Home Before the Storm

“A flash of lightning—it’s a sign. A signal that another of their kind now walks among us, having crossed from their realm to ours.”

“It isn’t safe. Best be home before the storm.”

–

I sat in silence as I waited for class to begin. It was the 17th of August, just five days since the start of the Fall semester here at Pert Wrest, yet it already felt as though it’d been a fair bit longer.

I sighed and summoned a serious expression. In minutes, Professor Grydinger would arrive, and I wanted to make a good impression for the stoic director of my graduate linguistics program.

Around me, my cohort members were mostly idle, playing on their phones, sleeping, or staring into space, but some talked quietly amongst each other.

I prepared to venture back into my own thoughts to pass the time, when suddenly, someone across the table decided abruptly to include me in their conversation.

“So, did you hear?”

I looked across from me, a slightly puzzled look on my face.

“Hm?” I said. “Hear what?”

“About the storm that’s set to hit tonight. I hear it’s something violent—the worst this place’s seen in the last 10 years.”

It’s probably just nature, balancing things out, I thought to myself. I haven’t seen a drop of rain since I came here.

“Interesting,” I said outwardly. “Do you know how long it’s expected to last?”

The man across from me opened his mouth to speak, but another voice interrupted him.

“Four and half days, give or take.”

The voice was soft—tired—as though it came from someone only half-awake. I shifted my eyes toward the speaker, a young woman, who sat directly to my left.

Serena Cromwell.

I recognized her from orientation, due in part to that head of bright red hair. It’s hard to miss a person like that.

“How’d you know that?” I asked. This time, I was curious.

“Yeah, how?” said another classmate from somewhere in the room. “It’s nowhere in the news!”

“My intuition.”

I raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.

“Your intuition?”

I pressed for a response, but none came. Instead, Ms. Cromwell began again to stare out the window aimlessly, toward the afternoon sun.

What a strange person, I thought. Was she guessing? Joking? I didn’t know. And I didn’t want to.

Instead, I returned to waiting for Professor Grydinger. I was sure he’d arrive right on time, as per usual. And when the clock struck half past three, the door did indeed swing open.

But it was not Professor Grydinger. Instead, in walked his teaching assistant.

“Hey,” he said impishly. “Just here relaying a message on behalf of Dr. Grydinger.”

“Something’s come up, and he’s asked me to let you all go because he can’t make it in today.”

After watching the man leave, my cohort began to celebrate. One by one, they began packing their things and exiting the seminar room. I followed suit, and that’s when it happened.

“It isn’t safe,” said a voice. “Best be home before the storm.”

The voice continued. It was so close I could feel a tingle in my right ear.

“Don’t go out in the rain tonight.”

The last thing I saw before the figure walked out was a familiar head of red hair.

–

I stood up from my desk, closing my laptop after a quick stretch. I looked outside the window of my apartment building. Rain had already begun to fall over the entirety of The Serafare Apartments.

A sudden growl became audible. It came from my stomach.

My phone was dead and charging, so I checked the time on the wall clock.

“Just about seven. Millenium Pho is still doing takeout at this time.”

I prepared to venture to my favorite eatery when a voice inside my head made me pause.

“Don’t go out in the rain tonight.”

–

“Can’t help it,” I said, shielding myself from the falling rain. “I’m starving! Besides—”

“It’s still light out, and this’ll only take a half-hour—maybe less!”

I formed a deadpan expression upon reaching Millennium Pho. The lights were off, and on the glass entrance was a paper sign that read “Sorry—closed! Come back after the storm!”

Watching a lightning bolt streak across the blackening sky, I mused to myself how serious everyone seemed to be taking the storm, noting suddenly that my surroundings were completely empty. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen anyone on my way here, either.

That all changed when I noticed a person nearby, and them me.

Only it wasn’t a person.

I struggled on the floor amidst the worsening downpour as a pair of hands tightened around my neck. My strength started to leave my body, my vision growing fainter by the second.

I fought back, roughly, desperately, but my assailant was stronger than I was.

“Help,” I choked.

But it was all for naught. My cry was drowned out by the rain’s drum against the pavement. How much more of this could I take before losing consciousness? I reckoned not a lot.

And thankfully, I didn’t have to. A shriek echoed in my ears as something cut straight through the pale being mounted atop me. It burst violently apart in a swirl of mist and cloud before all traces of the creature had vanished. Then came a voice.

“Are you alright?”

Who, I thought weakly. Who’s there?

The answer came shortly as I regained composure. Slowly, surely, I sat up.

Then, through the horrid winds and rain, I saw her face, her red locks made wet by the might of the storm.

Serena…Cromwell…