The storm is coming.

[Ulf Hednir]

June 21, 2021

Las Vegas, NV

The sound of thunder clapping at a constant pace could be heard coming from the outside, as Ulf had neared the entryway to his penthouse in Las Vegas. Each thunder seemed to shake the building as the storm drew ever closer. Despite the sound of the thunder, it did not prevent Thea from being fast asleep in the arms of her father and Rori had assisted by opening the door for Ulf. He seemed to walk cautiously into his home, careful not to disturb Thea’s slumber, as he walked toward her bedroom. The sky was blackened. The constant sound of rolling thunder, alternating with flashes of light that seemed to give a brief natural light to the room and Rori had gone to flip the switch… but there was nothing.

“The power’s out, babe,” Rori said.

Another flash of lightning lit up the room, and a figure could be seen on the balcony… the demonic face that could not be mistaken, which Rori had caught at the corner of her eye. She raised her phone to bring a light to the balcony but there was nothing there. She sighed and was convinced her mind had just been playing tricks with her. Ulf’s footsteps could be heard retreating further into the penthouse. She used her phone as a flashlight to grab a candle on the coffee table in the center of the living room, and reached into one of the drawers for a lighter. It took a few clicks, but the lighter lit up and she held it to the candle.

Meanwhile, down the hallway, Ulf still had Thea in his arms as he carefully prodded the door open and gravity took over from there as it creaked open the rest of the way allowing Ulf to enter the room. He laid Thea down in the bed, and covered her, before being careful to leave the room and allow her to sleep peacefully through the remainder of the evening… in assumption that the storm would not wake her.

Rori sat down on the couch and turned her head from the window for only a moment when another lightning strike hit the balcony, and the same demonic image appeared on the balcony closer to the door this time and the image seemed to catch her eye again as she lifted her head to look toward the balcony. But when she had lifted her head the figure was gone. The sound of Ulf walking back toward the living room could be heard drawing closer, and she turned her attention toward the hallway where he had emerged, “Did du say something?” Ulf asked.

“Yeah,” Rori said, and gestured to the candle, “The power’s out.” Ulf walked to the kitchen and flicked the switch a few times, but to no avail. “Yeah, because I didn’t try that already…” she said while rolling her eyes.

“Well, unnskyld meg,” Ulf said in a mocking tone.

Both shared a chuckle over the interaction, and Rori leaned forward to set the candle back on the table as Ulf walked over and sat next to her, putting his arm around her in the process. She rested her head onto his shoulder.

“Vi can’t se (watch) en movie.” Ulf said.

The lightning struck again, illuminating the entire room, and a figure could be seen looming over the loving couple. Abraxes. He tilted his head back and forth before being unable to stop himself from chattering his teeth… the sound caused Ulf to jump, but just as he did, the light had receded and Abraxes was gone in that instant. Despite not seeing anything, Ulf still peered back and forth. The sound of the rain coming down heavier could be heard from inside, and the thunder continued rolling for several seconds.

“It’s really coming down tonight.” Rori said, her gaze focusing over to see the rain hitting the window.

“Thor er… in en mood,” Ulf said, chuckling over his own comment.

“It would seem so,” Rori said, “I’m in a bit of a mood.” she said as she raised her head, and gave a sly wink at Ulf.

“Vi can--” Ulf began, but was interrupted by Rori straddling on his lap and leaning down to give him a passionate kiss. Meanwhile, the floor creaked behind them but didn’t seem to catch their attention anymore as they were preoccupied… to say the least. Another flash of lightning illuminated the room for another moment as Abraxes could now be seen tracing his fingers along the wall as he walked down the hallway leading to Thea’s room.

The next morning, Ulf was the first to awaken… throughout their escapades, they had ended up in the bedroom, and as Ulf had rolled to the edge of the bed, Rori clung to the sheets to hold them against herself. He crept to the floor to not disturb her from her own slumber and carefully went to the door; he opened it carefully, and closed it behind him while looking down the hallway to see Thea’s door was open.

“Thea?” Ulf called out. There was no answer, so he thought that she may have fallen back asleep or something… he decided it would be best to check on her, and walked down the hall with a smile, a pleasant surprise for his daughter to be awake this early, “Do du want waffles?” Ulf asked as he inched closer to the door and peered his head in. “Thea?” he called a second time, and he looked to see Thea was not in her bed. He tilted his head, a slight look of concern on his face as he walked the rest of the way in and the truth revealed. “Nei-- nei. NEI!” Ulf shouted at the top of his lungs until he could not scream any longer.

The writing was on the wall:

Nobody

Is

Safe

The scream seemed to stir Rori as she ran into the room, now wearing a robe, “Babe?” she called out as she walked into the room and saw Ulf almost crumbled onto the floor just re-reading the message. She knelt down beside him and just held him as they tried to grasp the reality of the situation.

Some time had passed and Ulf seemed to be in a losing battle for hope. He was sitting on the couch while Rori was in the kitchen on the phone. There was a note in Ulf’s hands as his eyes darted back and forth on the page, re-reading it… as if still trying to resist that this had become a reality. He read the note:

No harm…

No harm will come to her.

I am HONORABLE.

You will play my game.

You will handle… business.

Rules are rules.

Ulf sneered as he crumbled the note up. Rori seemed to be finishing up her conversation, “Thank you, Robi. Let us know if you hear anything..." she says as she hangs up the phone. Rori walks back over to couch and sits beside him, while placing a hand on his back, "We're going to find her." she assured him.

End.