The rain has been coming down for the past day now. I was watching the nightly weather report for the next day like always when I saw this huge storm front coming towards the area where I live. The weather reporters warned that it was going to be a bad one and to stay inside. It was suppose to hit tomorrow tonight, so I planed a head and went to a near by grocery store to get anything I might need for that night. When I arrived at the grocery store the parking lot was packed. Everyone was anticipating the severity of the storm and was making sure they were prepared. I bought dinner to make while I still had power. I also stocked up on candles and lighters just in case. As I was driving home the rain started up again. It was soft at first then it got harder and faster. Visibility became limited and forced me to drive extremely slow the whole way home. By the time I got home the rain was in a complete down poor. I rushed in the house before I was completely soaked.
I began to prepare for this up coming storm. I took out all my candles, found a lighter, and prepared myself some dinner just in case the power happened to be knocked out. After everything was ready I went down stairs to check the wood stove. If the power did happen to be knocked out I don’t want to have to worry about restocking it. Thankfully I have a wood stove, not many people in this neighborhood do. Some people say that they are old fashioned but I happen to extremely like mine. It saves electricity and will never fail. I returned back up stairs to watch some television. I turned on my favorite program and settle down to watch a sex in the cities marathon. It was just getting into my favorite episode when the lights began to flicker.
I decided to say up until the storm was over. I could never sleep during storms so I figured I would simply wait it out. Every since I was a child I had been afraid of storms. Ever since the night of the accident I have never been okay with them. I was driving home with my mother from the store when I was just a young child. I remember looking out the window into the pouring rain. The trees were distorted from how hard the rain was coming down. I was buckled up in the back seat of our suburban when we were side swiped by a van. They didn’t see the stop sign and it was to wet to stop. The van slid into the side of our vehicle. The van hit my mother’s side killing her instantly. I was too young at the time to realize what had happened. I survived the crash with just a broken arm. Twenty years later I still am afraid of storms but now where near as bad as I use to be. I just kept my mind off of the storm outside. I decided to watch TV. It kept my occupied for a couple of hours and everything was fine. The power was still on and the storm was starting to die down. I went to my fridge to get a late night snack before I went to bed. I grabbed a heresy’s chocolate bar and a glass of water. As I was searching around I looked out side of my picture window just in time to see a bright flash of lightning then an ear deafening boom. The lights began to flicker and then seconds later everything went dark. I stumbled around lighting my candles when I heard a soft knock at my front door.
Thoughts raced threw my head. Who could that be? Why would anybody be out during a storm like this? Maybe they need help? Maybe I’m being evacuated? What if it was a psycho killer, like in the movies? I crept to the door and peeked out the side window to see who was there. The rain was coming down very heavily now and I could barely make out who was at my door. I’ve seen him before but I couldn’t completely figure it out. I opened the door and to my shock it was my creepy next door neighbor. He was soaking wet and appeared to be quiet cold. The old wan was ghostly white and shivering. I couldn’t let him stay out there much longer so I decided to let him in. I’m not one to turn away a person in need. I always try to put myself in the position of the person in need. If I needed help I wouldn’t want to be turned away. I invited him to come in out of the storm, and he accepted gratefully.
I haven't seen this old man in years. He had to be at least eighty years old by now. His hair was grey and his skin was wrinkled. The only time I saw him was when he would take his dog for a walk around the block, but the past few years I began to see him less and less. I just gradually thought he was getting to old to take these walks, or even possibly his dog passed away. Nothing made me curious about this old man until I took a stroll by his house one summer day.
It was a beautiful, sunny summer day and I decided to take a walk around the block. As I passed by his house a strong odder hit me like a train. I almost threw my lunch up right on his front law. It was the worst smell that I ever experienced. It smelled like something had died in there. I walked as fast as I could by his house to escape the order. The thoughts of what caused that god awful smell still stuck in my head. It could be possible that something had died in there. It didn’t seem like he ever had any visitors so know one would ever know if he silently passed away. I didn’t want to be a bother so I kept that horrible thought in the back of my head. My house was uphill anyways so sooner or later the neighbors down wind from him will do something about it. I had completely forgotten all about it until he appeared at my door step.
I got him something to drink and sat down with him to ask if something was wrong. He explained to me that the storm had knocked out his power. He doesn’t have a wood stove like me so he had no heat and was cold. I glad that I didn’t turn him away. He thanked me numerous times but didn’t do much of anything else. He sat by the fire comply silent just glazing into the flames. I stayed a while down there and after a while it got awkward, so I decided to call it a night. I got the man some blankets and a pillow to spend the night on my couch. I couldn’t let him go back out into the cold so I figured until the power came back at least. You decided he could spend the night. You went to your closet and got him some blankets and a few pillows. He could sleep on the couch and leave in the morning. I said goodnight and told him if wanted to want tv the remote was on the chair. I retired to my room to go to bed. Laying there I was wide awake in my bed trying to forget about the creepy old man on my couch. I finally got to sleep when I was aroused by a loud pounding on my door.
What was going on? Was something wrong? Is my creepy neighbor trying to attack me? I was scared beyond believe. Questions raced through my head as a slid down under my covers. I composed myself and then I grabbed my phone from my pants on the floor. I called 911 and told them my emergency. I explained that I had let a stranger into my house and that he was pounding on my door. The pounding stopped for a few seconds then began again. It didn’t sound like he was trying to break in but at the time the whole situation was scary.
Right as I hung up I hear sirens coming from a difference. I found it odd that the police would get here so fast. The pounding started again, but harder and more frantic this time. I looked out the window and saw an ambulance already outside. The storm had pasted but the danger outside my door was still present. Why would they bring an ambulance? Maybe they thought I was hurt. Better safe then sorry I guess. The pounding had stopped and I carefully walked to the door. The power was still out and I reached for the door knob. I grabbed the knob to open the door. As soon as my flesh hit the metal door knob it practically melted off. I let out a scream and realized what was going on. My house was on fire.
I panicked and looked around to find a way out. The distance from my window to the ground wasn’t too far so I decided to jump. I jumped out of my window and ran to the street. I turned and looked at my beautiful house going up in flames. Everything I owned was burning and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Firefighters were doing there best to extinguish the raging fire. It didn’t take me long to realize that my neighbor wasn’t outside. I looked around franticly for my neighbor. I didn’t see him anywhere so I told the head of police so he could do something. He told the firefighters and they went back into my burning house. They had to go in to save my neighbor. They searched the house multiple times but no one was to be found.
Did he already escape? I prayed that he made it out safely. He was tiring to warn me but I let my emotions control me. If he was trapped in there I don’t know if I could live with myself. They said that the fire had started because of the wood stove overheated. After the firefighters couldn’t find the old man they asked his name so they could see if he went home. I couldn't understand how this could happen. I asked them to search his house to see if he was there. The police agreed and came back twenty minutes later with a puzzled look on their faces. I asked if they found him. The answer they gave me I will never forget.
The police noticed a gut wrenching smell as they approached his house. They knocked and got no answer. They knocked again and still got no answer. They grew suspicious and entered the house. He old man that I had described for them was dead on his bed. They were shocked at what they saw. The ambulance and paramedics went over and pronounced that he was dead. From what they said it sounded like he had been dead for a while now. They asked me if he had and family or close friends. I told them that I haven’t seen anyone go near his house in years.
I explained to the police that he was in my house tonight but they told me it was impossible. He was there I know it. He sat on my couch and watched the fire. He was in my house tonight. I had no doubt about it. They told me that dead people don't come back to life. I looked like some kind of crazy, but it was real. I swear by it. All I know is that the old man saved my life that night. His obsessive pounding on my door was enough for me to call the police. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here telling you this story.