Though the rain was sharp and heavy against her skin, it whispered to her like a lullaby. Bit by bit, it washed the tension from her body, leaving sweet nothings in its place. Carmo sighed as the water counted the seconds she wasted. Opening her eyes, she looked up at the inky sky. It was a shame it was so overcast – the city's glow so often drowned out the stars, it was rare for them to get a chance to really shine. She closed her eyes again and ran her fingers through her hair. Or at least, she tried to. It was difficult when the strands were stuck together in stringy clumps.

Her laptop's battery had finally run dry, and with the city-wide blackout, Carmo'd resigned herself to an unproductive night. That was just as well. It wasn't like she'd been making any progress on the stupid article anyway. She'd been wrestling with it since late that afternoon, and what did she have to show for it? A half-assed opening paragraph that made her cringe just thinking about it. She'd had writer's block before, but this was just ridiculous.

And thus, Carmo found herself outside in the rain, ice sneaking up her veins like climbing vines. Just her and the water thrumming against her skin, the clattering of the droplets against the sidewalk – hang on. That clattering seemed much too punctuated to be rain. She opened her eyes again and turned her head towards the sound. Shapes melted together in the darkness, blurring in the downpour, but she was certain she could make out a figure in the distance. It was running. People didn't just go out for a midnight jog in a rainstorm. Her skin itched with new anticipation, and she took a step back, moving from the sidewalk to the shelter of her building's doorway. This wasn't normal. The silhouette grew more solid as it approached – and it was moving [i]fast[/i]. Whoever it was must've been at least six feet tall, and they seemed to cross at least that distance with every stride. There was something else about them though – something in the way they favored one side… Carmo was fairly certain they weren't using their arms properly either. Something was wrong.

the figure grew larger and larger, the steps more clear and frantic. Carmo balled her hands into fists at her side. They could be in trouble. They could [i]be[/i] trouble. The rain counted the moments she stood frozen in her doorway until right when they passed her door –

"Hey!"