9 Days Before [2nd Draft]

The First Day

Days came accompanied by storms, high winds, and the occasional summery weather with a refreshing breeze.

This was quite normal for the season. However, recently, the storms' electrical charges have been denser, leading to more power outages even in non-severe weather conditions.

These storms were your average variety, featuring a few lightning strikes and heavy rain. That's why they shouldn't be causing power failures throughout entire towns or cities.

"What's happening here...?" The man slammed papers down onto his desk, his hands resting beside them. His hair was unruly, a reflection of his sleep-deprived state. Groaning, he slumped into his office chair and swiveled it toward a nearby window.

He watched the gray clouds rolling into the city from a distance. Gradually, he detached from reality, bringing his leads to a finite reflection. Daydreaming but feeling almost like a distant memory himself.

"Vem," a soft spoken voice broke through, giving the man with the distant gaze a moment of presence. A knock on the door.

"Vem..?" He turned his head towards the door, propping his chin on his fist.

"You've been at this for days. You haven't slept... I've come by the office, and you're still sitting at that desk... Please, Vem...get some sleep." The voice on the other side pleaded, not out of control, but filled with genuine concern.

A note slid under the door. The soft-spoken voice mumbled something, perhaps too shy to express fully or perhaps obscured by the loud thoughts swirling within.

Vem left the note untouched for a while, contemplating whether to read it or stash it in his desk drawer. Eventually, he picked up the note, held the drawer open, flopped the note on the desk, and sighed.

"Doesn't seem like a love letter..." he mused, remembering a sense of timid affliction, eyeing the note as if it might sprout legs and walk away.

With a huff, he stowed the note in the drawer and locked it with a small padlock. Not the most secure lock, but it should be enough to fool those in this city.

Not that it says much for the locals, apart from the exceptional ones who wouldn't steal.

Vem pushed his office chair back, making his way to a bed, chest, closet, and a small cooking area if he ever decided to "live" in the office.

Notes pinned to his evidence board oscillated when he moved past them.

Exhaustion guided him to stumble onto the bed, and he muttered to himself that he needed some rest.
He heaved a sigh of relief upon landing on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

As Vem slept, the storm's light sprinkles tapped gently on the building, creating white noise for the sleep-deprived worker.

Vem was jolted awake by a deafening boom of thunder.
He jerked upright, swaying for a moment before regaining his balance with grunts and huffs.

The storm's intense darkness was so profound that it made it appear as though it were dusk, sprinkling light seeping through the clouds.

"Will it happen again?" Vem muttered, rising to his feet and glancing out of the window.

Rain fell, with lightning flashing in the distance within the clouds. It was an incredible sight.

He could watch it for hours, fascinated by its dance. Recently, there was a new sensation underlying it.

Ominous, as if something were present with them, observing them.

"A shadow lurking in the background, only to emerge when the time is right," Vem spoke.

Lightning crackled across the skies, converging toward Vem's office. Along came a bolt of lightning that struck a nearby tree, its resounding crack making Vem's heart race.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. He had become so absorbed in the lightning that his guard dropped momentarily.

He glimpses a figure's reflection in the window, the ominous sensation returns.

Swiftly, he spun around, his arms at the ready. His heartbeat had changed its rhythm, and another flash of lightning illuminated the hallway.

There was nothing there besides a painting and a small vase of flowers. With another lightning bolt, the door slammed shut. Vem shouted in surprise, the lights started to blink palely, but was interrupted by a blackout.

The ominous atmosphere gradually increased, cocooning him with a foreboding occupant, a conjunction of mixed sensation tugged at him.

Hurriedly, Vem tugged at the door, only to find it locked from the outside. Panic drove him to rattle the door, and he turned toward the window.

Another flash, resonating rolling thunder.

The gradual negative omen became concentrated, leaving a sense of cleithrophobia.

Something inside Vems brain 'goose-bumped' after the initial perception.

The sensation reaches outside. Temperatures drop around the body, and goose-flesh bloom around his head that eventually reverberates down his spine.
Disoriented, staying in the office was no longer an option. He had to escape.

The alienated presence that was there was overwhelming. His legs trembled, and his stomach tightened.

"What's happening?... I need to get out! I need to leave!"

The power was restored.

Instantly, Vem's senses returned. He was breathing heavily, tears streaking his face from the sudden inertia, the drying of tears haunts his cheeks. Now that it was over, he felt confused. He didn't understand why he had been so scared... so..terrified…

He attributed it to his lack of sleep