When the Storm Comes In
Black clouds rolled into town, plunging the ranch in darkness. The smell of rain filled the air, and the animals who resided on this land went into a small frenzy, trying to find a good spot to hide in. The goats hid in a shed that was built for them on their piece of land. The llamas and alpacas hid in their barns, along with the other farm animals. Horses, who had their own home, all hid in the corners of their stables, except for one. This one was a pure black horse with a white spot on his chest. This horse had his own part of the ranch, only having a fence to keep him from roaming all around.
As time passed by, Jessica, part owner of the ranch, finally got home from work. She closed up the barn after she got home, saying goodnight to the animals and that the storm would pass shortly. When she got into the house, she wasn't too surprised to see her roommate asleep on the couch, a munchkin kitten curled up on her stomach. Jessica just frowned, finding that the dishes were still dirty in the sink, the living room had been turned upside down, and there was a large smiley face drawn on the wall.
"Jennifer! Wake the fuck up!" she hissed, walking over to the couch. The kitten had awoken to the shout and had jumped onto the floor, knowing that if he stayed, bad things would happen. And the kitten was right. When Jennifer didn't respond, Jessica grabbed her shoulders and pulled her off the couch, laughing when she fell onto the floor and landed on her face.
"Ow! Jessica, what the fuck?!" whined the girl, looking up at her friend. "I was sleeping! It's very rude to wake someone up, ya know!"
"You know what's rude? Fucking this house up even more!" she snapped, pointing to the wall. "And why the fuck did you draw a smiley face?!"
"Don't tell me how to live my life," she grumbled in response, slowly getting up. "Is that storm here yet?"
"Not yet. We should really get prepared for- where the hell are you going?!" Jessica watched as her friend quickly put her shoes on, heading for the door.
"I gotta go get Nightrun!" she replied, flinging open the door. "Gotta get him to the shed down the road before that storm hits! He'll never forgive me if I don't!"
"Jennifer, no! It'll be here soon!" she warned, though it was too late. Jessica walked towards the window, watching as the girl ran towards the field her horse stayed in, a rope in her hand. She sighed quietly. "You don't have time..."
Jennifer quickly entered the field, frantically calling out for her beloved horse. Nightrun ran over to his owner, allowing her to wrap the rope around him and run out of the plain. He followed the girl halfway down the road, before a crack of thunder sounded, and rain started to pour down. Nightrun neighed, lifting his front hooves up and shaking his head. Jennifer turned around, trying her best to calm the animal down. There was no luck. Nightrun turned and ran, the girl trying her hardest to follow.
Jessica stayed inside the dry home, looking out and awaiting for her friend. As the seconds turned into minutes, she thought she saw something running across the driveway. She passed it off as a rabbit. Those furry things seemed to like to roam around her property, and she didn't complain. The bunnies were very cute, after all.
Three hours had passed, and the rain finally let up a bit. With a heavy sigh, Jessica got up, grabbed her boots and jacket, and left the house. She called out for her friend, walking towards the shed that she was supposed to be at, putting Nightrun away and to rest.
"Jennifer? What's taking you so long?" Jessica asked when she entered the shed, finding Nightrun standing there and a girl brushing his soaked mane. When she didn't answer, Jessica walked forward, tapping her shoulder. "Hey! You gonna answer me?"
The girl ceased her brushing, and turned to face Jessica, scaring the life right out of her. The girl's eyes were missing, only showing empty sockets that leaked with blood. Her mouth was cut back and stitched together, forming into a smile. Her throat had been sliced, and blood oozed from there as well. The girl looked at Jessica, then turned her attention towards the corner in the very back of the shed. After a few seconds of looking there, she went back to brushing Nightrun. Slowly, Jessica walked towards where the thing had been looking, and screamed. Jennifer hung there, barb wire wrapped around her neck. She also had a smile carved into her face, as her shirt had been removed, showing off a large hole in her torso and how her organs were no longer there.
"Now, she can smile forever, even in the worse pain," spoke the girl, before she turned to face her once more. "Would you like to smile forever too?"
Before Jessica could do anything, the girl lunged forward.
.-'XXX'-.
Jessica jolted awake, her cat jumping off her and running out her bedroom door. She looked around, finding she was in her room. Shaking her head, she got up and got dressed for school.
As she arrived at the school, Jessica found herself walking towards annex. She found her friend sitting at one of the benches, her head cradled in her arms as her breathing was slow and steady. She quietly walked over, smacking the sleeping girl on the back, who jolted upright with a scream of pain.
"Jessica! What the fuck?!" Jennifer cried, glaring at her friend. She didn't reply though. She just stared at what was on her face. Her mouth had been cut into a smile, and blood was stained onto her face. Without another word, Jessica just turned around and quickly walked away, Jennifer getting up to follow her.
"Wait! Baby, come back! I'm sorry! You can blame it all on me! Please, I need you!" Jennifer cried with a smile, grabbing her bag and running towards her friend.