THE STORM ERUPTED
544 Words
sunset painted the sky in streaks of pink and red, Eminia walked to the well to fill a bucket of water. The air was heavy, almost suffocating.
That was when she overheard voices behind the tool shed.
“…don’t care what happens to the girl,” a man whispered. “Pierce promised money. Enough to move away from this dry place.”
Eminia froze, heart pounding.
She recognized the voice.
Jakob.
A villager. A man who used to help her father harvest grain every winter. He had eaten meals at this very farmhouse.
Betrayal stung her like a slap.
“But Rowan—he’ll be trouble,” Jakob’s companion muttered.
“He won’t be,” Jakob said. “Pierce’s men will take care of him. The girl will run. They always run.”
Eminia stepped back, her hands trembling around the bucket handle.
They were planning to hurt Rowan—
and drive her off the land.
She rushed back to the farmhouse, tears burning her eyes, fear pushing her faster.
Rowan looked up from the table as she burst inside.
“Eminia? What happened?”
She told him everything—every word, every whisper.
Rowan’s jaw clenched, fury simmering beneath his calm exterior.
“We can’t confront them head-on,” he said. “Not yet. If we do, they’ll only escalate.”
“Then what do we do?” Eminia asked, voice trembling
Rowan stepped closer, placing a steady hand on her shoulder.
“We stay alert. We stay together. And we prepare for whatever Pierce plans to send tomorrow night.”
Tomorrow.
Midnight.
The end of their 48 hours.
The storm was coming.
Night fell heavy over the valley—thicker than any darkness Eminia had ever known.
Rowan, three villagers, and two dogs kept watch near the farmhouse. Lanterns glowed softly, casting warm circles of light across the dry earth.
Eminia refused to stay inside, despite Rowan urging her to rest.
“I won’t hide,” she insisted. “Not tonight.”
Midnight approached, each minute dragging like a weight.
The wind picked up—strange, hot, restless.
Then the dogs growled.
Rowan stiffened.
“Stay behind me,” he said, barely above a whisper.
Shadows moved near the boundary fence.
One…
Two…
Three figures.
Carrying something.
Then—
A match struck.
A small flame flickered.
Rowan lunged forward with a shout, knocking the lantern out of the intruder’s hand before it could hit the ground.
Chaos erupted.
Villagers rushed forward.
The dogs barked fiercely.
Someone swung a stick.
Another stumbled and fell.
Eminia’s heart thundered.
Fire—
They were trying to burn the farm again.
But this time, they wanted to destroy everything.
Rowan grappled with a masked man. When the mask slipped, Eminia gasped.
Jakob.
Before she could speak, Jakob pushed Rowan hard and ran into the darkness, followed by the other intruders.
Rowan rose slowly, chest heaving.
Eminia ran to him.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded, wiping blood from his lip.
“They’ll be back,” he said. “But next time, they won’t come in the shadows.”
And he was right.
Because minutes later, bright headlights appeared at the far end of the road.
A single, sleek black car rolled toward them.
Pierce had arrived.
- Writer
