RAIN

Chapter one

It appeared out of nowhere from the nothingness surrounding him, a derelict station with a faded sign erected above a weathered building. Despite its outward appearance, It was a true blessing in disguise.

The faint rumble of thunder greeted him as he got out of the car, an ominous reminder of the danger slowly approaching. The beginning of a drizzle dusted his dark hair like snow. His surroundings unsettled his nerves as he made a quick scan of the perimeters, but Jet was determined to make it to his destination.

He removed a credit card from his wallet and inserted it into the old dusty reader. A long beep chimed in as the machine spat it back at him. He tried again, and still, no luck.

He surrendered with some choice words. His eyes zipped around as if he expected to see another person in this desolate place who could offer some help. He breathed out loudly, a feeling of frustration dawning as he started walking toward the small convenience store.

A bell jingled over the door as he entered the store. An old, musty smell hit him. The place looked like it hadn't seen a customer in days. The loud buzzing of one of the fluorescent lightbulbs mounted onto the discolored ceiling made him look up for a second.

The woman sitting behind the counter turned her attention away from her magazine. Her dark brown eyes stared out at him from behind a pair of thick-lensed glasses. Her greying hair was haphazardly pulled into a messy bun, not on purpose but because she didn't seem to care much about appearances. Age had discolored the blue plaid shirt she wore-the breast pocket was tearing away from it. Her face was oily, and her eyebrows unkempt. She was, in every essence, as depressing as the building itself.

He smiled at her. He didn't think it was fair to pass judgment on the woman without knowing the reasons behind her unfortunate state.

"Hey, do you speak English?" he asked as he approached her.

She pulled her lips back into a broad smile and bowed. "Yes," she said.

"Good, can you ah...help me? I'm trying to get some gas, but the card machine doesn't work."

"No problem, no problem! You can pay here." She was eager for the sale.

"Good- great!"

He handed over his credit card. In the back of his mind, his aunt's voice replayed with her sweet promises. His desperation to reach his destination grew. He was eager to get back on track and set his plan into motion.

"Where are you heading?" the woman questioned. Her eyes took in his polished appearance with scrutiny.

"Tam-mut. Am I saying that right? It's just a couple of hours from here. Isn't it? My GPS stopped working just now."

She nodded as she returned his card. "Hm, it is. There is a storm approaching. Did you know? It isn't wise for you to head that way now. Once the rain starts, the road that leads that way will become flooded for days. You'll be stranded."

"I guess I'll just have to hurry then. My aunt lives out there. I'm on vacation, visiting my grandparents. I wanted to visit her before I leave."

"Oh? I have friends in Tammut. What is your aunt's name?"

"Sofia."

"Sofia? Ah! So you are from the Mannan family? Why are you out here? In the rain? All alone?"

He smirked. The woman's concern for him was as fake as her smile. In an instant, Jet regretted mentioning his aunt's name. He hadn't realized just how prevalent his family was in these parts.

"I'll be fine. I have an emergency kit in my car, and my cell phone is working fine."

"There's a little village near here, just before you get to Tammut. It has no name, just a few people who live out there and fish-well whatever remains of them anyway. A lot of tragic stories. If you get lost out there, you can find help. I mean, they aren't savvy with technology and all of that. You hardly see any of them with a cell phone."