Inside the Storm

A slight buzzing in Alice’s ear woke her from a daze. She swatted her ear and struck the fly out of the air. Dark clouds with bright flashes of lighting danced towards her from across the bay. Alice chuckled to herself. She had never met anyone else who moved to Seattle for the weather. Being amongst the swaying trees and clashes of thunder calmed her, though. Something about the Earth shaking so fiercely, yet everything springing to life after reassured Alice.  

Large round droplets of rain began to fall on her bare feet. Alice took a deep breath, paused and exhaled all the air out of her lungs. Her fingers interlaced the loops on the back of her shoes as she slid them on. Time to go home.  

Through the overwhelming booms of thunder around her, a piercing screech reverberated inside her brain. She whipped her head from side to side, her long red hair sticking to her wet cheeks. Again, a screech echoed in her eardrums. Tightly squeezing her eyes closed, Alice strained to figure out where the sound was coming from. There it was again. Wiping the rain from her face, she saw it. Long green fingernails dug into her cheeks as her hands slid down her face. Over by the lighthouse, there was a woman. She was screaming at a pitch so high; it was almost inaudible to the human ear. Alice was only thirty yards away. She watched as a shadowy figure, held what looked like a long silver blade against the woman's cheek.  

In a quick flash of silver and red fury, the screams transformed into a gargled groan. Then the rain hitting the ground around her and thunder booming inside her head were the only sounds to be heard. Unbeknownst to Alice, she had been walking towards the struggle. A gasp escaped her lips as the figure turned to face her. Her gaze was met with a man's piercing blue eyes. They stood there in the storm, silently staring at one another. He was tall, with fair skin. A reddish-brown beard covered most of his face. She was taken aback by his presence. Alice’s fingers brushed her forehead as she closed her eyes tightly. Frozen and confused, she did not know what to do. Was this the end for her, too? Would she face the same fate as the woman laying lifeless on the ground? 

Calmly, she opened her eyes. The man was gone. He had escaped. What had she just witnessed? She tried to process what she had seen. As her eyes darted to the woman on the ground, tears and rain poured down her face. Trembling, her fingers searched her pockets.  

“Shit,” she whispered. She had left her phone at home before going out.  

Turning back towards the city, Alice began to run. The panic was sinking in. It felt as if every cell in her body was screaming in fear. As she approached a towering building, she realized she was at the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct. Stumbling through the doors, she slipped on the slick, wet flooring. A tall, dark and lean officer was standing near the front desk. His eyes were so dark, they were almost black. Yet there was a kindness to them. Alice felt safer as she looked at him. 

“Please...you have to help me,” she whimpered. “I...I don’t know where he went but he’s going to kill me.” 

The officer escorted her to a room in the back of the first floor. As he handed Alice a towel, she got a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror behind him. Her hair was soaking wet and she looked disheveled. She pushed her hair back out of her face and moved towards the silver metal chair the officer motioned to. Her t-shirt and jeans dripped water all around her. As Alice dried herself off, she went through the story of what she had just witnessed. She told him about the screams and the lighthouse, the knife and the blood. The room was silent after she blurted out everything. He thanked her for coming forward and walked out of the room.  

It felt like ages before he returned. Alice looked at him with wide eyes, hoping for something good.  

“Ma’am, are you sure about what you saw?” his voice gruff and calm. 

“What?” she breathed. “Of...of course I’m sure. I...I...I saw it. I was right there. She’s by the lighthouse? Did you check the lighthouse?” 

“Yes, ma’am. We sent a squad car and checked the lighthouse, the beach, and the park. There’s no sign of any murder.” 

Those words took her breath away. How? Alice knew what she had seen. The woman laid there, dead, as she ran away.  

“No. That’s not right. I saw it all happen. The woman...she was dead. Her body was there on the ground. She was dead. I saw it...” 

“Ma’am,” the officer interrupted, “there is no body. There’s no blood. No woman. There is no sign of a murder having occurred anywhere near that lighthouse. Could you have seen this somewhere else? Or perhaps misunderstood what you saw?” 

“I was there!” she yelled; her hands slammed against the metal table with a loud reverberating bang. 

“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to remain calm.” he said, his voice rising slightly.  

“I’m calm!” she hissed through gritted teeth. “I’m telling you what I saw. Why...why don’t you believe me? He killed that woman. I...I saw it.”  

Alice’s hands grasped the side of her head. Clenching her fingers, she tugged at her hair. 

“I’m telling you; I saw him kill her,” Alice said slowly. “He was white, he had bright blue eyes. He had a beard. How could I make this up?” 

The officer sat there, leaning back in the metal chair opposite of Alice. She felt the disdain he clearly felt for her seep into her pores.  

“Ma’am,” he grimaced. 

“I’m not crazy,” Alice blurted out.  

Her head ached from the stress. Massaging her temples with her fingers, she rolled her head to each side. A series of loud cracks resounded through the small room. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet the officers. The hair on her arms stood on end, as a sharp shudder went through her body. Once dark eyes had turned to a piercing blue, glaring back at her. A grin spread across the man's face, just barely visible under a gruff beard. The taste of salt and metal filled her mouth. Blood dripped from her lip, down her chin and into her mouth.  

“Where did you come from? How did you...” tears streamed down her face as she looked into the eyes of the man she had just watched murder a woman in the rain.  

“I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy.” Alice repeated in a whisper as her fists clashed against the sides of her head.