The roar of the tornado was immense, almost seeming to manifest itself in the funnel that was twisting and turning like a bull under a bronco. The cloud of dust snaked after its master, stifling the ground below. Illuminating the whole scene was the rising sun, eerily highlighting its strengths and my weaknesses.

Panicked, scattered cattle were trampling the grass in the face of the twister, bellowing. Their appearance was of leaves being blown about by a blower as they galloped wildly to the other end of the field, before cautiously edging forwards until they were spooked again, repeating the short cycle. In the early morning dew, human tracks formed paths that showed me the way to safety, seamlessly weaving among one another, testaments to other's fear.

In the next field West, my Land-rover shook in the twisting gale, accompanied by a whiff of petrol, carried by a momentary gust. A solitary strand of sinister barbed wire snapped free of the fence at one post far enough away to be pushed away by the wind rather than pulled towards it. As it flailed and whipped itself in the wind, it narrowly missed the car and swept threateningly in my direction. I held my breath... SNAP... my guts twisted into a game of Cat's Cradle as the wire flew past me, the barbs avoiding me by a hand's width.

The twister even cast a shadow,  the dust that blocked the light constantly swirling, giving the shade a moving depth. More lengths of wire waved freely in the wind, snake-like in their flexibility and speed. The mighty thunder of the tornado drew ever closer, threatening to hurl me into the sky. The car was too far away to reach safely. I turned and sprinted away, along the trail left by the souls that had departed before me.