Jody's eyes flew open at the sound of sirens. No, they weren't from emergency vehicles. These were the sirens they used when there was a tornado in the area. Before going to bed, Jody knew that it was supposed to rain overnight, but she had no idea that her town was in for severe weather.
She quickly threw back her bed covers and jumped out of bed. She ran to the window and saw that it was already getting lighter outside. But it was so cloudy that the early morning light didn't seem to get through. But it was bright enough to see a spinning cloud formation on the horizon.
Suddenly, there was a frantic knocking on her bedroom door. "Jody! We have to get into the basement! Wake up!" her mother yelled.
As Jody looked out her window, another twisting cloud spun closer. This one was definitely a tornado. She had never seen one before. This would be the first and last time.
It churned and rampaged through the neighborhood, destroying houses in its path and rumbling like a runaway freight train.
The last thing Jody saw was the trunk of a tree slamming through her bedroom window.
Suddenly, she was somewhere else. A stark white room that almost seemed like a waiting room of sorts. Across from her was a desk, at which a woman sat.
The woman leaned across the desk and looked at Jody appraisingly. "Back already? My my, you do have the worst luck."
"Back?" Jody asked. "What is this place?"
"Oh, yes. I forgot. You wouldn't remember." The woman took a breath, then said "You might want to brace yourself, honey. This usually comes as a shock to people. But, I'm afraid you're dead."
