Lightning Flashes
January 1, 2014 StoryStarter prompt: "A flash of lightning illuminated the room, revealing the transparent silhouette of a man directly in front of her."
Helen woke with a start and when she could focus she glanced at the clock on the living room wall. 9:39. But was that a.m. or p.m? She felt confused for a moment, then noticed the darkness outside and realized she had fallen asleep on the couch and had taken a long nap, but hadn't managed to sleep through the night. It was raining hard now. The storm was just starting to move in when she had arrived home and fixed herself dinner. She must have been lulled to sleep by the warm food in her belly, the evening news and the rain thumping against the window. The decision now, of course, was whether to stay on the couch and try to go back to sleep, or get up and do something, or better yet, find her way to bed and REALLY give sleep another try. She sighed, slowly rose, and took her plate to the kitchen. As she rounded the corner and was about to flip the wall switch, a flash of lightning illuminated the room, revealing the transparent silhouette of a man directly in front of her. The plate fell from her hand and crashed to the floor as she screamed and leapt backward, her hand involuntarily reaching for something - the light switch or the wall maybe. Instead she hit something solid but alive, and heard a man grunt and swear. She had backhanded someone in the face, just as she felt arms wrap around her waist, grip her tightly and lift her slightly off the floor. Another flash of lightning revealed the original silhouette reaching towards her and she started to scream again just as a hand covered her mouth. She was pulled backwards quickly, feet barely scraping the floor, and felt hands around her face and something being pulled over her head and gathered around her neck. She tried to kick free and felt her knee hit what had to be the first man she'd seen, who was still in front of her. Now he grunted, and then she was thrown to the ground. On her belly on her living room floor, with the weight of someone on her back and a bag over her head, her arms were pulled back and she felt her wrists being secured, with what seemed to be a zip tie. "What are you doing?" Helen cried. "Who are you? What do you want?" In a calm tone, a man's slightly rough, deep voice asked, "Where is Jeremy? And did he give you the package?" "Who? Jeremy? Who's Jeremy? What are you talking about? Oh my god... what are you doing?" Someone had started to tug the back of her slacks down past her ass, and was working them down her legs. She tried to roll over, tried to bring her knees up, but the man on her back held her tightly. "Are you scared?" the deep voice asked. "Yes," she sobbed. "Yes...." "This will all be over quickly when you answer my question. Did Jeremy give you the package?" She started to sob loudly now. "I don't know any Jeremy... I don't know what you are talking about. Please... Please..." "Should we take her," a second voice asked. "I suppose we have no choice," the first voice said. "Give her the shot." "Shot?" Helen cried. "What do you mean? Please, I don't think you have the right person... I..." and with that she felt a sharp pain in her ass and she cried out in shock. Then slowly she began to feel warm all over and her eyelids closed and she realized she was fading away... going back to sleep. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. TO BE CONTINUED
Helen woke with a start and when she could focus she glanced at the clock on the living room wall. 9:39. But was that a.m. or p.m? She felt confused for a moment, then noticed the darkness outside and realized she had fallen asleep on the couch and had taken a long nap, but hadn't managed to sleep through the night. It was raining hard now. The storm was just starting to move in when she had arrived home and fixed herself dinner. She must have been lulled to sleep by the warm food in her belly, the evening news and the rain thumping against the window. The decision now, of course, was whether to stay on the couch and try to go back to sleep, or get up and do something, or better yet, find her way to bed and REALLY give sleep another try. She sighed, slowly rose, and took her plate to the kitchen. As she rounded the corner and was about to flip the wall switch, a flash of lightning illuminated the room, revealing the transparent silhouette of a man directly in front of her. The plate fell from her hand and crashed to the floor as she screamed and leapt backward, her hand involuntarily reaching for something - the light switch or the wall maybe. Instead she hit something solid but alive, and heard a man grunt and swear. She had backhanded someone in the face, just as she felt arms wrap around her waist, grip her tightly and lift her slightly off the floor. Another flash of lightning revealed the original silhouette reaching towards her and she started to scream again just as a hand covered her mouth. She was pulled backwards quickly, feet barely scraping the floor, and felt hands around her face and something being pulled over her head and gathered around her neck. She tried to kick free and felt her knee hit what had to be the first man she'd seen, who was still in front of her. Now he grunted, and then she was thrown to the ground. On her belly on her living room floor, with the weight of someone on her back and a bag over her head, her arms were pulled back and she felt her wrists being secured, with what seemed to be a zip tie. "What are you doing?" Helen cried. "Who are you? What do you want?" In a calm tone, a man's slightly rough, deep voice asked, "Where is Jeremy? And did he give you the package?" "Who? Jeremy? Who's Jeremy? What are you talking about? Oh my god... what are you doing?" Someone had started to tug the back of her slacks down past her ass, and was working them down her legs. She tried to roll over, tried to bring her knees up, but the man on her back held her tightly. "Are you scared?" the deep voice asked. "Yes," she sobbed. "Yes...." "This will all be over quickly when you answer my question. Did Jeremy give you the package?" She started to sob loudly now. "I don't know any Jeremy... I don't know what you are talking about. Please... Please..." "Should we take her," a second voice asked. "I suppose we have no choice," the first voice said. "Give her the shot." "Shot?" Helen cried. "What do you mean? Please, I don't think you have the right person... I..." and with that she felt a sharp pain in her ass and she cried out in shock. Then slowly she began to feel warm all over and her eyelids closed and she realized she was fading away... going back to sleep. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. TO BE CONTINUED