Grunting, I shove the last of the broken fence to the side where I have a large pile of damaged wood and wires. I will have to drag them further away to prevent them from bothering us while working. Soon I'll have to take this to the junk pile to be reused or sold to someone who will reuse it. Tired I wipe sweat off my brow, pushing up my dark black hair. The morning sky was a clear blue but now dark clouds are brewing in the mountains getting closer by the minute. Are we going to have another storm? 

"Son brought the boys," Ed shouts, struggling with a cart full of spun wires and tools to cut them. Behind him ar Bill and Joe holding between them Big Betty, while Sow the oldest crankiest man I've seen pulled a cart with wood in it. I ran to help Sow pull the fence the rest of the way. 

Ed grunts making marks and checking our tools. "We better hurry before that storm hits us." 

Bill and Joe place down Big Betty, Billy lifting his straw hat to get a closer look at the sun above, "Um.... let's hope that the storm isn't as bad as yesterday's was." 

Sow grumbles, "If we are unlucky it will be even worse than yesterday." 

Ed pushes a pole into the pre-existing hole in the ground, "Ready, when you are." Bill and I lift Big Betty up high in the air placing it over the pole. On the count of three, we drop and pull on Big Betty. The first blow is thought but not enough for it to stay. So we had to drop it two more times before the pole was stuck and firm. We do this there more times before all the poles are done.  Gently we set Big Betty to the side the two of us breathing heavily. I'm so glad we are done with that. 

 Exhausted I rub my shoulders and drain yet another water bottle, before sitting down for a second to watch the storm above. "It's not supposed to be storm season... We aren't prepared for it." 

Sow and Ed are unfurling the wire. Sow grumbles, "Them storms have been getting here earlier and earlier. This is all happening because of the damn city." He points towards the east mountains where my parents work, "Cars, sweepers, factories, all those damn things chugging out their stupid smog and polluting our home." 

Sow isn't wrong, but he's making it sound way too simple. The city jobs have the best pay and insurance. I've worked the, my parents are working there. All to make sure Jill is safe. "We just have to be better prepared next year," I say helping them cut and tie off the fencing getting ready to put up.  

We were just finishing the first part of the wire when I heard Jill's voice shout from below, "Hey you old guys and idiot over there, lunch is done." 

I flinch, almost dropping Big Betty. "Jill?! Why are you here?" 

Jill's jogging to us, wearing a bunny crop top and yoga pants. From a distance, she looks just like Mom but as she gets closer elements of her illness burst through her strong exterior. Her eyes sharpen and she gives me a warning glare, "I'm here to tell you all that Auntie has finished lunch and wants everyone to rest." She glances at the fence, "How much longer?" 

Bill pips up, "I'd say less than twenty minutes. We just got to put the wires up, tie em, and put the tools back up." 

"Alright," Jill settles down by a tree resting her back on it. 

I head over to her squatting down, "You should have sent someone else, texted me, anything." 

Her face tightens her stubbornness bulking, "You have no right to tell me that. If I'm too sick I will text you, if I am well I am going to enjoy my day and take a walk." 

"I do have a right, I'm the oldest."

"Only by three years! And I will remind you, I am an adult now. You can't control me." 

I grit my teeth, my own stubbornness leaking through and we both glare at one another. 

"Son," Bill gives me a slight pat on the shoulder, "We need to go get our job done." 

"Ya... you're right." I turn away from Jill and focus instead on the fence. We finish pretty quickly, but not quick enough. The storm is getting closer like some silent phantom. 

While they gathered the tools to put away, I went to Jill. She's sitting down Minno in her lap tail wagging as she rubs her ears. Her headphones slightly ring with music from her iPod. Hip-hop songs I think, she likes that upbeat music and rapid rhymes. Sometimes she'd sing away in the showers. Next to her is a cloth handkerchief with some blood on it. 

Worry eats away at me. When Jill was a kid she always listened to me, her big brother. But over time she became resentful of our care, even going as far as to drag our kid sister into her schemes. "Hey, I'll get Jewel. You head back inside." 

Jill opens her eyes, pulling out her headphones, "I'll pretend not to have heard that." She taps Minno's butt convincing her to get up. "She's by the chickens let's go." 

"Jill, please stop being so stubborn. You can get hurt," 

She spins around getting in my face. She's taller so she's looking down and I'm looking up, "Stop it right now. Unless you want us to get stuck in the storm." She points upwards where the weather is getting worse. With a huffy growl she walks away, the dogs on her tail. 

I can only sigh and keep an eye on her. 

Above us, the strange storm doesn't make a sound. No rain, no thunder, no lightning, no wind. It's the oldest storm I've ever seen. I don't really have much time to worry about that because Jill begins to cough into her handkerchief again. A throaty painful cough that drawls all breath and doesn't allow her a chance to get it back. I rush to her side, and she pushes me away. 

She finishes, more blood dripping down her lips. She stands up straight, "I'm good. It's the new meds, been messing with my breathing." 

"Can I help,"

"No," 

We get to the chicken coop where Jill shouts for our sister. Jewel appears a few minutes later, and before I can greet her Jill sweeps her into her arms and pulls her away. 

"Jill, slow down," I beg, catching Jewel's gaze. I try to mouth at her, I don't think she understands because she shakes her head. Jill pulls her attention away from the two of them whispering with some outbursts here and there but nothing I can really understand. I hope Jill isn't dragging Jewel into her schemes once again. Uncle needs to be harsher with her. She won't learn unless the kitty claws are off. 

The only thing I can do is keep an eye out and pray Jill doesn't faint before we get home. Why can't she accept my help...

I feel something slightly tug on me, drawing my attention. Silently like a gigantic ghost full of rage, a tornado touches down feet away from us. Its huge base in the sky thins to a needlepoint not even thicker than a person, but everything it touched vanished into its hungry maw. 

My body reacts before my mind can. I run to my sisters, picking them both up and swinging them over my shoulders. 

Jill shouts in my ear, "What are you...." Her voice falters and rises into a scream clinging to me. Jewel in my other arm trembles in terror clinging to me just as tightly her nails digging into my skin. I tried to breathe steadily as I ran but the silent wind whipped away all oxygen leaving me exhausted. 

Minno next to me keeps pace, even though I know this old dog can haul ass if she wanted to. She didn't want to leave us.

Her strength became my strength. I can't let my sisters down! I have to protect them, I'm the oldest! 

At the house there are shouts, Uncle and the older ranchhands are herding animals inside while helping Auntie into an emergency bunker. She's crying, one hand reaching for us before she's dragged into the darkness below. Uncle sees us and to me. 

We can make it! We can! I  took another step and lost my footing as the ground was yanked away from me. I'm zipped up into the sky, my sisters torn from my grip. Fear and terror dance in their eyes as they both reach for me. I scream their names until my throat is raw and they vanish from my sight. 

I can't breathe, I can't see, everything is swirling and spinning and tearing at me from head to toe. Something hits me hard in the stomach, and everything goes dark.