Her senses heightening, voices rising, anger spiking, “Get out!”

The words echoing, reverberating in the night, a stark contrast to the gentle background noise of falling rain.

She stood, her hand thrust towards the farmhouse door, shaking slightly but not allowing tears to flow.  They threatened to do so as they welled behind her eyes, but with all her strength she kept them there.

Keys jingling, car door slamming, tyres screeching. He was gone.

She leaned on the wall and slid to the floor, arms around her knees. The rain was louder now.  From background noise it had become foreground static.  Static that added to the jumbled thoughts inside her head.

How could he say that? How could he even think that?  After all they had been through, that she would - even in thought she stumbled over the word - that she would cheat.

And with that word, the tears could no longer be restrained. Tears flowing, crying, screaming. Ugly tears, wailing tears.  They would ease and then flow again in waves, until she could cry no more.

A sudden shiver. The door stood open, the wind gusting; horizontal rain streaming in.  Thunder crashing, lighting flashing, and rain deafening as it turned the driveway to mud.

She dragged herself up, putting her weight on the door, pushing it closed.  A momentary respite.

A sudden tiredness overcame her, and she made her way to the lounge, sinking into the couch. The room was dark, except when the lighting flashed, a reminder of the storm outside.

Then she heard it. Sirens sounding, growing louder, coming closer, then stop.

At the window, she stared into the dark. Down the driveway, twisting and turning towards the road. And there, in the darkness, red and blue lights swirling, flashing, dancing in the trees.

What were they doing there?

Mind racing, body shaking, stomach sinking. Down the driveway now she was running. Stumbling in potholes, slipping in mud, rain lashing at her face.

Darkness then lighting, darkness then lighting. Down the hill, around the bend and then red light, blue light, people in uniforms, activity, noise, the car.

Crumpled metal, fallen tree, windscreen smashed, “No!”

“No, no, no!”

Faces turning, everyone looking, serious expressions, legs wobbling, darkness closing.

Sinking to her knees, she opened her mouth but could not speak. All she knew in this moment was thunder and rain, lightning, mud, pain.

But then, she heard her name.

By the roadside, he was standing.  Standing then walking, walking then running.

Heads together, hearts pounding, embrace tightening. Never. Letting. Go.

Lightning streaked across the sky.  Thunder boomed, shaking the ground. The rain poured down upon their heads. But for now, the storm was over.
 

This piece was written for a competition in January 2025. The theme was “Storm”