RAIN

Chapter nine

He stopped to gather his bearings. Water streamed down his body. The raindrops were pelting at him, making sight almost impossible.

He squinted, searching for signs of movement in the darkness. Lightning flickered and snaked across the sky with the boom of thunder almost always a few seconds away.

"RAIN!" Jet called.

His voice was drowned out by the roaring storm. He pressed his feet into the ground as a gust threatened to knock him to the ground.

"Hey!" a voice called.

Jet spun around, his heart skipping a beat. He stared at the aunt. A hundred thoughts raced in his mind. Water rolled off the top of her head in small streams. Through the haze, he could make out her cold eyes as they stared at him.

"Go back to the house," she said.

"Where's Rain?"

"He's fine. This is none of your business. Go back to the house. I'll be back shortly to give you some more of my brother's clothes so you don't die from the cold."

"You were trying to get him to drink something. What was it?"

She threw her head back and laughed as though she had just told her the funniest joke.

"I was giving him medicine," she said with a condescending smile. "Rain has fallen ill like his cousins. It's the moisture in the air. He doesn't like taking medicine. Ever since he was little. He'd rather kill himself than take medicine."

"You're lying."

"You can believe whatever you want. But I'm telling you, go back to the house. This is none of your business."

"I won't let you hurt Rain."

"Rain is none of your concern. He is my nephew. I know what's best for him."

"And your kids? What happened to them?"

"They are sleeping."

"No, they're not!"

A cry cut through the violent storm and reached Jet's ear. His eyes followed the direction of the sound. The blurry image of Rain running toward the house manifested in the haze.

Jet started to run, but she grabbed him.  "No wait..."

"Get off me!" Jet barked as he shoved her off him. Her grip was strong and he had to fight to get her off. "Don't ever put your hands on me again. I know what you people do to Rain."

"Do not let Rain fool you! He's good at manipulating people. Rain is trying to leave here. He manipulated my husband into doing his bidding. He's tricking you!"

Jet ignored her and sprinted toward the trees. Behind him, a branch crashed into the saturated ground. Her squelching footsteps in the mud told him not to stop.

"RAIN, THIS WAY!" Jet said as he planted himself between the cover of a clump of trees.

He drew his gun and squinted his eyes, trying to see beyond the haze of the whiteout. Another branch snapped and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Jet could see Rain now. There was a blackish stain on the side of his shirt. Behind him, a man gave chase, his teeth bared and his eyebrows drawn together in a maniacal grimace.

Jet steadied his nerves, took position, and he fired. The report from the gun matched the sound of the thunder that shook the ground. The man grabbed his arm and fell to the ground. The muddy water splashed onto his contorted face as he looked around for the explanation for his injury.

            Jet lifted his eyes for a split second and witnessed a branch take flight in a gust. The uneven rhythm of his heart reverberated in his ears.