Pit, pat, pit, pat.

The sound of the rain could be heard even from inside the small brick house at the end of the road. A teenage boy sat on a wooden chair near a window, watching the rain fall. He leaned his head on the window, enjoying the coolness on his skin. It made him feel like he was wanted. After all, the window might not want to be cold and he felt obliged to make it warm.

The boy continued to stare out the window as lightning stuck, brightening the dark sky for a few moments. He saw smoke coming from a house a few blocks away. Police cars drove up and down the block, shouting something about mandatory evacuations. He just watched, not bothering to even get up from his chair. He might as well die; nobody would even miss him. The only person that needed him was himself. But even he has given up on life, so what was the use. The sirens from the police cars soon died away, and he was left by himself with the company of his television. The streets were already starting to become flooded, as more rain fell from the sky.

I’m alone.

Drops of rain rolled down the window while a car alarm went off as lightning struck again.

I’m all alone.

Water started seeping into the doorway of the house and the boy glanced at it with his head still on the window.

I’m going to drown.

The cold water reached his feet and slowly climbed up to his ankles.

I’m going to die.

His mother’s face suddenly flashed in front of his eyes. Then his father’s did. And then his younger sister’s. A tear slid down his cheek. The water was up to his knees.

I’m sorry.

“…victims of the latest hurricane. Twenty people were found dead, and many more were injured.” The news reporter suddenly lifted his hand and pressed the earphone closer to his ear, trying to hear what the person on the other end was trying to say.

“Breaking news. We have just found a young man, approximately 18 years old, in his home at the edge of town. He has yet to be identified, but he was found lying on the floor, wet and clutching a photograph of what looked like a picture of his family. We do not know if he’s dead or—”

He suddenly stopped talking and his eyes looked away from the camera as his hand went to his earphone once again.

Slowly, he put his hand down and looked back at the camera and simply stated, “The boy is alive.”