A piece of flash fiction, "Dark and Stormy" was one of the first stories I had accepted for publication. It was originally published in HauntedHTML's anthology 101 Proof Horror in 2020. I hope you enjoy the read.
Dark and Stormy
by Susan E. Rogers
Missy walked along the side of the road in the direction of her house.
It was a dark and stormy night.
“Yea, right, that’s how it always starts,” she sniffed.
Tonight, it was true. There wasn’t a prick of starlight through the thick folds overhead. The only thing missing was the rain. A Craaaack! startled her three inches into the air.
“Whoa!”
She picked up her pace. A bolt of lightning sizzled through the sky.
I wouldn’t be walking home alone… in the dark… in the storm, if it wasn’t for Josh being such a jerk. He started it. Who cares about that stupid old birthday party anyway? And why do I have to go with him? He doesn’t care how I feel. I’ve been waiting two years for this workshop to be rescheduled and I’m not going to miss it to go to his sister’s stupid birthday party.
The more she thought about it the more her anger anchored to her stubbornness.
Another blast of thunder left her ears ringing. She looked ahead expecting to see lightning. Instead she saw two balls of light coming right at her, instantly followed by a bolt from the heavens so bright her vision was annihilated. A thunderous blast slammed into her, launching her over the berm and into a tree.
Am I dead? her one thought. Please, don’t let me be dead.
A blaring whistle was screaming through her skull. Something brushed her arm.
“Jesus, Missy! What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Josh’s voice twanged her every nerve. He grabbed her hand and hauled her upright.
“Ow!” she cried. “Can’t you see I’m hurt?”
“You’d be even more hurt if I hadn’t slammed on the brakes.”
“You hit me? You bastard!”
She brushed leaves off her clothes as they walked toward the road and the headlights. The front end was mangled and the windshield exploded outward from a spot above the steering wheel. Half of Josh’s head was covered in dark goo, the other half collapsed like a deflated soccer ball.
“Just get in the car,” Josh ordered. “Get in the car!” He yelled again.
She refused to answer and stomped away, ignoring him.
She walked along the side of the road in the direction of her house.
It was a dark and stormy night.
That’s how it always starts.