Don't Go In Alone

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 17

There's a storm on Sunday. A bad one. I stuff my laundry into the washer and push the button to start it and at the exact moment I touch that button, all the lights in the house shut off. I stare at the washer for a second before taking a deep breath. Of course. The power goes out when I'm home alone. I swear, I'm living in a horror story.

My phone goes off in my pocket and I pull it out to answer a call from Mom. She's talking fast. I only half pay attention to what she's saying to me. Something about Zach staying over at his friend's house since their power is still on. I come back to the conversation just in time to answer her question.

"Yeah, no. The power just went out. I'll be fine though. We've got candles somewhere so I'll wait it out and let you know when it comes back on."

She ends the call and my screen locks automatically. Leaves me in the dark. I glance around, squint against the darkness until standing there makes my skin feel clammy. I unlock my phone and pull the flashlight app up.

Candles are in the kitchen. I think. I have to keep my eyes fixed on the area where the flashlight lights up the floor ahead of me as I make my way downstairs. The shadows lurking just outside of its beam make my hands shake.

"You're fine, Molly. The power will be back on soon."

I set my phone on the counter, prop it up against a box of cereal so I can see while I dig through the drawers for the candles and some matches or a lighter. The rain is really coming down now. Beating against the windows with a steady drumming sound. I find one candle. It's half melted and the wick is too low for me to even use.

I think about the fireplace in the living room. If there's even any wood in there right now that I could light. That would at least be warm. I continue digging through the drawers for a lighter, putting the search for candles on hold. If I find any, I'll use them but now I'm set on just using the fireplace.

The entire kitchen lights up with a flash of lightning. I subconsciously count off how long it takes for the thunder to boom afterwards. About ten seconds. I glance at my phone, which turns out to be a huge mistake because I forgot I had the flashlight pointed directly at me so I blind myself with the light and have to spend a minute blinking away the bright dot marring my vision.

I grab my phone and hold onto it, the beam pointed away from me, and move to the counter by the back door. The drawers over here are notorious for holding the most random crap, so if there's a lighter in here, it'll be over here. I pull the first drawer open just as another bolt of lightning strikes somewhere close by. My eyes are drawn to the window on the back door.

For the split second the lawn is lit up, I can see someone standing out there.

I don't know why, but I drop to my knees, ducking down so my head is just under the window. My heart slams against my chest. The thunder rumbles only a few seconds after the lightning this time. I take a moment to calm myself down. Then I inch up until I can look out the window into the blackness of the backyard.

It's hard to see much of anything between the absolute lack of light and the rain coming down in sheets. But I swear that I saw someone standing out there. I wait, stare out at the nothingness until another crack of lightning illuminates the yard.

The person is out there again. Black against the flash of white and it sets my heart hammering again. Why would anyone be standing out there in the rain right now? My eyes flick over to Carson's house, but he's not weird enough to be standing out there in the rain. Right? I stand, feel around on the wall for the light switch, only remembering the power is out when I flip it and the back porch light doesn't come on.