It's Just the Thunder

I've always been afraid of thunder, ever since I was a child. It's a bit strange considering I've never really been afraid of lightning... only the thunder that followed. Maybe it's the noise or the sudden vibrations, but something about it just chills me to the bone. Sorry to ramble on, but it does have something to do with my story. My story begins in the middle of the woods, you see I used to be what the civilized referred to as a hermit. I used to live in a log cabin, out in the woods. You'd probably think it had something to do with the beauty of nature, but really I was just tired of all the hustle and bustle of the big city. Of course I no longer live in said cabin, but we'll get to that soon enough. It was a dark and stormy night, a bit cliche I know, I had drifted off to sleep  in my lounge chair, a half filled glass of red wine in my left hand. Suddenly I awoke to what sounded like a loud crash, assuming someone might've broken into my house I grabbed the closest object I could find which just happened to be a fire poker. I checked each room carefully, and sighed with relief that no one had really broken in. I then turned my attention to the dark red stain spread across the crotch of my pants and all over my linen rug. I was about to go and change when suddenly another loud crash rang out.

Startled, I fell back into my chair gasping as if I had run out of oxygen. I quickly jumped back onto my feet and began to pace. Another loud crash rang out, followed by the frail log cabin shaking. I was about to head for my bedroom to cower beneath my covers, when suddenly as if out of nowhere another crash could be heard. However, this time I was certain it wasn't the storm. The sound had come from my attic, I stood still in fear of what was to come. I grabbed my hunting rifle and headed for the hatch to the attic; As I stood below all that could be heard was silence. In my mind, I had decided that it was most likely a rodent of some kind messing around up there and so I slowly put down my gun and headed into to my bedroom. I tried to fall asleep, but all I could think about was the looming storm above and that... noise. I was finally about to drift off to sleep when suddenly, a noise could be heard from down the hall. It was so quiet it couldve been anything however my mind refused to dismiss this. I listened for a good five minutes, but alas all that could be heard was silence.

By then I was afraid, so I stood up and went to go lock my bedroom door. What came next nearly gave me a heart attack, I was standing before the door ready to lock it when it creaked open slightly. I jumped backwards onto my bed hyperventilating and almost as if on queue another loud crash of thunder could be heard. I looked around my room, too mortified to stand up, sadly there were no weapons to be found. I had left my only gun out in the hallway, I quickly stood up and rushed to close the door, but for some reason no matter how hard I pushed the door just wouldn't close. That's when I saw it, a dull grey eye could be seen through the crack of the open door staring back at me. I pushed one last time and reluctantly the door slammed shut, thunder was the least of my worries. I thought of where I could possibly go, even if I did climb out of the window I still lived in the midst of a dense woods. My thoughts were cut short when I heard a slow but rythmic banging coming from my door. I decided to take my chances.

I rushed over to the window and propped it open with an umbrella my mother had given to me as a child. Despite my rather large body I somehow managed to fit through my window quite nicely. After climbing through the window I fell face first into mud, but somehow I didn't seem to care, all that mattered was getting out of the woods. I sprung onto my feet running off into the distance. As I ran I occasionally glanced back to see if that thing was following me, however that all changed when I began to hear a swift rythmic pounding on the ground behind me. I picked up in pace, sprinting as if I were running a marathon. Thunder rang out throughout the woods once more and I jumped falling face first into a tree. I knew I was doomed, I lay there in a daze listening as the pounding grew closer. Ready to face death I turned around only to see... nothing. There was nothing there except seemingly endless rows of trees.

After that I moved out of the woods and back into my old apartment, I never did return to that cabin. I had my friends collect my stuff from the cabin and from what I was told, there was nothing inside that could be considered unusual or out of the ordinary. I remember seeing the eye, but was there really anything pursuing me in the woods that night. I often find myself thinking about that night and analysing every critical detail and yet I always end up with nothing. What was that thing and what did it want from me? In the end fears have the ability to mess with your mind so maybe, just maybe...

It was just the thunder...

By: Dazarbalt