Saving Sancreith

III | Crawling in the Night

Warning for graphic content; gore. Most is not explicitly described; I'll leave it to your imagination.
Nothing is what it seems.
(I am a terrible human being)
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Papa gently carried his son to the child's room and rested him on the bed. He gingerly tucked the blankets to the boy's chin and made sure that no cool night's breeze would wake him. The candle flickered by the bed with every movement that was made, and cast a warm light on the child's angelic, sleeping face.

Mama came in soon thereafter, carrying their newborn baby girl. She had a smile on her face that could light the heavens as she looked down upon the face of her sleeping daughter. Papa came to stand beside his beloved wife, and they both looked proudly to their much loved babies.

Mama, with the help of Papa, tucked in the small girl in another bed and stood over their bodies, looking at them with much love. Papa and Mama both took turns kissing their precious children good night, and both made sure that each were tucked in good and tight. They stood together for a moment, cradling each other, sharing the last bits of that happy moment until the light of the morning would bring forth a new day. Papa slowly blew out the candle beside the beds, spilling the room into darkness, and the two crept from the room, making sure not to make any noise to wake their children. The door quietly creaked closed, and the proud parents tiptoed away.

"Has the shop made more money today, my love?" Mama asked her handsome husband. He nodded his head slightly and shared with her the profits of the day. They brought out a small safe-box and opened it to reveal a meager mass of coins, most of which were just coppers, and they added the few coins they had made that day to their collection. They stared at earnings with a proud glint in their eyes; all this money was made by hard work, and would be passed down to their children someday. And they were so excited for that day to come.

A shrill shriek pierced the air. Strange noises were coming from the children's room, but they were almost much too quiet to fully make out. Mama and Papa began to race towards their children, when they heard harsh choking noises coming from the end of the hall. More screams filled the air, coming in quicker intervals. Mama threw open the door, her heart sinking in her chest.

A misty substance filled her lungs as she took her deep breaths. She looked to her child's bed, not knowing what exactly to expect. But what she saw was far beyond anything her mind would ever harbor.

A black creature hunched over her son's bed. It had the body of a monstrous canine, but stood on two legs. The spines on its curved back stood like obelisks peaking from the tight black film. The head, however, bore no resemblance to that of a dog; its head emulated the look of a horse skull, but with very diminished jaw bones. The head itself was covered thinly in a shadowy visage. Their eyes glowed a murky white in their sockets, as if they were covered in a milky residue. Their teeth were needles but ebony in color.

Her thoughts raced through her mind as she struggled to recognize the creature; but when it hit, it was far too late. She was breathing in their noxious fumes that they exhaled, and in any moment, she would be feeling the effects.

 Her children's cries swam through her mind; listening to it was torture itself. But there were more tortuous things that the creatures had in mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her husband doubled over, wheezing and coughing from the effects of the poison gas. She clutched at her throat, feeling the fumes burn her respiratory tract. She watched in utter terror as the Hound buckled in over her son and shed its filmy skin. The Hound encased her screaming child in its slough, its arms moving and wrapping like that of a spider's legs.

Another Hound leapt through the window and came to inspect her baby daughter. The gas expelled from the beasts' mouths came in thicker clouds, stinging her eyes and sending her lungs into an inferno. The second creature picked up her wailing daughter by one leg and inspected her with a seeming curiosity. In a moment, the creature turned and slipped into the shadows.

Amongst the sound of gut wrenching wails from the infant, there were stranger noises to be heard. Rips and tears; splatters and slops. The creature hissed and growled in between each breath and bite, bending on all fours to devour its prey.

Mama let out a blood curdling scream and fell to her knees in agony. Something paddled up behind her and her husband, wrapping their claws around their legs. She could feel her hot blood gush from the gashes in her leg. She turned a ghostly pale face towards her new attacker to learn that there were more creatures than she had known. One was eating her husband alive, his yelps of agony filling the air. He turned his head towards her, his eyes turning a milky blue as the beast took monstrous bites from his body. His chest rose and fell, but he was too weak to move.

Mama felt the tears run down her face, her eyes stinging, her lungs in chaos. Her attacker approached slowly, then launched forward and bit her neck, sticky blood squirting through its teeth. Her world went black.

A ring slipped from Papa's hand and rolled down the hall. The blue gem sparkled brightly when the moonlight from the windows shone upon it. The insignia of the stag was intricately engraved on the silver band, along with the words "Knight Athelard" in perfect cursive.

The ring continued its eerie roll until it came to a halt, where it gently rocked back and forth until it went still and toppled over.

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Thanks for making it through chapter 3. It's a tough one. Please comment and vote if you've got the time!