The Hammer of Amalynth by Michael Galloway

Author:Michael Galloway [Galloway, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Candlepower Publishing House
Published: 2016-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

It was a four hour drive from Sioux Falls to Valentine, Nebraska, and despite John handling all the driving on the trip, he did not feel exhausted in the least. If needed, he felt he could drive another four hours. It helped that he powered his stamina with coffee and a pair of ham-and-cheese sandwiches. It was mid-September now and although the area he was driving into was still under a moderate risk of severe weather, he knew the window of chasing was closing soon for the season.

John rolled down his driver-side window and stuck his hand out to catch the breeze as they rolled west on Interstate 90. The air temperature on the ground was in the mid-eighties by noon and a cold front was chugging its way east-southeast toward the area. All the parameters were in place for a substantial tornado outbreak and already a ragged line of cumulus towers stretched from one horizon to the other. It felt good to be on the open road again, he thought.

His cell phone rang and he picked it up. It was Madeline.

“Are you still coming over tonight after I get off work?” She said in a cheerful voice.

“Of course. But it’ll be late.”

“How late?”

John looked at the dashboard clock and then over at Captain in the passenger seat. “Probably after eleven.” He held the phone away from his ear in expectation of a verbal outburst. When none came he put it back up to his ear.

“Why so late?” She said calmly.

“Captain and I are on the road loaded with rockets.”

“Ah. What’s the target this time? Wait, let me guess. Iowa?”

“Nebraska.”

“Really? Whereabouts in Nebraska?”

“The Valentine area. That looks to be the best setup.”

“Why not someplace like Lincoln? Or even Omaha?”

“No. The best forcing is coming into this particular area. I mean, we could always be a hundred miles off. Besides, I hear Dr. Ferganut lives over there. I thought Captain and I could drop on by and see if the old guy was around. Just for a few minutes.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t he retired? Maybe he wants to be left alone.”

John turned toward Captain and raised an eyebrow. “I heard he used to get visits from ex-students all the time. Not that I’m an ex-student of his.”

“We’re supposed to meet with my Mom tomorrow. How are you going to even be awake for that if you’re up all night driving home?”

“Yeah, but this might be the last good chase of the season. You have a coffee maker, right? Put on a pot for me late tonight and I’ll reheat it in the morning.”

Captain put a hand to his forehead. He gave John a sour look before he took a long drink off his fountain pop. He turned back to focus on the maps on his laptop computer.

“What if your truck gets damaged and you can’t make it home? What if you end up in another ditch?” Madeline said. Her voice became whiny now.

“There’s a few repair shops on the way back,” John said with confidence.

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