Karl stood just inside the upstairs bedroom watching Philip sitting on the stool staring out the window. Even in the darkness that was the room, he could see the red streaks across the white of his eyes as he continued to strain and fight the blinking need that was torturing him. Marcie had begged him to go over, she was so distressed on the phone he felt he had no choice. But he hated coming to this house. It was always cold, her two brothers had lived alone now for twenty years or so, since the parents died.
Suddenly there was another cry out from the other room. The brother Mark was confined to bed now. The cuts on his hands, resembling paper cuts, seemed to be spreading. Each one like a knife across his skin.
“Shut up, shut up,” whispered Philip, his eyes never moving from the window. “There’ll be one soon, I know I can feel it, there’s one coming.”
Karl wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t know whether he was to talk to Philip or just stand there. Philip seemed to start taking in a slow deep breath as if preparing himself for some great event. His eyes opened even wider than Karl though possible and he started to smile. Suddenly there was an enormous flash outside the house. The sky lit up with a mixture of white and turquoise colours, flickered several times and then leapt back into total darkness.
“What the?” whispered Karl.
“There, I knew, another one, fantastic, incredible, and stronger than before. It’s getting better, ye?” called Philip, who had now turned to face Karl.
He was still mesmerized and somewhat blinded by the sudden flash. Trying to regain his bearings he looked at Philip.
“What happened? What was that?” he asked.
“Isn’t it great? It’s beautiful.” Philip answered.
He stood up and walked out of the bedroom towards his brother’s room. Mark was just whimpering. He held his hands out above the sheets. They were covered with small bloody lines where his skin had simply cracked open. Philip reached for a small white tub and dipped his fingers into it. He scooped out what seemed to be a white gel and slowly spread it over Marks hands. There was a low muffled moan as Mark pursed his lips.
“How long has he been like that?” asked Karl.
“Since the storms started.”
“What storms?”
“The storms in the sky. You just saw it.”
“I don’t know what I saw, some sort of lightning, I wouldn’t call it a storm.”
“Seven days now,” continued Philip, “and its been getting more frequent. It was every few hours at first, now it’s every thirty minutes. Somethings going to happen.”
Karl glanced out the window. Mark was whimpering less now and Philip seemed more relaxed.
“When is the next one?” asked Karl, but he couldn’t quite understand why he asked or how Philip could know.
“No more tonight,” responded Philip.
“How do you know?” asked Karl turning back towards the brothers.
“Because it’s started!” he said as he pointed back to the window.
Karl felt a chill on his back that he had often done in this drafty old farmhouse. He followed Philip’s finger and looked back through the window.
“I don’t believe…” he stopped. As he slowly looked from one side of the view to the other, his puzzled expression turned to a frown which became more intense as he observed the slowly falling flakes of snow.
“It’s snowing?”
Philip was nodding his head slowly. As they watched, the flakes started to become larger and more frequent and Karl noticed the driveway outline slowly start to disappear.
“This can’t be happening, it’s June for God’s sake, we don’t get snow in June, we hardly ever get snow at all.”
He looked down at the floor in the bedroom as he sensed his emergency reactions start to build.
“Christ, Marcie.”
“She’ll be fine, everything will be fine, the storm will look after us,” responded Philip.
“What?” shouted Karl, “the storm will look after us. What the hell are you talking about, it’s snowing in June, something’s wrong.”
He pulled his phone out and hit a speed dial number. After a few seconds he heard the answer.
“Marcie, it’s me,” there was a pause, “look, they’re fine, I just need you to get over here now, ok?”
He started to pace across the room nodding at the same time.
“I said all was okay didn’t I?” Karl’s voice was starting to rise. “I’m sorry, listen, nothing to worry about, but can you just get over here now and I’ll explain. And Marcie, leave now, not sure if you’ve seen but it’s snowing out, and at this rate, the roads won’t be passable in an hour, leave now, hear me??”
He placed his hands on the window sill and stared out, breathing slowly.
“She mightn’t make it,” said Philip.
Karl felt the rage build up inside him and he raised his arm as if to hit Philip who recoiled. He stopped.
“What is it with you guys, you’re sick, something’s wrong with this whole place, always been, and now it’s lightning storms and snowing in June?” Karl shook his head in frustration.
“I should never have come over here tonight. Hell, I should never have gotten involved with you lot in the first place!”
“Marcie?” responded Philip.
Karl moved away from the window, “Not Marcie, she’s normal, it’s you lot, something, just don’t know.”
Philip started nodding, Mark had drifted off asleep. “We’ll all know soon enough,” Philip sighed as he stood up and left the room.
Karl watched him and then turned back to the heavy blizzard that had almost completely covered the front of the house and the roadway he could just barely make out at the end of the drive.
“Come on Marcie, get here quick,” he whispered.
It was only a fifteen minute drive but with the deterioration of the weather it would be hard to judge how long. He waited, and eventually saw the lights of the jeep slowly edging towards the gate. He ran down the stairs and out the front door. Marcie had stopped short of the gate and was out now trying to walk towards him. As he scrambled, he slipped, falling heavily on his side. Besides the pain as he raised himself up his hands were starting to sting.
“Karl? Karl? Are you alright?” cried Marcie.
“Yes, come on, quick let’s get inside,” he pulled her to him and they made their way back to the house.
As Karl went to close the door he glanced back to the jeep but there was no visibility. Suddenly a huge flash, with mixed colours again. Karl’s mouth opened but no words came out. At the end of the driveway, stood four figures dressed in dark long coats, and the light disappeared.
********* Link to Part 2 ********
This one promises to be thoroughly spooky. Am trying to anticipate where this one might go…
You have wovened a very mysterious world! I like it so far! Thanks for sharing!
[…] Snow Storm Bringeth – Part 1 – By Denis Vaughan DEBUT […]
[…] Link to Part 1 […]