A Compilation of Short Stories/Poems

Short Story 3: The Gods are After Me (Pt 1/?)

A/n: Hello, reader! This another one of my stories for English, my teacher usually makes us write a bunch of stories each week, so I've got a bunch of stories to rewrite. I apologize for not writing much of my stories, I've been quite busy lately.
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As I was biking quickly down the ancient cobblestone road, I felt a small droplet of water fall onto my shoulder. I looked up, and noticed the dark clouds looming overhead. I stopped for a moment so I could zip my yellow jacket up, and I could hear a loud crack of thunder to my left. I quickly put my hood up and resumed pedaling down the trail.

I was halfway to my small cottage-I could see it in the distance-when I heard a loud crack of thunder not too far away from me. I stopped for a moment, carefully placing my booted foot next to my bike and gripping the handlebars tightly.

The next thing I knew, hundreds of lightning bolts began crashing down all around me, creating a circular electric trap around me. They began closing in around me, and I caught a glance at my wooden home, just across the hill-it was enveloped in flames.

My eyes began to well up with tears as I watched my only sanctuary burning to the ground. My knees started to wobble, and my grip on the handlebars loosened. The tears started to fall swiftly and they didn't stop for what felt like hours, when the once beautiful home was just a large pile of ash.

The stones being struck with the lighting were charred and cracked, the grass peeping through withering and snapping into pieces, and the sky became pitch black, blanketed by a night-like gloominess that swept through the trees and the knee-high grass.

As suddenly as the lighting had started, it halted. I settled myself on my bike, before I heard an all too familiar crack behind me; then another, and another, and another, each one closer than the last.

I quickly began pedaling down the hill, passing the ashy mound that was originally my destination. I heard the crashing thunder behind me, matching my pace, getting faster and faster. I panted, my legs going numb, as I pedaled so quickly my legs were almost invisible. I sharply turned right, between the tall oak trees, hoping to stall whatever was trying to kill me.

I weaved between the trees, my hoodie getting scratched and caught on the low hanging branches. My dark jeans were torn from the brambles hugging the trees tightly, blood seeping through the thinned fabric. The thunder had subsided, but I knew it wouldn't be for long. I halted suddenly, a large overturned oak was blocking my path. I began to panic, as I heard the faint crashing becoming louder. I looked for a new route, but I found my escape was blocked by the trees inching closer together, weaving into a new pattern.

Suddenly, I noticed a gap big enough for a small someone to fit through; the rotting tree was being held up by a thin birch trunk. The thunder was gaining speed, and I made my decision.

Backing up a few feet, I began pedaling my bike quickly, before throwing it over the oak and sliding underneath the tree. My hood got caught on one of the thick branches, and I squirmed out of it's tightening grasp.

Quickly picking up my bike and stabilizing myself on it, I nearly jumped out of the seat when I heard the rotting oak snap in half from the force of the lightning. I began pedaling even harder than I had before, rushing to get to some sort of shelter.