Little Red Riding Hood

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I woke late in the night. The moon shoe brightly, sharing it’s light with the world. I didn’t know why I woke, maybe it was the loud chirping of the crickets, or the distressed animals in the paddock out back...or maybe it was the loud screams from the town.

I jumped out of bed and stumbled to my window, now wide awake. People ran about, falling over everything in their path.  Animals ran wild, horses sprintd past with liquid travelling down their backs. One collapsed but no one stopped to help it. a huge black shape pounced onto the animal and began to rip it to shreds. I whimpered at the sight and covered my ears from the horse’s screams.

The wolf looked around, huffing condensation into the air. The wolf’s body shuddered in the freezing air, growling at the people in front. Why is he here? Why now? Why would he come back? There are so many places on Earth he can go, so why back here? Was it all for me?

My grip tightened on the sill, my own breath fogging up the glass. I could hear my family shuffling above me. Don’t make noise, please don’t make noise. An ear splitting scream came from upstairs and a crash followed. God damn, Angela!

The wolf's head snapped to my direction and I swear it smiled. I screamed and ran back from the window and down the ladder to the ground floor. I ran o the door and pulled it open but the wolf was already there. I gasped and slapped the door on its snout. I locked the door and slid the heavy bar through the hinges, shielding us in. My chest heaved and beads of cold sweat tumbled down my forehead.

My family came up behind me, my mother and sister shaking in each others’ arms. My father directed them behind him and walked up to me with a hard expression on his face.

“It’s outside, isn’t it?” he whispered putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head roughly.

“Stay here.”

I shook my head faster, “No, don’t!” I hissed through a whisper. My father put his hand up and crept towards the door, retrieving a dagger from his boot. I kept shaking my head, regretting every step that he took. I hadn’t heard the wolf but that doesn’t mean it’s not out there. He grabbed the handle on the bar and pulled making a loud scraping noise. I winced and stepped back. I was so frightened. My father unbolted the door and gently turned the handle giving the wolf the perfect time to enter. But even though the door was wide open the wolf was not there. 

I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding and went to join my dad. We peered out of the door expecting the wolf to jump out and bite our heads off but...nothing happened. It probably moved on to other helpless people because it couldn’t get inside.

“I thought you said it was out here?” my dad said lowering the dagger.

There was a crash and loud roars and more screams. Half the kitchen collapsed in on itself sending dust into the air. Through the thick cloud a figure emerge, grey and white from the dust that floated down. My sister screamed and we all dove away as the wolf lunged. We collided on the floor, my shoulder hitting the coffee table hard. The beast slid on the dusty wood and crashed into the open door.

“Come on! Run!” my father cried out pulling me onto my shaky feet. I took a hold of my sister’s arm and dragged her to the kitchen where my parents were scrambling through the hole. I could hear the beast’s claws clicking on the boards as it got to its feet. I moved faster and shoved Angela through the closing hole. The whole kitchen was falling to bits and I didn’t have enough time to get through it.

I mistakenly looked over my shoulder to see the wolf heading over to me. I began to panic and scratch at the rubble. I have to get out. I’m trapped. The wolf will rip me to pieces! I need to get out, I need to survive. I stepped to the side just in time for the beast to run into the rubble. Unfortunately it didn’t make a bigger hole like I wanted and the wolf just used it as momentum to launch itself at me. He hit my chest hard, sending all the wind out of me and sending me sprawling onto the floor. I wheezed but used my remaining strength to hit its snout and kicks at its legs.