𝕊𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕤 // ℙ. 𝕄𝕒𝕩𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕗𝕗

Prologue

Gale force winds bring power outages to thousands as Hurricane Linda makes its way to shore, make sure to follow all evacuation orders as-

And then the radio went silent as Malia pushed the off button. She kept her other hand on the steering wheel and continued to drive through the heavy rain. The brunette looked over at her best friend who was sulking, her head resting against the window. Malia rolled her eyes.

"Cheer up, Farah!" Malia said reaching behind her and pulling out a bag of chips. She tossed it at the curly-headed girl and Farah gave her a look that could kill someone.

"Malia, I told you that I didn't want to go on this stupid road trip three days ago! And now here we are, in the middle of fucking nowhere in the middle of a fucking hurricane!" Farah said making a big gesture with her hands. She flared her nostrils and put her head back against the seat. Malia began to talk but Farah just tuned her out at this point. All she could hear were the heavy raindrops hitting the windshield. For some reason, it reminded her of bullets.

Farah had known Malia since they were 6 years old, they were each other's ride or die. Growing up they did everything together. When Malia learned how to ride a bike, Farah was riding right behind her. When Farah got her first period, Malia got hers the same day. They even were enrolled in the same college together and ended up being roommates.

Though they had been best friends since kindergarten, Malia knew exactly how to push Farah's buttons. You see, the two girls had always been polar opposites of one another. Malia was always very outgoing and sweet, whereas Farah would like to stand off to the side and silently judge people. Farah had also always been more academically inclined than Malia, seeing as she wanted to become an aerospace engineer.

When Malia told Farah that she wanted to take a road trip, Farah immediately said no. She had midterms coming up and she did not want to jeopardize her chances of getting the Stark Industries internship. Malia somehow managed to convince Farah to leave the comfort of their dorm room though, hoping to help her get over her most recent heartbreak.

You see, Farah had been in a year and a half long relationship with her engineering professor. Malia never approved of their relationship, she hated the way he treated her and it didn't help that he was 24 years older than Farah. A few months back, he had just disappeared, only leaving her a note as a goodbye. This absolutely crushed Farah and had left her in a rut ever since.

But that's how Farah got here, stuck in a car with her crackhead of a best friend, driving to God know's where. She scoffed and looked out her window, thinking back to all the times Malia forced her into doing things she didn't want to do. She could make a list, but it would probably take forty years to complete it. Even though Malia did things to irk Farah to no end, she still loved her. After all, they were inseparable.

At least until now.

Farah was snapped out of her trance when she heard Malia scream. They were passing over a bridge when a dark figure appeared in the street. Before Farah could even think about panicking, Malia swerved and the car plunged into the body of water below.

It was a strange sensation, falling. Farah felt like everything was going in slow motion, yet it was all happening rapidly too. The world around her was blurring past in a hurry, but she felt stuck in a time loop. That sensation ended when the car made contact with the water, the impact rattling her brain. Farah hit her head on the dash and her consciousness began to falter. After that, all she could remember were glimpses.

Farah was trying to scream Malia's name but her lungs kept filling with water as the car sunk deeper and deeper. She could briefly see Malia, her eyes were open and there was a large gash across her neck and forehead where the windshield had cut her. Then there was a flash of light and Farah felt her entire body seize as it was trying to fend off the energy.

In reality, it was absorbing it.

After that point, all Farah could remember was lightning. It just kept flashing as she sunk to the floor of the ocean. She closed her eyes, accepting that this would be her end. There were worse ways to die and knowing Malia was dead had already killed her.

But then she felt like she was being lifted. She didn't dare to open her eyes, wondering if this was what death felt like. After feeling her body make a large thud on the ground, she opened her eyes and sputtered the water out of her throat. She coughed and looked around her.

She was alone on the bridge.

Farah looked around in confusion, trying to process what had just happened. She wanted to panic as she realized her best friend since childhood had just died, the image of blood pouring out of her neck was seared into Farah's brain.

Her heart began to flutter and she started having trouble breathing as a buzzing feeling began to grow inside her, almost like she was full of static. Before she could think any further, exhaustion consumed her and she shut her eyes, passing out on the bridge.

~~~