Lightning Strikes: Part Three: Chapter Two

I will be adding more to this but this is the first draft

Chapter Two

 

            Linda leapt from the floor, hurtling her body as quickly as she could from the room without knowing where she was going. For as fast as her body was moving her mind was even a step ahead. Her daughter was gone. Her daughter was gone, her mind kept screaming at her, reiterating this fact. Her daughter was f*****g gone.

            She had to do something but what? She ran into her room throwing on pants and the first shirt she found, barely slowing down as she threw on shoes. The lightning flashed as Linda ran from the house and into the headwind. Linda had barely closed her door before she put the truck into drive and tossed gravel as she sped her way to the road.

            The wind whipped around her and the rain assaulted the windshield as she sped down the long drive to town. She didn’t know where else to go. She couldn’t go to the police station. What is she supposed to do, barge into the office dripping rain and yell, “Help, the husband who I had murdered has kidnapped our child!” No, that was out.

            Before she knew what she was doing she was passing the buildings and heading towards the printing press. Linda’s body screamed for Lance. She needed his strong arms, slow smile and his slow southern drawl to tell her that everything would be all right. She needed him to fix this just as he had easily fixed her window.

            The main strip through town was pitch back. Just a few hours ago, she hadn’t a care in the world as she ambled aimlessly through town with Lance. The town had closed shops since then and tucked in for the night to get away from the storm. All the shops lights were out and the only things that lit up the street were her own headlights and the blinking yellow light in the center of town.

            Linda pulled off onto the curb in front of the building. From her position in the road she could see Lance’s truck parked in the parking lot beside it, his headlights facing cutting through the rain to light up the back entrance. Linda sprinted through the rain to the door. It was slightly ajar and she quickly ducked through leaving the door open to light up the inside of the building.

            A booming crack of thunder covered up the sound of her own gasp as she looked around her. The wind had whipped papers around the entire room and they lay scattered across every part of the floor, but Linda barely took notice of this as she saw the old heavy machines that Lance had proudly showed her. Some rest on their sides and others looked as though a sledge hammer had ripped through them. Parts scattered around the old frames like bones around a decrepit body.

`”Lance!” Linda shouted. Her stomach dropped as her own voice echoed back to her sounding hollow and petrified. She quietly crossed the room to head into the front office beyond the work room. The door creaked as she entered the front of the building.

            “Lance?” She whispered, even more unsure now as she peered around. Even though the door had been closed there were papers thrown across the floor here as well. Linda turned around the room and felt an electric shock as she took in the rest of the damage in this room as well. Lance had been right the storm couldn’t do this. Across the back wall, above the desk that had originally been tidy and organized, but was now covered in ripped paper and a spilled mug of coffee, was large red letters spray painted across the length of the room.

            F**k you, they said as the paint dripped down looking like blood splattered in a murderous rage. Besides this the room was empty. Lance wasn’t here even though his vehicle was outside still running. A sense of uneasiness prickled its way into Linda’s mind.

            She had hit a dead end. Where could Lance be and if she couldn’t find him, who else could help her?

Reviews

[Marie]

I now wonder if Jason has something to do with Lance's disappearance...I'm going on to the next chapter to find out...

[Craig2591]

I must say you took me by surprise with this story. I knew things were going too good and that something bad was going to happen, but I thought Lance was going to turn into an abusive a*****e like her husband! I never expected her husband to come looking for her. Great twist!

And a great job with the explanation of his survival. Totally unexpected!