Lost in the Rain

Last month the rain started, and it hasn't stopped since. It rains constantly now, it's been so long that I feel as if the pounding of the drops hitting on my window is something permanent in my ears. Sometimes the rain even invades my dreams. I don't know what's causing it to rain all time, but it never stops. Not ever. Once it only rained when large black clouds rolled in, now it rains when the sky is as clear as crystal. Some people believe it's a curse, but I don't, actually, I'm not sure what I believe, but I know for a fact that the rain is being caused by something from the earth. No all-knowing being is involved in any way or form. If they were then Peter would still be with me, we wouldn't have been separated that day and he would be waiting for me at the bottom of these seemingly endless stairs. No, all-mighty being would be cruel enough to take him away from me.

Shaking my head I pushed the thoughts out of my head and continued down the stairs. The girl in front of me turned her head to look at me as she continued downward. " Where are we going," She asked and I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I knew as much as she did, maybe even less, so instead, I didn't respond. We would probably never see each other again anyway.

The girl looked away from me a worried expression on her face. I'm not sure if it was directed towards me or someone else, but I looked away. Worry and fear had been some of the only emotions I had seen recently on everyone's faces, on everyone's faces but Johns, John was braver than the rest of us, I sometimes wish that I could have even an ounce of his strength. It would help me get through the days easier, especially now that I didn't have Peter to help guide me.

The girl in front of me stopped suddenly and I ran into her back with an " Oof!" She gave me a quick apologetic look before facing forward again. I leaned over her shoulder to try and see why we had stopped. IN front of the girl were at least twenty people in a single file line, all of them were looking at something in front of them with wide scared eyes. I followed their gazes to find three giant dogs standing next to each other at the bottom of the stairs.

The dogs looked to be Dobermanns, and each one had its teeth bared and drool dripping from their mouths. They looked like they could tear out a person's throat just by looking at them. Someone on the stairs whimpered causing one of the dogs to whip its head in their direction with a loud warning bark. I lightly reached forward and shoved the girl out of my way making my way slowly onto her step before repeating the process with the person that was in front of her. I did this over and over again until I was standing directly in front of the dogs. Each of the big black animal's heads swiveled to look at me, and for a moment I wondered if I had made the right choice in getting in front of everyone. The dogs all three took a single step forward in perfect unison, and I got the impression of a three-headed dog like the one I had once read about in a myth.

Taking a deep breath I looked over the heads of the three dogs and yelled. " Hello, Is there anyone there. If so I'm going to have to ask you to come and get your dogs. They're scaring people".

At first, there was silence then shuffling from somewhere in the blackness beyond the dogs. A light switch flipped on filling everywhere with light, I blinked trying to adjust my eyes to the new source of illumination. Sitting in the room beyond the dogs was about twenty people lined against the walls covering themselves in blankets and other provisions. A man from the far side of the room stood up and walked over to the dogs making some sort of hand gesture that sent them running back towards where their master had been sitting. They sat down tounges lolling out of the sides of their mouths, almost like completely different dogs.

Once I was sure the dogs wouldn't come racing back towards me barking and growling and ready to kill, I turned my attention to their master. He was an older man, perhaps in his late forties, his beard was shaped and mostly black with graying spots around the edges, his head was covered in thick black hair cut pretty short as if he thought of it as a bother, and he had large muscles in his arms that one could see through his large shirt. He gave me a kind smile and said. " Sorry about my dogs. We thought that you were bandits, so we wanted them to scare you away" He glanced at the large group of people behind me with a frown. " Who are you people anyway".

I glanced back at the group who were all looking at me with wide eyes as if waiting for me to answer. " Most of these people are civilians who decided they couldn't survive in the rain any longer".

The man nodded and then glanced down at my outfit with a frown. " You don't look like no civilian, Why are you down here with these people."

I to glanced down at my clothing, I was wearing a white shirt that was much too big for me, tucked into camouflage military pants with a black belt around the waist, that went well with my pair of black shiny combat boots, laced so tight that there was no chance they would fall off my feet. Sighing I glanced up at the man again shaking my head. " I'm a soldier from the western province of Filly. I was ordered to escort these people down here, make sure they're safe, and then head back to my post." I glanced around at the place unhappily. " This doesn't seem to be the most comfortable place in the world but it will have to do." I turned to face the people. " Lieutenant Bree will be staying here with you," I said gesturing towards one of the women in the line. Everyone turned to look at her. " If you have any questions ask her."

Turning around again I shook the man's hand and said quietly. " They won't be too much trouble I promise. They'll just remain here until we figure out a way to stop the rain. Until then please treat them kindly."

The man nodded glancing at the people behind me again. " I can do that," He said. " They'll be safe as long as I remain down here".

I didn't say thank you or even that I trusted him, if I did that would be betraying what I stood for, I was to bring these people down here and nothing more. I turned to leave not bothering to say anything further. Some of the people from the group slowly came down off the steps and settled down in the large room spreading their belongings around them. I gave them one last smile before heading up the stairs.

Now that I was done with that I would be able to look for Peter again. I would find him no matter what. Some people had told me he was dead but I didn't believe that Peter was strong in his own right. He wouldn't die simply because of some water-wielding bitch. You know how earlier I said that no divine force could be involved in this rain, well that's because I know who caused the rain, the reason I implied I didn't is that I don't know how she did it, or even why, but I know damn well she wasn't some great divine being. She had bled just like any other person when I had landed a good punch on her nose.

Me and Peter had been sent to stop her, we had been unaware that we had been walking into a trap, but not this time. This time I was ready and that bitch would pay for separating me from my partner, oh she was going to pay. I would rip her into so many pieces that my superiors wouldn't even be able to find them all. I was scared and angry, but I could use that, and nothing was going to stop me from doing just that. Wait for me Peter, I said softly to myself, I'm coming to find you.