Pop: Chapter Eighteen

     "Dammit!" Addie curses.  "I forgot to update the settings after the layover in Nashville.  We were so pressed for time, I must have missed it.  Chris, where are the other notifications for the watch?"

    Gotta love a woman who swears in front of your family, friends, and her family.

    "There was a notification for a storm watch.  It was issued about the same time I finished the call with my mother.  I must have missed it while I was hanging up the call."

    When your fiancé is a meteorologist, having a weather alert app on you phone is mandatory. A 'bing' chimes as I get more details.

    "And the storm watch was just upgraded to a tornado watch for most of central Kentucky.  Looks like the storm is just over the county line in Woodford, maybe some in Scott, heading this way.  I'm guessing the storm will be here in about fifteen minutes.  Maybe less."

    "How bad does it look?  We should be getting out of here, now, even if it doesn't look that bad yet." Addie asks.

    "There's red on the radar.  Maybe some purple."

    "Okay, downstairs. NOW!  We don't have time to wait."  Addie takes charge.

    I grab the last of the caterers before she follows her crew mates out of the room.

    "Are you still set up in the basement level?"

    "Yes!  We need to get out of here now."  She breaks my grip and flees the room.

    "Quick.  Let's get you too the elevator and down to safety."  Mitch begins to push my Dad into his wheelchair.

    "NO!" me and Addie yell as one.  The lights flicker to add emphasis.

    "You can't take an elevator in these conditions.  You'll have to take the stairs."

    "Good thing I brought the basic model tonight.  The motorized one would not make it."  my Dad says as he gets out of the chair and begins walking to the door.  "Carry my chair and I'll use it whenever I need a break.  Some of you can carry me if we need to speed things along, but I don't think it will come to that."

    "You go on ahead.  I have to find Jim and Cathy.  They could be in trouble." Will kisses his wife before he starts to run off.  "Take care."

    "I'm coming too.  I have to find Sam as well.  Addie, please look after my father for me."

    "Chris, Will, you two can't go running off in a possible tornado like this."  Addie pleads.

    "Don't worry.  We'll hurry.  I'll be back you in the basement in a few minutes." I kiss Addie to stop her from saying anything else.

    "I'm coming too," Pete adds.  "Three people should cut the time down a lot."

    Rick and his wife look at each other, guiltily, for a few seconds.

    "I'll go too.  I've helped my dad with searches over the years.  I know the routines for searching, so we'll get them found even faster."

    "That's good, Rick.  Let's help everyone to the stairs so we can start looking."

    We lead the group out of the room and over to the fire stairs just across the hall, to the left of the elevator banks.  Dad is in his chair to rest up as long as he can before he has to walk.  Will and Pete peel off to search the other spots on the floor, while Rick gets the rest of the party to the stairs.  There's no sign of the caterers.  They must already be in the basement by now.  The lights keep flickering, even with the storm still a ways off.  How bad is it going to be if there's already electrical problems this far away?