Melissa Behring

Fateful Rain

It was already getting dark when the purple car turned into Oakwood-Road. The sound of the engine echoed from the big old oaks on both sides of the little street. The spotlights spent a very short view on the muddy road, reflecting from puddles the rain had caused. The dark blue sky was covered with black clouds, which seemed to be ready to flood the world. The full-moon was hiding behind this wall of accrued energy as if it was trying not to come under fire.
At the end of the road was a little house, gazing at the car when it drove in. It seemed to be empty for a long time. The decayed porch, the front door and the two windows on the first floor were standing out dark against the light front. The house looked like it was trying to warn the visitor not to come closer.
 
The car stopped in front of the porch. When the engine became silent, the driver’s door swung open. A young woman who was wearing a black costume and high heels got off the car. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was blowing in the gentle breeze that had sprung up.
She closed the door with a loud bang, locked it and then looked at a sheet of paper she was holding in her hands. She had found it in her letter box after she came home from a business lunch, two days ago. The note that was written on it was signed with her ex-boyfriend’s name. It said:
 

“Dear Julia,
I would like to talk to you in private.
Please see me on Friday at 10 p.m. on
Oakwood-Road number 15. I miss you!
Love, David”

 
Julia looked at the house with its unlit windows, but couldn’t see a number. “It’s the only house I saw on my way up here”, she thought. It must be the right one.”
She walked clumsily towards the porch. The muddy ground clasped her heels, trying to hold her back. Suddenly, the wind got stronger. It snatched the letter out of her hand and swirled it through the air until it hit upon the banister of the porch. The oaks around the house leant under the pressure of the wind. Their limbs creaked, trying to put up resistance against the invisible adversary.
The porch steps threateningly creaked under her weight. “Why did I come here”, Julia asked herself. “It took so long to break up with David.” She stopped, thinking about what she should do. Drifted by her own unsureness she turned back and walked downstairs. She already reached her car when the clouds burst. Within a few seconds she could barely see her hand in front of her face. Her clothes were drenched to her skin and her wet hair was stuck to her face. She turned back again and ran upstairs. “Great”, she thought, looking down at her body. “I hope this is worth it”, she said out loud.
She suddenly heard a noise from inside the house. It sounded as if someone walked across a wooden floor.
“Hello”, she yelled against the rain and the wind. “Is somebody there?”
No response.
Julia knocked at the dorr.
“Hello”, she asked again. Then she saw something or someone moving behind the window to her left. She started shivering; because she felt cold and because she started to become scared. When she knocked at the door again, it slowly and squeakily opened. But nobody was there.
Julia’s heart started to beat faster. She carefully took a step, opening the door a little more with her left hand.
“Hello”, she yelled in what she thought was the hallway.
She heard removing footsteps, just behind the door. Her heart was beating so strong she could feel it. Though her instinct told her to run as fast as she could, she carefully took a few more steps. Each one made the floorboard creak. She glanced round. She could barely see because the shutters were closed and there was no light.
“David? Are you here?”
No response.
Julia’s eyes started to get used to the darkness. She slowly turned around to visualize the space, when she suddenly felt a powerful blow against the back of her head. She sank on her knees, holding her head with both hands. She felt warm liquid running through her fingers. Trying to understand what just happened and trying to get back on her feet, another blow hit her back. She fell on her face, writhing with pain and gasping for breath.
 
The man who was standing behind her looked at her, grinning from ear to ear.
“I never thought you would come”, he said.
Julia slowly turned around and looked at him.
“David? Why did you do that”, she asked with a husky voice, still holding her head. The blood had covered her hands and costume.
“Did you actually believe I would let you got like this?”
“Like what?”
“Like that unfaithful slut you are!”
He grasped the baseball bat closer, he was holding in his hand.
“I’ve never been unfaithful”, Julia said.
“Don’t lie to me”, he yelled. “You cheated on me with that guy from work. I saw both of you having lunch on Wednesday.” He was nervously swinging the baseball bat.
“I saw him touching your hand and hugging you when both of you left the restaurant.”
His forehead was covered in sweat.
Julia tried to calm him down by telling him that he had misunderstood the situation.
“We were just having business lunch. We are not together. He is married.”
“Don’t lie to me”, he yelled again, smashing the window with the bat. “You cheated on me…and you will regret it.”
He walked up to Julia and raised the bat. She protectively hold her arms in front of her head, even though she knew this wouldn’t safe her life. When David came closer, he slipped on the muddy floor. He fell on his back, the bat flew through the air and landed on the other side of the room.
Julia struggled to her feet and tried to find the bat. She felt dizzy and nauseous and her head was about to explode.
David was groaning. When he was trying to get up, he saw Julia walking bended towards the bat. He jumped on his feet, ran across and pushed her away. She hit something at the wall and reached for it. “A fire extinguisher”, she thought.
 
David picked up the baseball bat and raised it. The very moment he let it flip downwards, Julia lifted the fire extinguisher so the bat hit it instead of her. She pointed it at David and pulled the trigger. At the moment the extinguishing foam hit his face, Julia threw the bottle on his face and rushed to the door as fast as she could.
At the first stair she quickly took off her shoes and ran to her car. She heard David yelling inside the house: “I will find you, no matter where you hide!”
“The keys…where are the keys”, she thought. she groped for them in the pockets of her blazer.
“Are you looking for these?”
Julia turned around and saw David appearing at the door. He was holding her keys in his hand.
Julia started to run as fast as she could. “I need to reach main street”, she thought. “There I can stop a car.”
Her feet slid away on the muddy ground. She almost fell several times, but was able to keep her balance by stretching out her arms. Again and again she looked behind, the branches of little trees and bushes lashing into her face.
David was coming closer.
“It doesn’t make sense to run away! I will catch you! You’ll see”, he yelled.
 
Down the road she ran out of the forest and stopped in the middle of the street. As far as she could see there was no car nearby. But then she heard a familiar sound.
            “A car”, she thought. Because of the heavy rain she couldn’t make out the direction the car was coming from.
Suddenly, David came out of the thicket. He ran towards her, but she avoided him. Then a car turned the corner and carried David away.
When the car stopped, David was lying on the street. He didn’t move. The driver got off the car and ran towards him. He looked at him…..and froze. David’s head was badly injured and parts of his brain were lying on the street.
 
 

The End

 
 
04.04.2011
 
© Melissa Behring

All rights belong to its author. It was published on e-Stories.org by demand of Melissa Behring.
Published on e-Stories.org on 22.11.2011.

 
 

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