Delirium

The noise concerned Lainey.  Normally it didn't rain this hard.  She wondered out loud if there was a tornado or tropical storm warning, as they were entering hurricane season. 
         In her little Floridian town, hurricane season was a big deal.  Things were nailed down, boarded up, and put away.  Families kept the TV and radio set to the national stations to wait for the inevitable reports of hurricanes or tropical storms.  There hadn't been one as of yet, but the season had been in only three weeks.  She was home alone, and she liked that.  When there was no one around she could hang out, invite her friends over, and even get into the liquor cabinet without getting shouted at.  As long as there was nothing too big going on, they were pretty much free to roam within the old house.
         The weather channel said nothing of a hurricane, just a severe thunderstorm.  After a few minutes of contemplation, Lainey figured it would be best to call over a few friends.  Even when she was home alone, her mother didn't like her spending the night all by herself.  She normally called over Blake, her lifelong friend.  She would rent a few movies on her way in, grab some snacks, and they would board themselves in the huge living room and watch for the whole night.  Lainey was excited because Blake's movies always fit the mood.  She would bring comedy for a clear night, romance for a hot night, and since they had never hung out overnight on such a stormy night, she could only expect her to bring horror.  Picking up her phone, she quickly dialed Blake's number.  As usual, she picked up within two rings.  Blake was never far from her cellphone. 
         “Hello?” Lainey heard some loud music being turned down.
         “Hey, yeah its Laine.” 
         “I know that!  Are you alone tonight?”
         “Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to do the usual?  Except, tonight, bring some horror movies.  And candy corn.  We can pretend it's Halloween.”
         “I'll be right over, chief.”  She hung up.  Lainey went up to the kitchen.  She searched all through the cabinets until she found the key.  Her parents switched up the location every few months, just to 'keep Lainey on her toes'.  She usually found it without a problem, they weren't that creative. 
         She turned on the light in the cellar, feeling creeped out, as per usual.  She hated the cellar, but loved Smirnoff Ice.  She shivered in the cold as she unlocked the cabinet.  Making a mental note of all the bottle's places, she lifted out three.  She carefully locked it up and ran up the stairs as fast as she could.  She couldn't help but have a feeling of foreboding.  She knew it was the storm that was making her feel uneasy, but she couldn't help feel there was something.... else.  She quickly shut up her mind as she placed the three bottles on the coffee table.  Next she went to the den, where she found some chalk.  She marked the amount of the bottle, so she could fill them with water in the morning.
         She heard a knock, and she jumped.  She quickly realized that it was Blake, knocking the usual pattern they had at each other's houses.  She ran to the front door to let her in.  She was completely soaked, and had a plastic bag in each hand.
         “It's really coming down out there,” she said, kicking off her shoes in a harried fashion.  “Did your parents lock the gate on the way out?  It was wide open when I drove in.”
         “That's weird, they should have locked it, they usually do.”
         “Maybe the storm just kicked it open.”  She set the bags down on the couch.
         “God!  Blake, you're getting the couch wet!”
         “I'm sorry!”  She laughed.  “You seem tense, what's up?”
         “I'm just feeling creeped out.”
         “It's just the storm.”
         “Yeah.” Lainey jumped onto the large leather couch.  “I've got some plastic cups up in the kitchen, you wanna get them?”
         “Sure, just put whatever movie you want in first.”  Blake headed into the other room.  Lainey heard her rummaging through the cupboards as she knelt on the floor in front of the TV, setting up the DVD player.
         The TV switched on.  Lainey raised her head sharply, taken aback from the sudden change.  She hadn't turned it on herself, so....Blake?
         “Hey, Blake, give me back the TV changer!”
         “Don't have it, sweets.  It's on the coffee table.”  Lainey turned around, and it was just as Blake said.  It sat, innocent, on the coffee table. 
         “Huh.”
         “What's up?” Blake yelled from the next room.
         “Nothing, the TV....It's fine.”  She concluded she must of leaned forward far enough to press the button with her forehead.  She felt a little eerie, especially since the feeling she'd had in the basement earlier. 
         “Alright, a few screwdrivers and some Mojitos.”  Blake set a tray down on the coffee table.  She picked one up and began to chug.
         “Woah, man, slow down!  It's only nine thirty.”
         “You know how I get.  I need a little drink to warm me up.  I'm easily scared.”  Blake finished off her drink.  “Alright, turn it on!” Lainey went for the TV controller.  Gently jumping back onto the couch, she hit the play button.  It wouldn't play.  She examined it for a moment, then hit play again. 
         “What the Hell.”  She hit play again, and again.
         “Maybe it has no batteries.”
         “It has to, it was working an hour ago.”
         “Maybe... the batteries...ran out.” Blake tried her best scary voice.  She took the controller from Lainey and checked.  “Nope, no batteries.”
         “That's impossible, it was actually working not that long ago.”
         “Well it's not now, so where do you keep your batteries?”
         “The basement.... where my dad keeps the power tools.  Top left.”
         “I'm on it.  Don't run away.”  Blake skipped into the kitchen, then down the stairs to the right of it.  Lainey often envied her energy, wishing that she could be as peppy sometimes.  She also felt alone, even when her parents were here.  The house was pretty big and modern, and she often felt like a mouse. 
         She leaned her head back against the couch, waiting for Blake's quick footsteps to hurry back up the stairs.  Instead, she heard a scream.  A bloodcurdling scream.
         “Blake!”  She yelled, running to the stairs.  Her socked feet ran across the linoleum floor, and slid the last few feet to the top of the cellar stairs.  It was a terrifying moment until she heard Blake running back up the stairs, package of Energizers in hand.
         “Wow, there was the most massive fucking spider I've ever seen in my life.”
         Lainey rolled her eyes.  “Don't do that!  That was so scary!  I thought you were dead!”
         “Not dead, just a pussy.”  Lainey just sighed.  Blake lost her goofy smile.  “Hey, what's up with you tonight?  You're really on edge.”
         “Nothing, I just feel a bit freaked out.  It's the weather.”
         “Makes sense.  Now lets watch this freak show.”  She popped the batteries into the remote, then hit play.  “See?  Works.” 
           The TV began to play the movie.  The girls enjoyed it, sipping their drinks and eating.  The storm outside was somewhat comforting, nevertheless, Lainey's feeling of dread stayed.  The movie was halfway over when a huge clap of thunder sounded, and the power went out in the following minutes. 
         “Fuck!”  Blake exclaimed.  “The power.”
         “Blake was over the by the window, observing her neighbours' home.  “Their lights are still on.  We must have blown a fuse.  I'll go throw the breaker.”  Lainey quickly went down the stairs, ignoring Blake's cries to wait.  The fuse box at the bottom of the stairs was slightly ajar.  Disregarding the suspiciousness of it all, she opened it the rest of the way and flipped the breaker.  The lights went back on, and Blake cheered from up the stairs.
         “Hurry up!”  She yelled.  “The movie is just at the good part.”  Lainey jogged back up the stairs, sliding to a halt in front of the TV.  Hitting the pause button, she looked past Blake.
         “We need to lock all the doors and windows.  I have a really weird feeling, and I just want to be sure.”  Blake's eyes lit up. 
         “This is just like the movie!  Can we bring knives to protect ourselves?”
         Lainey sighed.  “Fine, but we need to do it soon.  Besides, I think my parent's window is open, and the rain could be getting in.”  Blake was already on her feet and heading to the knife rack.
         “With the power of my short range short, I shall vanquish the evils of Mother Nature, slaughtering her fine delicate neck with my blade!”  Blake threw her head back, letting out a maniacal laugh. 
         “You're fucking weird.”  was all Lainey said.  As they continued around the house, Blake had imaginary sword fights.  Lainey was in her parent's room, the very top of the house, and the window facing out onto the street, when she saw something weird.
         A man.  In the streets.  She froze for a moment, taking in the oddity of the situation.  He stood, his head bent back as if to take in the rain.  He was motionless, until her slowly turned her head to look straight at Lainey.  As soon as she noticed his movement, she dropped her head out of view.  She yelled to Blake, who was dancing around, knife in hand. 
         “Get down!”
         “What?” She whispered, notice the urgency in Lainey's voice. 
         “There's someone on the street, he's looking at us.”
         “Are you sure?  I mean, why is someone even out in this weather?”
         “Beats me.”  Lainey raised her head, just enough to peek out the window.  The man was gone.  “He's gone.  Let's go.”
         “Close the blinds, I'm so creeped out.”  Lainey did this.
         Back in the living room, Blake was shutting the blinds, and Lainey was choosing the next movie.  As she flipped over one of the cases to read the condensed plotline, her phone vibrated.  Thinking it was her parents trying to reach her, she opened the phone, only to find it was a text. 
         Text Message
         Sent: 11:42 PM
         Sender: Unknown
         Message:  Nice move.  Keep it up, sweetheart.
         Lainey began to shake.  “Blake... get over here.”
         “Demands, demands, demands.”
         “Look at this!”  She shoved the phone in Blakes face. 
         “What the fuck....?”
         “I don't know!  I don't even know who sent it!”
         “What do they mean?”
         “I have no idea.”  Lainey looked for the callback number.  It was at the bottom of the message.  “Do you recognize this number?”
         “No.  Maybe it's one of Jesse's friends trying to be funny.”  Jesse was Blake's boyfriend, and he was into these kinds of practical jokes.  “You have Jesse's number on your phone, so it wouldn't be quite as creepy.”
         “Yeah, but....whatever, this is wierd.”
         “It's just one of his greasy friends.”
         “Then why didn't they text you?  Why me?”
         “I don't know, you know how they feel about you.”  Lainey tried to stay away from dating, but a select few in Jesse's group had made it their mission to be with her.
         “That's a funny way of flirting, I have to say.”
         “You know how they are.”  Blake finished closing the blinds, then sat back down on the couch.  “Have you picked?”
         “You should pick this time, I did last time.”  She stood up. “I think I'm going to get a drink.”
         “You haven't even started on one of these yet!”  Blake took a sip from her second. 
         “I'm not in the mood for it, I don't know why.”  She went into the other room and began to search through the fridge.  Every once and a while she liked to pig out, and it was usually when she had guests.  Finally, at the back of the fridge, she found some peanut butter fudge her mom was obviously trying to hide.  There was tons, so she went back to the living room.           
         “Check out what I found!”
         “Sweet, give it here.”  Lainey tossed it to Blake, who unwrapped the half and broke off.  “Here thou go.”
         She hit play, then waited for the movie to start when there was a rap on the door.
         “For fuck's sake.”  Lainey got up, and went to the door.  She looked through the peephole, and saw nothing.  She opened the door a crack, and what she saw made her stomach turn. 
         A body.  The naked and bloodied body of her neighbour lay on her stoop, and she felt the bile rise in her throat.  She slammed the door shut.  “Blake!  Blake!  Call the police, NOW!”
         “What is it?”  She ran to the door.
         “Do it!”  Blake followed her orders, and picked up the phone.  Silence.  “Laine, there's no dial tone!” 
         “Use your cell.”  Blake reached into her pocket, and began to dial.  Lainey ran to the living room and picked up her own cell.  There was one unread message.  She opened it reluctantly.
         Text Message
         Sent:  12:01 AM
         Sender: Unknown
         Message: I see you've recieved my gift.  Nothing is too extravagant for a beauty such as you, my dear!  More shall be on their way.
         Lainey felt the bile rising again.  This time she retched, and Blake came running.
         “They're coming, but they're responding to another call, and they could be fifteen minutes.”  Lainey showed Blake the message. 
         “Fuck, fuck!  Get in the kitchen.  We're going to lock ourselves in.”  Lainey nodded.
         Blake and Lainey set the work, propping up chairs to all the doors leading out of the room.  Lainey washed out her mouth, her head pounding.  Even so, in the midst of her fear, a clear thought came to her. 
         “Blake,” she croaked.  “There's key under the fridge, hand it to me.”  Blake did this.  After recieving the key, Lainey knelt down and opened a cabinet under the island.  She rummaged around for a few moments before finding what she was looking for.  A lock and a door were hidden behind pots and pans.  She unlocked it, and moments later, withdrew a shiny black handgun.  Blake gasped.
         “We need it for protection, Blake, just until the police get here.”
         “They're going to blame us for the body!  They're going to think we did it!”
         “No, they're not.  Blake... the body was mutilated, it was stabbed.”  Now Blake looked sick. 
         “We're going to be fine.”
         Then there was a crash.  And footsteps.  Thump, thump, thump.