u/Shalbeezy

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MY FIRST EVER STORY

When I was a kid, my mom read me the same story every single night. The book was about a creature that could harness electricity. It was called El Rayo. The Lightning Bolt. I remember her saying that this book was very important. Since I was a kid, I had no idea what she was talking about. It was just a silly children’s book. How could it be, “very important”? Ever since then, I’ve wondered. A few days ago, the wondering stopped.

A few mornings ago in January, I woke up and got dressed. I was trying to figure out what to wear that day, when I realized it was really damn hot in the house. I hollered at my mom to turn on the AC, and she said it was already on. Thats what really had me confused. After she told me, I went to the vent in my room and sure enough, it was on. But barely. I again yelled at my mom to turn up the AC, but again, she said it was at max. What the hell was going on in this house? After that I ignored it and threw on a pair of pants and a sweatshirt. As I walked out of my room, I felt the worst heat I’ve felt in my entire life. It felt like I was surrounded by a blazing fire. No. Lava. I quickly ran into my room and changed into shorts, even though it was winter. I just could not for the life of me handle the heat. I waltzed out of my room and sat at the dining table. Mom and Dad had set out a charcuterie board, and my sister, Willow, was already chowing down on some cheese on Ritz crackers.

“Mom? Why are we having charcuterie for breakfast?”

As I said that, I looked over to her and Dad at the TV. My eyes widened. I’ve never seen my parents look this scared in my entire life. They’re definitely not the type to get scared. Like, at all.

“I didn’t have time to make anything, just eat.”

She said it with a shaky voice. Now I knew something was up.

“Hey Willow, what’s up with Mom and Dad?”

She looked up at me, her mouth filled with salami, and shrugged. Useless as always. I got up and slowly inched my way over the TV. But before I could see what they were watching, Dad turned it off.

“What were you guys watching?”

Dad looked over at me before going back down the hallway into his room. Same with Mom. Then I heard a loud slam. What the fuck? I needed to figure out what was going on. Stupidly, I didn’t turn the TV on to see what they were watching. Typical me. I slowly creeped down the hallway towards my parent’s room, but then of course, Willow had to say something. With her mouth filled to brim too.

“What are you doing?”

I quickly turned to her and shushed her. As I was turning around she threw a piece of salami smack dab in the middle of my face. Didn’t know it was possible to be THIS annoying. I threw it back at her and continued creeping down the hallway. Just as I was about to listen through the door, the worst possible thing thats could have happened, happened. CREEEEAK. Shit. I ran back into the living room and threw myself at the couch. Landing on the couch, I felt something hard under the cushion. Even though it didn’t hurt, I yelled ouch. My parents came rushing out, looking even more scared than before. Somehow. In unison, with excessive worry in their voices, they yelled,

“Are you okay!?”

This made me jump, as I wasn’t used to hearing them yell that damn loud. I assured them it was fine and told them that there was something hard under the couch cushion. They both looked at each other frantically and ran towards the couch. I jumped up, scared for my life, only to realize that my mom was trying to find whatever I jumped on that was under the couch. She found it and took it to her room. It was… that children’s book. I couldn’t quite see the title. I tried to follow, but Dad stopped me.

“This is adult business son. Watch some TV.”

“Why are you trying to keep this from me? What’s so important about that damn book thats you’re trying to hide it from me?”

His expression shifted from one of worry, to one way more serious. So serious it made me slightly worried.

“Watch some TV. I won’t ask again.”

“Bu-“

“No. Complaining.”

And with that, he hurried to his room and slammed the door shut. What just happened. I looked at Willow, and she was just as confused as I was. I decided to sit down and watch TV, like he said. I decided to check the weather channel to figure out why the hell it was so hot. In winter. As I was switching channels, I heard a loud cacophony of booms in the distance. Each one shook the entire god damn house. Willow and I went to the window to see what had happened, soon joined by mom and Dad. Every power line we could see was in flames and dangling from their wooden post. Mom and Dad grabbed us before we could say anything, and rushed us to their room. That moment, I knew I was going to get some answers.

Me and Willow sat on the bed, and Mom and Dad talked for a bit in the corner. I looked over at Willow and she looked at me.

“What do you think is going on?” She asked.

“I have no idea.” I looked over to Mom and Dad. “But I feel like we’re about to get an answer.”

Mom and Dad turned to us. Dad opened a drawer, and pulled out… the book. I knew it. That damn book had something to do with it. Mom started talking.

“Remember when I used to read you guys this book?”

Me and Willow both nodded in unison.

“I remember you saying it was ‘very important’. I’m guessing now you’re going to explain why?”

She nervously nodded her head.

“This book is about the monster, El Rayo, or in english, The Lightning Bolt. When reading the book, nothing seems weird until you get towards the end. The signs that it’s near, and the poem at the end.”

Willows eyes widened and she started breathing hard. I looked over to her, wondering what was wrong. Dad rushed over to her and comforted her, while Mom flipped to a certain page and continued. What was happening? Did I miss something?

“The first sign. Excessive amounts of dead animals.”

Sounded normal to me. It is a monster after all.

“The second sign.” She took a deep breath. “Immense waves of heat that feel impossible.”

My heart skipped a beat. This morning. When I went out of my room. It had to be a coincidence. It was just some scary book… Right?

“The third sign.” I waited, anxious to see what she’d say. “Power line explosions.”

I froze. Holy shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. There’s no way. I gulped, slightly sweaty, and asked,

“So… you’re telling me…”

Before I could finish, she nodded.

The book wasn’t fake. It wasn’t just a silly book like I thought it was. It was real. El Rayo is real. I started freaking the fuck, OUT. Was I going to die? Would it come for us next? What should we do? Mom tried to calm me down was there was no point. I was panicking.

“There’s no need to worry son. It’ll be okay”

I stopped. No need to worry? NO NEED TO WORRY?

“HOW CAN YOU STAND THERE SO CALM WHEN THAT… MONSTER IS NEARBY?!”

Mom looked at me with that look. The most intimidating look ever. The mom stare. And it worked, because I shut my mouth straight away and sat down. I tried to calm myself down, and after a while, I had my head straight enough to listen. Willow was still shaking. Whatever Mom had to say, I hoped it was good news.

“The fact that this creature exists is known by governments across the world. We have protocols for when it arrives. But those are only in effect if three signs of it being nearby are shown in the area. So for now, we’re safe.”

That was somewhat of a relief. As long as that first sign doesn’t happen, then we’re safe, I thought. At least that’s what I hoped. But I did wonder. Why would she say “if three signs”, if there are only three signs? As I looked at her, I finally realized. There were more signs.

“There’s one more sign that it’s near.” She looked the book, her hands shaking. “Thunder witho-“

BOOM.

At that very moment, there was thunder. The loudest thunder I’ve heard in my entire life. And the sky was clear. Not a cloud in sight. Mom and Dad looked at each other.

“TV. Now.”

Me and Willow exchanged worried glances. Mom and Dad grabbed us and rushed us out to the TV. We all sat on the couch and waited. A few seconds later, an EAS alert popped up on the screen.

“All civilians in the Chicago area are ordered to make their way to the city hall. Noncompliance could result in fatal injury or even death. Instruction will be given once arrived.”

We all froze in place. A third sign appeared.

“Everybody in the car!” Dad yelled.

We all snapped out of it and bolted to the car. Keys. Ignition. Engine. It all happened too fast. Like lightning.

Before I knew it we were zooming towards the City Hall. I couldn’t think. Was I going to die? I looked over to Willow and knew she was thinking the exact same thing. We need to get to the City Hall. Fast.

On queue, we hit traffic. Of course we do. Of fucking course. During my silent rage, I heard a scream. We all did. As I looked out my window, I saw it. El Rayo. And it was ripping a pregnant woman limb from limb. Joints popping one after another. Crack. Snap. Pop. Her screams were muffled by her thick blood boiling in her mouth and eyes. Willow started screaming. Mom started screaming. Dad started screaming. But I just watched. Silent. I couldn’t react. I’ve never seen anything that gruesome in my entire life. As that thought crossed my mind, the monster ripped the unborn child out from between the woman’s legs and roared as it cooked the infant alive with electricity. Eyes popping, bones rattling, guts steaming from the heat. It then bit it down vertically, each vertebrae cracking like a tree branch. Snap. Snap. Snap. The unborn child exploded into chunky, wet mush, getting boiling chunks of bloody organs on my face through the open window. I screamed. The pain was agonizing. The deep fried organs and blood of an unborn child searing my eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin. The worst part? The woman carrying the child was still alive. Lying on the ground. Limbless. Crying. Screaming.

Mom and Dad rushed out of the car. Dad carried me on his back, while Mom and Willow ran for their lives to the City Hall.

“It’s going to be okay son! I’ll get you to the hall and everything will be okay!”

It hears. Dad freezes. I look over at the beast with my half-functioning left eye, and noticed it has no eyes. It can’t see. I motioned for my Dad to keep going, but stay quiet. We kept inching and inching down the road, City Hall in sight. I had hope. Something I had needed this whole time. We were going to get through this. All of u-

A scream.

One I could recognize from anywhere. Even when I could barely hear. Willow. I turned back to see it was gone. That wasn’t possible. It was there mere seconds ago. I couldn’t even hear it. Neither could Dad. Then it clicked. Lightning. It was fast. Too fast to even comprehend.

I slowly shifted my gaze forwards to see…horror.

Willow’s head. Rolling.
Down,
Down,
Down the road.
A trail of steaming, boiling blood was left behind. Eyes hanging on by strings, Chunks of fried brain dripping out of ears.

It hit Dad’s foot.

I threw up. Dad did also. A lot. It got all over her head.

Mom ran for her life. The fastest I’ve seen anyone run before. She made it to the City Hall and went in. Me and Dad were left to fend for ourselves. This is the end, I thought.

I looked up and it was staring at us. An eyeless beast, staring. It opened its mouth, full of copper teeth, and slowly, painfully, and agonizingly shoved Willow’s entire body down its throat. It was choking, gagging, and spewing electricity everywhere. All while its non existent gaze penetrated my soul. Crying, I asked my Dad:

“W-What do w-we d-d-do?”

Dad slowly set me down and looked into my eyes, on the verge of tears.

“You run. I-I’ll distract it.”

I froze. He was going to sacrifice his life for mine. I pleaded for him to stay. Begged. Sobbed. All while it was slowly approaching. Toying with us.

“Go.” Dad said. While smiling. But I knew behind that smile… were tears. But I listened. I ran. Because my life depended on it.

I heard Dad open a car and cock
back a shotgun. It ran. Crossed the distance in less than in instant. Right past me.

Gunshot.

Scream.

The sound of flesh being ripped apart. It filled my functioning ear. Every fiber of muscle, every joint and bone.

I kept running. I knew what had happened. But I couldn’t bring myself to stop and look back. It wasn’t possible.

The City Hall was around 100 feet away. It was about 2000. I knew it could reach me. I prayed.

Guards saw me coming and grabbed me. They rushed me in. I was safe. Is what I thought.

As I turned to thank them, it stood behind them. Outside of the doors of the hall. I froze. The guards kept telling me to keep going, but my eyes were locked on the creature. It killed my sister. My dad. Why? A crooked smile spread across its face. Before the guards could turn around, two sharp copper claws pierced their brain stems. Stopping mere inches from my face. I fell backwards, sitting. The two claws slowly made their way down their bodies, cutting, slicing, and filleting their flesh. Right in half. All while it stood perfectly still.

I ran further into the City Hall, finding guards by a door. They saw my face, and quickly rushed me in. As they were about to leave, with all my remaining energy, I said,

“It’s inside.”

Crash.

It was zooming down the hall. The two guards shot at it with rubber bullets, weakening it. But not enough. It dug its claws into the ground and launches itself straight through both guards. Nearly instantly. Boiling blood again struck my face. They both remained standing, guts and blood pouring out of their bodies and mouths. I slowly stuck my head out of the room and saw something I never wish I’d seen. It was holding two beating hearts. Staring at me with an eyeless skull. They weren’t dead. They just couldn’t move. It then pointed at the wall in front of me, beating heart in hand. It had engraved a message on the wall.

“YOU CANT STOP LIGHTNING”

I slammed the door shut and ran down the hall it opened to. I heard it trying to get in, but it couldn’t. Everything was rubber. The entire hallway. Thank God. Something good had happened for once.

I eventually got to a huge underground room. Also all rubber. And there she was. My mom. Never had I been so glad to see her in my life. We both ran at each other and hugged. We were both crying. After all of the loss we had experienced, it was finally over. Distant roars of the creature could be heard from far away. They sounded exactly like thunder.

Hours passed with no news from the outside world. We could hear people screaming and being mutilated down the hallway. Me and Mom sat down in the huge room silently. Then she pulled out the book. The Thunder Without Clouds. She read it to me.

“Lightning and Thunder. Two things you experience all of the time. Lightning flashes bright, and thunder booms. They happen at the same time, but you always see lightning before the thunder sounds.” She flips the page. “But if thunder happens first, you know something is wrong.”

Flip.

“There is a beast, that travels all through the world, causing thunder before the lightning. Even when the sky is clear.”

Flip.

“We know this beast as El Rayo, The Lightning Bolt. It travels the world, putting many people, good and bad to sleep.”

Flip.

“There are four signs that El Rayo may arrive, so listen close if you want to survive.”

Flip.

“The first sign that El Rayo is near, is when the heat begins to sear.”

Flip.

“The second sign El Rayo may come out, is when explosions from power lines begin to sprout.”

Flip.

“The third sign El Rayo may arrive, is when nearby animals cease to be alive.”

Flip.

“The fourth and final sign, is heard when El Rayo yells out loud, and raises the question, ‘why is there thunder with no clouds?’”

One. Last. Flip.

“With all that being said, be careful where you tread, because all of these signs, point to unimaginable dread. And remember: A lightning bolt won’t cease, halt, freeze or yield. And if you attempt to stop it, your fate will be sealed.”

With that she closed the book. The book I wondered about so much my entire life.

To this day, I’m stuck in this rubber room, not knowing how long El Rayo may loom. And I never will. I’m stuck here. Until the thunder booms again, when the sky is clear, then will I know, El Rayo is near.

When I was a kid, my mom read me the same story every single night. The book was about a creature that could harness electricity. It was called El Rayo. The Lightning Bolt. I remember her saying that this book was very important. Since I was a kid, I had no idea what she was talking about. It was just a silly children’s book. How could it be, “very important”? Ever since then, I’ve wondered. A few days ago, the wondering stopped.

A few mornings ago in January, I woke up and got dressed. I was trying to figure out what to wear that day, when I realized it was really damn hot in the house. I hollered at my mom to turn on the AC, and she said it was already on. Thats what really had me confused. After she told me, I went to the vent in my room and sure enough, it was on. But barely. I again yelled at my mom to turn up the AC, but again, she said it was at max. What the hell was going on in this house? After that I ignored it and threw on a pair of pants and a sweatshirt. As I walked out of my room, I felt the worst heat I’ve felt in my entire life. It felt like I was surrounded by a blazing fire. No. Lava. I quickly ran into my room and changed into shorts, even though it was winter. I just could not for the life of me handle the heat. I waltzed out of my room and sat at the dining table. Mom and Dad had set out a charcuterie board, and my sister, Willow, was already chowing down on some cheese on Ritz crackers.

“Mom? Why are we having charcuterie for breakfast?”

As I said that, I looked over to her and Dad at the TV. My eyes widened. I’ve never seen my parents look this scared in my entire life. They’re definitely not the type to get scared. Like, at all.

“I didn’t have time to make anything, just eat.”

She said it with a shaky voice. Now I knew something was up.

“Hey Willow, what’s up with Mom and Dad?”

She looked up at me, her mouth filled with salami, and shrugged. Useless as always. I got up and slowly inched my way over the TV. But before I could see what they were watching, Dad turned it off.

“What were you guys watching?”

Dad looked over at me before going back down the hallway into his room. Same with Mom. Then I heard a loud slam. What the fuck? I needed to figure out what was going on. Stupidly, I didn’t turn the TV on to see what they were watching. Typical me. I slowly creeped down the hallway towards my parent’s room, but then of course, Willow had to say something. With her mouth filled to brim too.

“What are you doing?”

I quickly turned to her and shushed her. As I was turning around she threw a piece of salami smack dab in the middle of my face. Didn’t know it was possible to be THIS annoying. I threw it back at her and continued creeping down the hallway. Just as I was about to listen through the door, the worst possible thing thats could have happened, happened. CREEEEAK. Shit. I ran back into the living room and threw myself at the couch. Landing on the couch, I felt something hard under the cushion. Even though it didn’t hurt, I yelled ouch. My parents came rushing out, looking even more scared than before. Somehow. In unison, with excessive worry in their voices, they yelled,

“Are you okay!?”

This made me jump, as I wasn’t used to hearing them yell that damn loud. I assured them it was fine and told them that there was something hard under the couch cushion. They both looked at each other frantically and ran towards the couch. I jumped up, scared for my life, only to realize that my mom was trying to find whatever I jumped on that was under the couch. She found it and took it to her room. It was… that children’s book. I couldn’t quite see the title. I tried to follow, but Dad stopped me.

“This is adult business son. Watch some TV.”

“Why are you trying to keep this from me? What’s so important about that damn book thats you’re trying to hide it from me?”

His expression shifted from one of worry, to one way more serious. So serious it made me slightly worried.

“Watch some TV. I won’t ask again.”

“Bu-“

“No. Complaining.”

And with that, he hurried to his room and slammed the door shut. What just happened. I looked at Willow, and she was just as confused as I was. I decided to sit down and watch TV, like he said. I decided to check the weather channel to figure out why the hell it was so hot. In winter. As I was switching channels, I heard a loud cacophony of booms in the distance. Each one shook the entire god damn house. Willow and I went to the window to see what had happened, soon joined by mom and Dad. Every power line we could see was in flames and dangling from their wooden post. Mom and Dad grabbed us before we could say anything, and rushed us to their room. That moment, I knew I was going to get some answers.

Me and Willow sat on the bed, and Mom and Dad talked for a bit in the corner. I looked over at Willow and she looked at me.

“What do you think is going on?” She asked.

“I have no idea.” I looked over to Mom and Dad. “But I feel like we’re about to get an answer.”

Mom and Dad turned to us. Dad opened a drawer, and pulled out… the book. I knew it. That damn book had something to do with it. Mom started talking.

“Remember when I used to read you guys this book?”

Me and Willow both nodded in unison.

“I remember you saying it was ‘very important’. I’m guessing now you’re going to explain why?”

She nervously nodded her head.

“This book is about the monster, El Rayo, or in english, The Lightning Bolt. When reading the book, nothing seems weird until you get towards the end. The signs that it’s near, and the poem at the end.”

Willows eyes widened and she started breathing hard. I looked over to her, wondering what was wrong. Dad rushed over to her and comforted her, while Mom flipped to a certain page and continued. What was happening? Did I miss something?

“The first sign. Excessive amounts of dead animals.”

Sounded normal to me. It is a monster after all.

“The second sign.” She took a deep breath. “Immense waves of heat that feel impossible.”

My heart skipped a beat. This morning. When I went out of my room. It had to be a coincidence. It was just some scary book… Right?

“The third sign.” I waited, anxious to see what she’d say. “Power line explosions.”

I froze. Holy shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. There’s no way. I gulped, slightly sweaty, and asked,

“So… you’re telling me…”

Before I could finish, she nodded.

The book wasn’t fake. It wasn’t just a silly book like I thought it was. It was real. El Rayo is real. I started freaking the fuck, OUT. Was I going to die? Would it come for us next? What should we do? Mom tried to calm me down was there was no point. I was panicking.

“There’s no need to worry son. It’ll be okay”

I stopped. No need to worry? NO NEED TO WORRY?

“HOW CAN YOU STAND THERE SO CALM WHEN THAT… MONSTER IS NEARBY?!”

Mom looked at me with that look. The most intimidating look ever. The mom stare. And it worked, because I shut my mouth straight away and sat down. I tried to calm myself down, and after a while, I had my head straight enough to listen. Willow was still shaking. Whatever Mom had to say, I hoped it was good news.

“The fact that this creature exists is known by governments across the world. We have protocols for when it arrives. But those are only in effect if three signs of it being nearby are shown in the area. So for now, we’re safe.”

That was somewhat of a relief. As long as that first sign doesn’t happen, then we’re safe, I thought. At least that’s what I hoped. But I did wonder. Why would she say “if three signs”, if there are only three signs? As I looked at her, I finally realized. There were more signs.

“There’s one more sign that it’s near.” She looked the book, her hands shaking. “Thunder witho-“

BOOM.

At that very moment, there was thunder. The loudest thunder I’ve heard in my entire life. And the sky was clear. Not a cloud in sight. Mom and Dad looked at each other.

“TV. Now.”

Me and Willow exchanged worried glances. Mom and Dad grabbed us and rushed us out to the TV. We all sat on the couch and waited. A few seconds later, an EAS alert popped up on the screen.

“All civilians in the Chicago area are ordered to make their way to the city hall. Noncompliance could result in fatal injury or even death. Instruction will be given once arrived.”

We all froze in place. A third sign appeared.

“Everybody in the car!” Dad yelled.

We all snapped out of it and bolted to the car. Keys. Ignition. Engine. It all happened too fast. Like lightning.

Before I knew it we were zooming towards the City Hall. I couldn’t think. Was I going to die? I looked over to Willow and knew she was thinking the exact same thing. We need to get to the City Hall. Fast.

On queue, we hit traffic. Of course we do. Of fucking course. During my silent rage, I heard a scream. We all did. As I looked out my window, I saw it. El Rayo. And it was ripping a pregnant woman limb from limb. Joints popping one after another. Crack. Snap. Pop. Her screams were muffled by her thick blood boiling in her mouth and eyes. Willow started screaming. Mom started screaming. Dad started screaming. But I just watched. Silent. I couldn’t react. I’ve never seen anything that gruesome in my entire life. As that thought crossed my mind, the monster ripped the unborn child out from between the woman’s legs and roared as it cooked the infant alive with electricity. Eyes popping, bones rattling, guts steaming from the heat. It then bit it down vertically, each vertebrae cracking like a tree branch. Snap. Snap. Snap. The unborn child exploded into chunky, wet mush, getting boiling chunks of bloody organs on my face through the open window. I screamed. The pain was agonizing. The deep fried organs and blood of an unborn child searing my eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin. The worst part? The woman carrying the child was still alive. Lying on the ground. Limbless. Crying. Screaming.

Mom and Dad rushed out of the car. Dad carried me on his back, while Mom and Willow ran for their lives to the City Hall.

“It’s going to be okay son! I’ll get you to the hall and everything will be okay!”

It hears. Dad freezes. I look over at the beast with my half-functioning left eye, and noticed it has no eyes. It can’t see. I motioned for my Dad to keep going, but stay quiet. We kept inching and inching down the road, City Hall in sight. I had hope. Something I had needed this whole time. We were going to get through this. All of u-

A scream.

One I could recognize from anywhere. Even when I could barely hear. Willow. I turned back to see it was gone. That wasn’t possible. It was there mere seconds ago. I couldn’t even hear it. Neither could Dad. Then it clicked. Lightning. It was fast. Too fast to even comprehend.

I slowly shifted my gaze forwards to see…horror.

Willow’s head. Rolling.
Down,
Down,
Down the road.
A trail of steaming, boiling blood was left behind. Eyes hanging on by strings, Chunks of fried brain dripping out of ears.

It hit Dad’s foot.

I threw up. Dad did also. A lot. It got all over her head.

Mom ran for her life. The fastest I’ve seen anyone run before. She made it to the City Hall and went in. Me and Dad were left to fend for ourselves. This is the end, I thought.

I looked up and it was staring at us. An eyeless beast, staring. It opened its mouth, full of copper teeth, and slowly, painfully, and agonizingly shoved Willow’s entire body down its throat. It was choking, gagging, and spewing electricity everywhere. All while its non existent gaze penetrated my soul. Crying, I asked my Dad:

“W-What do w-we d-d-do?”

Dad slowly set me down and looked into my eyes, on the verge of tears.

“You run. I-I’ll distract it.”

I froze. He was going to sacrifice his life for mine. I pleaded for him to stay. Begged. Sobbed. All while it was slowly approaching. Toying with us.

“Go.” Dad said. While smiling. But I knew behind that smile… were tears. But I listened. I ran. Because my life depended on it.

I heard Dad open a car and cock
back a shotgun. It ran. Crossed the distance in less than in instant. Right past me.

Gunshot.

Scream.

The sound of flesh being ripped apart. It filled my functioning ear. Every fiber of muscle, every joint and bone.

I kept running. I knew what had happened. But I couldn’t bring myself to stop and look back. It wasn’t possible.

The City Hall was around 100 feet away. It was about 2000. I knew it could reach me. I prayed.

Guards saw me coming and grabbed me. They rushed me in. I was safe. Is what I thought.

As I turned to thank them, it stood behind them. Outside of the doors of the hall. I froze. The guards kept telling me to keep going, but my eyes were locked on the creature. It killed my sister. My dad. Why? A crooked smile spread across its face. Before the guards could turn around, two sharp copper claws pierced their brain stems. Stopping mere inches from my face. I fell backwards, sitting. The two claws slowly made their way down their bodies, cutting, slicing, and filleting their flesh. Right in half. All while it stood perfectly still.

I ran further into the City Hall, finding guards by a door. They saw my face, and quickly rushed me in. As they were about to leave, with all my remaining energy, I said,

“It’s inside.”

Crash.

It was zooming down the hall. The two guards shot at it with rubber bullets, weakening it. But not enough. It dug its claws into the ground and launches itself straight through both guards. Nearly instantly. Boiling blood again struck my face. They both remained standing, guts and blood pouring out of their bodies and mouths. I slowly stuck my head out of the room and saw something I never wish I’d seen. It was holding two beating hearts. Staring at me with an eyeless skull. They weren’t dead. They just couldn’t move. It then pointed at the wall in front of me, beating heart in hand. It had engraved a message on the wall.

“YOU CANT STOP LIGHTNING”

I slammed the door shut and ran down the hall it opened to. I heard it trying to get in, but it couldn’t. Everything was rubber. The entire hallway. Thank God. Something good had happened for once.

I eventually got to a huge underground room. Also all rubber. And there she was. My mom. Never had I been so glad to see her in my life. We both ran at each other and hugged. We were both crying. After all of the loss we had experienced, it was finally over. Distant roars of the creature could be heard from far away. They sounded exactly like thunder.

Hours passed with no news from the outside world. We could hear people screaming and being mutilated down the hallway. Me and Mom sat down in the huge room silently. Then she pulled out the book. The Thunder Without Clouds. She read it to me.

“Lightning and Thunder. Two things you experience all of the time. Lightning flashes bright, and thunder booms. They happen at the same time, but you always see lightning before the thunder sounds.” She flips the page. “But if thunder happens first, you know something is wrong.”

Flip.

“There is a beast, that travels all through the world, causing thunder before the lightning. Even when the sky is clear.”

Flip.

“We know this beast as El Rayo, The Lightning Bolt. It travels the world, putting many people, good and bad to sleep.”

Flip.

“There are four signs that El Rayo may arrive, so listen close if you want to survive.”

Flip.

“The first sign that El Rayo is near, is when the heat begins to sear.”

Flip.

“The second sign El Rayo may come out, is when explosions from power lines begin to sprout.”

Flip.

“The third sign El Rayo may arrive, is when nearby animals cease to be alive.”

Flip.

“The fourth and final sign, is heard when El Rayo yells out loud, and raises the question, ‘why is there thunder with no clouds?’”

One. Last. Flip.

“With all that being said, be careful where you tread, because all of these signs, point to unimaginable dread. And remember: A lightning bolt won’t cease, halt, freeze or yield. And if you attempt to stop it, your fate will be sealed.”

With that she closed the book. The book I wondered about so much my entire life.

To this day, I’m stuck in this rubber room, not knowing how long El Rayo may loom. And I never will. I’m stuck here. Until the thunder booms again, when the sky is clear, then will I know, El Rayo is near.