Excerpt: Into the Spiral by Erin Danzer

“Great, just what I need,” she grumbled. “What a perfect ending to such a perfect birthday. You know, I did think when I saw Brian at dinner that getting struck by lightning was all I needed to complete this day.”
“It wasn’t all that bad; you did get a tattoo today and you got to have dinner with me,” Andi pointed out. Ronnie nodded.
“Too true, and it’s rained almost every night this week anyway. So what should we do now?”
Andi glanced at the window as another rumble of thunder sounded. “I guess we could go downstairs and watch a movie.”
“Sounds great.” Ronnie wound her arm around Andi’s waist and led the way out of her bedroom.
They brought out blankets and pillows before deciding on a movie to watch. Because it was her birthday, Andi let Ronnie pick one out. Ronnie finally decided on a popular romantic comedy she hadn't seen in a while. They lay on the floor between their blankets and watched. Ronnie tried to ignore the crashing thunder and sizzling lightning, but soon it got to be too much. She stood up and crossed to the only window in the room, situated over her dad’s desk. Rain lashed the window at a ninety degree angle and lightning blinded her momentarily. Heavy black rain clouds churned overhead. Terror rang through her and she screamed as a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the ground at the lake’s edge outside her house.
“Oh my god!” Ronnie squealed as she jumped back from the window. She tripped over the chair behind her dad’s desk and ended up sprawled on the floor just below the window sill.
“Get away from the window,” her mom shrieked as she ran into the room. Another lightning bolt slammed into the ground in their backyard, closer to the house this time. Ronnie scrambled to her feet, thinking Mother Nature was targeting her house as her mom grabbed her and Andi and pulled both girls out of the room.
“We have to get into the cellar before the house gets struck,” her mom instructed and Ronnie numbly nodded. Not only was the house made of wood, it was held together by a steel frame. Her dad had been told it would make a stronger structure. Now, seeing the lightning strike closer and closer to her house, Ronnie thought it was the stupidest idea she had ever heard.
She ran through the house behind her mom and Andi as yet another bolt of lightning flashed as it struck down. Ronnie and Andi screamed and her mom told them to keep moving. The front door swung wildly on its hinges in the fierce gusts. Ronnie could just barely make out her dad by the open cellar door through the rain and swinging door.
“Go! Get out of here!” Ronnie yelled as she pushed Andi to run faster and was relieved when Andi stumbled out into the rain soaked night towards her dad. Ronnie had a moment to look out at her parents and best friend as the sky lit up with the next bolt of lightning.
“Ronnie!” Her mom screamed as Ronnie’s foot pushed off from the metal door stop but it was too late. An electrical current shot through her as she stumbled out of the house. She fell to the ground, twitching as she passed out.