Short Stories

The Lonely Horse - Chapter 3

The scream was high-pitched, and it came from a nearby street, just northeast of here. Wordlessly, we take off in a dead run. My stomach tenses, tight and tangled like a knot. I had screamed like that, too, when I saw the picture. I had been a pawn in some twisted person's game. A victim. And now it had happened to someone else. On my watch.

I have to save them.

We run into a soccer field next to a playground. Two hooded figures standing over a woman on the ground. Above us, the sky begins to twist, like ripples in the water, but spiraling like a tornado beginning to form. I hear a deafening roar, and José is shouting my name, and a word that sounds like "run."

I race to the woman's side. She looks up at me with empty eyes. Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out. I grab her hand and yank it up, hard.

Somehow she manages to get to her feet, but I don't know how. I grip her hand tight, glancing behind me once to see José and Evelyn with guns at the ready, dwarfed by the freakish twisting gate in the sky, with a giant featureless hoof coming down...

The woman looks too. She screams.

"You need to come with me!" I shout at her. "We need to get to safety, now!" And I yank her hand forward.

She starts running with me. I drag her down streets and sidewalks, through grass and dirt and pavement, until we are in front of José's car, gasping for breath, hearts beating wildly.

The woman whimpers and bends over. I get a good look at her. She's petite and dark-skinned, with curly hair and full lips.

"I know it feels bad right now," I say. "Walk it off. The worst is going to pass soon." And I grab her hand and coax her to walk in circles around the car with me. "We're having a weather storm, but we're away from the epicenter now, so you're safe."

She lets go of my hand, and starts making gestures I don't understand.

"Are you deaf?" I ask, pointing to my ears.

She nods.

The ground shakes and a loud and low sound reverberates through the air like thunder. I clap my hands over my ears. The woman looks around, pale with fright.

"It's a storm," I tell her, hoping she can read my lips. "Bad thunder. But we're okay."

She purses her lips and stares at my face in confusion. Either she doesn't understand my words, or she is wondering what kind of storm this could possibly be.

The horse. The lonely horse. It's here. José and Evelyn couldn't close the gate.

"It's thunder," I tell her. I pat her shoulder, hoping that this will send some kind of message. "We're safe."

Another thud, and the ground shakes again. The horse is walking. The woman sees me wince at the loud noise. She lets out a little whining sound, high-pitched and thin with fear.

I try to compose myself, and I pat her shoulder again. "Thunder. You're safe."

On the horizon, I see a shadow loom, just taller than the houses. I crouch down behind the car, and gesture for her to copy me. She does.

"It's thunder," I say. "For our own safety, we need to stay away."

I check my phone for texts from José and Evelyn. Nothing. An idea strikes me, and I type a text message to myself:

Text: This is a freak storm. I work for the government. I am going to keep you safe.

I show the woman the screen. She reads it, and purses her lips. Then she reaches for the phone, and I let her type.