The storm they’d been warning us about all week had arrived and had possibly knocked down a power line or blew a transformer.Great.
Gran was on a church retreat, thank God. She wasn’t even religious, she just went for the gossip … and to terrorize the pastor. Nevertheless, I was glad to not have her underfoot while the power was out. Events like this tended to escalate her shenanigans.
I grabbed my phone to turn the flashlight on, just as it buzzed in my hand.
Power go out for you too?
What do you think?
…are you hiding under a blanket?
I’m not scared of the dark.
You are
I literally fight people for fun.
Fair enough
Can't really punch a thunderstorm tho
Haha
That was sarcasm in case it didn’t land
I paused and looked up from the lit screen, narrowing my eyes. Something had just creaked on the porch.
Straining my ears, I locked my phone, plunging the room into darkness again. There it was again — a slow thud. Something heavy making the porch creak, barely audible under the steady drumbeat of rain hammering against the roof.
Without my permission, my pulse started racing and my heart threatened to leap out of my chest. I wasn’t actually scared, but I couldn’t stop the adrenaline from setting in.
Either this was who I thought it was, playing with me, or it was someone who was going to learn a very painful lesson today.
“Tori…” A voice called from outside. It was low and amused, fully aware of its effect. “You know when the lights went out, I couldn’t help but think…” There was a louder thud, followed by the unmistakable sound of a big hand slapping against the front door. “Perfect hunting weather.”
I backed up instinctively. “Don’t you dare.”
The silence that followed was electrifying, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. Despite my muscles trembling with anticipation, I forced myself to stay in place and considered my options.
Then the front door handle jiggled.
I sucked in a breath. “Kai! Stop it, you psycho—”
The door swung open and I crouched down, instinctively adopting a defensive stance. A huge, shadowy figure loomed in the doorway, right as the next rumble of thunder rolled in.
Kai didn’t move. He didn’t speak. Then another bolt of lightning lit up the night, illuminating his face. A slow grin curled the corners of his mouth before he took one heavy, menacing step inside the house.
“Oh hell no,” I whispered, spinning on the spot.
His dark, delighted laugh followed me.
“Better run.”
I bolted for the stairs. Footsteps thundered behind me, faster than mine by a mile. Curse his abnormally long legs. It was just fucking unfair. I hit the stairs two at a time, scrambling like a feral raccoon trying to escape a trash can.
Halfway up a hand wrapped around my ankle. I yelped and kicked back, managing to slip free through a combination of panic and luck.
“Dirty move,” he called up.
