Short Horror Story's

22.

I couldn't handle it anymore! The ticking, the dripping the sounds the numbers. Nothing could get my mind off of my starvation. The desire for a midnight snack. It was my fault I didn't take precaution earlier and grabbed myself some Oreos before bed, but now the desire was so tasteful. I had no other choice but to give in to the bitter crave.

So there I stood twisting the knob of my door. Watching as the brass sphere clicked to its last ring. As the wooden door released its self from its hinges a gust came in. A breeze of darkness filled my room. It was pitch black, but the light of my room lit a pathway for me. The light stretched across the hallway getting narrower and narrower.

I knew as long as I stayed within the light I was safe from whatever the dark concealed, but yet here I stood. My feet nailed to the ground and my hearing amped to paranoia. For within that darkness could be anything; Hidden body bags hanging from the ceiling. Possibly waiting for me to run into them.  An murderer watching my every move with his scythe dripping with thick blood. The list went on, but yet here I stood as my eyes doomed themselves upon then end of that stretching light. The taunting chill was that after that last point of light I was on my own.

So without any more presumptions I gathered what little breath I had and walked amongst the light. Each step keeping consistency to keep within the light stretch. If I didn't the result would be some missing toes or maybe some unexpected grabbing of my ankles. I walked on reaching my halfway point when I heard scuffling. I stopped in my tracks and peered in front of me but I couldn't make out anything. I turned back around but only saw my bedroom door open. Yet the scuffling continued like white noise in my ears. The sound nested itself within my ears like a devious parasite. Scuffle, scratch, scratch. The sounds continued as I moved forward.

It was then that I reached the end of the hallway and the light was at its peak. The trailed met at an angle and I knew from then on. It was open season. The sound stopped, and for a moment I could only hear the dramatic pounding of my heart. The muscle pounded faster than each beat before. My body filled with paranoia, anxiety, fear. It fell silent.

It was at least a mad dash past my bathroom and my parents just before the stairs. If I could clear the stairs that came after, then maybe I was in the safe. My kitchen was just past our living room, and there I would have the safety of the refrigerator light, but still that was a lot of time in the dark. Not to mention the unsettling hike back to my room. All together it would be at least one minute in the dark, but a minute was all was that was needed in order for a knife to stick my back. With no lights to lead the way I couldn't risk being caught being up late. So there I was again strategizing my plan.

I started to count to a full minute and I knew that. It would not be that quick. If anything time would slow down as if giving the creatures of the dark a chance to have their way.

So I stepped off the security and began my pursuit to the next light, as soon as my left leg left the floor board the scuffling began. I could feel its prescience.

I made it to the stairs and flew down them skipping every other step. I passed our game room and our kitchen then grabbed the handle to the refrigerator and let go of the little breath I had. The light quickly bounced off my pale white skin. My heart was throbbing. I was safe. For now.

I quickly whipped myself up a sandwich not minding the scuffling, but it grew louder and louder. I stood there in the light, as whatever out there was watching me. That alone was nerve wrecking. I knew that getting here was the easy part. The second part was getting back and that's when whatever was lurking would attack. I made the sandwich and a grabbed myself a juice pouch. I knew I had to think of something to outsmart whatever was watching me.  So on impulse I slammed the refrigerator door and took off for the stairs.

Then I felt it. A tug at the bottom of my shirt while I was ascending up the stairs. It wrapped its claws deep within my shirt and I couldn't break free of the hold. So I took off my shirt and stumbled my way up the creaky stairs. The shuffling did not stop though, as it grew louder . The shuffling turned into eerie scratching. Vicious and predator like. It was coming for me. I turned back around but could only see long spiderlike limbs stabbing the ground. I then turned back forward. That's when I saw the light paved trail bouncing of the wooden floor. I ran and ran, and just before hitting the light. It grabbed hold of my ankle pulling me back towards the stairs. I tried to claw at the ground, but my fingernails started to tear and I could feel the oozing pain releasing.

I kicked behind me several times and eventually the thing gave up and let me go. I bolted to the light trail but it started depleting. My door was beginning to close! That's when I forgot I left my window open and the wind could easily blow the door shut. The door began eating up the light. The darkness was beginning to replace the trail. I dashed for my door faster and faster, but the closer I got. The farther it seemed to be. The pave way of light began turning to inches before. I knew it was just a slit of light bursting through the crack of the door. Then I busted through falling on to the safe haven of my ground. Oh, How I never cherished being on the floor so much in my life before. Till now.

I got up to check the time. Apparently, my venture through the dark. Turned out to be more the just a couple of minutes. I then turned towards the door and saw it. Once again my bodied was nailed to the floor. With deep thick rusting nails. It was a creature with long razor like claws that draped the ground, and it had long boney arms. Its hair sailed over its face like a swamp plant, and its torso showed only its haunting ribs. Wanting to burst through its thin layer of skin, and its eyes. The eyes they were black holes of nothingness. My back blocked the light source and casted a shadow over the figure. The hair on the back of my neck stood high, There it stood outside my door but it did not enter as it could only go as far as the dark could reach. It was afraid of the light, as I was of the dark, and through this all. It just stayed there looking straight at me. With a face of complete hunger. My stomach curled and in that moment all I could think about. Was how I left the sandwich and juice pouch back downstairs on the kitchen table....