pebbles. The little stairs were steeper than I remembered. The soles of my worn-out converse made it difficult to navigate the slippery metal bars. I jumped down off the last step. The room felt smaller than the last time I had been there. I pulled the door shut and cranked the latch until it locked with the shutter of metal on metal. I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight.
The beam cut a white circle across the floor, catching on dirt and old spiderwebs. I went to the middle of the shelter and grabbed the little metal chain that hung from the ceiling and gave it a tug. The single bulb lit up. Only then did I notice him. He crouched in the far corner next to an old army cot, knees tucked up to his chest like a kid in Time Out. I froze. He didn't move either, just sat there, eyes glued to me. Sorry, he said finally, his voice soft, almost apologetic. I saw the sky go green and I didn't know where else to go. I didn't mean to scare you. I was too stunned to speak at first. I just stood there, clutching the canvas bag like a shield. My truck broke down a few miles up the road, he said.
I was walking when the sirens went off. I saw your shelter and just went for it. Figured no one was home. Okay, I said, still not stepping closer. Look, I can leave if you want. He shifted slightly. I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything. no it's fine the words tumbled out of my mouth unsure thin and regretted immediately the wind held outside and the sound of something heavy clanging against the shed made me jump i moved to the opposite corner of the shelter setting my bag down and plugging my phone into a wall socket dad had installed there was no signal there never was down here though He didn't say anything else for a while. I kept sneaking glances at him. He looked normal, at least for around here.
Maybe late thirties, scruffy, like he'd just walked off a job site. A little pudgy, jeans and a flannel shirt, muddy boots. When the wind picked up and the shelter walls trembled faintly, he finally broke the silence.
You here alone?
Alone suddenly felt like a word I'd misunderstood my whole life. Dust sifted down from the ceiling like a gentle rain. The particles danced in the dull, yellow light. I hesitated. My dad's just up the road. He's coming soon. I lied. Dad and his crew were rigged up in Wilitka. Even if he left as soon as we hung up, he wouldn't be here for a while. He smiled, and something about it made my skin crawl.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:37
2
What happens when a teenager hides in a storm shelter during a tornado?
0:37–9:38
3
Who is the stranger found in the storm shelter?
9:38–12:10
4
What unsettling truths does the stranger reveal?
12:10–16:49
5
How does the protagonist react to the stranger's presence?
16:49–17:51
6
What items does the protagonist find in the emergency bag?
17:51–19:34