The storm clouds looked like gods. The loose, everchanging forms swirled slowly, twisting into odd shapes, forming faces for split seconds before the composition shifted again. Thunder echoed across the fields opposite my house on the edge of the farmlands, lightning seemingly striking the tall hills in the distance. Lightning always bothered me. The shear energy it possessed, the raw power of fire and electricity combined was daunting. If you got hit -unlikely but still- you most certainly would end up barbequed. I bit my lip as it flashed closer. Storms always brought change, whether it was demise of a tree from lightning tearing through it's wooden trunk or the rare death of a pedestrain from stepping across the path of wind-battered falling tree, there was always change.
"Honey, Dinner is ready!" My mum called up the stairs.
I could smell the rich scent of meat downstairs, the saturday night stew ready and waiting for me in the dining room. My mouth watered and a smile turned up the corner of my mouth. I forced myself to forget the uneasy feeling that the storm gave me and I hopped down the stairs.
"What's cooking?" I heard my cousin Rory enquire as he strolled in from the bathroom on the bottom floor.
"Saturday night stew" I heard the smile in my mum's voice.
It was her personal speciality and she always had a smug smile on her face before and after we'd wolfed it down. It was that good.
"Smells good Jezz," I used her nickname fondly, teasingly.
She rolled her eyes at me as I walked in and plopped down at the table across from Rory was who biting at the bit, his stomach practically announcing his hunger. I raised an eyebrow at him as it growled audibly and he shrugged innocently.
"Haven't eaten today cuz, been busy doing your chores."
"Rubbish! I cleaned the garden last week and cleared the attic. It was your turn this week" I said indignantly and he snorted.
"You two! Goodness!" Mum tried to sound annoyed but failed at hiding her involuntary chuckle.
Rory and I stuck our tongues out at each other before digging in. He had been living with us since his dad had been shipped off on business to America for a month and his mother -my aunt- was laid up in hopsital, recovering from serious surgery. I didn't exactly know why she needed surgery, mum hadn't wanted to go too much into it. Truthfully, I didn't want to know. What I had heard sounded pretty grim.
"Right, I'm off out," Rory announced.
"No you are not," Mum scoffed and gestured out of the window. "It's postively apocalyptic out there!"
"Steve's picking me up in three, two, one..."
A horn bleeped outside. I raised my eyebrows. Steve's impeccable timing would always be a mystery to me...
"Fine, but if you come home wasted again, I'm not cleaning up the vomit," Mum sighed and set about cleaning up the table and preparing the diswasher.
I nodded a goodbye to Rory as he threw on a thick rain coat and ran out to Steve's car. I could hear mum crashing around in the kitchen, the sound of plates on plates making a chinking sound, accompanied by pans and pots shifting. I retreated to my room to catch up on the latest episode of Doctor who, flicking on the TV and closing the door with my foot. I could hear the storm getting close now...I bit my lip again. It was moving fast. It made me feel on edge, the hairs all over my skin standing on end. I flopped onto the bed, trying not to worry about Rory out there in the midst of it.
I was enjoying a quiet evening of sci-fi action when the thunder crashed overhead. I bundled myself up in my duvet and tried to block out the horrific crashes above me, hands trembling slightly. Pass over quickly...I pleaded silently.
BOOM.
The sound was defeaning. The crack of lightning shattered explosively and a corner of my room's roof collapsed inwards and charred debri was flung across the room. The heat off of the bolt hit my skin and I cringed away, my heart pounding erractically. The scream that escaped my lips as the scene unfolded was shrill and panicked. And then I saw a crumpled heap. A figure. Someone was lying in the rubble, as if they'd fallen through with the bolt. I shrunk away at first, terrified, but when I heard a pained moan I instinctively edged towards the casualty.
"H-hey...you okay?" I asked, my throat dry, voice scratchy and etched with fear.
The crumpled figure didn't move and moaned weakly, trying to respond.
"My name's Sam...I...I'll help you if you can tell me who you are..."
