Hearing thunder in the distance, Alex watches the skyline change. Hues of reddish gray and dark green cover the sky, and the wind blows. Raindrops fall to the ground, while people open their umbrellas. The wind becomes stronger, the humidity rises, and the air's current grows thicker. Recognizing the signs, he rushes towards the sidewalk and grabs a cab. Pea-size hail begins to fall, then it grows larger…from pea, to golf, to baseball size.
Hurrying inside a taxi, he gives his condo address to the cabbie. A short while later, he arrives in front of the building. Walking to the main entrance door, he pulls out his keys and unlocks it. Stepping inside, the woman behind the desk greets him with ‘good evening’. Alex nods at her and walks towards the staircase that leads to the second floor.
Opening the door, he walks down the hallway. Feeling like he’s walking The Green Mile, he finds his way to Lisa’s door. He hears the sound of thunder and feels the lightning strikes. Closing his eyes, he rips through the air, colors of white and tan blur his vision. The colors rapidly shift to black, purple and red…the colors of Lisa’s living room. Opening his eyes, he finds himself standing next to her couch.
Taking a deep breath, he picks up the scent of sulfur. Taking slow steps, his eyes sweep the area. The black sludge left over from Samuel is now gone. Everything is in its place, but he doesn’t understand why the sulfur smell still exits.
“Lilith.” The female succubus may still be here, may be inside Lisa’s mind. Slowly walking toward her bedroom, he grabs the doorknob, turns it, and pushes the door open. Looking inside, he finds Lisa asleep on her bed.
Stepping to her side, Alex sits on the edge of her bed. Lightning strikes outside and illuminates her bedroom. Leaning over her body, putting an arm around her, he leans down and places a soft kiss on her forehead. “Come back to me,” he whispers. Pressing his forehead gently against hers, he listens to the sound of her breathing.
Getting up, he crosses the room, looking for a pen and something to write on. Locating a pen and some stationary on her dresser, he writes her a note. Folding it in half, he writes LISA on the front of it and places it on her dresser.
Setting the pen down, he walks back over to the bed. Leaning over her, closing his eyes, he brushes his lips softly against hers. Her scent of vanilla, lilies, and the air right after a rain flood his senses. Memorizing it, he lingers for a moment longer before pulling himself away.
The rain outside becomes heavier and the thunder claps again. Stepping out of her room, he closes the door behind him. Walking into the living room, Alex looks over at her couch and the memories of their pillow fight come back to him. Making his way to the door, he unlocks it. Looking around one more time before he leaves, he locks the door, pulling it closed behind him.
Chapter 12
Just as the thunder claps, Lisa suddenly awakens, gasping as if she couldn’t breathe. She sits up and grasps her chest. Her eyes adjust to the room and she looks around, the familiarity of the environment coming back to her. She turns her head and looks out her bedroom window. Lightening flashes, the brightness of it casting shadows across her floor. It feels like the thunder shakes the whole building.
Getting out of bed, she moves to her window. Her fingers press against the wall around the frame, her forehead against the cool glass. Looking outside and taking in the scene around her, she looks at the clouds as they move quickly across the sky. Occasionally, a break in the clouds allows streaks of sunshine to break through. Hearing the wind blow, she looks down at the street. Watching a couple try to control their umbrella, she sees another holding up a clear poncho over his wife’s head. Crossing her arms over her chest, she wonders what brought on this weather.
Walking towards her dresser, she finds a note lying on top of it. She opens it, finding Alex’s handwriting inside it.
When you awaken and when you’re ready, I’ll be here. There’s a lot to discuss about us.
My love always,
Alex
Folding the note, she’s curious as to when Alex made it inside her condo to leave this note. She looks at herself in her dresser mirror and flinches. She finds her hair completely tousled. Setting down the note, she laughs softly at herself and tries to pat down her tangled hair. Pushing the thoughts of the note from her mind, she tries to think about the events that took place light night, but her mind feels clouded. She had lunch with Alex, then Samuel called. She was to meet him, but she turned him down.