**I'm trying to work on showing the reader, and not telling them that someone is mad, afraid, or whatever. It's actually a challenge for me, so I wrote a short story. It's not really scary, and not original at all, but oh well. Please give me feed back, thanks! (: **
P.S. Sorry for the weird right-align format - dunno how to fix that. It looks normal when I'm in the edit box. Ah well.
Tears.
Hundreds upon thousands of tears.
I was curled up behind a stack of boxes, sweating and crying. The heat enveloped me, but it was not comforting. I froze in my mourning, feeling a rush of icy air jet over my head, sinking into me.
A scuttle.
A faint squelch.
The Thing sensed I was here.
I held my breath. I dared not to look. It would be too risky to even move an inch.
I could feel it moving its head around, puzzled by my sudden disappearance. Was it so dumb? I hoped it was.
I let out my breath slowly, realizing I was starting to feel light-headed.
Another squelching sound echoed, but louder.
I shivered.
The Thing had killed my family. How I escaped I do not even understand and perhaps never will.
The most frightening part was that there was only one Thing, and it was no larger than an adult Labrador Retriever. However, its speed and viciousness made it deadly. My family members had screamed so loud in pain and fear. Their cries will forever be imprinted inside my skull. I closed my eyes.
It was Halloween. I had been going door to door with my older brother, Clyde. We would have races to each house and see whoever would reach the end of the street first. The winner would get the other sibling’s good candy.
My brother won this time, again. I remember panting out of breath, my lungs burning because it was so cold out. He cackled, but it was all in jest. I remember slapping his hand away and walking down to the next street over. He didn’t catch up until I was at the second house.
I remember walking down that whole street, practically alone. I ignored the children’s screams of delight, the shouting, the glow-sticks. I ignored Clyde.
All I remember is the cold, and then the sudden pandemonium.
Gun shots. Children and parents screaming, babies screeching. Everyone darted into the neighbors’ houses. Clyde yelled my name.
It was weird, because half of my name came through an eerie and sudden silence. I turned slowly around, now seeing whoever was still on the street all lying down.
I ran to my brother, fearing the worst.
Blood pooled around his lips and quickly drooled out of his mouth. He gurgled something.
I apologized so many times for how I acted. I cried and he smiled at me. His white teeth now bordered with blood. My regret ached and pulsated through my body. I wished I was dying instead.
I remember the day following was unusually warm and a rainbow appeared in the sky. I couldn’t help but think it was a message from my brother. It eased the pain a little. It made me think there was a future for me.
There are no more visual memories now, though, except for the Thing. The Thing looks like a little goblin. The Thing is brown, and makes squelching noises from its throat.
I slowly turned my head up, and though muted, prayed to every god I could think of. Every saint. Every angel. I only saw the water stained tiles of the room, but there must have been something nicer beyond the ceiling, the sky, the space of which scientists say is infinite.
The Thing was not dumb like I had hoped.
I jumped up and ran, even though I knew it was hopeless.
The Thing ran after me and tackled me.
Its squelches surfaced from its throat, and the Thing’s mouth opened. It produced a slime that covered my whole body. I moaned in disgust, defeat, and terror.
The slime started to harden around me. I struggled, attempting to move at all. The Thing curled back its lips, its saliva dripping on me. It appeared to be grinning.
What followed next, I don’t remember too well. I remember smelling this sour and foul air. I couldn’t see anything. My whole body felt like it was on fire. How long would I have to live in this horrible state of being?
Finally, air. Freedom. I coughed and gasped, crawling on the ground. What came out of my throat was inhuman though.
Garbles?
The Thing watched me from afar. I did not fear it any more, for I instantly understood what had happened.
I also understood that I was hungry.
I wanted meat. I wanted something alive.
How many other families must endure the pain and scenes that I had once witnessed myself? How many of those must turn into a clone of The Thing? It was an odd sensation, to want such a specific type of prey.
I had strong cravings. I couldn’t help it. I had to go after my colleagues, co-workers, and friends. They wouldn’t recognize me, but did it matter? Of course it didn’t.
There was no more future for me or anyone else. It was not odd that I didn’t ache. I just had to live In the present.
P.S. Sorry for the weird right-align format - dunno how to fix that. It looks normal when I'm in the edit box. Ah well.
Tears.
Hundreds upon thousands of tears.
I was curled up behind a stack of boxes, sweating and crying. The heat enveloped me, but it was not comforting. I froze in my mourning, feeling a rush of icy air jet over my head, sinking into me.
A scuttle.
A faint squelch.
The Thing sensed I was here.
I held my breath. I dared not to look. It would be too risky to even move an inch.
I could feel it moving its head around, puzzled by my sudden disappearance. Was it so dumb? I hoped it was.
I let out my breath slowly, realizing I was starting to feel light-headed.
Another squelching sound echoed, but louder.
I shivered.
The Thing had killed my family. How I escaped I do not even understand and perhaps never will.
The most frightening part was that there was only one Thing, and it was no larger than an adult Labrador Retriever. However, its speed and viciousness made it deadly. My family members had screamed so loud in pain and fear. Their cries will forever be imprinted inside my skull. I closed my eyes.
It was Halloween. I had been going door to door with my older brother, Clyde. We would have races to each house and see whoever would reach the end of the street first. The winner would get the other sibling’s good candy.
My brother won this time, again. I remember panting out of breath, my lungs burning because it was so cold out. He cackled, but it was all in jest. I remember slapping his hand away and walking down to the next street over. He didn’t catch up until I was at the second house.
I remember walking down that whole street, practically alone. I ignored the children’s screams of delight, the shouting, the glow-sticks. I ignored Clyde.
All I remember is the cold, and then the sudden pandemonium.
Gun shots. Children and parents screaming, babies screeching. Everyone darted into the neighbors’ houses. Clyde yelled my name.
It was weird, because half of my name came through an eerie and sudden silence. I turned slowly around, now seeing whoever was still on the street all lying down.
I ran to my brother, fearing the worst.
Blood pooled around his lips and quickly drooled out of his mouth. He gurgled something.
I apologized so many times for how I acted. I cried and he smiled at me. His white teeth now bordered with blood. My regret ached and pulsated through my body. I wished I was dying instead.
I remember the day following was unusually warm and a rainbow appeared in the sky. I couldn’t help but think it was a message from my brother. It eased the pain a little. It made me think there was a future for me.
There are no more visual memories now, though, except for the Thing. The Thing looks like a little goblin. The Thing is brown, and makes squelching noises from its throat.
I slowly turned my head up, and though muted, prayed to every god I could think of. Every saint. Every angel. I only saw the water stained tiles of the room, but there must have been something nicer beyond the ceiling, the sky, the space of which scientists say is infinite.
The Thing was not dumb like I had hoped.
I jumped up and ran, even though I knew it was hopeless.
The Thing ran after me and tackled me.
Its squelches surfaced from its throat, and the Thing’s mouth opened. It produced a slime that covered my whole body. I moaned in disgust, defeat, and terror.
The slime started to harden around me. I struggled, attempting to move at all. The Thing curled back its lips, its saliva dripping on me. It appeared to be grinning.
What followed next, I don’t remember too well. I remember smelling this sour and foul air. I couldn’t see anything. My whole body felt like it was on fire. How long would I have to live in this horrible state of being?
Finally, air. Freedom. I coughed and gasped, crawling on the ground. What came out of my throat was inhuman though.
Garbles?
The Thing watched me from afar. I did not fear it any more, for I instantly understood what had happened.
I also understood that I was hungry.
I wanted meat. I wanted something alive.
How many other families must endure the pain and scenes that I had once witnessed myself? How many of those must turn into a clone of The Thing? It was an odd sensation, to want such a specific type of prey.
I had strong cravings. I couldn’t help it. I had to go after my colleagues, co-workers, and friends. They wouldn’t recognize me, but did it matter? Of course it didn’t.
There was no more future for me or anyone else. It was not odd that I didn’t ache. I just had to live In the present.
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