Oncoming Storm

Chapter 1

It's a hot muggy day smack dab in the middle of an Oklahoma summer. Life in western Oklahoma is a simple one; get up, go to work, go home, and repeat. Life as a storm photographer though, is a bit more exciting. I found myself parked on the edge a massive storm system with a excellent view of towering cumulonimbus clouds that were heading my way. I could see the wall of rain approaching, slow but steady, I had plenty of time to take some pictures then get out of the way.

Inhaling the smell of rain I got out of my jeep, and started lining up shots. If I could manage to get a few pictures of a lightning strike that would be amazing, and would please the boss. A happy boss is always a good thing.

The cb made a squawking sound, "Rikki, you ahead of this thing? It looks like it's ramping up speed. It's gonna get pretty ugly." Speak of the devil, my boss Kent chimed his warning over the radio. He's a worry wart, he comes by it honestly though. He got shot in the foot during the war, which one i'm not sure, and ever since then he's been able to predict when a storm will show. His foot is better than the weathermen.

I snapped a few more pictures, and grabbed the radio. "Hey, i'm in front, don't worry. I'll high-tail it out in a minute." He was right though, It was moving fast. Just one more picture... It was at that point I managed to get a picture of a lightning bolt. If the hair on my arms weren't standing up I'd probly be dancing about it, but seeings as that was less than a mile from me I'm going to leave now.

I hopped in my still running jeep and sped off down a narrow dirt road. I could see a wall of water behind me. It wasn't to long until that wall of water was in front of me and all around. Then came the hail. It was sideways hail, that was weird.

"Rikki! Intense rotation in your area, get out now!" Kent's voice came in on the cb, it was nearly drowned out by the hail and rain that was pelting my car. That explains the hail, I thought as I looked In my rear-view mirror. I saw a power line fall, then another, then another right behind me. Flooring the gas I tried to outrun the falling poles. My jeep might be four-wheel drive but one of those would high center me.

The poles kept falling closer, the hail was getting bigger, the wind was getting faster. Well this is a real cluster. There's a turn a few miles up that leads to a black top, if i can get to that I'm safe. The thought of safety was extinguished when a pole dropped and hit the back of the car, knocking me sideways then completely onto the side. I crawled to the backseat, it was weird seeing it from this angle. Windows broke, hail and rain came flooding in. I looked up through the passenger window and saw the rotation Kent was talking about. 

"Shit!" I exclaimed, "I can't outrun this thing. Son of a bitch... I don't wanna do this." With the hail as big as baseballs and a tornado on my tail I was out of options. Damned with the consequences. I took a deep breathe and tried to block out the noise of the storm. Centering myself the best I could. I pictured my home, the basement to be exact. Finding the core part of me that made me different than others, I summoned the magic to my hand. It tingled & hurt, like when your foot falls asleep and you try to wake it up. I reached it toward the mud that was through the broken side window, slapping my hand on the ground I said "Hinc mihi" and was out the jeep, presumably before it got eaten by the tornado.

"Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow." It was calm and quiet, I could hear the echos of my speech just fine. Opening my eyes, which hurt, I saw the comforting space of my basement. It worked. Backwards summoning yourself is no easy thing, it hurts like hell and makes your tiny blip on the demonic radar light up like a shiny new bulb. That's why I was in my basement, I had wardings that would keep me off the profile until the effects wore off.

I was taught that in the wide world of demons, they have a sort of internal radar system. Everyone in the world is on it, the ones that don't believe in them are the dullest of light. The people that play around with occult things and ouija boards are the brightest. That is next to people who can summon them. Which is me. I just happen to have found out how to backwards summons them without sending them to hell, and myself, by accident one day. Since then I've learned everything i can about wardings and protection spells. I even have a few runes of protection tattooed on each wrist and foot.

The thing that puts the summoners on the radar, I think, is the use of the magic within. Once that magic goes back inside where ever it stays we pop off the grid like we  never existed. It usually takes six or eight hours, doesn't seem to long, but when you have the potential to become a slave to some demon who wants your mojo, it feel like an eternity.

I stood up, popping all the cricks from my back and legs as I did so. I should probably call Kent, let him know I'm good. I have a landline down here for emergencies such as this one. Dialing him up I relaxed into the sound of the soft rings through the phone.

"Yeah?" He answered gruffly. 

I smiled, he was such a grumpy old man. "Hey boss. Just wanted you to know I'm alive." I said.

"Rikki! Blaire! Strike! I just got a call from a guy who said he saw a jeep fly by his house and it looked like one of my employee's! Where the hell are you?!" I had to hold the phone away from my ear he was yelling so loud.

"Aww shucks boss, I didn't know you cared that much." Goading him was a fun past-time of mine.

"Rikki."

"I'm at home, in my basement." I sighed. "So my jeeps a goner huh?"

He knew what me being in my basement meant, Kent was one of the few people who knew what i could do.

A few moments of silence was broken by his own sigh. "Well, I"m glad your safe. As for the jeep, it's most likely seen better days but the guy said it landed on its feet." A few more moments of silence, "Hope you managed to bring your camera back with you this time." Click. 

Looking at the phone, "Well bye to you too." After I hung up, I went to my makeshift bathroom area. Looking in the mirror was a bad idea. Mud caked every part of me, except the hand I'd used to get me here. I stepped into the small standing shower, clothes and all, and let the warm water rinse away all the stress from my little adventure had caused. 

I plopped the wet nasty clothes into the hamper, grabbed a towel, and began to dry off. I have a dresser full of sweatpants and shirts for this very occasion. 

Cleaned and dressed I went to the mini fridge I had in the corner, and pulled out a bottle of rum and a glass bottle coca-cola. I mixed myself up a nice drink, a little tv would be ok right now, not in the mood for reading really. I turned the tv on, and laughed. I had turned it on to the opening scene of the movie Twister. 

"I'm going to need more rum for this."