“Pedal faster it's gaining on us!”

“I’m trying!”

“Hurry Manny!”

“I can’t”

The Florida sun lashed their backs, as a soaring object hits Manny and crashed his bike on a parked car.

“Daisy!” the skinny boy yelled.

Daisy turned around and screamed, “Manny!” jumping off her bike, she ran to her twin.

“Give me your hand!” the petite eleven-year-old girl grabbed his thin blue tank top as he lay on the concrete ground.

He fumbled to get on his feet as he caught a glimpse of what was chasing them.

“We’re not going to make it! We have to hide!”

Getting started to run was not their only challenge, the sky also turned against them, cascading the sinister shadow of the villain above. Holding hands, they ran down the middle of the street.  The children were isolated from the others.  No one was around everyone had disappeared.  The wind forcefully pushed them to the side, up against a chain link fence. The two adolescents grabbed the links with their small fingers to hold on, but the tornado was too strong.  

“Someone help!” Manny screamed.

“Help!” they both began to cry out.

Branches and newspapers were hitting their faces, blinding them. Daisy cut her arm on a link of the fence. “Manny in here! It’s a hole! Someone had cut an opening in the chain link fence.”  The children slipped through into a wide and empty parking lot. 

“This is no good!” Manny gasped, “The dog track is closed!”

“Look!” Daisy pointed to the large building. “There is someone!”

By an open door, a dark skinned man wearing a white uniform, waved for the young sprinters. Reaching the door, the twins fell in.  They were exhausted. The man slammed the large metal door, shutting the elements out and keeping everything else inside. 

Manny still gasping said to the man, “I thought this place was closed on Sundays. You know…like all the stores.”

The man didn’t say a word; he just turned and walked down the unlit hallway.  The small corridor was dark, only the dim sunlight from the cracks of the entrance was able to slip in, collaborating with the thin humid air. The trumpet sounds of the tornado shook the metal door as the children knelt down to the floor, hugging each other with prayers. 

Both tearful faces stared at the ceiling, as the monstrous roar rammed up against the barrier; relentlessly trying to claim the innocent souls that dare to choose the sanctuary, and not their fate. The faint light disappeared, leaving them in total darkness and silence, and then peering though the door’s crease was the sun’s smile. 

“I think it’s gone,” Daisy whispered.

Manny slowly let his sister go, and walked to the door.  He placed his ear up against it. “I don’t hear anything.”

“God Manny, it’s a heavy metal door.  How can you anyway.”

“Oh yeah! How can you tell?”

“Duh, the sun is back.”

“So…that doesn’t mean anything.”

Daisy stood up and tried to look down the hallway. “Where did the man go?”

“I don’t know;” her brother said with a shaky voice, “maybe back to work?”

“Hello?” She placed her hand on her throat in the attempt to calm its sound. “Mister? Ohm…Thank you for helping us.  We think it's over.” Only the echoes of her timid voice returned. “We’re going to leave now.”

“Thank you…thank you,” the twins shouted down the dark corridor. 

Manny grabbed Daisy’s hand. “Ok let’s get outta here.”

The children ran outside, looking up at the blue sky. Not a shred of evidence lingered with the white clouds, but on the surface, the streets, filled with its remnants.  The debris of the nature’s temperament had tossed patio furniture and tree limbs. Residents slowly filled the passageway from their homes.  The twins wandered through the streets, viewing the outcome of the tragedy they had remarkably escaped.  An elderly man raced towards them, with his arms open and yelling in Spanish, “Gracias, Dios. Gracias.” Thank you, God. Thank you.

Their uncle embraced them, crying and kissing the children. “I thought you would have been killed. I prayed so hard, you are my only family here.”

“Mario!” A tall thin man jogged towards them. “You found them! See I told you they would they be all right. They’re smart kids.” Their uncle’s friend, Eduardo, patted Manny’s head. “So amigo, where did you hide?”

“Flagler Dog Track,” Daisy answered instead. “The man let us in”

Eduardo shook his head. “What man, that place is closed for renovations. There hasn’t been anyone there for weeks.” He then laughs. “And I should know. They have lots of my money I need to win back!” 

Manny looked at him. “Maybe he’s like security?”

“Security? For an empty dog track.” Their friend stood with his hands on his hips. “Anyway that place is locked up tighter than the Fort of Knox!”

Daisy whispered, “Eddy, its ‘Fort Knox’, that’s the way they say it here.”

The Cuban born friend laughed again. “See Mario, you worry for nothing. These kids are smart. In a short time they even learned how to be Americans.”

The frail uncle held their hands. “Yes they are and I am very grateful too. To the security man or security angel.  He was the answer to my prayers.”

“An Angel?” Eddy said, “Mario my good friend…” he paused as he looked at the destruction of the street and then at the fortunate young siblings. “I believe you are right.” 

Daisy looked at Manny. “Do ya think?”

Her brother shrugged his skinny shoulders. “Maybe, then again.”

“Yeah,” she huffed, “I was thinking of the same thing.”

Their uncle smiled and said to the twins, “that he was an angel?”

Daisy folded her arms and pouted, “Well, if he was…” and she looked around at the tossed lawn furniture and palm branches. “Couldn’t he have saved our bikes too?”