WEBVTT

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The air across the endless plains had grown

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thick and heavy,

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smelling of ozone and sun -baked dust.

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For hours, the horizon had been swallowed by

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an approaching wall of charcoal -black clouds,

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swelling upward like bruised mountains against the fading

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light.

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Silas urged his horse faster,

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keeping a wary eye on the dramatic sky

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that seemed to press down closer with every

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stride.

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Suddenly, the twilight was split wide open.

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A jagged, blinding fork of white -hot electricity

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tore from the belly of the dark clouds,

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slamming violently into the earth miles,

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ahead with a crack that rattled in Silas'

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chest before the thunder even reached his ears.

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The landscape vanished for a fraction of a

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second,

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bleached stark white by the fierce illumination of

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the lightning strike,

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then plunged back into a deeper, more menacing

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gloom.

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A heavy drop of rain struck Silas' cheek,

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followed instantly by a howling gust of wind

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that swept wildly across the open grassland.

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Knowing he couldn't outrun the fury of the

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storm, he slid from the saddle,

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leading his spooked horse toward the shelter of

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a low limestone ridge.

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As the sky unleashed a deafening roar and

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the deluge broke over the plains,

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Silas pulled his cloak tight,

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watching the breathtaking, chaotic dance of fire and

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water consume the night.