Safe from the Storm

It was getting late, and I was running. The clouds, although thick with the rain that was sure to start falling any minute, still had a few thin spots where a soft glow of the moon could peek through to light my way. It was still dark, the ground hard to see, but I had just enough light to see the shadows of the trees and bushes encompassing the area around me. This wouldn’t be the case for much longer- but I didn’t care. I was running. No destination in mind other than Away.

My sister and mother had gotten into another heated battle, and in the frustration of it all, I couldn’t take it. I was done cowering in my room, hiding myself away and using anything soft I could to muffle the sound. I was done listening to them scream at each other, hear the crashing of objects as they impaled the walls, internalizing the insults that spewed from their lips. I couldn’t take it- wouldn’t take it- for one more second. So, I did the only thing I could think of.

I ran.

I pulled on a hoodie, and tossed some things into my backpack: a simple change of clothes, a book, my headphones, a thin blanket, and my lucky bear. Using the trick my sister taught me, I quietly popped the screen off my bedroom window, climbed out, and put it back almost completely in place, so I could sneak back in if I decided to come back later. That was unlikely, but, you never know. Then, I did the only thing left to do. Run.

My house is in a partially developed subdivision in an area surrounded by woods and farmland. Everywhere you turn, you either see a tree, or you see a farm of some sort. At least, unless you drive 20 minutes to the city, where there’s one road with your gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies, and party stores. Or, if you go 20 minutes in the opposite direction and find a small town where all the schools are. Y’know, real close by.

Needless to say, if you don’t know where you’re going, it’s really easy to get lost. Especially if you’re not on a road, are on foot, in the dark, when it’s about to rain, and you haven’t been paying attention to which direction you’ve been heading. And I.., well, I did not know where I was going. After all, I had no destination in mind. I was just… running. Running away from everything.

At this point, the screams that had been ringing in my head were starting to fade. Instead of feeling the overwhelming urge to escape, I was starting to feel the strain and fatigue on my body. My breath was ragged, my lungs straining to capture the air that seemed elusive. My calves were burning, quite unused to the limits I was pushing them to. Even my stomach was beginning to clench in disagreement to the torture I was putting my body through.

I slowed, and soon came to a halt. Resting, I leaned over with one hand on a thigh, the other supporting me against a tree. After taking a moment to catch my breath, and give my poor lungs the break they were dying for, I looked around. Only, there wasn’t much to see. There were trees, and it was far too dark to notice anything beyond the first layers of them. I could keep going, or turn back, but in all honesty, I wasn’t even sure which direction I came from.

And naturally, this just had to be the moment the sky opened up.

Feeling a sudden plump dampness descend down my forehead, I looked up. More droplets began to land on my face, rapidly gaining in speed. Within moments, I was more than just a smidgen wet. My hair and clothes were dripping water nearly as quickly as the rain rushed from the clouds.

I’d have to find some sort of shelter, and quickly. It was a cold rain, which helped cool the summer heat, but also meant a storm was on its way. It wouldn’t be long before the eye of the cell followed, perhaps even multiples. These types of storms are common this time of year, and often bring about flooding, heavy winds, and felled trees in their wake. Catching yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time could get you stranded, or worse.

There was a problem, however. I was lost in the woods, in the nearly pitch-black stormy night. Where in the world was I supposed to find shelter? Which direction should I go in search of it? There were too many options and not enough answers. With nothing guiding me but the knowledge that I couldn’t stay where I was, I took care in moving forward. Which direction that was, only the trees knew.

I carried on, cautiously, until I almost lost hope. I was drenched. My clothes heavy, my backpack soaked through and feeling like a bag of bricks. How much longer could I go on like this? Five minutes? Ten? The exhaustion was already getting to me. If I didn’t find something soon, I-

CRACK!

I instantly froze as the sky lit up, and the immediate sound crashed overhead, nearly deafening me. The lightning, while always pretty to see, was much too close for my liking. Nevertheless, it did do something extremely important: it gave me light to see by, if only for a moment.

Not far ahead was what looked to be a small clearing, with some sort of building. I’d have to be even more cautious once leaving the cover of the trees, and quickly arrive at whatever structure was there, but there was the potential for shelter. There was hope!

I ran to the edge of the treeline, which wasn’t more than 220 feet, then dropped to a crouch. When there’s a storm with lightning involved, you never want to catch yourself being the tallest object in the area. That’s how you get yourself struck. Luckily, the next bit of lightning that set the sky on fire for a moment didn’t hit me, and gave me a better, albeit rather quick, look at the shelter I was hoping to tuck myself into.

It appeared to be an old barn, worn by age and covered with vines and other plant matter due to years of abandonment. Due to its apparent length of solitude, I trusted that any holes that needed repair went unattended to, but the place as a whole was solid enough to ride out the storm. Well, as long as I could find a way inside of it.

Moving as quickly as I could in my crouched position, I made my way towards the barn. The main doors, had there not been years worth of dirt, weeds, and vines holding them shut, would still be unbreachable. The padlocks were locked tight, the bolts holding true despite the long term element exposure. Whoever bought them picked well, as nothing was going to break through those locks, even in this condition.

Off to the right side of the barn, there was a decent sized window. It was about shoulder height, so I’d have to hoist myself up in order to get in, but the glass from the window had long since broken, and the shards moved away by many a storm- or, perhaps birds gathering any object that sparkled in the sunlight. Either way, it was safe enough to climb into the barn.

A bit difficult due to my poor upper arm strength and already exhausted body, I finally made it inside the barn after a bit of a struggle that would probably have any mountain climber laughing on the floor. It certainly wasn’t the cleanest place to stay, as there was evidence of bird habitations, years of dust, cobwebs and the like, but it was dry, and it was safe. Using my backpack as a pillow, I tucked myself against a wall and curled up to sleep, away from the storm that raged at home, and nothing but the sound of the storm outside to lull my brain to rest.

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