PROMPT: write a story set in the middle of a hailstorm

The leaden clouds had been building and looming on the not-so-far horizon for days; we could see the jagged prongs of lightning, thrown down from Olympus, strike the ground – that was our signal to brace ourselves for the storm to come.

We reinforced the deserted home we were residing in; our own homes having been lost in the biggest thunderstorm of the decade a handful of months ago. We were just kids then, yet maturity had been thrust upon us when one of the plagues took our parents one by one.

With the help of Harry and Grayson, the three of us lifted a discarded sheet of corrugated iron on top of the rickety porch cover that guarded the entrance to the house. My younger sister Susie and the other girls we'd brought along with us boarded up the windows inside the house, except for a segment at the bottom, which would still allow some natural light in.

Being caught in a storm was bad enough. Being caught in the dark was even worse. Everyone knew that.

"You alright, mate?" Harry's hand landed on my shoulder – and squeezed it tight, releasing some of the tension built up in there.

I nodded, jaw set tight. "Just hoping this storm isn't as bad as the last one."

The last one was the one that had torn the country apart, shredded buildings and divided families.

Grayson dipped his head in agreement, fear quivering in his maroon eyes. "D'you think it will be?"

"There's no way of knowing," Harry reassured, slinging his arms around us both with big brotherly affection.

As it turned out, we wouldn't have too long to wait – as the rain started while we were standing in the patchy garden.

Get inside – an instinctive thought felt by all of us.

The rain lashed against the windows and battered the corrugated iron, a tinny sound that was sure to get on our nerves as the storm progressed over the hours.

"Hail yet?" Susie questioned, peeking under one of the windows.

"Stay back, Susie," I warned, taking her hand and leading her into the middle of the room where some of the others were sat playing cards. "It'll be okay. Just don't go too close to the windows."

"But how will we know when the hail starts?" She pouted up at me, seeking guidance from her brother – her one remaining family member.

"We'll know." I kissed the top of her head and moved away, crossing my arms as I sat on the bottom step of the stairs. I stared at the blank door for a few moments before the sound of the rain intensified to a steady rattle.

"Hail," Harry murmured from where he was stood in a doorway.

I tried to hide my imperceptible shudder as much as possible but he saw it all the same. He knew how mine and Susie's mum had died – a large chunk of icy hail landed right on her head as she was running to join me and Susie in the shelter. I'd kept my sister's head turned away but watched in horror as our mum collapsed to the ground with blood trickling down her face.

"We're safe here," Harry insisted.

"I hope so," I muttered as the hail lashed against the sides of the house with growing ferocity. "I hope so."

(556 words)