The Storm Has Just Begun

Drip. Drip. Drip.

You scowl with annoyance as the raindrops hit your bare neck. Sunny, my ass, you think, and not for the first time either. You then sigh and decide to pay them no mind, though, and go back to observing the woman through the window. 

She’s doing nothing. All she’s doing is sitting there on her blue sofa with gray polka dots. It’s an ugly thing, you think. How can she stand it?

She pulls out her phone and starts tapping repeatedly on it, probably playing some game. Seconds later, a bored expression crosses her otherwise emotionless face, and she puts the phone down with an exasperated sigh. She then glances out the window, and you quickly duck down before she can see you. 

A few moments pass before you peek back up again. 

She’s no longer paying attention. She’s just staring straight ahead, a melancholy look on her face. Just at that moment, the few scattered raindrops that would hit your head every so often turn into a light shower. You mutter quietly to yourself at the discomfort, but you decide again to pay it no mind, instead turning your attention back to the woman. 

She has picked up the coffee cup that had been sitting beside her on a small table. She now tilts her head back, probably trying to get the tiniest last sip that like the past few times she’s already done so in the last five minutes or so. She then sighs and puts it back down, and you wonder just what the hell is wrong with this lady. 

You decide to ignore the thought in your head that asks what the hell is wrong with someone who just decides to peek in at her neighbor and spy on her for no good reason other than for curiosity’s sake. 

You’re about to leave, deciding that the curiosity has long died, when suddenly, you see a tear trickle down her face. You frown, watching the teardrop as it slides down her cheek and down to the bottom of her chin before dropping to the floor below. 

You jump slightly as the rain starts pouring a bit harder than before. You then curse the weather forecast and wonder not for the first time today how they could’ve been so off.

The woman then gets up and starts pacing the room like a caged animal. Then she starts mumbling to herself, none of which you can hear since her voice is so low and the rain is so loud now that it’s turned into quite the shower. You worry momentarily about your clothes that are soon to get completely soaked, but the thought is gone in the blink of an eye the moment you see the woman snatch her cell phone up from the couch and start dialing someone, the sad look that had consumed her face seconds ago now consumed by anger and even rage. 

You gasp the instant lightning cracks the sky, soon followed by booming thunder. And the rain is coming down harder than ever before! 

You whip my head back toward the woman. She’s screaming into the phone. Most of what you can make out consists of swear words.

Then her voice becomes clear with her next three words. “I hate you!” she screams. 

Once again, lightning cracks the sky, shortly followed by its deafening companion, and you know you’ve got to take shelter now. You turn on the heel of your shoe to run, when suddenly, you freeze. 

You try to move, but there’s nothing you can do. You can’t move a single muscle. Not one. 

You widen your eyes as you see someone walking toward you, moving confidently and with long, graceful movements. The figure comes closer, and you realize that it’s a woman. You can also see the fiery red curls that frames her heart-shaped face like a mane made of flames and her just as fiery blue eyes. In fact, you almost think that you see actual fire blazing in them. 

She then stops a few feet away from you, and you realize with shock that she’s completely dry. A few seconds later, you see that none of the rain is touching her, and that steam is coming off her. 

“You’re spying on my girlfriend, huh?” she asks in a surprisingly calm voice. You don’t say a word, afraid if you say anything, she might do something crazy, like maybe hurt or even kill you. She looks like the kind of person who would do that. She then cracks her knuckle. “What? Cat got your tongue or something? Want me to get that feline and then shove him down your throat and make you choke on it?”

You immediately shake your head, just wondering how sane this woman is for making such a bizarre threat. You then realize that the level of sanity she has might determine just how dangerous she might be. You are not comforted at all. 

You see a flash of light just in front of you, quickly followed by an explosion of sound you soon realize is the incredible sound of thunder. You immediately close your eyes, terrified. When you open them, the woman is gone. 

Did she get struck by lightning? you think in both amazement and horror. 

The rain then stops without warning. Not a single raindrop falls on you now. There are not even any clouds in the sky. Not a single one. 

You then hear the front door slam open, and you see the woman rush out of her house, looking furious. She turns and gapes at you, surprised. “Who are you?” she immediately asks. 

Before you can have a chance to explain, you feel someone’s hand on your shoulder. You are startled to see steam rising from it. You quickly jerk away from whoever’s hand that was, and you are dismayed to find a smoking hole in the sleeve of your shirt. You turn to see the woman from before. 

She must not have been struck by lightning then. But yet you notice with alarm that the tips of her curls are on fire! She doesn't seem bothered by this one bit. In fact, all she does is pat them out with her hand. 

She then sees the woman and snarls at her. Soon, her whole body is engulfed in flames, and you scream. She sees your reaction, and the fire flickers out in an instant. She then grins at you. 

“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, have you?” she asks you. 

You take a step back, both terrified and confused at the same time. You see the woman you had been spying on step in front of you, as if shielding you from what’s to come.

“Don’t you dare touch this child,” she says in a low but powerful voice that reminds you of the thunder from the storm. 

“Really? Let’s see about that,” the other woman replies just as her fist bursts into flames. 

The woman protecting you raises her hand, and you see a ball of water slowly forming in her palm. “Yes, let us see,” she replies.

The two women then charge toward each other, both looking determined to kill the other, while you just stand there and watch, except this time, there is no window separating you from them. And that scares you the most.