𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀 𝐕𝐔

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟎𝟕

The forest, somehow, had gotten even darker from earlier tonight. The only things visible being the faint outline of trees and the occasional shimmer from a wet leaf or patch of overgrown grass. I had also underestimated the rain; it was a mistake to have only gone out in my shorts and tank top, not even bothering to put socks on when I had put my combat boots on. I could feel my clothing, and hair, sticking to me - it felt horrible.

The rain had not only soaked my hair, but it had also poorly straightened it (most of it still wavy), and caused it to cling to my face and neck in clumps. In wet, disgusting clumps. This, as well as the harshness of the rain itself, had made it even harder to see - drops catching on my eyelashes or sometimes even going into my eyes, which would earn uncomfortable flinches and poor attempts of wiping them out with my hands.

Luckily, I knew where I was going, practically off by heart.

An almost shaky breath escaped passed my lips as I sighed, attempting to walk faster, but it was hard to. Hell, it was getting hard to lift my feet up properly to avoid tripping over the tree roots; my boots were starting to feel heavy and clunky, and the leaves on the floor weren't helping - they'd become slippery and harder to navigate with.

This was in fact a bad idea.

A flash of light illuminated the area - it was a painfully bright white, briefly allowing me to see the overgrown, muddy path ahead of me, showing sagging leaves and plants, and the darker patches of the mud path, where rain had hit it. I hurriedly took a few more, bigger, steps as the brief light ensured confidence in my travelling, but it had almost immediately disappeared once it had come - instead, being replaced with a harsh sound of rumbling, like something had been smashed against something else - a crash coming from the skies.

I flinched at the sudden sound, wincing at the thunder as I reached out for a nearby tree bark, to help guide myself further. Not too long now.

Futility, I wiped my eyes with my other hand, only getting more rain in them as I continued to stagger forward.

Another flash of light.

My skin looked blotchy - purple and blue spots and patches covering the back of my hand. That's probably why I felt so sluggish. I should've put on a jacket. Or a coat - hell a hoodie would've done better. At the sudden plunge into darkness, I closed my eyes - mindlessly wondering forwards, preparing for the thunder.

The rumbling - louder, this time.

I still flinched, hesitantly opening my eyes again, shuffling quicker to the next tree and looking ahead. I swear that this was the right way - I always take this route. Maybe it was just taking longer because of the stupid rain? It felt disgusting either way - the hair on my shins sticking onto my legs felt horrible.

Another flash of light.

I quickly whipped the hair stuck to my face off and onto the back of my head, with the rest of the mess - using my hand to do so, trying to desperately take sight of the cabin I was looking for. I squinted, catching a look through the gaps in the trees - glimpses of wood and glass. God, that was relieving.

Then another crash, once again earning a flinch - though it was smaller, as the noise was more anticipated. I quickly began to scramble towards it, almost jogging - knowing I was going the right way - just wanting out of the storm. The sound of shushing from the rain starting to becoming overwhelming similar to a familiar static.

It wasn't too long before I'd managed to make it to the porch - the cabin being placed in a clearing of trees, allowing more rain to soak my clothes and weigh me down. I carefully, yet swiftly, clambered up the steps, using the wooden (smoothed) banister to help me - desperately making my way under the porch's roof, glancing in the windows, heart dropping to see the lights off.