The sky turned a sickly green color that Marcus had only seen once before, when he was five years old. Back then, his grandfather had scooped him up and carried him to the storm shelter. Now Marcus was ten, and Grandpa was gone. It was up to him to get his little sister to safety.
"Lily, we need to go underground. Now." He tried to keep his voice steady, but his hands shook as he grabbed the flashlight.
His sister looked up from her coloring book. "But I'm almost done with my rainbow."
Thunder cracked so loud the windows rattled. Lily's eyes went wide. She dropped her crayons and ran to Marcus, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I've got you," Marcus said, though his heart was pounding. He remembered watching Grandpa unlock the heavy shelter door with calm, steady movements. Marcus took a deep breath and did the same.
The concrete stairs led down into cool darkness. Marcus clicked on the flashlight and helped Lily down each step. He found the battery-powered radio exactly where Grandpa had always kept it.
Above them, the wind screamed like a freight train. Lily whimpered and pressed closer. Marcus put his arm around her and turned on the radio. "It's okay," he said, and this time he believed it. "Grandpa taught me what to do."