roommates | darkiplier

Chapter 7

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Lightning clashed outside, the bright flashes purely unpredictable and threatening. Heavy rain pelted against the window, and the harder it splashed against the glass the more it sounded like hail. Thunder rumbled loudly, shaking the house at the mere sound of it. Just a day prior the sun was shining brightly, the sky spotless of clouds, the air humid and world calm. The forecast was set to be scattered showers with a low of 58° Fahrenheit, turned out to be mostly true, except for the fact that it was a complete downpour that hadn't stopped since two, and it was roughly seven in the evening. California may need hydration here and there, but all at once tended to be overwhelming, and dangerous for everything.

Every little jolt, every little shake and sound from the storm scared Chica so much that her spinal fur poofed up, along with her tail as it dipped between her legs. She sought me for comfort, tucking her muzzle under my arm as I watched television. The connection was poor due to the raging storm, eventually Netflix was replaced with a static screen. After the satellite lost connection, I resulted to my phone for entertainment while I kept Chica near.

To cure my boredom, I opened up YouTube to watch some conspiracy theories and fact videos. Like usual. I guess that day I boosted my intelligence of the ocean, which I regretted because just the thought of a reservoir petrified me. I could never stand going out on a boat in the middle of water, I was so pessimistic about it. I always said what ifs, like what if the boat crashed or sunk? What if I went overboard? Also the thought of the crazy depth of the ocean sent shivers down my spine. A few videos in the slight flickering of the lights became more frequent, leading me to set my phone down and investigate.

Without any forewarn, the power abruptly went out. The lights went black and the buzzing from the tv was silenced. Now with the storm even more audible without any other noise, Chica entered a panicked state. Her whining and shaking was uncontrollable, no matter how much I comforted her, she couldn't find it in her to be calm. Her level of fear was hurting me, I felt bad for her. Too bad she didn't know that it wouldn't harm her. Surrounded with blackness, I stared at the tv, at the blank screen baring my reflection. I hadn't realized how much I despised total darkness until that day. It gave me the creeps. Although, the little light from the outdoors still illuminated the house enough to see everything.

   My phone buzzed from the coffee table. I swiftly answered the call, relieved to hear Mark's voice. Yesterday's confrontation made it a little awkward to speak with Mark though, however he seemed okay with everything. I was probably just the one overthinking.

   "Saved by the cell..." I muttered under my breath. "Hey Mark, what's up?"

   "I just finished recording some videos. Did the power go out over there?" Mark seemed mildly concerned.

   "It did."

   "How's Chica?"

   My heart dropped. I glanced down at the terrified canine, I could feel her body shaking against my side. She was curled into a tight ball with her muzzle hiding beneath her belly. She wasn't coping well with this storm, not at all.

   "I'd be lying if I said she were fine." I let out a regretful sigh.

   There was the sound of movement from the other side of the phone, along with jangling keys. "I'm going to drive over for the night."

   "Oh thank god, with no electricity I'm really going to need the company."

   "Yeah, I'm not sure how long the power will be out for, but I'm bringing a portable charger in case one of our phones dies."