Tears of Samuel

A Tale about a small neighborhood cove surviving an approaching hurricane.

1. Imminent Storm

Samuel Crowlie sat in his reclining chair as he turned on his television, the weather channel had on a report about the looming hurricane. His home appeared quaint, he didn’t have a wealth of furniture having just moving in a month ago. A faded gray chair, brown couch, and a folded out kitchen table made up his living room. He appeared a modest man in his mid-thirties, wearing glasses held together with electric tape and a flannel shirt. The weather reporters named it, ironically, Hurricane Samuel. It had reached category four status just two days ago and was now making landfall in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Samuel lived in lower Mississippi and he was waiting for his better half, Hurricane Samuel, to arrive.

Samuel’s first hurricane season looked daunting. He knew authorities would come eventually to evacuate its citizens to safer locations. The TV would give him just as much information as anybody pounding on his door would. Thankfully he wasn’t alone, he had five neighbors in the cove to weather out the storm with.

During the week of the imminent arrival, Samuel completed his hurricane survival checklist. He went to the store and bought bottles of water, canned food, even a generator among other supplies needed for weathering out the storm. Maybe I should’ve left, Samuel thought. The city tried to get the citizens to evacuate days before the storm’s landfall. They made it practically mandatory. All of the homes in Cades Cove, a tiny and insignificant cul de sac upon a hill, thought they were high enough to avoid flooding, and each of the six homes took precautions of boarding up their windows. The cul de sac, out of view from the town below, made it to where the police didn’t think of checking on the citizens there. Samuel knew each of the homes sported a generator and plenty of supplies to survive. Together they could outlast the hurricane. 

Surrounding the cove included six homes of ordinary and modern fashion. Samuel met his neighbors once or twice since he’s moved in depending on the neighbor and what time of day they came out. They weren’t all that annoying and at least they weren’t inviting him to dinner parties. He had lived at the entrance of the cove on the left side of the bright blue sign, “Welcome to Cades Cove!” It’s been an interesting month. A few of his neighbors seemed sociable, while the others were rarely seen. Samuel wasn’t shy when it came to neighbors, he found they could be quite useful when you needed gasoline for his lawn mower.

To the right of Samuel’s home lived Terry and Janet, who were husband and wife. Terry appeared a broad man of strong figure, who worked as a construction consultant, with Janet at his side as his blond trophy wife. He was hard working and she looked beautiful, the standard of an American couple of perfection. They had one child of five, a little girl named Jenny with brown bushy hair that enjoyed kicking a ball around outside and annoying everyone in the cove.

The next home turned into Cynthia and Frank’s. Cynthia worked in the law field, maybe an actual lawyer Samuel thought. Frank worked in sales, he always wore those nice three-piece suits and felt apt to flash his grin when he went out to his Escalade. Both of them in their early forties, it’s surprising they didn’t have any kids of their own. They were rarely seen besides when they left for work.

Katheryn, a short and stumpy woman, lived in the center of the cove across from the entrance. She went by Kathy. Out of the homes in the cove, she was the oldest and retired. About the only time she was seen outside her home came during dawn when tending to her garden. She had a magnificent lawn, and if an award existed in our tiny cove, she’d win the best-kept lawn.

Jim and Laurie Kirkman worked as entrepreneurs and enjoyed hosting neighborhood BBQs, though only Samuel, Cynthia and Frank, and occasionally Terry and Janet would attend. They seemed to be  new money, successful business owners, and in their mid-twenties. All of the money came new to them and yet they knew how to spend it well. Jim acted as a survival nut, which seemed fitting that he’d have the smarts for it seeing as he was a stubby, yet muscular man. His wife, Laurie, appeared about as opposite as one could get. She appeared tall, beautiful, brunette, and could well have been a model if she decided to or an Olympian athlete.

Garth Foreman lived at the other end of the cove from Samuel and was another elderly person, although younger than Kathy. Garth had a pale complex, monumental height, and thick muscles like a bodybuilder. He was retired and enjoyed taking his boat out to the sea every weekend. Garth never spoke much to anyone and annoyed everyone about mowing his yard after dark. The other five homes didn’t care much for Garth and they bet the feeling was mutual. A military veteran and ex-security guard, he seemed bitter to live a life of solitude and routine.

Breaking news flashed on the television, “Hurricane Samuel is reaching Category 5 status with wind speeds over 150 mph.” Oh, Samuel, there you go, speeding off the wagon, Samuel thought. He could get riled up himself. This was a bad idea, he thought. Samuel constituted as a proud man and didn’t have any family within two thousand miles to go, and no money to spend on a motel even in hick-ville Mississippi. His home sat on top of a hill looking out to the gulf, he figured he would be safe.

He picked up his remote to turn up the volume on his television. The rain rattled down on his shingles, shingles that have been needing replacement since he moved in, and this would probably be the finality for many of them. Bolts of raindrops pelted the windows which he feared would soon be busting through the glass. He didn’t take precautions as some of his neighbors did with boarding their windows. Samuel sat there watching the weather channel. It’s odd watching the weather as the weather poured upon his home. He didn’t need a television to tell him how bad everything was outside.

His lights flashed. Samuel stood and went to find his flashlight to prepare for the inevitable. He hid the light underneath his kitchen sink and readied it. The television flashed, and the lights went out. Samuel stared outside to see if the other six homes were powerless and sure enough, they all were including the light poles. It was absolute darkness with nothing but the storm’s lightning that kindled the streets. He went around his home to gather up his supplies and place them in his living room which was in the center of his home and had only one window facing the backyard that had plenty of trees to block the incoming force of the winds.

Samuel stared out the windows, despite the chanced consequence of the storm’s rage, to see what the other homes were up to. Terry and Janet, next door he couldn’t see but a glimpse of the front door. Cynthia and Frank were playing flashlight wars, Kathy looked like she had a lantern set up, the Kirkmans, Jim and Laurie, had a single light from their dining room lit up, and Garth had nothing going on. Samuel kept his flashlight off for now to save power, he had no idea how long he’d be out for and wanted to save his batteries.

A loud crackling sound shook Samuels home and without thought, he brought his hands to his ears and his knees to the floor. Samuel got up and peered outside to see a tree fell in his yard. Blazes of fire lit up the tree. He gazed outside but didn’t see any structural damage, he didn’t need a flashlight to see outside anymore. The flames lit up a shadowy figure flashing in and out behind the flames. Towards Kathy’s home, he saw another tree fell through her front window. He wanted to go check on her, but too dangerous to go out in the raging wind. She’s old, she can’t do much about anything, he said to himself. He looked around outside, nothing was moving or thrown around, but he could see the impact of the trees swaying and swinging around like someone waving a flag. Samuel threw on a jacket, zipped it all the way up, grabbed his flashlight, and ran for it. Her house was only three homes down, he’d stay near the houses as he ran to check. 

Samuel opened his door and a sudden force threw him out of his home onto the porch as the wind slammed his front door shut like something pulling him out and angry it couldn’t get in his home.

The homes were spaced apart far enough to give each home a decent plot of land. Wind as harsh to knock down telephone poles made the trip treacherous. Samuel stayed low to the ground, constantly checking over his shoulders. He had an ominous feeling of being watched through the dark, and when the lightning struck he could see something beyond the shadows piercing him with its pale gaze.

“Waitaminute,” he said nearing his fenceline. “Screw this, I’ll just go to Terry’s and Janet’s first.” He thought it seemed like a better plan to go home to home to stay out of the weather and check on them. They may need help. He neared the end of his fence, placing his hand on the wood, ready to pounce the second he left to cover. “Alright, ready, set, GO!” Samuel ran. He got to Terry and Janet’s home. A thunderous crackling sound shook him as he approached the door.

He knocked in a series of three. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. 

“Whos there?” Terry said. “Samuel, are you stupid or something?”

“There’s a tree went down through Kathy’s house,” Samuel said.

“You gonna check over there?”

“Going to try. This wind is outrageous.” Samuel felt a shiver down his spine. The wind did seem to be following him. He heard whisking through the air, but no footsteps.

“What’s going on, Terry?” Janet came standing behind Terry leaning on his shoulder as she probably practiced in case a scenario happened that she needed to cover behind Terry.

“Samuel’s gonna check on Kathy, a tree fell in on her house.”

“Oh, my god. You better go too.”

“I was gonna. Come in Samuel, let me get a light.” Terry invited Samuel into his home and quickly shut the door behind him.

Their home was nice, the furniture alone was much nicer than Samuels that filled the room with warmth and ebullience. Samuel withheld back dreams of wanting more than he had. All of the furniture was black leather, the kitchen had marble white countertops and wooden floors. They’ve been living here for a year, third newest next to Jim and Laurie Kirkman who moved in just six months ago. Samuel was the latest move-in having moved in a month ago. Terry appeared back with his flashlight, a lengthy red Maglite.

“Alright, let’s do this Sam.” Samuel hated being called Sam.

“I was going to check on Cynthia and Frank, too.”

“That’s fine. May as well look out for each other.”

Terry and Samuel ran out the front door and trekked across the lengthy lawns of Terry’s property and that of Cynthia and Franks. Lightning struck as thunder crackled along with the skies as they neared the front door. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. They pounded on the front door. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. No answer.

“Think they can hear us?”

“They can surely hear the thunder Terry, they can hear us.”

Samuel grasped the doorknob, twisting and turning it. They crept into Cynthia and Frank’s home. “Cynthia?” Terry called out. “Frank?”

“I know they stayed, we all did.”

The lights were turned off and made it a gloomy home. Nothing could be seen. The furniture and color palettes were lighter colors, blues with a touch of grey. The living room and kitchen were an open floor plan and made the view from the entryway. Samuel went around to the kitchen. He gasped. “Terry!” 

Terry came around and he covered his face with his hands, with horror he saw both Cynthia and Frank laid out on the floor, a puddle of blood flowed from their corpses. “What the hell!”

Samuel stepped back. “Terry, those are stab wounds.” Cuts and slashes were on their faces and arms, their arms were raised in self-defense before being stabbed to death. “Let’s get out of here.” Terry and Samuel were frozen with desperation and fear.

“We can’t just do nothing.”

“Terry, let’s go check on Kathy. We need to get out of here. We’ll check on Kathy, then come back and call the police.” 

“Good thing I brought this.” He revealed a gun behind his shirt under his belt.

“Shit Terry. You brought a gun?”

“For good reason. You never know.”

Samuel and Terry left Cynthia and Frank’s house and ran towards Kathys. The storm was raging still. Thunder continued to crackle and lightning lighting the neighborhood like the sun. Trees surrounding Kathy’s house made the storm ruthless swaying the trees left to right. Minus the one fell into her living room. She had the nicest garden, she kept it up year-round. 

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Both Samuel and Terry knocked.

“Who’s out there?” Someone asked.

“Kathy, it’s Terry and Samuel, we come to see if you’re alright,” Samuel said.

“Why are you here?” Kathy asked as if she didn’t hear. She was old.

“Looks like a tree fallen in your house, are you okay?” 

Terry went around and gazed into her home, the wind was flinging leaves and all sorts of loose shrubbery into her home. 

“I’m okay. Just need to get this damn thing out of here.” Kathy said. “Will you boys help me move it?”

“I don’t think it’s the right time for that Kathy, would you like to come over to my home with my wife and I while this storm rages?” 

“Frank there asked me the same thing.”

“When … did you see Frank?” Samuel asked.

“About an hour ago. He was all mad at me, but dammit I’m staying it’s my home!”

“Kathy, Frank and his wife Cynthia are … dead.”

“Probably for the best.” Samuel and Terry stared at her with dead eyes. Jaws dropped. What did she mean, probably for the best? The sound of wet clothes and pounding on the sidewalk came to a figures from the shadows draped in yellow raincoats. 

“Kathy, are you okay? I just came to check on you.” Out of the shadows came Laurie from next door to Kathy.

“Laurie you here too?” Kathy asked. “Everybody is here checking up on this old thing tonight.” She retreated into her home without a sound. The silence of her footsteps made my ears pucker up. Terry and Samuel looked at each other in confusion.

“Are you okay over there Laurie?” Asked Samuel.

“Yeah, just checking on Kathy. I guess I’ll go back since you guys are here.”

“Wait.” Samuel gave Terry a look of defiance. Don’t say anything, Terry.

Terry looked at Samuel but continued. “Laurie, it’s Cynthia and Frank, they’re dead.”

“What? How? Did something happen in the storm?”

“No, they were killed. Someone with a knife.”

“Oh my god. I’m going back to … I’ll lock up.” Laurie said with a mild look of caution around her.

Samuel and Terry were hesitant letting her to head off on her own. “Are you sure?” Samuel asked.

“You best do that Laurie. Tell Jim to be careful. I’m going to check on Garth to make sure the old cook is alright.” Samuel said. “Terry, you still with me?”

“I am.” 

Terry and Samuel closed Kathy’s door, leaving her be would probably be best. She couldn’t run out in the storm and would topple right over if she were exposed to the extreme winds. They decided to head to Garth’s house just on the other side of Lauries.

2. The Wake in the Wind

Before the storm, the neighborhood in Cades Cove was quiet yet relentless like air bursting through a balloon. During late nights in the winter, crime seeped down beneath the hill avoiding the cove above. In the spring the flowers grew with a sense of utter brilliance of growth. The summer the days were long and the weather hated it. The citizens in Cades Cove stayed in avoiding the blast furnace outside awaiting the autumn.

The wind’s wrath made the trees tremble with their blazing force. Everything in its path bent over backward and now branches were snapping beneath its strength. If cars were on the street they would be rolling away. Branches broken from trees, trash, and anything else not tied down or weighing hundreds of pounds were thrown around like ragdolls.

Samuel and Terry ran alongside the homes and fences as they headed towards old man Garth’s house. His house was tall and dark, looming over like a castle. The only thing he was missing was a gargoyle at one of his peaks. They knocked on the door. Knock knock knock. 

No answer.

They continued knocking until Terry tried to open up the door to find locked. “Let’s go around the back,” Samuel said. Terry nodded. They stuck to the edge of the house, not getting too far away as they’d be blown away. Passing by the windows they peered in to see if they saw Garth, but nobody was there. Garth had three windows along the side and into the backyard. They saw nothing but an empty house inside. There was no furniture as if nobody had ever lived here. It was dubious. Gazing through the back window they saw nothing.

“Let’s get out of here, Samuel. Nobody is home. If he is, well, he’s not much better off than Cynthia or Frank. Let’s leave and call the police.” Samuel felt a chill breeze behind. Nothing was there. The wind calmed down.

“Okay,” Samuel nodded. “He was here earlier, wasn’t he? I mean, none of us left.”

“Yeah, none of us left. This doesn’t make any sense.” They headed towards Laurie and Jim’s house to check on them. Their house was small, just a single story and a two-car garage. A light reddish tint on the brick made their house glow orange in the sunlight.

Approaching the front door both Samuel and Terry noticed the door ajar. The rain was flooding in. They walked inside and noticed immediately, Laurie was dead below the kitchen table. “Holy shit,” Terry said. He backed up against the wall, staring at the lifeless body of Laurie. “That’s it, Sam. I’m going home.” Terry was shaking, his gun was drawn and readied in his hand. Samuel looked at her body noticing no blood around her. She didn’t seem hurt, besides being lifeless.

“Call the police. Lock your doors. Stick to the houses.” Terry didn’t dare run through the middle of the street, the wind was as ferocious as ever bending trees nearly to the ground. Terry disappeared into the storm running home as fast as lightning. Samuel remained staring at the body of Laurie. He wondered where Jim as if he had done this. Had he had killed Cynthia and Frank? Samuel thought.

Samuel kept his head down and close to the fence line to return home, stopping at Kathy’s home. Lightning wasn’t seen around her house and thunder was silent. A pale figure nearly distracted Samuel from seeing the tree that poured down into home was no longer there. It wasn’t in the yard, nor anywhere. The door stood in front of Kathy’s home as the world shook. Outside, the trees swayed in opposition to the raging winds. He went up to her door and let himself in.

“Shouldn’t you knock first?” She was sitting in a kitchen table chair pointed towards the front door.

“Kathy, the tree? Where is it?”

“Samuel, Samuel, why the hurricane took care of it, I suppose. Just like it takes care of all my problems.” She took a sip of her drink and set the cup down on the table near her lantern.

“Laurie is dead. Cynthia and Frank are dead. Garth is missing. Kathy, you need to get out of here, you’re not safe.” She sighed. Samuel couldn’t imagine her reaction like she didn’t believe him nor cared.

“Laurie ain’t never been alive Samuel,” Kathy said. “Not since living in Cade’s Cove, ha!”

Samuel looked at her with perplexity. He hadn’t noticed his hands were reaching up to his mouth in bafflement. Kathy sat at her table sipping on tea.

“Why would I not be safe? I pray. Did you pray this morning, Samuel? That’s why this hurricane has come, to get rid of all the sinners. I pray you’re not one Samuel, but then again, the hurricane is named after you, isn’t it?” Samuel was confused and lost. He looked around her home and failed to notice earlier nothing besides her table and a solitary chair. There was no television, no couch, and nothing on the walls. The color palette was dark grey like an old television show before color TVs. “Return, Samuel. They’ll be waiting for you.”

Samuel’s confusion turned into a fright, “Who?” 

“Your friends.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Wake in the Wind. They wait. Run through the wind and you’ll see.” Kathy remained sitting and staring at Samuel. “This is Cades Cove, Samuel. Everything will be fine.”

Samuel had enough and walked backward out of her home and closed the door. He didn’t understand what Kathy was saying, he didn’t understand what is happening in Cades Cove. Lightning struck. Thunder numbed his ears while making his world spin.

The wind was rough and tearing through the street like a whistling firecracker as Samuel stumbled through it like three sheets in the wind. Lightning struck nearby and the thunder crackled and shook the ground Samuel was standing on. He ran through the wind straight for his home. The home wasn’t further but a coves circle away but the storm made it miles.

3. Rhymes and Reasons

The storm raged in fury as the rain battered down onto the pavement with lightning striking and thunder crackling. The storm was everywhere besides Kathy’s home. Above and around her home lacked the clouds and designs that make up a storm. Down beneath Cades Cove, the streets were flooded above the households. Cars were now submarines, and anything that peaked above the water was blown away by the raging wind.

Samuel ran through the streets back to his home, the wind picked him up and tossed him like a ragdoll against the grown and to the curb. He picked himself up and maintained his fierce walk to his home but couldn’t make it. The wind was too forceful until he was lent a helping hand.

“Here you go man, grab my hand,” Terry said. He grabbed Samuel by the arm and pulled him through his yard into his home. 

“Thanks … Kathy, she’s insane.” Samuel released an air of exhaustion to catch his breath. “I’m going home, locking up and waiting this out. Did you call the police?”

“Lines are dead. Nothing.” Terry stood staring at him. Blackness filled his eyes.

“Alright, well, good luck.” Samuel said.

“We’re going to pack up and try to get out as soon as we can.”

“I’ll do the same.” 

Samuel walked out and stayed close to the house as he darted across to his house and ran inside. He slammed the door behind him to keep out the water and wind as the rain maintained it’s consistent barrage on his roof like a marching band drunken drummer. Samuel went into the kitchen and sat down. What’s that smell, he thought. It smelled of reeking past dated poultry. He looked into his trash can and nothing was there, he went around into the laundry room and nothing was there. Samuel walked around his house until he went into his bedroom to find the body of Janet, Terry’s wife. Her body laid there as beautiful as she sat in a chair or standing in her garden digging holes for fresh flowers but she wasn’t alive doing such things, she was dead.

The rain continued to pour on his home with force, rage, and what seemed like hate. Thunder continued to crackle as lightning lit up Samuel’s home. Why was Janet’s dead body lying in my bed, he thought. This doesn’t make sense. Who is doing this? Kathy is batshit insane, Garth is missing but must be too old, Terry was with me the entire time. Thoughts filled Samuel’s mind as he couldn’t understand what was happening. Samuel dragged Jim’s body outside of his house and laid it in his front lawn, with luck the storm would wash it away. He went back inside and sat down, wondering what to do next.

I need to stick with Terry, stick together, that’d be smart. Here I’m alone and a goner. I’ll go over there. The storm strengthened, it’s winds were throwing up picketed fences, trees were swaying back and forth smacking the dirt and grass. Lightning increased and thunder was louder. But maybe he’d think I did it, what will he think?

Samuel looked outside and saw a fiery blaze at Kathy’s home. The storm was unforgiving, he wouldn’t dare go over there. He heard a creak in the floorboards. Turning around he saw little five-year-old Jenny, Terry’s child standing behind him. “You didn’t invite me, Samuel.” Jenny said.

“Wha -” He was cut off by Jenny rushing towards him with an increasing speed impossible for a child. Samuel reached out his hand for the nearest object, a lamp, and smacked her away from him. She hit the wall, busting through it. Samuel ran outside into the storm.

He sped across his lawn and went into Terry’s. “Terry! Are you home?” He called out. No answer. Samuel searched the bedrooms and heard a grunting sound.

“Garth!” He found him lying in the kitchen. “Garth, what happened here, where’s Terry?”

“I … don’t know. My head, it hurts.” There was blood coming out the back of her head, a pot lay nearby looking like it was painted red. “I tried stopping them.”

“Don’t move. I’ll get something–” Samuel said. Them?

“No, find Terry. He went to Kathy’s.”

“What … why would he?” But it was too late. Garth stopped breathing and just lied there. Dead. Blood poured out of his head. He was lifeless as Laurie.

Samuel stood up and stared at Garth. He was old. His body aged before his eyes like a dying flower under a heated lamp. A shiver flowed through Samuel’s body staring down at her lifeless corpse. He shook it off. He decided to leave Cades Cove and face the storm below. Outside the window of the house, Samuel thought he saw Janet. Must be the leaves from the trees.

Outside the building the storm was as bashful as ever. Samuel stood in the entryway to the house, staring outside and figuring out the best course of action. Kathy’s home continued to have a blazing fire behind it, and down the street where the pavement dipped south lay nothing but a town underwater. His options were limited.

“Samuel.”

He heard someone call out. He glanced through the powerful raindrops and saw a figure towards Kathy’s home. “Samuel.” It called out again.

“Frank?”

“Come over here.”

“Frank, I saw you – dead!” He didn’t respond. Frank turned around and walked back into Kathy’s front porch and into her home. Samuel couldn’t believe it. He ran after him struggling to maintain his balance and footing as the rain pounded him down and the wind attempted to pick him up and carry him off. He kept on and until he got to Kathy’s porch. It wasn’t the same. The house was fixed, no longer was there a hole in the front like a tree never went down on it. In fact, the tree was standing on the front lawn.

Cynthia posted herself up in the middle of the street. The wind had no effect on her. When the lightning struck she twitched. Her gaze pierced Samuel like a needle through the skin of a corpse.

Samuel opened the door and went in. The room lit up with a single lantern on the kitchen table. The backyard was full of light from the blaze and lightning flashing followed by its thunderous roar. The building shook, knocking Samuel off his balance nearly hitting his head on the table as he fell down. Terry was standing in the kitchen at the sliding glass door.

“It’s the opening, Samuel.” Terry maintained his eyes on the fire filling the room with an orangish light.

“What is the opening?” Samuel asked.

“Cades Cove’s immortality.”

He made no sense and Samuel couldn’t shake the shiver this time. He went to look at what Terry was staring at. Besides the fire was Katheryn standing with resolve. Wet squishing sounds came behind Samuel as he turned around Jim appeared. “Samuel, welcome to the baptism.”

“Jim, we’ve been trying to find you!”

“I’ve been here. I’ve been everywhere.” 

“What do you mean?”

“The baptism, Samuel. It’s named after you. This hurricane will bring us Cade itself.” Samuel watched as Terry went outside and stood next to Kathy. Staring at the orangish flames, sparking and wildly flailing in the wind and rain.

“This is insane,” Samuel said out loud. 

“No, it’s immortality,” Kathy said. Laurie, Cynthia, and Janet joined by her side. Their skin was pale and eyes black.

“Wh – what?” Samuel stumbled.

“Because of the storm, Samuel. It’s what we have to do to bring Cade to us, to end the sinners, end the storm. And you are the last piece of our puzzle.” Janet said.

Samuel’s face was red and Laurie’s eyes were fixed on his popping veins. She looked at him with utter lust. Kathy stepped forward. “It’s been a successful hurricane, our blood sacrifice to Cade will be gladly accepted and he will be pleased at our latest baptism.” Samuel was paralyzed, gazing into Kathy’s eyes. “You see, Samuel, we baptize new members of Cade’s Cove and send them out. The hurricanes here are Cade’s manifestations, and a command to us to send out our new converts.” Kathy’s eyes turned from black to red, lowering her head to stare fixedly at Samuel.
“Garth tried resisting, Samuel. He always has. Tonight he tried keeping our prize from us, you, Samuel.” Kathy said. Samuel ran. His jacket hung on the kitchen counter as Terry grabbed him and swung him down. 

“Goodbye, Samuel.” Terry said.

Samuel spun around and crawled towards the front door, he pulled onto the door opening it, lifting himself up and stepping out into the whistling wind and the barrage of rain. It swept him up and he fell down. Terry came up behind him and smacked his head down on the black tar. Kathy and Janet stepped out towards him. Without hesitation, Laurie baptized Samuel.

The past sinner’s skin turned pale and their teeth fleshed out. They embraced their new find on life and shunned the incoming sun and blessed Samuel’s hurricane. “I’m sorry, my dear. But you were really a nice boy.” Kathy said. “The rain will wash away your tears, the wind will blow away the remains. Hurricane Samuel has come, and the tears of Samuel will wash it away.”