In The Rain and Dark

It was nighttime, approximately 8:45, the rain came in sheets of fat, warm drops that pelted the shingle roof of Mina’s house. She, along with her two friends Marsha and Becky, were sitting in the living room in the soft glow of the television screen as the horror movie commenced. As Leatherface bifurcated his victim (who was already suffering due to his being impaled on a meat hook) with his chainsaw, Marsha squealed and buried her head in the pillows.

“Come on, Marsha!” Mina said with a laugh, “This isn’t as bad as what we’re seeing next week.” Marsha peeped out of the pillow clutched in her hands. “Dare I ask?” she ventured meekly. “We’re gonna watch ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ !” Mina replied enthusiastically. Marsha squealed again and ducked back under the pillows. “Hey,” Becky said looking up from her smartphone, “The dude who played Leatherface in this died in 2015.” “Awww, that sucks!” Mina said glumly as she reached for the bowl of pretzels on the table next to her. Hmm,” Marsha mumbled, “His own role probably came back and sawed him in two.”

Lightning cracked and illuminated the entire neighborhood, making a sort of “anti-night” effect outside. It wasn’t very special, as storms were frequent in this area. The movie had almost finished, and Marsha had moved over to the window. She stared around the dark neighborhood as the rain continued to pour. The lightning flashed again, and something caught Marsha’s eye. She was a bright girl and had a fast eye for detail, but she could only see so much in the light that the lightning provided for a fraction of a second. All she could see was a large mass on the sidewalk--she stared intently out the window waiting for the next flash. It came, and it illuminated the world for about a second, which was all that was needed to see a man lying motionless on the ground. Marsha gasped and bolted to the front door. Mina and Becky saw where she was going and followed close behind.

Marsha yanked on her shoes and fumbled with her parka; Mina and Becky simply stared. “Jeez, Marsha, did that scene in the movie trouble you THAT much?” said Mina. “There’s someone out there! Looks like they might be hurt!” Marsha said as she threw the door open.

Now, usually when a statement like this comes from either Mina or Becky, they’re usually speaking in jest, but when it’s from Marsha it’s an event, combined with the fact that the crime rate is usually low in their area.

Mina and Becky wasted no time in pulling on their shoes and going after Marsha. When they got to where she stood, they stared in awe. Illuminated by the light of Marsha’s smartphone was a young man; dressed in rugged clothes and his face plastered with blood. His breathing was labored and wheezy, but he was alive. “We have to help him inside.” Marsha declared. “What? But--” Mina protested. “We can’t just leave him out here, Mina!” Marsha said. “She’s right,” Becky said, “he’s not looking so good.” Mina sighed. “Okay,” she said, “Let’s bring him to the living room.”

It took a little while, but at last they made it with the person inside and into the living room without causing him more bodily harm. They laid him on the sofa and examined him. In Mina and Becky’s eyes, he was a rather attractive fellow, diminished only by the wound on his forehead and the blood oozing from it. Marsha set about cleaning the wound with a cotton ball and some isopropyl. Surprisingly, the person didn’t flinch from  the sting--he was out cold! Mina decided to do something that to some would be quite rude, but she needed to find out who the person was; she rummaged in his back pockets for his wallet.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Marsha said suspiciously. “Looking for an I.D.” Mina said. She fished around in his pocket some more until she found his soaking wet wallet. She thumbed it open and found the I.D. card. It was made of paper and was more than a little damp. The ink was quite smudged, but she could make out that the person’s surname was “Harker”, and that he was fifteen years old. Mina relayed this info to her companions and replaced the wallet to the person’s pocket. Just then, she caught a glimpse of Becky running her hand under the person’s shirt. His toned abdomen was slightly exposed. “Hey!” Mina said sharply. Becky blushed and pulled her hand away. “I, uh, was looking for, um, other lacerations... Hey, what’s that?” Mina glared at her and looked over to where she was pointing. sticking out of his jacket was a soaked piece of paper. Taking care not to tear it as she extracted it, she unfolded it as carefully as possible. In red letters, it read:

“SLAY THE BLOODSUCKING RODENT”

Before Mina could ponder the note’s meaning, a hand snatched it from her hand. Marsha yelled and Becky jumped. The person clenched the note with a grimace, and he stared at Mina for a brief moment with his pale blue eyes. Slowly, he faltered back down on the sofa, and he was out once again.

END