Brain Juice (A Collection Of Short Stories)

Creature Of The Night

The young woman shivered as she pulled the fur hood over her auburn hair, every inch of her body alive with the piercing chill of the night air. The harvest moon glared down from the maze of stars scattered across the sky, a peculiar copper light dappling the leaf litter on the dew ridden ground. It was only now she regretted taking the forest shortcut, the route that had been discouraged for generations - now that she was being stalked by a mythical creature of the night.

It was teasing her, testing her mental and physical capabilities, moving out of sight just as she turned her head. Equipped with impossible speed and incomparable strength, she was considerably overpowered. The woman was faced with a mortal dilemma - if she stayed where she was, it was only a matter of time before the creature closed in on her, but any attempt to run would result in a swifter, though less dignified death.

A sadistic laugh interrupted her decisive thoughts, and with a stunned inhalation of breath, she turned to confront her assailant. At first glance the figure that watched from the shadows was humanoid, although a hungry look occupied his ageless grey eyes. Shifting nervously, the woman called out hoping to appeal to any conscience that remained in the creature's tainted heart:

"What do you want from me?! Please, I beg you, leave me alone!"

Emerging from the shadows, the creature's pupils dilated until his whole eyes were black pools, devoid of soul or emotion. Folds of grey skin - only possible on a long dead corpse - hung tightly to the bony skeletal structure. His thin pink lips pursed momentarily, and then smacked in delight, imagining the sweet flavours of his next meal. The expensive suit he wore was drenched in the blood of a recent victim, someone with the misfortune to stumble across this ravenous fiend.

He replied in an amplified voice, his mouth forming into a sinister sneer.

"I want only one thing. Your body.....your flesh and blood.....oh, such flavours!"

Shuddering in anticipation of the kill, the creature glided across the forest floor with eerie elegance. The woman was rooted to the spot, in the knowledge that any chance of escape was a dwindling hope. Close enough to smell her skin, and to hear the pulsing of blood flowing through her veins, the creature opened his mouth to reveal his teeth - sharpened enamel, specialised to kill.

He moved in slowly, savouring the moment.

Exactly as the woman knew he would.

Moving with agility, she leapt aside from her attacker, and used the creature's surprise to her advantage. She thrust a heeled boot out, catching the creature in the kneecap, and crushing the bone instantly in the process. As he stumbled backwards, she struck again - this time a swift fist performed an uppercut, striking him routinely in the chin. Her fingers came to rest on the chiselled wooden handle of the stake that lay in wait inside her thick coat, and in an instant it was embedded in her clueless attacker's chest.

Staggering in utter shock, the creature hissed furiously, attempting to comprehend the events that had occurred in a flash. He could not believe he had allowed himself to fall for such a futile pretence - he should have paid heed to the whispers about such trained killers. Blood leaked from his mouth, dribbling profusely down his pointed chin. With a final sigh of defeat, the creature's body shrivelled like a crisp autumn leaf, and then slumped soundlessly to the ground.

The woman looked down at the corpse for a moment, and then aggressively pulled the weapon from the chest cavity. She stooped down and reached inside the skeletal mouth. When her hand emerged, it held a valuable trophy - the canine tooth of a vampire. Smirking to herself for a moment at her initial fear, the woman reached to her neck, and ran her fingers across the crude necklace she wore - it consisted of dozens of teeth, each one telling the tale of an arduous battle with similar creatures.

Satisfied she turned and headed back along the road, whistling softly to herself, as the creature's dried remains began to scatter as dust in the wind.