Characters: Mitch and Jerome
Word count: 1237
Extra notes: -

~3rd P.O.V.~

     The rain pelted the window as Mitch stood bored, listening the the rumbling thunder and pitter-patter of the rain as he waited for Jerome to arrive. Jerome has texted him almost an hour ago now, stating that he had arrived safely at the airport and would catch a taxi so Mitch wouldn't have to drive in the horrible conditions.

     Another crack of lightning and roar of thunder rang out, hurling the droplets even harder at the window, their small tinks becoming louder thumps. In normal cases, this rain would be snow since in Canada Winter encompassed most of the year. But since the last of the snow melted away, and now April-the rainy season- began, rain would be an all too common sight for the next few weeks. Then FINALLY  warm sunny weather might begin.

     After what seemed like and eternity of standing at the window, staring out at the sheets of falling rain, a blurred yellow taxi finally rolled up the driveway, headlights cutting through the gloom like butter.

     Mitch, his previous boredom gone in a flash, breaks out into a smile and jumps up. He bounds through the house, sloppily throwing his shoes on and throwing the door open, bursting out into the downpour to help Jerome carry his bags in.

     "Jerome!" Mitch shouts over the rain as a greeting, his friend having just climbed out of the car.
     "Mitch! Long time no see!" Jerome responds giddily, the two joining in a quick tight hug.
     "Let's get your stuff inside." Mitch states after pulling away, moving to lift up the trunk. "Then we can dry off an talk."

~~~

     "UNO!" Jerome declares, waving the single card in front of him with a smug smile across his face. "Watch ya gonna do Mitch?"
     "Um..." Mitch trails off, seeing that he still has three cards left and, depending on his choice, could either save himself or lose the game.

     After the two had successfully dragged Jerome's luggage into the house, without letting it get too wet, they had dried off and then proceeded to simply talk for the next hour. After a while Jerome, seeing the storm would not let up any time soon, proposed they play a game. Needless to say the two quickly agreed on UNO. The score was tied up now, Mitch and Jerome having both one a single game and now playing a third to determine the victor.

     Two flashlights rest on the table they're seated at, just in case the lights cut out in the middle of their game. It was getting late, and since it was dark and lightning was striking more often, the two didn't exactly want to be plunged into complete darkness without some sort of light source if the lights went out.

     Mitch, his brain fighting with itself, finally decides to lay down a card. Unluckily for him, that card just so happen to be a red seven, which Mitch had laid down over a green seven in hopes it would change the colour to something Jerome didn't have. Jerome's last card was a red five.

     Jerome, who had been watching Mitch's every move with tension, sees the card he places down and breaks out into a grin. Mitch's cocky smile instantly drops, watching as Jerome slaps down the red five, signifying his victory.

     "I win! GG Mitch." Jerome boasts, sticking his hand out to shake Mitch's.
     "I guess you did... GG Jerome G-"

     Mitch's words are cut off as a particularly bright flash of lightning strikes outside, and not two seconds later, all the lights in the house click off.

     Whereas Jerome looked a bit startled, Mitch calmly reached for the flashlights he set out earlier, tossing one to Jerome and clicking his on.

     "It was bound to happen." Mitch sighs, standing up and shining his flashlight around the dark room, Jerome's sparking to life a second later. "C'mon, I have a generator in the basement."

     Mitch begins to walk forward through the dark room, his flashlight cutting through the shadows and lighting up his path. He glances over his shoulder to make sure Jerome is following, which to his confusion, is not.

     "You coming biggums?" Mitch questions, looking at Jerome who hasn't moved an inch and is waving his flashlight around uncertainly. "You're not scared are you?" Mitch asks, raising an eyebrow and smirking lightly.
     "N-no..." Jerome obviously lies, quickly joining Mitch's side.
     "Jerome... scared of the dark. Who would've known." Mitch chuckles, Jerome frowning.

     "I'm not scared of the dark! It's just that the lights went out, and now we're heading to the basement? This is the set up to like every horror movie ever." Jerome defends, begrudgingly following Mitch.

     Mitch rolls his eyes but doesn't question Jerome again, stepping down onto the staircase that leads into the basement.

     Jerome flinches every time the stairs creak, but before long the two had reached the bottom without and problems despite Jerome's suspicion. Mitch calmly strides forward towards the generator tucked away in the corner of the room, Jerome practically hugging to his side. Mitch couldn't understand why Jerome was so spooked, but didn't protest. He walks up to the dark metal box, shining his flashlight across its shiny surface until it illuminates a switch with the words 'on/off' under it.

     Mitch flicks the switch and almost instantly, the generator buzzes to life and all the lights click on, the machine humming quietly.

     "See? All better now." Mitch states approvingly.

     But Jerome doesn't answer. He's still right beside Mitch, but is frozen on the spot.

     "Jerome? Buddy you okay?" Mitch asks in concern, waving a hand in front of his friends blank face.

     But once Mitch follows Jerome's petrified gaze, he soon understands why Jerome would not answer. And he understands why Jerome was so iffy on descending to the basement. As the two stare at the thing off in the one dark corner of the room... Mitch wished he left the lights off.

~~~

     ~Mitch's P.O.V.~

     I wake up screaming, my heart pounding, eyes wide, and in a cold sweat. I look around frantically, squirming under blankets until i realize where I am. I'm in my room. In my pajamas. In bed.

     Letting out a shaky breath and holding a hand to my beating heart, I stay pressed up against to wall beside my bed until my heart finally slows down, and the adrenaline in my  blood vanishes. It was just a nightmare... Just a bad dream... I tell myself, closing my eyes and relaxing.

     Kicking off the covers, still slightly disoriented, I reach for my iPhone and unplug it from the wall. Flopping back down onto my bed, i swipe across the screen and enter my pass-code, going around and checking notifications and stuff. Eventually as my last stop before I get up and get myself ready, I decide to check the date. In my panic I had forgotten what day it was. After all, it was a pretty unsettling dream.

     "Friday, April 7th, 2017..." I read lazily. "That's right... Jerome should be getting here later today..."

     As soon as those words escape my mouth, my stomach drops. My heart rate picks up as in a flurry I close the calendar app, and jab the weather icon, sweat forming as the app loads up.

...

Heavy showers accompanied by thunder and lightning.

~~~