Short Words

Hellview Street

Genre: thriller

Author's Note:

This is a more recent one from my creative writing class. The assignment was focused around setting and to be completely honest setting is not my best concept when writing. It was supposed to start with a cliché beginning like "it was a dark and stormy night" and broaden the picture. With that I'll let you judge...

It was a dark and stormy night. The air was humid from the approaching storm. The dark clouds smothered the brightness of the full moon. The bare trees shivered when attacked by the hoarse breathing of the Earth. Beings of all kinds took cover. The scurrying rodents of the sewers scampered back to their grimy holes. Prying birds squawked to warn the rest before clinging for dear life to the flimsy trees. The houses of the town sheltered the families, except one that sat at the farthest corner of Hellview Street. This two story house didn't have any inhabitants, besides a few rodents, the occasional person of no fixed address, and it always seemed something else was watching. The front steps were exposed, rid of their white paint and the railing of the front porch didn't look much better. The windows filled with the tattered curtains from inside. A breeze from within the house often shifted the curtains aside, which was supposedly an ancient figure passing by. The crumbling roof would not ward off the heavy raindrops from this particular storm, it was sure to cave in this time.

Grumbling came from the distant storm shaking the insides of all living things. A crack of thunder sounded and alarmed the beings, except the ones in the small, black car that just arrived at the farthest corner of Hellview Street. They pulled into the driveway. They parked halfway in the tan, spiky grass. The lights and engine ceased. They got out of the car. They're coming in. The ominous entity flew up the stairs not even feeling the splinter-giving steps. The rickety balcony overviewing the entrance way served as the perfect spot to watch the newcomers.

When they entered, their faces scrunched at the nose then they pinched it. It was a young girl and boy with heavy jackets and equally as heavy looking book bags. They started talking in a hushed tone. The girl shook her head and yelled "There's nobody here, calm down!"

The boy looked wearily around the last minute shelter. The flower wallpaper was peeling down the walls, the floorboards creaked with each pressure of a step, and the ceiling tiles were about to take a dive. He tried to turn on the lightswitch beside the front door, but the satisfying clicking with no result of light made the invisible existence above them smile. A couple footsteps sounded and the girl started talking again, but the only part spoken loud enough to hear was "dirty hobos stay here". Dirty hobos?

A rumble of thunder and a clash of lightning sounded. Anger erupted through the house. The electrifying storm added fuel to the fire already forming inside. The smeared with dirt windows shook within their frames. The decaying doors open and slammed outrageously. The ceiling tiles were hanging from a thread. They threatened to fall on top of the impudent visitors, but they wouldn't budge. The arrogant girl looked up and screamed, "Ghost!" and ran towards a broken broom stick to defend herself. The boy had already vanished the property and came face to face with the storm.

The uproar of rain and thunder was right overhead. Big, thick drops darted to the streets and roofs. The clouds fumed with anger. The face of the moon was masked. Several of the uncovered trees gave into the winds and fell to the sloshy ground. The rats listened to the chaos above from the sewers. The birds quivered on the whimsy branches remembering for the last time the fun they've had. The families inside houses were prepared for a power outage huddled together with blankets. All of the houses on Hellview Street were equipped to sit out the storm, except for the one at the farthest corner of the street. The roof creaked, groaned, and grumbled with every thunder vibration, lightning strike, and trying raindrop. A single bolt of electric heat attacked the house. That's all it took. The roof caved in, every shingle plunged to the floor. The rotting porch finally collapsed. All four supporting walls cracked the whole way through their descend. A blood curdling scream joined into the symphony of cracking and splitting of wood.

Then, all went silent. Like a toddler throwing a tantrum then finally receiving what they wanted, the storm concluded and retreated.

The moon's light was exposed. The trees stood up straight, confident that they braced the storm. Sewers were evacuated, rats rummaged through the discards of the thunderstorm. Birds shook the leftover drops from their feathers. Families kissed each other goodnight. Hellview street, now damp, sat quietly waiting for the sun to reveal the damage of the storm.