Short Stories for busy people

A CREATURE OF THE SHADOWS

It was a dark and stormy night in the small town of Cedar Creek. The wind howled outside as the rain beat against the windows of Sarah's cozy little cottage. Sarah was a young woman in her late twenties, living alone in the woods on the outskirts of town. She had always loved the solitude and peace that came with living in the forest, but tonight she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

As she sat in her living room, sipping a cup of tea and reading a book, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was out there, lurking in the shadows. Every creak of the floorboards, every rustle of the leaves outside, sent shivers down her spine. She tried to brush it off as just her imagination, but deep down she knew that something was wrong.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on her front door that made her jump out of her seat. She cautiously made her way to the door and peered through the peephole, but there was no one there. Just the darkness of the storm outside. She let out a nervous laugh, chalking it up to the wind knocking something over outside. But as she turned to go back to her book, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

There, standing in the shadows of the trees, was a figure. A tall, shadowy figure with glowing red eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness. Sarah's heart raced as she watched in horror as the figure slowly stepped out from the trees and began to approach her cottage.

She quickly locked the door and ran to the phone to call the police, but as she dialed 911, the line went dead. Panic set in as she realized she was completely alone, with no way to call for help. She grabbed a kitchen knife and retreated to her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

For what felt like hours, she sat in the darkness, listening to the sound of the storm outside and the creaking of the house. And then, she heard it. A soft, rhythmic tapping on the window. She held her breath, trying to ignore it, but it grew louder and more insistent. Tap, tap, tap.

With trembling hands, she mustered the courage to peek out the window, only to be met with the horrific sight of the shadowy figure standing just outside, its face pressed up against the glass, its red eyes piercing into her soul. She let out a scream and stumbled back, dropping the knife to the floor.

The figure began to scratch at the window, its long, sharp nails leaving deep gouges in the glass. Sarah could see the twisted grin on its face, a grotesque mix of malice and hunger. She felt as though she was going to be sick as she realized that this thing wasn't human, it was something else entirely.

In a blind panic, she bolted from the room and ran down the hallway, the figure following closely behind. She tried to barricade herself in the bathroom, but the figure effortlessly tore through the door as if it were made of paper. Sarah was face to face with the creature now, its glowing red eyes inches from hers.

And then, with a sudden burst of speed, it lunged at her, its sharp teeth sinking into her flesh. Sarah screamed as she felt the searing pain of the creature's bite, warm blood gushing from the wound. She fought back with all her strength, scratching and kicking, but it was no use. The creature was too strong, too fast.

As darkness began to creep into the edges of her vision, Sarah realized that this was the end. She was going to die at the hands of this monstrous creature, alone and terrified in the darkness of the storm. And as the creature continued to tear into her flesh, Sarah's screams faded into the night, joining the howling wind and the pounding rain in a symphony of horror.