text: I woke up in the middle of the night, a layer of cold sweat covering my entire body. Turning around on the bed, I looked at her. She was sleeping, breathing deeply, with a faint smile on her plush, pink lips. I frowned and moved in the dim, bluish light of the room, leaving the bed. My bare toes spread on the floor as I sat up, cracking my neck before getting up. I grabbed my smokes and lighter from the nightstand and walked over the open window. It was raining. A barrier of water that barely let me see the other side of the street. Yet the air was thick and warm, even when it seemed it had been deluging for hours, judging by the rivers flowing down the road. I lit a cigarette and leaned against the railing, taking a long and slow drag, and with a heavy sigh, I released a thick cloud of smoke that slowly went up in the air, mixing with the early morning mist. The sky was gradually gaining color far in the east, the storm clouds turning slightly golden and orange. There is always something very appealing and almost magical to this time of the day. It gives you the feeling that you're the only living person in the world, although I wasn't. I glanced to my right as she moved on the bed, mumbling about getting back to sleep. My gaze lingered on her half-naked form for a moment but quickly abandoned her and returned to the street as I continued to enjoy my cigarette and the quiet surrounding me. Although, there was an odd sensation slowly crawling into my mind and my skin. I stared up at the sky. The clouds were so thick and too dark. There was something off about them. It felt like they were pressing their ethereal mass against the earth, capturing the hot air and the city fumes, creating a weird atmosphere that made me uneasy even during the peace of the morning. But, I told myself that it was nothing and continued to enjoy the rain's natural song. It hadn't been too long when I heard a noise down the street, and I lazily turned in that direction. I couldn't distinguish anything, but it sounded like someone was out there, mumbling in the downpour. At first, I thought it was a person, maybe a homeless guy or someone too drunk to care about the weather, but some other voices soon joined the first. Unable to understand a word, if those were words at all, a feeling of anxiousness took over me. My chest suddenly felt tight as my heartbeat increased; my hands gripped the railing tightly as I held the cigarette between my lips. The sounds continued to grow in number and seemingly becoming louder as if its source was slowly dragging its way down the street. Maybe it's just a group of foreign people, I thought; a mere excuse my mind gave me to try and calm my nerves, although it didn't work. I continued to look toward the nothingness, only a waterfall in front of my eyes. I leaned forward, ignoring the downpour as it hit my face and exposed torso. However, in the back of my head, I did notice that each drop felt incredibly dense, not as if they were simply falling but deliberately thrusting themselves against the surface of the earth. I continued to stare, breathing heavily. Eventually, after what seemed hours, I noticed some fading motions in the rain. At first, I thought it was the wind, causing the falling and running water to wave, although it took me a fraction of a second to realize that there was no wind, not even a faint breeze. I shook my head, rubbing my eyes. Maybe it was just the sleep calling me back to bed. Squinting, I looked again, and the heavy rain barely allowed me to hear my voice as I gasped, dropping my cigarette. I recoiled from the window, and it took me a moment to force myself to pull my jaw up and close my mouth. I held my breath and pushed myself against the railing once more, and this time I had no doubt. Something was moving out there, a dark fog, leisurely rolling closer, moaning and groaning, mumbling and growling unintelligible sounds. I was about to close the window and hide, but then I realized I wasn't afraid, and for a second, that odd realization made me wonder if this was a damn weird dream. But I was sure this wasn't a dream; I was fully aware of what was going on. With my sight fixed on... Whatever that was, I tried to rationalize what I was staring at, but nothing I could think of seemed to work and make sense. I knew I was witnessing an unnatural event, something that no one was supposed to see, and that was the only answer that calmed me down. Watching the shadows creeping closer to my house, closer to me, I began to distinguish each of them and their voices. Their shapes changed and shifted as they moved, merging and then dragging their bodies apart and move in their own direction. However, they kept moving as a single, large mass, continually getting closer. Always groaning as if the rain hurt them like acid, as if the asphalt they were sliding across ripped their skins. Retreating from the window, I hesitated for an instant before rushing downstairs, not wanting to make them wait as I practically jumped down the steps. Standing at the door while catching my breath, I was able to hear them scratching the door and its frame. They were asking me to let them in, although their grumbling was now barely audible as if they perceived there was someone else in the house. And... I'm sure now that they knew. I glanced up in the direction my room was. That was why they were here, right? Because of her... I eagerly unlocked the door, pulled it open, and faced them. My eyes almost fell from their sockets as I saw their faceless fronts, the dark holes where eyes should have been, the void they had as mouths. It was bizarre and fascinating at the same time. They passed by me and through me. I sensed their low noises rumbling inside me, like standing too close to a large buffer, and yet I was only able to hear a muffled whisper by then --a silent procession flowing in front of me. The shadows slid into my house, floating upstairs, seemingly occupying the entire house as they spread and advanced. I watched them until the last one disappeared into the second floor. There was a long moment of silence when even the rain seemed to have faded into nothing, and for a second, I thought they were gone. I thought I was crazy, that my mind made all that up. I peered outside at the wall of water and blinked. Was that it? What was... It? All my questions and thoughts suddenly stopped when my ears finally heard a noise. It was the very distinctive sound of my wife's voice. Her screams were so loud I feared the neighbors might hear her, but the rain was so unnaturally heavy, deafening everyone around and isolating this very... Strange event from the rest of the world. I knew they were coming back as her voice now reached louder to my ears. I flinched and grunted lowly, looking up at the stairs to see the shadows return, carrying my screaming wife along with them. I saw the terror in her eyes, her sight clinging to me. She called my name, her mouth gaping, distorted in a pained grimace. She reached out with her arms, clawed hands as if she was trying to grasp the air desperately, and me. Her body twitched and shifted as she struggled, and I couldn't tell what kept her from simply falling to the ground. I couldn't distinguish if anything was holding her or if it was just some kind of force keeping her in place. I think I was smiling while my wife was carried outside, and I saw her expression changing from one of utter horror and desperation to one of deep pain and disappointment. She realized I had no intention of helping her, yet my soul felt light and relieved. I believe I caught a hint of understanding in her because deep inside, she knew our life together was fake. I watched in silence as the shadows abandoned my home, standing at the threshold as the last creature oozed its way out. I observed them, with my hand slowly going up to the doorknob. Returning through the same way they came, they took her, and they were silent now, content as I was. I could only hear her screams fading in the air as they disappeared behind the curtain of water. I closed the door, releasing a light breath. Turning around, I made my way to the upper floor, scratching the back of my neck as I quickly climbed the stairs. Walking into my room, I picked up the smokes and my lighter and lit myself another cigarette. I took a long drag of smoke and let it out through my nose as I sighed, smiling when I looked up towards the east, admiring the birth of a new day.