Sanders Sides Oneshots

A Stormy Saviour (No Ship)

Written for the TSFA Newspaper
Theme: Weather

Based on the song "Blown Away" by Carrie Underwood.
TW: Implied death

Peering outside the window at the gathering dark clouds, Virgil chewed his lip and turned, back to the glass. "Papa, it's going to rain soon."

"And what do you want me to do about it?" His father snapped, glaring at the young boy. "You're nine years old. Surely you aren't still scared of thunderstorms."

Looking down, Virgil held back a whimper. "I'm not scared, sir. I'm sorry..."

"Whatever. I'm taking a nap. Don't wake me, brat. I don't care what's going on, I just want my nap." With a huff, Virgil's father walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, laying on their ripped, stained couch. He was a crude, rather unpleasant and ill-manner man. Once his wife had passed, he'd been left to take care of their young son, Virgil. However, the loss of his love had turned him cold, and he found solace in glass bottles to help feel the void. The affect of those weren't positive, and soon Virgil was at the receiving end of a broken man's anger and bitterness. He now feared the man who brought him up, and was forced to cope on his own or fear the wrath of his father if he were to tell anyone of what was going on.

Virgil went into his room and sat down on his bed, looking around the sparsely furnished place. He sighed some and looked down, whimpering quietly upon hearing the sound of thunder rolling in the distance. Leaning over to his nightstand, he turned on the radio, trying to distract himself from the coming storm. A loud beeping emanated from the radio a few minutes later and he flinched, quickly looking at the little box.

"This is a warning to all Oklahoma residents. A tornado warning is in affect for multiple parts of the state, including..." Virgil listened silently, trying not to jump when he heard his county and town listed among the towns expected to be hit by the storm and potentially tornadoes. "...the National Weather Service asks that if you hear tornado sirens, please take immediate shelter as the effects of such storms could be deadly." The robotic messaged clicked off and Virgil whimpered more, hugging himself. He gazed out his window, not liking the clouds that seemed to get darker every minute as they neared. A part of him was scared, not wanting to lose the only home he'd ever known. On the other hand...he'd be set free.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the dark thought, he sighed and opened one of his books, reading and trying to drown out the sound of thunder with the rich voices of the country singers on the radio. It was only later that he heard it.

A tornado siren.

Glancing up, Virgil gasped, seeing that the ominous dark cloud he'd been fearing was right there above his house. Rough winds blew through, whipping the branches that hung from the surrounding trees. Hurriedly, the boy grabbed his school bag and stuffed away a few things. He slid on his jacket and snuck out into the kitchen, grabbing non-perishables and a few waters. Virgil peered into the living room and saw his father passed out on the couch, a few bottles on the floor beside him. He ran over and shook him. "Papa! We need to go!"

Grumbling, he stayed asleep and swatted Virgil away.

Virgil shook him more and more, crying a little and calling for him. But he stayed asleep, too lost in his murky mind and sleep to be awaken right now.

The wind was only growing worse. It ripped through and Virgil held back a scream, watching through the window as a wheelbarrow was picked up outside. He made a hesitant decision.

"I love you, Papa..." Virgil hugged him then ran out, sprinting to their storm cellar and opening the door with some difficulty. He tumbled down the steps, standing and yanking the door down, latching it up and sitting down on the dirt floor. He listened to the sound of wind howling, hugging his bag to his chest with his eyes screwed tightly shut. He had his radio at his side, forced to listen to static for the time being. Finally, after what felt like hours, he heard a grainy voice come through radio, announcing that all tornadoes and storms had passed,. With great hesitation, Virgil climbed up the steps shakily and unlatched the door, pushing up and climbing out. He looked around, mouth opened in a silent gasp. His home was nearly completely gone, their furniture and belongings laying around everywhere. The house itself was reduced to scraps of wood, chunks of drywall and scattered shingles. He checked everywhere but saw no sign of his father. He brushed away his tears with a dirty hand, and stumbled out to the main road, walking far.

Virgil Sanders was now alone. His father and home was gone, ripped away from him quite literally. And though his father typically left him sobbing...he had to admit a part of him missed him, wished he were here to at least offer a sort of company, even if it wasn't good company. He held onto his radio and listened to the stations that came through and kept walking.

From that day on, Virgil no longer feared thunderstorms, or tornadoes for that matter. In fact...he found himself thanking them...embracing them...for he was now free.

I'm so sorry for not posting anything in a while. My mental health has kinda just taken a bad turn, and then school and testing is going on so I've been overwhelmed. And I know people will probably say it's alright and all, but I'm still sorry, and just mad at myself because I love writing and I just haven't been able to do it.

I really hope everyone enjoys this though. It's shorter, but I am proud I could get this up after such a long writer's block. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me and my stories, and just know that I love and appreciate every one of you, even if I can't respond to every comment like I used to. I know my reads just dropped a lot ever since my little hiatus and yeah, it hurts, but it's understandable. Thank you to everyone still sticking around with me and my stories.