The Dry Creek Bed

The Broken Glass

I didn't realise anyone was with me until someone grabbed my shoulder. Tightly. So tightly, nails dug into my exposed skin. I screamed and turned around... only to find no one behind me. I was standing in my kitchen hall. The chilling fact that there was no one behind me made the shoulder grab even worse. I shrugged it off and sat on the couch clicking the TV on. But no matter how many times I clicked the channel button, only static appeared on the screen. I groaned and didn't have the energy to go outside and fix the satellite. I got up and went to the kitchen. A strong, sulfur smell wafted through the kitchen and I gagged. Ew, what the hell is that? I thought to myself. I ignored it and figured the neighbours above me were cooking eggs or something. After grabbing some cookies and a box of cereal I went into my room. I lay down on my bed and clicked my room TV. Again, static. I felt a cold breeze like someone had just moved quickly around but my window was closed. I shivered and pulled a blanket over my shoulders. The static hum of the TV was beginning to creep me out so I turned it off. I was now sitting in the dark and huddled under my blanket. I slowly started to fall asleep. I sat up, wide awake around 3 pm. What had woken me up was even stranger than me waking up that early. A long, shrill scraping noise dragged on my window glass. Like nails on a chalkboard, but more specifically nails on a pane of glass. I cringed and covered my ears. Heavy breathing filled the room and the smell of rot and sulfur poured into my nostrils. A loud, glass cracking sound filled my ears and I looked up. My window was now broken, the shards of glass laying on my floor. My eyes started stinging and watering so much that my vision blurred. I heard scuttling of claws or nails crawling on my floor. I screamed and ran out of my room, feeling something swipe at my ankle. Burning hot, horrid pain shot up my leg. I slammed my door shut and the scratching of claws dragging on my door. I ran out of the house and called the police. They came and went in, coming out saying it was just a robber. I showed them the cut on my leg... but it was gone. I looked frantically for the claw marks on my floor and door but none were there. The only thing that showed the encounter was my broken window and the lingering smell of death.