BEAUTIFUL CRAZY

eighteen. just hanin' around

Wren's jaw fell wide open as she looked at the tornado of fire. The factory exploded, and all the flames were sucked up into the vortex, creating the scariest thing she had ever seen.

"Oh, my god. Oh, my god!" Tyler shouted, putting it in reverse.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kate shouted, her frantic eyes on Javi's flipped truck.

"We can't just leave them!" Wren added, leaning forward, her eyes wide.

"We're not gonna leave them, baby, but we've gotta move," Tyler promised. "We gotta move. Put your harness on, Wren."

She did as told – Kate eben slipped her on, her hands still shaking as she watched a large piece of metal from the refinery smash into Javi's truck. It flipped it back onto its wheels, the bed was dented but at least it was drivable. And as soon as Javi was moving, Tyler was too.

"Go, go, go, go, go!" Wren shouted, hitting the back of his seat.

"Hold on!" he made, throwing them around, hardly giving them time to hold onto anything. As they sped away, Tyler grabbed the radio. "Is everybody okay?"

"Yeah," Dexter sighed.

"We're okay," Ben reported.

Boone chimed in too. "Yeah, we're good, man. We're moving."

"Are you seeing this?" Lily asked, a bit in awe, but her voice shook a little.

The huge, almost black – the fire having died – tornado was chasing them. Then the path shifted and it headed right for a town that they could see on the horizon.

The sirens began blaring, barely heard over the wind.

"Hey, guys," Kate said over the radio, "there's nothing we can do to stop it. But when you get there, make sure people get to a safe place."

"Alright, Dani. Where am I headed?" Boone asked.

"There's a - there's a kid's park on Main," Dani said, looking at a map. "Try to get people to basements, uh, big buildings. No windows. Stay way from windows. No cars, alright?"

"Alright, careful y'all," Lily instructed. "Stay safe out there. Copy."

Kate glanced back at Wren, who knew just what that look meant. She was scared of losing people, like she had all those years ago.

On the way to the town, they passed Javi's truck, who didn't seem to be in any rush to help. It was slightly upsetting, but they couldn't dwell. The three of them headed right for the main square, where an art festival was being held.

People were running and screaming, trying to find safety. While others were trying to hold down their tents and salvage their wares.

Wren looked around at the chaos, her hands shaking as she took it all in. And she wasn't sure where to start. Then a tent flew right at them, and Tyler grabbed her and pulled her down before it could hit her.

"This is crazy," Wren breathed out, her eyes frantically taking everything in.

Dexter ran over to them, shouting over the wind. "Shelters are all full. We gotta get everyone into the movie theater."

Wren, Tyler, and Kate all separated, running off toward people. Wren knocked on car windows, stopping them from driving away. Then she directed them towards the theater. Even go as far as she pushed people when they tried desperately to save their stuff.

"Go! Just go! Inside now!" She shouted, waved them towards the building. She turned when she heard metal groaning and turned just in time to see a street car derailing. And to her horror, it was headed right for Tyler.

"Tyler!" she shouted, running towards him, ignoring the pain in her side. "Baby!"

He screamed and tears filled her eyes at the pain in his voice, his leg trapped underneath a wooden structure.

"Okay, baby" she breathed out, then she tried to lift it, getting nowhere. "Come on! Fuck!" She was in tears, trying to lift it with every ounce of strength she had as he groaned. "Come on!"

Kate ran over, her hands grabbing the structure, "lift, Wren! Lift!" And so they did, but they only managed to move it less then an inch.

A car flipped just to the right and something flew through the air and crashed into the legs of the water tower, causing one of the legs to fall.

"Watch out!" Tyler shouted as it fell, nearly hitting them. Wren ducked down and covered his head before trying to lift the structure again. "Baby, you gotta get inside! Kate, get her inside!"

"I'm not leaving you!" she yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I won't do it!" She nearly screamed as she put all her weight underneath the structure but it wasn't budging. "Come on! Come on!"

Then a wooden beam was slid underneath it. She turned her head, seeing Javi there, ready to use leverage to lift it and Kate let out a relieved breath when she saw him. "Come on, guys! Lift!"

Together, they managed to lift it the slightest bit, giving Tyler just enough room to slide out. Wren was quick to help him to his feet, and he kept his hands on her hips to keep her close.

"Let's go. Let's go!" Javi yelled over the wind as Kate latched onto his hand, only for the water tower to crash to the ground and spill water everywhere. They were washed down the street, Tyler losing his grip on the girl.

When he was on his feet again, he made his way towards her and helped her to her feet, his hand in hers as they rushed towards the theater with Javi and Kate behind them. "Let's go!" he yelled, dragging her along.

They headed inside of the theater, running to one of the screening rooms that was full of terrified people. The roof was caving in, pieces of it falling down, narrowly missing people.

"See if you can find a basement," Tyler told them.

"I'll check the other side," Javi said, running off.

As Tyler went one way, Kate and Wren rushed to check behind the screen. But all they found was a huge set of metal doors. Hoping it led down to a storm shelter, Kate pushed it open only for it to led outside, where the storm was raging on.

Wren watched as the town was destroyed before her eyes, and the tornado was headed right for them, the theater in its path.

"There's no basement on the other side," Javi said, him and Tyler joining them by the door.

"There's nothing over here either," Tyler said, shaking his head.

"This theater isn't built to withstand what's coming!" Javi shouted over the wind.

More of the roof collapsed, making people scream. So, the guys ran back to help, and when Wren looked at Kate once more, she was running outside.

"Fuck!" She quickly ran after her, catching her at Tyler's truck.

"Wren!" Kate shouted when she noticed the girl.

"You're not doing this alone!" Wren shouted and Kate just nodded as she rounded the truck and Wren climbed in behind the steering wheel. "Just get me there!" She told her as they harnessed. Then Wren hit the gas hard, making the truck jerk a little, before driving out of town and toward the tornado.

The closer they got, it was harder to control the truck even with the extra weight, the wind was too strong. But Wren took a breath and with a small smirk she turned on the radio. A laugh left her as Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy by Big & Rich blasted from the speakers, tears welling in her eyes again as a certain cowboy crossed her mind.

She hadn't even said goodbye.

Kate looked at her like she was crazy, but said nothing of it upon seeing how her knuckles had turned white from her grip on the steering wheel.

"Turn now!" Kate shouted and Wren did, whipping the truck around headed right for the storm. "Wren, I love you."

"Now is not the time for a heart-to-heart!" Wren shouted over the music and the rushing wind just as the truck shook when something hit the side. "But I love you, too."

"Shit!" Kate shouted when something exploded to their left and it flew in front of them, Wren swerved but didn't let off the gas. "Here! Stop here!" Kate shouted and Wren slammed on the breaks, slinging them forward. Then she hit the button, lowering the anchors into the ground before she fired the rockets of silver iodide into the tornado, both watching as they were sucked up.

"You do it!" Wren shouted, her hand hovering over the button for the barrels as the tornado met them, Kate nodded, reaching over and waiting for the perfect time... then she hit the button, only for nothing to happen. So she pressed it again, nothing happened.

"Come on!" Wren smacked the console as the truck started to shirt, the anchors just barely holding them still. And when Kate hit the button again the lids flew off, the polymers being sucked up into the huge vortex.

Then a car slammed into them, knocking the trailer loose. Wren looked over at Kate as the anchors shifted in the soft, wet, ground.

"Kate!"

"I know! I know." She just nodded, reaching for the girl's hand. Wren interlaced their fingers and held on tight as she took her other hand off the wheel.

Somewhere on the back of her head, a ten-year-old Wren was shouting in joy. She'd finally be free.

But Wren didn't want that anymore. No, she wanted to live. She had friends – family, she had someone that she loved and that actually loved her back. She had a home, a real honest to god home.

And, oh, the irony. Just as she had finally begun to feel alive for once in her life she was facing death.

Suddenly, the truck was uprooted and rolled. Wren shut her eyes, being slung around the cab of the truck.

All Wren could do was cry. She had wanted a future, a future she could see with Tyler. So she held tighter to Kate's hand. Then the truck jerked to a stop, slinging Wren into the door. Her head hit the window and the handle jabbed into her side making her cry out, her tears rolling down her forehead.

And then just like that, it was all over. Silence fell over them as the tornado disappeared, the rain stopping and the sun shining. As the truck rocked before stopping.

"We're okay." Kate mumbled, pulling her hand from Wren's as she undid her harness and made her way out of the truck.

Wren undid her harness, the regular seat belt holding her up and she went to undo it, she couldn't get to it, it had been jammed when they rolled. "Fuck."

Despite the pain in his leg, Tyler had never moved so fast in his entire life, followed by Javi as they rushed toward the destroyed truck.

They could see Kate reaching her arm out of the passenger side window, then reaching her side first. And they both quickly rushed to help her out.

They could see blood seeping from her head, but she was awake, which was what mattered.

"Kate, be careful," Javi said, not wanting her to cut herself on the glass.

Kate coughed before leaning against the side of the truck. "Where's Wren?"

"I'm fucking stuck!" She huffed, hating that she was upside down. And it didn't help that she could feel her side bleeding along with her head.

Tyler let out a breath and ran around to the other side, Javi staying with Kate. He wedged the door open with a groan and once there was enough room for him he ducked down.

"Hey, baby." Wren managed a pained smile. "What am I doing? Oh, nothing, just hangin' around." Tyler chuckled, shaking his head as he reached past her, for the seatbelt. "It's jammed."

"Okay, umm..." he glanced around before grabbing a shard of glass from the grass. "Gotta cut you out, baby."

"Hurry, please."

He wasted no time in cutting at the material, and just as it was on its last leg, he moved his arms under her. "Tug on that, baby." She did and it snapped, then he caught her and pulled her out of the car. "There we go."

Once he got her out, he sat her on the ground and she leaned back against the truck, "I think I popped a stitch." She mumbled, her head lulling to the side as Javi helped Kate around the truck.

"Wren."

Wren smiled up at the blonde as Javi helped her to the ground next to her, "glad we had that heart-to-heart." She mumbled and Kate just chuckled, her head against Wren's shoulder.

"Is everyone else okay? Is it okay? Did it help?" Kate then asked, looking up at Javi and Tyler – who was wiping the blood from Wren's forehead.

Tyler smiled at her, "you did it."

"Kate, it works," Javi nodded, a proud smile tugging at his lips.

"Sorry 'bout your truck, baby." Wren mumbled, her tired eyes on Tyler.

He chuckled. "I don't care about the truck, baby. Are you okay?" Tyler asked softly, his hand on the side of Wren's face and she smiled as she raised her finger and did his tornado motion, making him laugh.

"This make me a Tornado Wrangler?" She asked and he leaned, softly kissing her forehead.

Soon, they all heard hollering as the rest of the crew raced toward them.

"Thought y'all were goners for sure," Dani chuckled.

"You're brilliant," Ben exclaimed as Dexter just pointed at them, like he couldn't to put it into words.

Boone stared at them with stars in his eyes. "I think I love y'all."

"Love you, too, Boonie." Wren mumbled.

"Hear that, T, she loves me." He smacked Tyler's shoulder, making Wren laugh.

Tyler rolled his eyes at his best friend, "I heard."