Silent Storm

Chapter 1 ~ Silent Storm

Prologue

Silence. That’s all she could hear. Was it over? Were they gone? She let her breath out in a painful gasp. She raised her head slightly and saw the door and the darkness beyond. The shadows beckoned her and looking around quickly, she started forward in a silent crawl toward freedom. Air hissed out of broken pipes and stretched her nerves to the point of breaking. The dim lighting only added to this suspenseful feeling. For a moment she paused, if she was in any other situation, sheI would appreciate the irony of this moment.

When I was 10 years old I wanted to be in a horror movie. I was going to be so amazing and I was going to scream and cry and be the heroine that survived. I wasn’t going to be afraid and I was going to save everyone while taking down the bad guy.

Instead, I was just like the idiots in those sappy movies where they yell out, “Hello?” as if the murder is going to call back, “Yeah, I’m in the kitchen. Want a sandwich?” Sighing quietly, I pull myself out of my daydreams and look around hastily. Suddenly, a piercing scream fills the silence and I feel goose bumps erupt from my skin as if someone was drawing stone cold fingers down my back. Fingers so cold, the dead shudder at their touch. My breath hitched in my throat as my adrenaline kicked in and I scrambled toward the door with every ounce of solitude I could muster. I realized that I was making a lot of noise but all I could think about was that I had to get out. I had to escape. Later, I realized how stupid that decision was but I wasn’t thinking rationally. Ice hit me in the face as I tore through the clearing and heading toward the pitch black tree line. I saw a clearing in the trees and instinctively headed for it. Either I was imagining it or there was the sound of heavy footfalls crashing through the snow after me. I thought I saw a light up ahead, I felt a burst of energy and I ran faster than ever.

A blizzard had started the day before and now it burned my skin as if the fires of hell were set on keeping me. I saw lights up ahead, red and blue lights, I gasped in relief. An officer was coming toward me, wait, why was he pulling out his gun? He raised it and shot, I screamed because I thought he was shooting at me but I heard a grunt behind me, right behind me. Every nerve in me tingled with fear and my body turned cold as sweat flooded my body and then I felt it. Fingers colder than death itself grabbed me and turned me around. I looked into the face of my worst nightmare and felt my brain freeze with fear. As if someone had reached in and flicked a switch. Distantly, I felt my body crumple and I felt those awful fingers let me go. I knew that the police officer was shouting and trying to get me to wake up but I felt nothing. Darkness beckoned and I gave in, letting it wrap me in its black grasp.