A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

There is this English expression I never really understood. 'It rains cats and dogs'. Cats and dogs can't fall from the sky, that is pretty much obvious to anyone. And why did they choose to describe a hard rain with cats and dogs falling from the sky? I still have to figure it out. But right now, it's the only expression that can convey the feeling of the rain that is pouring down in my hometown.

We found shelter in an apartment on the ground level of a building. At first, it felt outrageous to enter in the private space of someone I didn't know, but Lucius was leading the way, so I simply put the responsibility on his back. Not that it made me feel any better. If anything, I feel like a scum now.

He told me to look for something to heat us with while he inspected the surroundings. I was left alone in the living-room attached to the entrance hall, shaking like a leaf while this guy decided to pursue his shopping in someone else's house for the umpteenth time and while I was wondering how we could possibly defend ourselves from mad assassins.

I had to refrain the urge of googling "easy efficient self-defense" to get an answer for my existential question. Yeah... No more internet... No more smartphone... Adiòs artificial intelligence and quick-answers! I looked for my Huawei everywhere, only to remember hours later that before I found myself in this... world? My smartphone's battery was dead. That means my hysterical scene back at home was for naught.

...

Let's take a look around. I wonder where the previous owners put the heater.

I walk in a child's room where every single surface is covered in a thick layer of dust and head straight to the window to watch the street to shake away an uneasy feeling. I then realize that I know this building very well. This is the street I have walked thousands of times to go to the library - my secret corner - whenever I needed to take a break from home or hiding from bullies in school.

The dead body of the library girl suddenly flashes in my mind once again, and this time I feel really nauseous. How do they keep it together in times of war? My stomach churns at the only reminder that our lives are at stake and I've been here for only a couple of hours at most. I will probably die of anxiety in a few days... I don't know how to fight. I don't know how to make a fire. And I don't know how to get something to eat without going to a grocery store or a fast-food!

I take back what I said... I'll eat something poisonous while driven by starvation before dying of anxiety. And seriously. I'm not sure if trust this guy for survival. I mean, except if he did some scouting when he was younger and his subconscious gives him some hints, I don't think a theater actor that went mad knows much about how to get alive out of this mess. Especially if he thinks he comes from another period of History...

What does grandma always says when we're having a hard time? Oh yeah, I remember: "When you think you're stuck in life, pray to God dummy! And don't forget to thank Him after that!" Then, she usually goes on about how we're a generation of ungrateful brats and that when she was young, things were much harder and so on and so forth.

She's probably right, but now it's too late. We should blame the adults for raising a bunch of eternal good-for-nothings... They should have taught us these things before. And since I don't have a browser to look for solutions, I need to work things with my brain and the small knowledge I accumulated watching movies, anime and the documentaries on nature - although I'm not sure the last ones will be of much help. They don't talk about how you should cook the animals or what kind of plants are edible.

"Never give your back to the room when you're alone. Always stand with your back against the wall."

Lucius-from-another-timeline has finished his little tour it seems...

"I had other things through my... WHAT THE HECK?!"

That... I knew he was crazy and everything, but I thought THAT would NOT happen.

At what moment did I decide to trust him?

He's standing in front of me with two long knives in his hands... And that serious look... What did I do to deserve that?!!! Is it about the heater?! I have to find a way to get out of here. Why doesn't he move? What does he want from me? If I run to the left or the right, he can easily catch me. That's a risk I must take I guess. But why my legs don't move? I'm paralyzed... I have to do something. Come on, do something Amir!

"Here, take it. You need one."

I blink a couple of times and glare at the knife he hands me before taking it. So he just wanted to give me a knife? Couldn't he do it in lesser scary way?

I know the situation is serious, and he's probably not even aware of it since he thinks he's from the Middle Age or something, but defending oneself with a fancy kitchen knife with a pink colored blade is a bit... I would have laughed at the main character for fighting with this thing, but that won't happen again. I swear. Wait... Is this what they call "irony of fate"? Why is there written "You can do it" on the blade with a winking chef drawing?

I look back at Lucius but he still has that serious look in his eyes. Then he didn't do it on purpose. Or he is a really good actor.

I'm a bit fed up with the whole situation but I have to let it slip. We need to find something to dry our clothes and we also need to put something in our stomach too. I give him a brief thanks and he nods back with a satisfied smile.

"I will be delighted to teach you some basic moves when we get to a safer place. But now we have to fill the bags. I found some food, but I'm not sure how to eat it. Can you come and check it with me?"

I follow him out of the room to the kitchen but I hear our steps making a familiar splitter-splattering sound and when I look down, I see that all the corridor's floor is all wet.

"Wait, there wasn't any water when we came in..." I say, tugging at Lucius' shirt fabric to get him to notice it.

"I know. I think some water came in from the roof. It can happen when it has breeches and rain is pouring down today."

I roll my eyes in annoyance.

"No man, that can't be possible. We're in a four-floor building! This water can't be coming from the roof! I'm sure it comes from outside!" I go to the main door and I don't know why I am doing this. This water could also come from a broken pipeline, am I just trying to prove my theory right?

As soon as door opens, I am thrown back by a half meter wave.

Great, I'm even more wet than before...

I had a feeling that the water was pouring down too hard. Now it's transforming into a flooding. I take two deep breaths. It's not the time to panic...

"Okay, no panic. I've seen it on the news. There is a flooding and since we don't know when the rain will stop, we need to go upstairs RIGHT NOW before we are drowned!"

I throw away the soaked backpack. I will look for food and other necessities somewhere else, but I can't carry so much weight with me.

The water level is just below my knees. That means we still have time to go upstairs and get safe. We may even find some things to dry out clothes in the apartments upstairs and wait for the rain to calm down. I try to hurry up to get to the staircase, but I realize Lucius is not following me. Good Lord! Can someone tell me who's the adult in the whole story?

I go back down and find him in the living room trying to throw down the bookshelf.

"Oh, you're back! Help me get this down. This wood is pretty thick, we can use it as a raft."

I. CAN'T. TAKE IT. ANYmore...

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!!! YES, YOU ARE! OF COURSE YOU ARE! DO YOU THINK WE HAVE TIME TO PLAY ADVENTURERS! WE'RE GOING TO DROWN IF WE KEEP STAYING HERE!!!"

Lucius looks at me with his super-irritatingly calm face and doesn't say anything.

Fine, if he wants to drown in his own delusion, I can't force him to follow me.

God... Why do I feel so bad? It's not my fault. What can I do, uh?! I can't carry him all the way up the stairs...

Let's see, first floor should be high enough. This door doesn't open. What about this one? I have to make sure I won't consider it a normal thing to go in the house of other people when I get back to normalcy. This is only for survival...

Great, this one is open. I'll try to convince that dummy to come up here to do his shopping.

A black dog is sleeping in the middle of the a huge white hall... What kind of house is it? Anyway, better not waking the beast from his slumber - that's not a dog anymore... Too huge. Let's close the door as quietly as possible...

Oh, no... The dog opens his eyes and show me his white pretty sharp canines. I immediately close the door, and thanks God I closed it in time! The door is trembling because of the inhabitant violent beatings.

I run down the stairs, but I am also running out of time. I look down at the staircase and Lucius is nowhere to be seen. Wait, water again? And this time from above?

We're screwed. We're screwed. We're screwed for real.

We're the heck is he hiding again?

"Oh, you're back again young man! You just came in time, I really need your help to get it out of here!" he said, standing next to the hand-made-raft-that-was-once-a-bookshelf with a big bright smile as if he was standing next to the latest Tesla.

"Sure..." What else can I say?

Me, Amir Haris Jones, am in a world that looks like the real world but it's not. And I need to figure out how to get out of here as soon as possible before I lose my mind too.

Thankfully the plank passes through the door. Lucius tasks me to open the main entrance of the building and I would be lying if I didn't have some apprehensions in that regard.

A river has replaced the main road. Inside the building we are protected from the current, but that's not the case outside. The water level has reached my waist. At this point, we could very much lose our raft if we trow it first.

No, actually that's a certainty.

"Hey, young man climb up. I'll push the raft outside with this staff, so you don't have to worry about anything."

Sure, I don't have to worry about anything. I won't die of anxiety or poisoning, or even starvation. I'll die drowned first.

But do I have a choice? God help me please...

I climb up and Lucius pushes us with his staff-paddle - when did he found that thing? - and that's how the river ride begins...