IMPERVIOUS

The storm raged that night, shrouding everything in darkness except for the small pool of light cast by the candle on my desk. I sat by the window, peering out into the chaos. Thunder boomed relentlessly, and occasional lightning illuminated my garden with eerie brilliance. My home was far off the grid, isolated from the city, nestled on the outskirts near a dense, foreboding forest.

I was growing restless at my desk. My entire house was engulfed in darkness, and being alone, there was no one to keep me company. With no Wi-Fi, my only option was to read, though it was far from my favorite pastime. Reluctantly, I decided to grab a book. Just as I rose from my chair, I heard a soft, sweet humming—a girl's voice, probably a teenager. Despite the storm's roar and the pounding rain, her voice was clear as crystal. Curious, I peered out the window.

At first, I couldn't see anything. But then a flash of lightning illuminated the scene, revealing not a teenage girl, but a woman standing a few feet away from my window. She had blue eyes, pale white skin, a sweet face, and an oddly wide smile. She wore a beautiful wedding dress that, despite the downpour, looked eerily dry.

I asked her, "Hello! Do you need any help?" Her humming stopped, and her smile faded into a blank expression. After a moment, what happened next left me horrified. Her beautiful blue eyes rolled back into voids, and her face slowly contorted, widening to reveal sharp teeth. She let out a monstrous scream, almost deafening, and charged towards my window. Just as she was about to reach it, another flash of lightning struck, and she vanished almost instantly.

I shot back from the window, pulling the curtain closed. I thought it was safe now, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

I heard a loud bang downstairs, the sound of something breaking. My breath caught in my throat. I wasn't going to take any chances. Quickly, I reached under my desk and pulled out the shotgun, fitted with a torch and loaded with a few shells. It was a 16-gauge, easily capable of blowing someone's head off. But was that thing even real? Or just a hallucination? Am I paranoid? If it was all in my head, then what caused the noise downstairs? I am going nuts.

Slowly, I made my way down the darkened hallway, my heart pounding in my chest. The storm's fury outside mirrored the tempest of fear within me. Each step felt like an eternity, the creaking floorboards betraying my presence. I reached the top of the staircase and peered down into the inky blackness below. The silence was deafening, broken only by the occasional rumble of thunder and the persistent drumming of rain against the roof.

I flipped the torch on, the beam slicing through the darkness. I descended the stairs, the shotgun clutched tightly in my hands, my fingers trembling on the trigger. The house was eerily silent now, as if holding its breath. I reached the bottom and slowly scanned the living room, the torchlight dancing over familiar furniture that now seemed ominous and alien in the darkness.

The broken glass crunched underfoot as I stepped into the room. My gaze fell upon the shattered window, rainwater pooling on the floor beneath it. I swept the beam of light across the room, but there was no sign of the intruder. My mind raced, every shadow and flicker of light a potential threat.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I whipped around, the torch illuminating a figure standing in the doorway. It was the woman from outside, her wedding dress now drenched and clinging to her body, but still strangely pristine. Her wide smile had returned, but her eyes remained voids of darkness. She stepped forward, and I raised the shotgun, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Stay back!" I shouted, my voice cracking with fear. She continued to advance, her movements slow and deliberate, as if savoring my terror. The beam of light flickered, casting eerie shadows on her face, highlighting the unnatural sharpness of her teeth.