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oleeverdoesstuff · 7 months ago

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Storm - A Short Story

(3545 words)

The glow of the flashlight illuminated their backyard. The afternoon breeze ruffled their hair as it passed by, carrying with it the smell of fresh cut grass and...something else. Trees gently swayed back and forth within the fenced yard.

The leash rubbed into their wrist as the drooling dog pulled them further away from the safety of their house. Its brown eyes scanning the backyard, bending its head to sniff the earth.

Thunder roared closer and the drizzle of rain began to wet their clothes. They knew what this storm meant for them. The roaring of the wind picking up and the rumble of thunder made panic settle in their bones so deep they feared it may never come out.

"C'mon Edo, hurry it up...please?" They begged the dog.

It was silly- THEY were silly. Telling a dog to hurry up because they're scared of a little storm? It was pathetic, but even with those thoughts they found themselves sprinting back towards the outline of their house.

They slammed the door shut behind them, panting. The commotion nearly scared their mother into dropping the lasagna.

"Oh dear heavens Siggy! Now what's the matter with you? Barging in like that isn't polite y'know," She began to lecture him while she slowly set down the food.

"I'm sorry Ma- I didn't mean to," Siggy apologized, stepping closer to the woman, "but that storms coming again and-" He got interrupted by a hard slap to the cheek.

"You're not starting this again young man! Especially when we have guests coming over. Are you using this as an excuse to be lazy? I will not stand for that," She reprimanded.

If he wasn't taller than her he would have sworn she'd grab him by the ear.

Siggy wanted to speak but the words were stuck in their throat. They probably were just lazy... overdramatic. They needed to be better. With a defeated sigh, they turned to go to their room.

The smell of dinner wafted upstairs. Tomato sauce and noodles, all kinds are spices, they could practically taste it.

When they turned the corner something else replaced it, rot. The putrid smell of rot. By now, they were used to it. They stepped into their bedroom, avoiding the piles of trash that littered the floor.

They knocked aside a bottle filled with mold to open their dresser, accidentally stepping in a pool of something sticky on the wooden floor.

Gross, They thought to themselves as they lifted their foot and watched it stick to their shoe in strands.

They opened the bottom drawer, grabbing their only dress shirt from the dusty old thing.

They avoiding looking at the filth. They felt sick when they did...not that they themselves were not ALSO to blame about the mess but the storm brought about rot.

They didn't know much about it even if it appeared some time ago. It made them so...so tired. A weight on them they couldn't muster the strength to move. They would pick it up but they just couldn't bring themselves to do it

At what point was it also their fault? They couldn't help but beat themselves up for it.

They really were just lazy.

A deafening crack of lightning struck the earth as they finished getting dressed. It lit up Siggy's room like a flashbang. They stepped towards the window, rain trickling down the glass. It's gotten so much worse since they came inside.

Though the fog was heavy they could still see the outline of the trees leaning in the harsh winds. They threatened to snap, break, fall over. The wind rattled the house, making it creak and groan with every gust.

The sound of a door creaking opened joined the noises. Siggy turned to find the source, their sister waving at them.

"May I come in?" she asked, inviting herself in anyway.

She easily navigated through the trash, as if used to it too, and took a seat on their unmade bed. They both watched the rain pour down until she spoke up.

"Ma told me to come get you, the guests are here and settling in,"

"Oh, but I don't want to! They're so..." Siggy paused, trying to find the right word.

"Rude? Inconsiderate? Pieces of human filth?" She rattled off.

"Casually disrespectful," Siggy finished, "You really shouldn't be so malicious...they are still our family Edith,"

Edith stayed quiet and Siggy knew he stepped a line.

"I'm...really sorry about your girlfriend. They are pieces of human filth. You deserved to be with her and-"

Edith cut off their speech, "Oh that? It's nothing, I'm fine!"

Siggy nodded although confused. She did seem happier lately, perhaps it was for the best then. Of course, they didn't know the whole situation, they didn't ask.

"Do you ever wonder what it's like out there?" She asked suddenly, placing a hand on the cold window.

"What do you mean?"

"Like out? In the storm. Do you think it's peaceful? You're sitting on the ground, thunder and the rain playing you a private symphony? You could just close your eyes and..."

"Edith!"

Edith turned to Siggy, seeing the look on their face.

"I don't know, It was just a thought. I wouldn't do it." Edith said.

She got to her feet, walking back over to the door.

"Be down before Ma starts complaining. Your little boyfriend is down there~" Edith teased.

Siggy tossed a pillow at the door, hearing her giggle and run away when she easily dodged it. The pillow fell into a heap of trash, a fly narrowly escaping the impact.

They were never touching that again.

~💕~

He was gorgeous. They were taught not to stare, but how could they not when the definition of perfection was standing across the room?

Curly brown hair tied back in a pretty little bun showing off his beautiful face. His hooked nose, kissable lips, deep brown eyes scanned the living room till they latched onto Siggy's. Why they could get lost in them forever no matter how cliche that was.

He made a beeline for Siggy as soon as he spotted them. The booming noise of the storm was almost secondary when he was there. He sat next to them on the new white couch.

T.J gave them a light tap on the shoulder and a smile, god they loved that smile. T.J was never one for much physical touch so Siggy savoured the rare moments when he did touch them.

The T.V in front of the two blared some old soap opera they weren't paying much attention to, the noise blending with the guests talking and became background noise. Glasses clinked in toast, punch poured, laughter and family gossip but they were only focused on each other.

T.J never talked to any other members of Siggy's family, claiming they were odd. Siggy didn't mind having him all to themselves.

T.J and Siggy watched the puppy Edo hop and circle various guests, nearly tipping over the foldable table full of appetizers. He drooled and licked to the dismay of the well-dressed family--soon enough Ma would lock him up in the bathroom.

His big brown puppy eyes begged for hors d'oeuvres. He was energetic as the day was long, and proceeded to use said energy to bash his face into a while while following Siggy's cousin around.

"Your little dog is a dummy," T.J laughed.

"Oh tell me about it,"

A chuckle came from behind T.J, making him jump.

"Oh chill out! It's just me," Edith smiled, leaning over the couch.

A small slip of paper was hanging out of the pocket of her dress.

"What's that?" Siggy questioned, pointing at the note.

"Oh nothing, don't worry about it," Edith brushed them off, sticking the paper further down her pocket.

Siggy knew better than to pry. Edith would let them know when she wanted, besides, she was smiling for once. Why ruin it?

"I came down for a reason, T.J," She opened her hand, revealing to him an action figure.

T.J hesitated before taking it from her hand and looking it over.

"But...why? I thought you said he was your favorite? And I was there when you bought this--it was like $150!" T.J sputtered.

"He's your favorite too, He was taking up room on the shelf," Edith explained.

The conversation moved to idle chatter, in their own mini world. They ignored the looks they were given as they squealed and laughed. The conversation muffled the raging storm just outside. Siggy was happy just like this.

"Alright everyone!" Ma shouted over all the commotion.

She slowly walked out to living room, carefully avoiding people as to not drop the specially prepared cake. It was extravagant, a two-tiered strawberry cake topped with 18 birthday candles.

She pushed aside the other food to make room for it, setting it on the table and beckoned Siggy over.

T.J gave them an encouraging pat on the back as Siggy stood up and walked over to the table. As their mother turned out the light, the guests started a slow Happy Birthday.

With just the candles illuminating the underside of Siggy's face, they scanned the crowd. They spotted the shadowed silhouette of T.J, but not Edith. They came to the assumption that she was somewhere else.

They bent over and made a wish, letting it go with their breath as they blew out the candles.

Their mother turned back on the lights, coming over a cutting the first slices of cake. The first slices were always for immediate family so the guests focused on themselves when Ma called out for Edith.

T.J dragged Siggy off into the much quieter kitchen. Siggy leaned on the cluttered marble counters, rain tapping on the window behind them.

"You look pretty tonight," T.J grinned, "Well, you look pretty all the time but especially right now,"

"I know what you meant, honey," Siggy assured him.

T.J looked around cautiously before bending over and giving them a small kiss. It was just a small peck, but it made them feel all warm.

"So...what did you wish for?" T.J asked with a huge smile that just wouldn't leave.

"I'm not telling you anything, it's the law for wishes or something," Siggy laughed.

The little banter dissolved into a peaceful quiet. They stated at each other, Siggy analyzing every inch of his face. Freckles littered every portion and they loved it.

Edith had freckles too.

The thought about Edith broke their trance, looking around the empty kitchen.

"Hey, have you seen Edith? She disappeared a while ago," Siggy asked.

"No, maybe she just went upstairs?" T.J suggested.

They both walked over to the kitchen archway. They peered into the living room, spotting Ma frantically running around the living room.

"That's...weird," T.J noted, turning back into the kitchen, "What's that?"

Siggy also turned, spotting the same thing. A piece of paper taped to the backdoor. T.J ripped it off and handed it over to Siggy. They read it slowly

I couldn't keep going, and if that's selfish so be it. I'm going into the storm--Don't come looking for me. I despise this house and I'll be hoping from wherever I go it rots with this rain.

Siggy stood there and stared at the note. They were frozen in a wave of ice cold shock. If time has suddenly stop they'd never notice. They re-read the note, again, then again, about a thousand times. They hoped so futily the letters would rearrange and Edith would appear next to them.

They felt sick, so terribly weak. How could she had done this? She did this to her family, her friends...

To them.

What could they have done better? Could they have made her feel alright?

It was their fault wasn't it?

Their thoughts raced a mile a minute, each new one, each unanswered question hitting them like a bullet train. Their eyes burned with unwept tears, threatening to spill and tear away their last bit of composure. To fall and break apart the last thing their sister left for them.

Slowly, they looked up at the door then back to the note again. The storm seemed to pick up, screeching and banging. The house struggled against the raging wind and the rain pounded like a stampede. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed. The sheer intensity of its rage causing the lights to flicker throughout the house.

They regained their strength--one step then two, and two transformed into a wild sprint out of that door. T.J feebly cried out for them but the please fell on deaf ears.

The raindrops pelted their skin like rocks. The howled Edith's name like the wind howled in their ears and made them shiver from its cold icy grasp. The mist was thick, far too thick. They stumbled through bushes, tripped on rocks. The stray branches nicked their arms and legs. The droplets of rain mixed with the trickle of blood.

Weren't they supposed to be in their backyard?

The trees towered over their cowering form as they struggled to navigate the dense thicket that was once flat terrain. The wind whipped them back and forth through the forest.

They made one last desperate attempt to call out for Edith, their cries coming out as nothing but a whisper against the howls of wind and downpour of rain. They hoped and prayed with every single fiber of their being for her to appear.

They'd take her home, dry off and they'd be okay again--just them.

Tears sprang in their eyes. It was so hard to see with the mist, every tree looked the same. Were they walking in circles?

The search for Edith transformed into a mad man's blind search for the way back. They ran and they weeved through the trees, kicking up ground and moss.

The dirt turned to thick mud. With each step their feet sunk further into the earth. Each time it was harder to force themselves to move. It was tiring, they were soaked, they felt heavy. It was as if their very existence was a overbearing load to carry.

They grunted as they attempted to pull their leg free, one last hard tug did the job and sent them flying. They landed face first on the cold damp soil. In that soil, things slithered and squirmed, wiggled and crawled around their face. They could feel the bugs and maggots exploring their skin.

Their screech echoed through the trees. They sprang to their knees and fumbled backwards. Mud clung to their face and hair, the pounding rain washing it into their eyes.

They backed into a tree with tears falling down their cheeks like the pouring rain. They curled into a ball, soft sobs escaping their lips. The howling wind seemed to whisper to them, filling their head with sour words.

They were worthless. They couldn't do anything right, they couldn't find their sister, they couldn't even function right.

The wind picked up, a terrible rushing wave. It chilled them to their bones, forcing them to shake like a house in a hurricane. The words were on the tip of their tongue and shouted by the wind, and somewhere deep down they knew it was true.

They deserved every bit of this. Every hard raindrop hitting them, every bleeding cut, every inch of numb freezing skin, the burning in their throat and eyes.

They should sit here and rot away like everything else. Who would miss them? They were...weird, they were annoying, nothing but a waste of time really. They stumbled their way through life--they didn't actually deserve anything that they had.

It would be better for everyone if they were gone.

They were tired, so tired. The ground was soft and mushy from the rain. They could lay down and sleep for a while. It would be nice, sleep sounded nice.

Maybe it was just better to sleep.

They were knocked to the forest floor quite suddenly when their eyelids had just begun to close. Thick, wet slober drenched their face and hard heavy breathing filled their ears. Dark brown eyes stared into theirs. A light whimper coming from the beast as it licked their tear stained face.

"G-gross! Edo! Get off of me! Mangy mutt," Siggy groaned.

"Oh c'mon!" T.J yelled, tugging Edo off.

Siggy wiped their face off, "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you! Why else?" T.J asked, confused.

"I-I don't know! I just-" Siggy stuttered, the words yet again stuck in their throat.

They weren't worth it.

T.J wrapped his arms around them. The rain soaked them both, but T.J was still warm. He brought feeling back to their fingertips. The feeling was nice, they wanted to never let him go.

The wind seemed to quiet and the forest stilled. They held him tighter, nuzzling into his chest as if he'd disappear if they let him go. T.J combed his hand through Siggy's hair. Gentle kisses peppered Siggy's head, their sobbing turning to quiet whimpers.

Nothing was gone. The rain still poured, the mist lay thick, thunder roared on, and they were still lost in some sprawling forest but T.J was there now.

His nice dress shirt was soaked from the rain and Siggy's tears. He was shivering from the cold. His beautiful curly hair clung to his face.

He was a mess now, Siggy did this. Yet he still managed to look at them with...with...

"Why'd you come looking?" Siggy asked

"I love you! Jesus Christ man, I love you...and I didn't want to lose you either,"

Siggy was lost for words, so the tears did the rest of the talking for them. They cried, and cried and cried. Edo curled up with them, making sad puppy eyes just to fit in. He was warm too and lord did Siggy just want to go home with both of them.

"I'm so sorry, look at what I did," They mumbled, voice-cracking as they looked up at him.

They ruined everything the touched. He was soaked, leaves from the swaying trees clung to him too. There was mud caked on his nicest clothes. When they tried to wipe it off it just smeared.

"Oh, please don't apologize darling," T.J begged, lightly caressing Siggy's cheek,"It's not your fault,"

"It is!" Siggy sobbed into T.J's shirt, "I made her go! I knew they were already having a hard time, they have been! And-and I said something stupid..."

They sat up with puffy eyes, snot running down their face, "I'm a terrible person, I don't know why I ever bothered-"

"Don't talk like that, you're a decent person Siggy. Everyone says stupid stuff, and that probably wasn't the only reason she left Siggy! It's not your fault Edith left, if she did it's been planned--it wasn't just you,"

"It might take you a while to see that, but I promise it's true and I-" He paused, swallowing, "I'll always be here for you,"

Siggy choked on a whimper, returning back into his arms. They hiccuped and shook. The were tired, and T.J was warm. They could sleep here for a while--just not yet. There would be time for that later.

"I want to go home...I don't know how to get back," Siggy whimpered.

"I know the way. You don't have to worry,"

~💕~

They sat together, the rain filled the silence between them. Siggy watched it fall from the porch as Siggy took another long sip of hot chocolate. T.J watched them instead, taking in every last detail--to him they were a work of art.

T.J reached over and adjusted their blanket, slipping it back over their shoulder.

It seemed so much brighter out here than it did just a few hours ago. Despite all of it, there was still tears in the corner of Siggy's eyes.

Once the mist leaves, so will Edith. She'll stay in the storm and they'll be here. It felt so horrible that they were okay with that now.

Of course the awful feeling would never leave their stomach. Perhaps the guilt would never fade, but maybe that's just how it was meant to go.

Edo curled up at their feet. The rain continued to pour down, falling off the roof like a waterfall. They leaned their head on T.J's shoulder just watching it all.

Thunder clapped and lightning struck the cold earth. The fog was heavy, hiding most of their frontyard in its blanket. They could still make out the outline of the trees. Those trees leaned, threatening to snap against the wind.

But they never did.

The house creaked and groaned as it was blown against but it still stood tall.

They were sleepy sitting there. T.J gently running his fingers through their hair, untangling the knots with it.

One day Siggy would be out there again. They'd curl up on the muddy earth. They'd rot away, fade with the mist and come with the rain.

That day wouldn't be for a long time. Today they were right were they needed to be.

So the closed their eyes.

Dividers by @/riottsrph