The Rain

Chapter 2 - The Loss

Ember

It's been a year since that dreaded day. A year that I've been alone. A year that I lost my reason for living, and the worst part is I never even saw it coming, no one did.

I was a very accomplished nurse at Seattle Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. My husband, Reed, was a saint. I mean that in almost every sense of the word, except the literal one of course. He had a law firm and was very successful. Despite his success, he still made sure to take on as many pro bono cases as possible. He had a heart of gold and wanted to help those who needed it. We had been married for five years. We had our ups and downs, but we loved each other. He was my husband, confidant, and my best friend.

It was October 25th, 2018. I was clocking out of my shift and gathering my things to return home. Reed had planned a trip to our cabin in the mountains on the outskirts of Seattle. It was my favorite place to go to decompress and get away from my hectic life as a nurse. The cabin had been in Reed's family for years. It was passed down to him upon the death of his father when he was seventeen.

It was our place.

I remember driving home that day, and the news was playing on the radio in the background. It was the weather forecast. Although it was October in Washington, one of the rainiest months all year, it hadn't rained in two weeks.

This is amazing. I thought — finally, an escape from the rain. Reed and I can enjoy the outdoors for once.

I didn't realize at that moment just how wrong I was.

Soon it was time for us to head off on our much-needed vacation. 

It was a chilly day. I wrapped my arms tighter around my chest to prevent the warmth from escaping my body as I stood and watched Reed load the last of our bags into the trunk of our SUV. 

He stared into the trunk, an analytical look on his face as he surveyed our bags. 

"I think that's everything," he said as he closed the trunk lid.

"Are you sure?" I asked, as I narrowed my eyes and tried to hide the smirk threatening to reveal itself on my face. I was clutching the car keys behind my back. He always forgot the keys.

"Yeah, it is," He responded plainly, none the wiser. 

"Okay, let's go," I said, getting into the passenger seat, keys still clutched in my hands.

He jumped into the driver's seat, buckled his seatbelt, then failed at using his invisible keys to start the car.

I could no longer hold the smirk back, and my poker face dissipated as I let out a huge chuckle.

"Ember," he said through a laugh, as he leaned back in his seat, hands covering his face.

I dangled the keys out in front of his face but quickly pulled them back as he went to grab them from my hands.

"Ah, ah, ah, it's gonna cost you," I said then pointed to my puckered lips.

He leaned in, the sun shining through his sandy blonde hair. I stared into his emerald green eyes and closed my own as he grabbed the keys from my hands.

"What? A fake-out?" I asked half-jokingly.

He laughed as he started the car and pulled off the curb. 

"Don't take my forgetfulness for weakness," he taunted, plastering on a stern facade.

He flashed me one of his million-watt smiles as his facade fell, and I smiled back at him.

He took my hand in his, as I turned up the music and we rode off down the road.

We arrived at the cabin just as the sun was setting. It was getting colder now, and the wind was picking up a bit. The cabin was just as I remembered it. It was in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by trees as far as the eye could see. It had a wrap-around porch with stairs leading up to them and two white rocking chairs placed on either side. Two large windows surrounded the door, the red peeling paint of the window frame a testament to its history. It was a vision, so beautiful. 

"Here's the keys. You go ahead and unlock the door, and I'll bring the bags in," He said, pulling the keys out of the ignition and placing them in my hand. "And no more hiding those," He playfully added as he planted a soft kiss on my lips.

I smiled to myself as I hopped out of the car and climbed the steps to the front door. 

I pushed the key into the lock and opened the door, stepping into the cabin, dimly lit by the pale moonlight streaming in from the windows. I walked over to the couch in front of the fireplace and took off my jacket. 

Never mind it's freezing in here, I thought to myself as I shrugged my jacket back on and glanced over at the fireplace. 

"Crap, there are no logs," I sighed.

"What?" Reed questioned, catching the end of my mumbled sigh as he walked through the door, bags slung around each arm.

"You forgot to replace the logs from the last time we were here, and there's none left. It's freezing in here," I complained, a little irritated, with my hand on my hip.

"Don't worry. I'll go grab some from the shed when I'm done bringing in the bags." 

"Thank you, babe," I gratefully replied as I walked over and threw my arms around his neck, pecking his lips. 

"Of course. Be right back," He said, releasing me as he walked out the door and shut it behind him.

I sat down on the couch, exhausted from the day and the ride here.

I closed my eyes. 

*************************

I woke up to a banging sound coming from beside the door.

How long was I asleep? I thought to myself as I sat up and looked around the room. 

I shivered as goosebumps ran up and down my arms. The fire never got started. 

"Reed?" I shouted. 

Where is he?

I walked over to the door and noticed the window was open. The icy cold wind banged it against the window frame. I shut the window then looked outside. It was raining.

Great, there goes our fun weekend outdoors- 

I'm cut off mid-thought as I looked around and noticed that the trees were gone, the light on the front of the cabin illuminating the spots where they used to be. Then I saw what wrecked me, destroyed me, took my will to live. Reed was lying in a heap at the front of the stairs, a sight that was so gruesome, the rain falling around him and melting everything with a sizzle.

The rain killed him.

To be continued....

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