It was a dark and stormy night. Rain was coming down in sheets and wind was sweeping it around furiously. Doors and windows were trembling against the onslaught of both air and water; as was Alex because of the resulting cold. They had to stop their journey by car because of the storm and they had found this old lady who took them in to give them shelter.
It was a dreadful night. The blanket over him was not thick enough to keep the cold from seeping in and the small electric heater next to his bed was too weak to keep anything warm. There was a certain comfort in the red glow coming from the single heating spring, only to be overshadowed every now and then by the bright lightning.
He was counting his heartbeats to keep his attention away from the roaring thunder and to occupy his though
