I woke up in Tyler's bed -- in his arms, and it's like no time has passed at all. The feeling in the air hangs so lightly, no uneasiness or... regret. My shoulders aren't tense like they usually are and all I want is to stay in the warmth of his arms with my face rested against his bare chest.

But I know I have to get up. So, slowly, as ninja-like as I can, I slip out of his arms. Though, I can't even make it off of the bed before his hand clutches mine and pulls me back into his cologne-infiltrated embrace. Which, may be partially my fault as I was no longer nearly as sneaky as I had been years ago when Tyler and I first started dating. Then, I could leave and have him not knowing until he woke up two hours after.

I feel the rumble of his hum, and then the quickened sound of his heartbeat slowing down as he holds me tighter against him and the chain wrapped around his neck. "Some things never change."

His voice is so quiet and breathy, almost raspy as he snuggles his nose deeper into the side of my face, inhaling the scent of my shampoo while his strong veiny arms hold my middle tight against him, like he's afraid if I go he'll never see me again.

"Dallas Meadows tryin' to sneak out on me." His voice is gruff now, the warmth of his breath right up against my ear, ticking the piercings that decorate it.

I chuckle, trying again to push past the cage he's made with his muscled arms but ultimately fail. "It's almost noon. We should get goin' if we want to catch that EF5."

"It's that late already?" His eyes are still closed so he obviously isn't too concerned about it. He lets out a low sound of disagreement, almost like a grumble. "Whatever. It can wait."

I flip over, breaking through the (not so bad) cage that was his arms, looking at him in complete disbelief, my eyebrows raised as I look up at his half-awake face. "Seriously? You're going to pass up an EF5?"

He smiles, even with his eyes still closed. "Anything for you, babydoll."

"Tyler." I disregard the new nickname, one I'll add to the list of already two hundred.

He ignores me, arms wrapping back around me while his hands rest just above my ass. "Why do we need to go ride our fears when you can just stay here and ride--"

"Tyler." I try to fight off a smile, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing the amusement on my face when he finally opens his tired green eyes and looks down at me. "We're going."

        Everything happened so terrifyingly fast.

It was only ten minutes after we left the motel that the team called us in, freaking out about the severity of it all and when we finally arrived, what we saw was the tornado picking up the gas from a power plant and soon, unlike anything Tyler or I had ever seen, fire inside of the tornado.

Hell, Tyler and I had just arrived to the scene and we were already backing out as Storm Par's truck was knocked over and the eye of the storm was headed right toward us. 

And somehow, when I blinked, we were driving nearly 70 miles per hour on a stormy dirt road as we headed into a small town of panicked civilians. 

The sound of Tyler's truck door closing brings me out of the diluted state I'd been in -- my mind fogged by the image of the dark gray sky above and the sound of my parents' cries. 

I suddenly get this really weird feeling, it creeps up on me like a demon lurking and waiting to take me. I'm terrified by a storm for the first time in my life. Like... actually scared. My stomach is in knots and everything is silent and I no longer feel air in my lungs. 

This has never happened before. 

I've never felt so scared by anything in my life -- much less my best (and only) friend sometimes.

I think I might die today. 

The feeling is abrupt and it hits me like a hurricane. 

My clothes are clinging to my body and the necklace wrapped around my neck feels like it's suffocating me and everything feels wrong. Something is wrong. 

The world around me is utter chaos -- scattered items getting picked up by the strong winds of the tornado, children and parents running to try and get inside of the building in which every one of the people I know are trying to rush them inside. 

Given the way the tornado comes closer and closer, if I stay in this truck, then I might get swept up next. And nobody is going to realize it, and neither will I, because I can't fucking move. 

I watch my chest rise and fall as I eagerly try to get air in my body. I feel like I have none. I can't breathe.

The ringing of my ears' loud pitch comes to a halt when I hear Kate yell Tyler's name. I open my eyes and just a few yards from where I sit in Tyler's truck, lays him in the middle of the street -- the train crushing him as Kate's small build tries to rescue him. 

My body moves, but not because my brain told it to. I still feel like I'm frozen in place even though I know my body is trying not to get swept up by the high winds. 

I opposite Kate, trying just as hard to get this crushed pile of building and cement off of him. But it's not enough -- neither of us are nearly strong enough to get Tyler out. It feels inevitable. 

It feels like my body is doing everything for me while I'm still one hundred headspaces away and trying to keep up with the fast pace of the world around me. 

Hell, before I know it, Javi is beside us, using a stick to prop up the debris, allowing Tyler an escape as we rush inside to what's supposed to be safety. 

We're in the dimlit movie theater, Lilly yelling at everybody to stay down, under the seats. 

My hands are shaking. I know it. So I look down. 

But instead of my trembling hands looking back at me, all I see is a huge shard of glass -- as if from a window -- impaling my side.