Chapter 5: I'm Gonna Die in a Hole!

Val sighed as she continued to stare at the screen. The Doppler was giving her the same reading each time, almost no change in direction or size. She was only pulled out of her thoughts when Alvin's voice came on the radio.

"How close are we Val?" he asked.

She picked up the receiver and pressed the button down. "Pull over up ahead, it should start around here somewhere." If she doesn't shift, she added mentally, not wanting to dampen Alvin's rare but good mood.

Her and Eric watched as Alvin and Calum drove past them and parked on the side of the road, just in front of a bank. the two of them hopped out of the Titus and walked into the street, staring into the clouds above them. Valka and Eric soon joined them.

Calum adjusted his camera, and zoomed in and out, focusing it. "I'm not seeing anything, guys!" he said.

Alvin put his hands on his hips and sighed. "It better hurry up."

The wind picked up slightly, blowing past them to where the road was split by a large real estate office. On the right side, the clouds started to droop and there was a slight rotation.

"Over there!" Eric called over the wind, pointing his camera at the forming vortex.

Alvin smiled. "Camera's rolling!"

The vortex turned into a small funnel, that started working it's way towards the ground. Suddenly, it pulled back and disappeared. Re-appearing a moment later on the left street and started descending to the ground.

"What the..." Calum breathed, pointing his camera at the new funnel.

The funnel touched down, crashing into the real estate office, sending bricks and debris across the street, towards them.

"EVERYONE INSIDE! ITS NOT SAFE OUT HERE!" Alvin called, they all made their way towards the bank, except for Valka, who stopped by the Titus as a car slid across the road, turning and slamming into another parked one.

...

"Dad look out!" Tommy called as the twister made its way behind them, making them swerve and spin until they hit another car.

Glass shattered all over them, denting the driver's door and locking Stoick in. "Get out!" Stoick told Tommy, who followed his orders and jumped out of the car, his father soon following.

Tommy ran into the bank, Alvin holding the door open for him, Stoick was close behind when a car was dropped in front of the doors, seconds after Tommy was safely inside.

"Tommy!" Stoick called to his son. He was drawn from his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice.

"Stoick!" Valka called to her husband who, as well as her, was trapped outside. The twister got closer, and somehow stronger, having strong winds sucking anything light enough inside. Val, was one of those light things. Thankfully, the door to the Titus was open, and she was able to grab the handle. But due to the rain they had had, it was fairly slippery and difficult to hold onto as her feet were lifted off the ground. She did the only thing she could think of, she screamed.

Stoick saw his wife, holding on to the door for dear life as the strong winds tried to suck her into the large cyclone.

"Hold on!" he called, running to the door, trying not to be sucked away in the wind. He used the door to hold him in place as he held Valka's wrists. She was almost flying, Stoicks hands being the only things holder her to the ground.

Inside, Tommy stared in horror as his parents held onto each other for dear life. "MOM! DAD, oh gods! No, no, no, no, NO!"

And just like that, it stopped. As quickly as it came, the twister dispersed and roped out, disappearing. With the lack of suction, Valka and Stoick fell to the ground. They landed next to each other, on their backs, looking up at the clouds.

Stoick reached over and placed his hand on Valka's, making sure she was still there. "You alright?" he asked breathlessly.

She nodded before responding. "Yeah. I-I'm alright." she got out.

They sat up, Stoick resting a hand on Valka's shoulder before pulling her into a hug. Valka wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and held there. She'd missed him so much while she was away. But she was missing two of her other boys just as much.

"Dad, Mom!" Tommy called as him and the storm chasers make their way out of the window of the bank, since there was a truck blocking the door.

Valka looked up to see Tommy running to her. Quickly, she stood up, ready to grasp her son in her arms for the first time in months. What she wasn't expecting to be hit by a train. Tommy was running so quickly towards her that he rammed into her, full force, almost knocking her to the ground if it weren't for Stoick's supportive hand on her back.

"Are you guys okay?" Tommy mumbled into his mom's shoulder as he embraced her.

Stoick responded for her. "We're both fine." he said with a smile, joining the embrace. Their family was almost complete.

They broke apart and smiled at one another, but Valka's soon fell. "Where's Hiccup?" she asked, looking around for her eldest son.

Stoick took a breath, trying to figure out how to explain where Hiccup was. Hiccup is with Astrid at the abandoned paper mill on Garner and we don't even know if they're okay because when I called he didn't want to pick up because we got in a fight this morning about stupid things like we usually do and when he did pick up I didn't get to tell him that there was a tornado in the area because the line cut out and not me and Tommy are going to go find him. Would you like to tag along? he thought in his head.Yes that will go well. Thankfully, he didn't have to say anything because Tommy spoke for him.

"Hiccup is at the old paper mill. On Garner." Tommy said simply.

Valka gave him a look. "What? Why would he-"

"He was helping Astrid with a video project."

"Hofferson?"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone ask that? Yes, Hofferson! How many Astrid's are in all of Berk that there could possible be another besides Astrid flipping Hofferson!" he yelled.

"Calm down, son!" Stoick said, placing a hand on Tommy's shoulder.

Tommy took a breath, fiddling with his video camera that was still in his hands. "Sorry, but c-can we go now?" he asked. "Please?"

Stoick nodded, before looking over his shoulder at where their car... was. It was buried under a red minivan and had a lamp post sticking out of the back window. "Shit," he muttered.

"Let's go Valka! These storms aren't gonna chase themselves!" Alvin called from the fully operational Titus.

Valka looked up to see Calum and Eric, both ready to go, waiting for her. "I-I, uh- just give me a minute." she responded, walking towards the van.

"Val!" Stoick called, walking up to her, Tommy right behind him. "Can you take us?" he asked.

"Sorry, no 'tourists'." Alvin said quickly, walking towards the group.

Stoick looked at the man, who he used to know quite well. "Please, my car is totaled."

Alvin looked up at his old friend. "Where are you headed in this weather anyway?" he asked.

"The old paper mill on Garner." Stoick replied. Alvin gave him a questioning look. "You know what mill I'm talking about Al!"

Alvin shook his head. "Yes I do, but why would you be heading there now! The first twister headed right over that old thing! It's wrecked!"

Alvin's words panicked the small family. Val already knew the tornado went that far north but she didn't think much of it at the time. But she was still the first to speak up. "My son's in there." she said sternly.

Alvin looked at each of them with a slightly shocked and remorseful eye. He'd just told his friends that their son was in a building that was destroyed and flattened. Good job Alvin! He knew he would have to help them in some way.

"Yes, you can come." he sighed. They all seemed to let out a breath of relief and Alvin pointed a finger at Stoick. "Just as far as Garner. We've still got twister's to chase!"

"You can come in the van with me." Val said, walking slowly towards the blue van where Eric was waiting.

Alvin was about to turn back and climb in the Titus, when he saw the camera in Tommy's hand. "I'll take the kid with the camera." he said, gesturing to Tommy.

Tommy looked at Alvin, and then at the Titus. "Really?" he asked. Alvin nodded. "Sweet."

"Oh no." Stoick said. "You, are coming with me."

"The Titus is the safest place for him, Stoick."

Stoick looked over at Valka for backup, but he got the opposite. "He's right, it's a tank." When she saw Stoicks unsure look, she added: "We'll be right behind him."

Stoick raised his hand pointing a finger at Alvin. "Just as far a Garner." he said, quoting his friends words.

Alvin chuckled. "Yes sir!" he said with a salute.

Stoick chuckled. Good old Alvin.

...

"How's your leg?" Astrid asked, from her spot next to Hiccup, who was resting his head against the 'wall', eyes shut.

He nodded slightly. "Okay." he said tiredly.

Astrid looked down at her hands. There had been an awkward silence between them after their little talk after they got down there. She hated it. Not being stuck with him, no she was glad to have some time to catch up with him, but she hated that it was like this, she hated that this was for herproject, she hated the fact that she hadn't really talked to him in years, she hated how awkward and distant they were, she hated the fact that he could die.

There was something she always liked about Hiccup. She liked how he wasn't afraid to be himself. She liked how he wasn't all over her like Scott was (even though she knew he had a crush on her), she liked how kind and caring he is, she liked his sarcastic, witty remarks (even if sometimes it was at an inappropriate time), she liked how smart he was, she liked the way his forest green eyes lit up when he saw her, she liked how cute he looked when he was embarrassed, she liked the sound of his voice, she liked every single freckle that dotted his adorable face, she liked him.

She sat there for a moment, running through her thoughts. She liked Hiccup. She liked Hiccup. She knew deep down she always has, but she never actually thought about it.
Great. She told herself. You finally realize you like the guy and now he might die down here in a hole because of you!

A groan of pain interrupted her thoughts. She looked over at Hiccup, his face was scrunched up in pain and his hands gripped his upper left leg.

"You okay?" she asked in concern, crawling down to his injured leg and started to untie it.

He nodded slowly. "Ya, just the leg -really hurts!" he said, hissing in pain.

Once she got the black, well, it was more of a dark red now, sweater off, she took a good look at the wound. It was bigger than she thought. About an inch tall and stretched across the top of his left shin. Thankfully it was scabbing over, but there was yellow pus and some more blood oozing out of the open area. The skin all around it was flaming red and agitated. Astrid didn't have to take the medical course this year to know that it was not the best sight, but it was better than the crimson blood that coated the leg before.

"H-How is it?" Hiccup asked, not really looking at it. Astrid was thankful for that.

"I-It's barely bleeding now, almost completely scabbed over." she said, trying to sound calm.

There was a moment of silence before Hiccup spoke up once more. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

Astrid didn't know how to respond to that. She knew it was a possibility but she never fully accepted it. She opened her mouth to tell him otherwise but Hiccup spoke first.

"Yep. I'm gonna die." He said, nodding his head slightly.

"Hiccup, sto-"

"No, better yet, I'm gonna die in a hole. Wow Scott, you were actually right about something for once."

"Hicc-"

"And to think I spent a week filming time capsules about people's futures and I won't even have one! How funny is that!"

His sarcasm was not appreciated by Astrid. And she snapped. "STOP IT!" she yelled.

Hiccup sat there, looking at her as if she had said it in a normal tone. She took a breath. "Just stop." she pleaded. He did as he was told, watching painfully as she re-tied the sweater around his wound. "I'm sick of people I love dying." she muttered, thinking that Hiccup couldn't hear her, but he did.

She crawled back up and sat down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Hiccup flinched slightly, not expecting it, but soon relaxed and put his arm around her shoulders, comfortingly. Astrid used her left arm to punch Hiccup on the shoulder.

He flinched. "Why would you do that!?" he asked, annoyed and in slight pain.

"That was for thinking you were gonna die." she said, sitting up so she could look him in the eyes.(A/N You know what's coming) She gave him a peck on the cheek, before realizing what she did and looked away, blushing slightly and resting her head on his shoulder once more.

"That was for everything else."