Heat - 24. Interlude 3, Marcus

Interlude 3, Marcus

“Oh fuck…” Chris curses from the driver’s seat. Senna covers her mouth with her hand. The radio just said category three, on the ground, heading straight for downtown. I pull out my phone, dial my mom. “Momma, have you heard? Sirens are going off in town. I’m with Senna and Chris and we are headed your way.”

She curses and then says a quick prayer under her breath. “Get home. Now. And don’t you dare hang up on me between now and then.”

“I won’t Momma.” I reach out and grab Senna’s shoulder. “Hey, call your parents. Tell them you’re staying with us at my place. Call Chris’ parents too, he needs to focus on the road.”

She nods and then Chris says “What about Kenan, Ash, and Ryan? They could still be downtown.”

“Shit, you’re right. Hold on, Momma, I’m gonna put you on hold for a sec I need to check on the others.”

“Fine, but when you’re done right back with me. I mean it.”

I switch the line over, quickly scroll through my contacts for Ryan’s number. Voicemail. Fuck. I hang up without leaving a message and call Kenan, maybe they are still together. It doesn’t even ring. Shit shit shit. Kenan would never turn his phone off during something like this, his Aunt would kill him. I try both of them two more times then look up at the others. Senna is on the phone with her mom, who is sobbing so loud I can hear her from the backseat. Senna’s waiting it out like she always does when her mom gets like this, so I just reach over her shoulder and hit the mute button. “Guys I think something’s wrong. I can’t get a hold of either of them.”

Senna’s gone pale and even the ever-jolly Chris looks scared. “Shit man, what do we do?”

I shake my head. “I don’t fucking know.”

Chris turns to Senna and the two of them make eye contact for a moment. He says “Are you sure?” She nods and then slowly, so does he. “Ok. Ok babe.” Then without warning he slams on the breaks and jerks the wheel whipping his mom’s minivan like a drag car and gunning it back towards town.

I flip my phone back to the open line with my mom. “Momma. I’m about to say something you aren’t gonna like.”