It's The Eyes...

Thunder

A girl called Ameah was lying on top of the covers on her bed, reading a book. It was titled: Thunder in the night. It was about a girl who was alone at night during a vicious storm. She got up off of the bed, not taking her eyes away from the book's tattered pages. Making her way to her bedroom window, she paused, eyes widening.

'Lily crept closer to the window, her heart pounding in her chest. A mighty thunderclap rang through the skies and a flash of lightning illuminated the room. There was someone out there...'

Ameah froze. A distant rumble of thunder echoed throughout the land. She looked out of the window and saw blackened and bruised clouds gathering overhead. She reached out and closed the window. Sighing, she sat on the windowsill and carried on reading.

'Lily steeled herself and pressed her face against the glass, staring out at the dark night. Suddenly, thunder erupted in the skies and the rain threw itself down from the heavens, crashing into the frail glass. Lightning flashed across the sky. It's harsh light illuminated the face on the other side of the glass. Lily screamed and-'

Ameah jumped and her heart pounded as thunder roared overhead and the glass rattled in its frame as the heavens opened up outside. She heard a distant scream and froze. The scream was harsh and piercing, grating on her eardrums. She heard a strangled yell of delight as the sickening sound of crunching bones cut through the torrential downpours outside. All was silent. Then it went dark. The lights had gone out and Ameah sat, petrified, on the windowsill. She strained her eyes to read the faded words on the worn pages.

'-jumped back away from the window. The glass shattered everywhere and blood splattered the carpet. A man in a tattered and bloody suit jumped through the ruined frame and stared at her. The lightning flashed again and his eyes glowed with insanity.'

Ameah paused, fear and apprehension running cold in her veins. Was Lily about to die? She gulped and put down the book. Another time, in different circumstances. Her breathing calmed and her heart slowed. After a few moments of thick silence, punctuated by the rain and thunder outside and her loud breathing, Ameah moistened her lips and steeled herself. "C'mon Ameah. If a fictional character can do it, so can you." She took a deep breath and looked out the window. Thankfully, there wasn't an insane madman glaring back at her. Relief flooded through her. She stared up out the trees thrashing in the gale force winds and wondered who had screamed earlier. A sick feeling of foreboding settled in her chest. "Just read a book about a madman breaking in during a storm. Thunderstorm outside, screams ringing in my ears. Cliché or what?"

She glanced back out of the window. Lightning flashed outside and Ameah screamed as a leering face gazed back at her. It was far worse than she'd imagined. His face was twisted in a snarl, a bloody sword in his left hand, blood splattered on his ripped and torn suit. His crooked eyes were filled with bloodlust and anger. The lightning cast shadows over his savage features and Ameah could hear his deep, throaty, animalistic growl even over the rain and thunder raging outside. She screamed again as the window smashed and he jumped through. "THUNDER IN THE NIGHT, THUNDER IN THE NIGHT!" She shrieked hysterically. He tilted his head to one side and grinned. It just added drastically to his already, obviously insane appearance. "SSundee read that once. Want to find out what happened to Lily?" Ameah was unable to respond, silent with terror. Lightning flashed again as he stepped closer. "She died." He hissed maliciously.

Ameah clamped her hands over her mouth, her silent screams still betraying her through her eyes. He smiled. "What's the matter, you afraid to die?..." Ameah gasped. "D-Derp S-SSundee..." Derp narrowed his eyes. "How did you know?..." She stepped away from him. "H-he'll stop you..." Derp laughed. It sounded strangled and unnatural. "SSundee is in The Deepmere. There's nothing to stop me now." Ameah screamed again and ran, jumping out of the window. She sprinted blindly through the heavy rain, thunder rumbling through her skin and rattling her bones. She could hear him behind her. Taunting her. Tearing her apart from the inside with his insanity and bloodlust. "You're gonna die! You can run all you like, but I'll always catch you! And when I do-" He was interrupted by a monstrously loud clap of thunder as it rolled through the sky. Ameah was crying, sobbing. The rain ran with her tears down her face. There was a monster chasing her, in the guise of a madman. A predator. And she was the prey. He switched to Lily's story.

"She died you know!" He screamed at her through the rain. "He tore her apart! I'll make it longer though, more drawn out! You'll all die!" Ameah saw a light up ahead, a voice through the pain, a sliver of hope through the darkness around her. "Keep running!" Another voice, drowned out by the rain and thunder, pleading, crying. Ameah's thoughts were twisted by fear. She could hear her heartbeat loud in her ears, bursting out of her chest, like a wild animal striving to escape. Someone ran past her and she saw a glimpse of gold. Then the figure was gone. She heard screams of anger and hateful cursing as battle ensued behind them. She ran blindly into someone's arms and the person staggered backwards. She squinted up at their face. Deadlox stared back at her, brown eyes wide in shock. "Oh." She collapsed in his arms, sobbing, lost in her terror and delirium. Screams of rage accompanied by cries of pain filled the air as the thunder crashed overheard and the rain poured on down. The storm raged on throughout the night. All the while Ameah sobbed in Deadlox's trembling arms as the rain dripped off of their hair and clothes and her demented killer fought on like a crazed animal, intent upon destroying everything and anyone in his path. Ameah felt sorry for Lily. She'd been murdered by a psycho. Ameah had come close. So cliché. Like Thunder in the night...