Mira struggled to her feet, her heart racing as the adrenaline surged through her veins. The funnel cloud looming ominously above them seemed dark and churning, the wind growing to a howl as if from some wild beast. "This way!" Sophia yelled, pointing deeper into the forest. "We need to find cover!"

They cut through the underbrush, branches snapping against them, the storm raging on around them. The winds were howling; the strength of them seemed to tear them apart. Mira barely heard Lila's panicked voice above the roar of the storm. "We need to get to higher ground! The funnel cloud could drop a tornado at any moment!"

"Find a hill or a cave!" Victor shouted back, running a quick pace beside Mira. "We must reorganize and think of a plan!"

The earth beneath them shook once more as they veered sharply through the trees, crackling energy alive in the air. One spear of fear and determination raced through Mira. It couldn't end in their defeat to the Collective-not when so much was at stake.

Finally, they came onto a small clearing at the top of a hill. Terrifying was the view: the funnel cloud swirled closer and closer until its base reached the ground, like some monstrous hand reaching out to claim them.

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"Get down!" Sophia shouted, pushing all onto the ground as debris flew through the air. They huddled together, breathless and wide-eyed, watching the chaos unfold before them.

Mira whirled to Kintz, who was shaking. "What are we going to do?" her voice now laced with desperation.

Kintz turned to her, and his bravado was gone. "You gotta shut down this storm! If the Collective is behind it, they must have some kind of control center not far away. We need to find it!

Lila's eyes widened in realization. "He's right! We could turn this around if we can disrupt their systems and reverse the storm!"

"Then we need to act fast!" shouted Victor, looking into the swarm of wind and rain. "How are we to find the control center?"

Sophia pointed to the horizon. "If we can get to the edge of the storm, we might be able to find it. We need to push through!"

Mira felt a surge of determination. "Let's go! We can't let them destroy everything!

They would turn to leave when the ground violently shook and the tornado touched down only a few hundred yards away. "Run!" Mira screamed, her heart racing while running with them towards the edge of the storm, knowing they were running out of time.